Elton John just proved why he’s the favorite to take home the Oscar for Best Original Song. The 72-year-old music icon — who would normally be hosting his yearly Academy Awards Viewing Party — put on a show at the Feb. 9 ceremony. But, that shouldn’t be a surprise, considering this is Elton John, and he was performing a song from a movie celebrating his life. With a pair of giant star-shaped glasses on the stage, Elton performed “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from Rocketman. Dressed in a royal purple suit and playing a fire-red piano, Elton transformed the Dolby Theatre into a sold-out concert. [Update: He won the Best Song award.]
“(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” the original Elton John song that plays over the credits of Rocketman, is his fourth Oscar-nominated song. His first three nominations came in 1995 when he was competing against himself with three tracks from 1994’s The Lion King: “Hakuna Matata,” “Circle Of Life,” and the eventual winner, “Can You Feel The Love Tonight.” One key difference here is that Elton wrote “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” with his longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin. After winning the Golden Globe for Original Song at the January ceremony, Elton was excited that their 50-years of working together finally paid off.
“[Rocketman] was one of the most emotional moments of my life, and to win this, it’s my first time I’ve ever won an award with him! We never won a Grammy!” said Elton (who worked with Bernie on iconic songs like “Bennie and the Jets,” “Your Song,” and “Candle in the Wind,” just to name a few.) “This is really sweet because this is not just about a song we wrote for a movie, this is a song we wrote for a movie which deals with our relationship,” Bernie Taupin said at the Golden Globes. “It’s a relationship that doesn’t happen very much in this town. It’s a 52-year-old marriage, so, thank you!”
Elton John wins the award for best use of graphics at the #Oscars. pic.twitter.com/koPQR3JsZY
— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) February 10, 2020
Elton John gets a hug and kiss from Janelle Monae when he returns to his seat after performing at the #Oscars. pic.twitter.com/skJpYVJkyb
— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) February 10, 2020
It’s not every year that the Oscars turn into an Elton John concert. He usually’s running his annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party, along with his husband, David Furnish. The 28th annual party, taking place at the West Hollywood Park in Los Angeles, featured the cast of Netflix’s Queer Eye. British singer-songwriter Sam Fender is also performing at the event. “I absolutely love Sam Fender. He’s so talented,” said John in a press release, per Billboard.
“Each year, we are blessed to have incredible artists do what they do best at our party, and this year will be another special night not to miss. Given we have some of the wonderful hosts of Queer Eye at our party, we all wanted to use the event to raise funds for our work with LGBT communities around the world, many of whom are 20 times more vulnerable to the disease than their straight peers. AIDS isn’t over until no one gets left behind.”