Elton John and Prince: The Unlikely Meeting on “The Long and Winding Road”

 Elton John and Prince: The Unlikely Meeting on “The Long and Winding Road”

The relationship between Elton John and Prince was always marked by mutual respect and admiration, but also by moments of awkwardness. One of the most curious and historic episodes occurred around the Beatles’ song “The Long and Winding Road”, when Elton attempted to share the stage with the “Purple One” on more than one occasion.

The First Meeting: An Awkward Silence

According to Elton John, his first attempt to approach Prince took place at a post-Grammy party in Los Angeles. Elton approached him, introduced himself, and tried to start a conversation. Prince’s reaction, however, was baffling: he simply stepped away without saying a word. Elton described the episode as “deflating,” but his admiration for the Minneapolis genius remained intact.

The Second Time: Las Vegas and Walking Off Stage

Years later, Elton was invited to perform with Prince in Las Vegas. The chosen song was “The Long and Winding Road”, a Beatles classic. At first, everything seemed perfect: piano, vocals, and an emotional performance. However, midway through the song, Elton noticed something unusual: Prince had simply left the stage. Without warning, he left Elton alone in front of the audience.

Regarding this moment, Elton wrote in the foreword of Prince and the Parade and Sign O’ the Times Era Studio Sessions: 1985 and 1986:

“I went on stage with him, and we started playing ‘The Long and Winding Road.’ It’s sounding great. Midway through the song, I looked around. No Prince: he’d just walked off again.”

This behavior was not surprising to those who knew Prince well. He was perfectionistic, controlling, and often uncomfortable sharing the spotlight in his shows.



The Grand Meeting in London: O2 Arena, 2007

It was only on September 13, 2007, during Prince’s historic residency at the O2 Arena in London (The Earth Tour: 21 Nights in London), that the long-awaited collaboration finally happened. Elton John joined the stage as a special guest, and together they performed “The Long and Winding Road” from start to finish.

Full show link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=343R41PNdWA

Elton John appears at: 01:19:50

Complete Setlist of the Performance

00:00 – UK Music Hall Of Fame induction intro
02:40 – Let’s Go Crazy
06:56 – 1999
11:25 – I Feel For You
13:29 – Controversy
18:38 – Shhh
25:08 – Musicology
30:30 – Footprints (horn intro)
32:58 – What A Wonderful World
37:10 – Little Red Corvette
39:12 – I Would Die 4 U
40:07 – Under The Cherry Moon (instrumental)
41:10 – Love Is A Losing Game
44:25 – Satisfied
45:35 – Diamonds And Pearls
46:21 – The Beautiful Ones
48:10 – Sometimes It Snows In April
51:30 – Cream
55:11 – U Got The Look
58:29 – Take Me With U
01:01:14 – Guitar
01:06:54 – Kiss
01:09:22 – Purple Rain

01:19:50 – The Long And Winding Road (with Elton John)
01:24:50 – Crazy
01:30:11 – Nothing Compares 2 U
01:33:57 – If I Was Your Girlfriend
01:37:47 – Bennie And The Jets
01:38:30 – Sign O’ The Times
01:58:50 – Soft And Wet
01:59:27 – When Doves Cry
01:41:02 – Alphabet St.
01:41:49 – D.M.S.R.
01:42:10 – Darling Nikki
01:42:32 – Raspberry Beret

Note: Some songs from the residency, such as A Love Bizarre and Chelsea Rodgers, do not appear in this video but were performed on other dates of the 21-night series.

Conclusion

The meeting between Elton John and Prince around “The Long and Winding Road” is one of the most fascinating stories in pop history. A mixture of awkwardness, talent, and respect, it shows how intense and unpredictable collaborations between two musical giants can be.

Even with uncomfortable moments — such as the silence at the party and Prince leaving the stage in Las Vegas — the London performance remains a historic milestone. For fans, it was a rare glimpse of the union of two artists who shaped 20th-century music in very different but equally revolutionary ways.

Sources

The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/sep/14/3

Setlist.fm: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/prince/2007/the-o2-arena-london-england-23dc9c07.html

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Earth_Tour%3A_21_Nights_in_London

Prince Vault: https://princevault.com/index.php?title=13_September_2007

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