Elton John and Britney Spears drop their new duet 'Hold Me Closer': Listen now

By George Costantino

Elton John and Britney Spears' highly anticipated duet, "Hold Me Closer," arrived at the stroke of midnight on Friday.

Similar to "Cold Heart," John's 2021 duet with Dua Lipa, "Hold Me Closer" features Spears' voice singing the chorus of John's 1972 hit "Tiny Dancer" -- "Hold me closer tiny dancer/ Count the headlines on the highway" -- paired with Elton's original vocal over a dance beat, with some "woo-hoos" in the middle.

The cover art for the track features a famous pic of John as a child sitting at a piano, along with a photo of Spears as a little girl wearing a pink dance costume.

"I am absolutely thrilled to have had the chance to work with Britney Spears; She truly is an icon, one of the all-time great pop stars and she sounds amazing on this record," John said in a statement. "I love her dearly and am delighted with what we've created together."

Spears added: "I was so honored when the incredible Sir Elton John asked me to join him on one his most iconic songs. We are so excited for the fans to hear it! Thank you, Elton, for having me! I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to work with you and your legendary mind."

This is the first new music Spears has released since 2016's "Glory."

While she did put out three tracks in 2020, they were all songs that were recorded for the original "Glory" album but didn't make the final cut. They were included on the deluxe reissue version.

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