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\n\tThings started off easy enough with Fallon and Carlile pulling a card reading \u201cGrass,\u201d which prompted John to guess \u201cmarijuana.\u201d Brandi went with \u201cgreener,\u201d which stumped her partner, who guessed \u201cplant.\u201d Fallon pivoted to \u201cmow,\u201d which made John crack up at the thought of doing lawn work himself. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer quickly put it together, thought, and correctly guessed the answer.<\/p>\n
\n\tThat\u2019s when things went sideways. When it was John\u2019s turn to give Fallon a clue for \u201cSunday,\u201d he waited patiently as Steinfeld offered up \u201cSaturday\u201d and a gentle nod toward the next day to Carlile, who could only hazard a guess at \u201cnight.\u201d John then looked at his card, cockily shook his head and said, \u201cSunday!\u201d Game host Steve Higgins cracked up, gently reminding the rock icon that he can\u2019t actually say the clue out loud.<\/p>\n
\n\tAs The Roots busted out a sad trombone, John looked embarrassed, but quickly joined the laughter at his slip-up, clarifying that what he meant to say was \u201cweekend.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tAnd to think the night had started off on such a high note. After his monologue, Fallon moved over to his desk to tee-up the duo\u2019s appearance later in the show and just couldn\u2019t help himself in enthusing about John\u2019s deep catalog of hits. That inspired Jimmy to start reading off a list of Elton\u2019s hits, segueing into singing the choruses of \u201cYour Song\u201d and \u201cTiny Dancer\u201d a cappella before cueing the Roots to give him a beat for \u201cRocket Man,\u201d and proving with that song and \u201cDaniel\u201d that he loves the classics, but might not always know all the lyrics.<\/p>\n
\n\tAfter first trying \u201cDaniel\u201d with what sounded like an Irish accent, Fallon requested a reggae rhythm from the Roots, prompting a switch to a rasta accent. He then moved on to scatting the lyrics to \u201cGoodbye Yellow Brick Road,\u201d beatboxing the piano intro to \u201cBennie and the Jets\u201d and busting out his Mick Jagger impression for \u201cI\u2019m Still Standing\u201d during the six-minute supercut bit.<\/p>\n
\n\tJohn and Carlile then came out to talk about their first joint album, with John recalling how the \u201cBroken Horses\u201d singer wrote him a letter expressing her admiration, long before they finally were introduced in person during his Las Vegas residency at a time when John knew who Carlile was, but had never crossed paths with her. \u201cShe wrote me a letter and explained that she\u2019d been a fan of mine ever since she was a kid,\u201d John said. \u201cAnd I was the reason she wanted to make music and Bernie\u2019s [Taupin] lyrics were the reason she wanted to write lyrics.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tCarlile asked if he\u2019d ever consider a collaboration, and John, a longtime supporter of new and emerging artists, said he would definitely be down. The minute the two finally met up in the studio, John said, \u201cI fell in love with her. And I fell in love with her talent, her voice. But more than that, I fell in love with the person. And we\u2019ve become firm friends. We\u2019re like family.\u201d After that, collaborating, he said, was a \u201cno-brainer,\u201d because ever since that first intro he\u2019d wanted to record with her; the pair first collaborated on John\u2019s pandemic-era The Lockdown Sessions<\/em> LP on the song \u201cSimple Things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\tThey finally got in the studio in L.A. in Oct. 2023 with Taupin and producer Andrew Watt with \u201cnothing\u201d written beforehand. John described the first few days as \u201cvery anxious\u201d because he was doubting his ability to create on the spot, despite the blank sheet method being his preferred way of collaborating lately. Though Carlile said she too was anxious, things pretty quickly clicked and after recording the epic album opener, \u201cThe Rose of Laura Nyro,\u201d the parts seamlessly fell into place.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cIt just turned out exactly the way I wanted it,\u201d John said. \u201cIt sounded fresh. It\u2019s the best album I\u2019ve made since the early \u201970s.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tWatch John and Carlile on The Tonight Show<\/em> below.<\/p>\n\n
![\"Elton](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Elton-John-and-Brandi-Carlile-cr-Peggy-Sirota-press-2025-billboard-1548.jpg?w=237&h=147&crop=1\")
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