Elton John could win his third Oscar for best original song on Sunday night for “Never Too Late,” the song from his Disney+ documentary of the same name. Elton co-wrote the song with Bernie Taupin, producer Andrew Watt and Brandi Carlile. Watt says Brandi got the initial inspiration for the song after watching what he calls an “early, uncut-down version” of the film.
The doc documents Elton’s roller-coaster life: For years he was on top of the world career-wise, but desperately unhappy in his personal life. Watt tells ABC Audio that Brandi, who’s not only Elton’s friend but also a superfan, “wanted to see the early version … so she could see all the archival footage she’d never seen before.”
After watching it, she unexpectedly started writing the song about Elton’s journey. “She was so inspired by his story … his story is so amazing,” Watt says. “The ups and downs … the drug abuse and the kind of isolation in the first part of his career,” through to the “eternal love” the music legend now enjoys with his husband, David, and their two sons.
“The thing she took away from watching his story, and the arc of the story, was ‘never too late,'” Watt explains. “You know, how there’s never a time where you can’t turn your life into something beautiful. So the words kind of just poured out of her.” From Brandi’s initial draft, she, Elton, Bernie and Watt turned it into the track you hear today.
And while Elton is probably the best-known nominee in this year’s category, another win isn’t a sure thing. His previous Oscars came in 1995 for “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and in 2020 for “I’m Gonna Love Me Again” from Rocketman.
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