Although some would try to use Britney Spears’ ability to “bounce back” so “quickly” after being “released” (“gee thanks, Dad”) from her conservatorship roughly nine months ago (the amount of time it takes to be born also being the same as it takes to be fully reborn, it would seem), these are the people who don’t understand the power that music holds. And sure, it’s a trite aphorism to say that “music makes the people come together” or “art heals what time doesn’t,” but it is undeniably true. Especially for those who have undergone as much trauma as Spears (allowing her, evidently, free rein to ride in her private jet without judgment, where other celebrities cannot) over the past thirteen years.
So it was that Elton’s husband, David Furnish, suggested Spears as a candidate for John’s next “summer record” to rework hits past combined into one new song (e.g., “Cold Heart” using lyrical and musical elements of “Rocket Man,” “Sacrifice,” “Kiss the Bride” and” Where’s the Shoorah?”). And yet, while Elton, queen that he is, might be quick to take credit for “jumpstarting” Britney’s career post-freedom, it would be a mistake to, yet again, diminish Spears’ own capacity for decision-making in this endeavor.
“Hold Me Closer” (which employs lyrics from “The One” during two verses of the song, as well as interpolations of “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”) embodies that instinct for pop and dance music that Spears has always showcased. Not to mention her deftness when it comes to balladry (fuck all the “E-Mail My Heart” haters). Produced in Andrew Watt’s abode in L.A. (the place Britney can’t deny is her home despite all “the shit” that happened to her going down there), he was sure to emphasize how in control she was of her vocals and the stylistic interpretation of the lyrics every step of the way. Because part of the major draw for doing it was being able to call the shots for herself artistically.
As for those who might wonder why she didn’t simply record new music of her own, the obvious answer is that, as she said, not “doing” music is a big “fuck you” to everyone who wronged her. At the same time, the underlying reason could very well be that she’s scared to fail after so many years spent out of the studio. For a perfectionist like Spears, she’s sensitive to how her work is received, and with Elton’s song guaranteed to be an automatic hit (based on how it already was once before, in addition to how many fans are clamoring for “new” Britney music), this appeared to be a safe, secure way to dip her toe back in (which she’ll still tell you to suck).
Yet it isn’t the first time Spears has done something like this, namely her dance-ified cover of Suzanne Vega’s “Tom’s Diner” reworked as a Giorgio Moroder song for Déjà Vu back in 2015. The song relies primarily on Britney’s vocals, with Moroder only briefly inserting lyrics in toward the middle via, “Everybody’s welcome, come on, come on in/Sit yourself down/The fun never ends/Love is the drug that makes you wanna drink/Till the morning after.”
With more vocal support from Elton on this track, Britney’s hand is held for most of the way. John, playing the boy who’s found a bird with broken wings, was accordingly sure to mention, “She’s been away so long—there’s a lot of fear there because she’s been betrayed so many times and she hasn’t really been in the public eye officially for so long. We’ve been holding her hand through the whole process, reassuring her that everything’s gonna be alright.”
But listeners oughtn’t get their hopes up for a music video—that might be asking for far too much. Instead, one can be contented with the soothing upward movement of an animated rocket ship emitting rose petals (#ProjectRose) like shit from its backside. For that is what Spears has essentially done with her situation: turned shit into roses. As for the single’s cover art, side-by-side images of Spears and John when they were young children (still performing even then), it speaks to Spears’ sentiment, “I want to be fearless like when I was younger.” When she was still able to put her trust and faith in humanity. To have that automatic confidence to get back up again when knocked down. Something Spears has so often been forced to do even when she would have preferred to just relax—the limits of her conservatorship never allowing such a “luxury.”
This time, however, “getting back up again” is of her own volition. As such, Spears’ devoted following will, naturally, swear the song is even better than what Elton did with Dua on the PNAU Remix of “Cold Heart.” Not quite (and even John’s campy remade duet with RuPaul of “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” is difficult to top)… But it doesn’t really matter if the song is as “brilliant” as They say (with public and critical opinion being highly sympathetic [therefore not completely objective] toward anything Spears offers at this moment). What does is the fact that Spears was able to use the instrument that attracted her to the entertainment industry in the first place in a manner that wasn’t foisted upon her. Thereby re-creating a positive experience with her talent. One that will be essential to her finding peace in the years to come.
John additionally noted of the collaboration, “Rehabilitation is such a wonderful thing for anybody. And I’m just crossing my fingers that this will restore her confidence in herself to get back into the studio, make more records and realize that she is bloody good.” The flaw in this statement is the assumption that Spears needs to be “rehabilitated,” when, in truth, it’s the rest of society that does. And when you are made to feel insane (as most artists are) in a society that passes itself off as sane, all you can really do is say, “Hold me closer, tiny shred of sanity.” That shred almost always being art, whatever facet of that generalized term one chooses to seek their solace in.
