Elton John & Stevie Wonder – “Finish Line”
Two of the biggest stars of the ’70s — maybe the two biggest stars of the ’70s — have a new song together in 2021. Elton John and Stevie Wonder were the first two artists to have albums that debuted at #1 on the Billboard album charts, back in the pre-SoundScan days when that was pretty much an impossible task, and they’ve worked together a few times over the years. Stevie Wonder, for instance, played harmonica on Elton John’s 1983 hit “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues,” and both Wonder and John sang on Dionne Warwick’s 1985 chart-topper “That’s What Friends Are For.” Today, they’ve got a new one.
In a few weeks, Elton John will release the new album The Lockdown Sessions, a collection of collaborations with people like Stevie Nicks, Eddie Vedder, and Young Thug and Nicki Minaj. We’ve already heard his tracks with Dua Lipa and Charlie Puth, and now he’s shared “Finish Line,” his Stevie Wonder collab. It’s actually the first straight-up duet that John and Wonder have ever released, and it’s a big gospel-style number with backup vocals from Kanye West’s Sunday Service Choir.
Talking about the song, Sir Elton says:
I couldn’t be more proud of “Finish Line” — I’d go as far as to say it’s one of the best records I’ve ever made. Stevie’s voice is as good as I can ever remember hearing him — he sounds like a 17-year-old again, he’s singing with a sheer joy and exuberance in his vocals. Andrew Watt has done an unbelievable job on the production. It was a magical process. I’ve always loved collaborating with Stevie, and I’m delighted that after fifty years of friendship we finally get to do a full blown duet. He has always been so kind and sweet to me, and his talent is beyond ridiculous. When you listen to what he does vocally and instrumentally on “Finish Line” you think, this is a true genius here.
Listen below.
The Lockdown Sessions is out 10/22 on Interscope. Pre-order it here.