‘Yellow Brick Road’ for young acts on Elton John album

HOW’S THIS FOR your 67^th birthday?

Elton John celebrated his on Tuesday with the release of the 40^th-anniversary edition of his classic album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. The new four-disc edition features covers of John hits including Bennie and the Jets by R&B star Miguel and Candle in the Wind from singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran.

Contemporary country acts Zac Brown Band and Hunter Hayes, Irish musician Imelda May and singer John Grant are also featured. But here’s the yellow brick road for Sheeran, Fall Out Boy, Emeli Sande and The Band Perry, who talk about tackling songs from one of music’s most celebrated singers.

Fall Out Boy, Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)

When Elton John asked Fall Out Boy to appear on the rerelease of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Patrick Stump had a request: appear on FOB’s album.

And John did.

“I’m like, ‘Sure, I would love to record for him, but does he want to record for us?’ And he said yes, which kind of blew my mind,” the bandleader said. “And I was kind of bluffing.”

The English musician appears on the title track of FOB’s Save Rock and Roll. The rock band returned the favour with a cover of Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting) — though that wasn’t their initial pick of John classics.

“My favourite track on that album without question is Bennie and the Jets. At the time when we were asked, they hadn’t really solidified pretty much anyone, except Miguel had already done that track, so I was like, ‘Ugh,’” Stump recalled. “But I heard it and it’s amazing. Miguel killed it, so I’m happy to relinquish it to him.”

Ed Sheeran, Candle In the Wind

Ed Sheeran knew esponsibility came with covering John’s Candle in the Wind, which the pop icon wrote in honour of Marilyn Monroe, and years later, rewrote in tribute to Princess Diana.

“That’s when I got a bit hesitant, but only for a second because that song holds so much meaning to Britain and the world after Diana,” the English singer said. “I didn’t really know how I was going to tackle that because obviously you don’t want to outdo that song.”

Sheeran, 23, said he decided to “capture the heart of it and just do it”. His version is softer, with a singer-songwriter vibe. Sheeran, who has written for One Direction and with Taylor Swift, said watching John’s career has helped guide him.

“Consistency is key,” the Grammy-nominee said. “Be careful what you put out there and make it the best you can do.”

The Band Perry, Grey Seal

The Band Perry is really a family affair.

The sibling trio, who cover Elton John’s Grey Seal, said their parents introduced them to the piano-playing veteran. “Our parents are kind of like our very first radio,” Kimberly Perry said. “They had a massive vinyl collection and our parents were both big fans of Elton John.”

The Band Perry brought their country flavour to their version of the John jam.

The group, which also includes brothers Neil and Reid, said covering the dramatic song made them feel like actors in a movie.

“We really tried to get in Elton’s head,” she said. “The lyrics of Grey Seal are extremely eclectic.”

Perry said they are grateful for the opportunity. “He actually called Neil on his cellphone to say ‘thank you’ and was just appreciative. And we’re like, ‘We’re the appreciative ones. You’re a hero,’” she said. AP

Emeli Sande, All the Girls Love Alice

Emeli Sande says remaking John’s All the Girls Love Alice helped her become a better songwriter and influenced how she’s approaching songs on her anticipated second album.

“When you take on a classic song, you’re forced to try to look at why is it classic, why it has stood the test of time,” she said.

“It has inspired me to pay attention and to really set the bar quite highly for what’s a good song, what’s a bad song.”

Scottish-born Sande said she appreciated John reaching out to her via email and, like John, she’s hoping to fill a void in pop music.

“I felt like that art in storytelling isn’t really in pop anymore and I miss it,” she said. “It was nice to have something to get your teeth into and be able to break down like that.”

The 27-year-old, whose debut Our Version of Events was the No. 1 album of 2012 in the United Kingdom, said she chose to record Alice because it was “musically interesting and lyrically different.” She also said she wanted to impress John.

“We were quite nervous sending it off, but we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best,” she said. “It was a great feeling to know the original maker approved.”