King picks I'm Still Standing as he joins Elton John's Rocket Hour for his 78th birthday
The pair chose 14 songs together for a special Apple Music show, recorded last month, that also marks 50 years of the King's Trust.
The King marked his 78th birthday on Saturday by joining Sir Elton John for a special edition of his Rocket Hour radio show on Apple Music, choosing 14 records with the singer.
The programme was recorded last month at Apple Music's studios in south London and went out for the first time on Saturday morning. It also celebrates the 50th anniversary of the King's Trust, his charity, and the part musicians have played in supporting it.
Among the King's picks was Sir Elton's own I'm Still Standing. He recalled the singer performing it at Wembley Arena in 1986, at a concert for the Trust's 10th anniversary, and said people found the song inspiring for its message of resilience. Forty years on, he told Sir Elton, both he and the Trust were still standing. Sir Elton replied that he was sitting down these days, and the two joked about bits dropping off as they got older.
The playlist
The show opened with Tina Turner's Proud Mary. The King called the late singer electrifying and remembered the Buckingham Palace guard playing Simply the Best after her death.
Asked for a song he found especially meaningful, he chose the Beatles' All You Need Is Love and described Sir Paul McCartney leading it at the Party at the Palace concert for Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee in 2002.
He also picked Giant by Calvin Harris and Rag'n'Bone Man, saying its theme of drawing strength from other people summed up his charity.
Other tracks included:
- Hound Dog by Elvis Presley
- Gotta Serve Somebody by Bob Dylan
- Handbags and Gladrags by Sir Rod Stewart
- Let My Love Open the Door by Pete Townshend
- Feeling Good by Muse
- Joy by Raye
- Wine Into Water by Nectar Woode, with Sir Elton on piano
