As the third Brit in a row to be featured in the Late Late Show segment (Chris Martin was last week and Adele the week prior), it comes as no surprise that the bulk of the 12 minute video (specially extended for the web) included the pair belting out some of Elton’s greatest hits. But what really created the concert feel was the costume elements, and quirky “dance” moves.
Clearly, Sir Elton never quite had the dancing prowess, nor sex symbol status of other stars like Mick Jagger, he admits — and even if he had, he was “stuck at a piano.” So he dressed it up as best, and as flamboyantly, as he could.
Elton’s iconic voice, Corden’s continually impressive harmonizing skills, and the lengthy roster of amazing skits helped make this one of the most entertaining Carpool Karaoke segments yet. It was a bit lighter on the humor side than some of the others; how can you beat Adele rapping, or Rod Stewart dishing his rock star secrets, though?
But you can’t help but want to passionately sing along (in your head or out loud) as you watch. When Corden breaks out a Lion King-inspired costume to sing Circle of Life, it’s thoroughly hilarious and nostalgic at the same time.
At the ripe age of 68, the singer still managed to show off his youthful side, crediting much of his energy to his kids, and getting inspired to keep innovating by great young artists, like Ed Sheeran. There’s no sitting back and basking in the glory of being, well, Elton John. “I have the energy of a 20-year-old,” he says. Ironically, however, he does not have the technical knowledge of one, admitting that he doesn’t even own a cell phone.
So far, since the extended version of the segment was posted online it has been viewed just under a quarter-of-a-million times. Considering that Chris Martin’s has almost reached 7 million, and Adele has over 66 million views (a record for the segment, of course), we’re betting that Sir Elton will be right up there in views in no time.
Who, after all, would not want to see a private, in-car concert with the icon singing everything from Tiny Dancer to Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me? Feel free to hit play a couple of times — it’s definitely worth a couple of looks.
