‘Hold Me Closer’ Nabs Top 10 Billboard Spot After Elton John Suggested Collaboration

Topline

Britney Spears and Elton John’s single “Hold Me Closer” debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 on Tuesday, earning her the 14th top 10 single of her career after stepping away from music for six years amid her controversial conservatorship.

Key Facts

The song, which samples John’s 1971 hit “Tiny Dancer,” is the 29th top 10 hit of his career.

Spears last appeared in the top 10 in 2013 with “Scream & Shout” with will.i.am.

Though it’s now considered a classic, “Tiny Dancer” peaked at No. 41 on the Hot 100 in 1972.

Harry Styles topped the Hot 100 for the 12th week, putting him closer to breaking Lil Nas X’s record atop the chart for 19 weeks in 2019, and tying artists like Mariah Carey, Ed Sheeran and Eminem for the fifth longest-leading No. 1 track.

Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 Singles

1. “As It Was,” Harry Styles
2. “Bad Habit,” Steve Lacy
3. “About Damn Time,” Lizzo
4. “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God),” Kate Bush
5. “Sunroof,” Nicky Youre and dazy
6. “Hold Me Closer,” Elton John and Britney Spears
7. “Super Freaky Girl,” Nicki Minaj
8. “I Like You (A Happier Song),” Post Malone feat. Doja Cat
9. “Break My Soul,” Beyoncé
10. “Wait For U,” Future feat. Drake and Tems

Key Background

Spears was famously stuck in a 13-year-long conservatorship which she said put her father Jamie in control of almost every aspect of her life, including her career and finances. The “Toxic” singer has called the legal arrangement abusive and since being freed from it in November has used social media to speak out against her family and how she was treated during that time. Spears last released new music in 2016. As John has been on his final tour of his career, he’s released several remixes of his classic songs with popular artists, including 2021’s “Cold Heart”’ with Dua Lipa. Because of the success of that song, John wanted to do another update, and producers Andrew Watt and Cirkut crafted “Hold Me Closer.” It was John’s idea to bring her onto the track, the producers told Variety.

Tangent

Spears has worried some fans with her brash posts on social media. The singer marked the success of “Hold Me Closer” reaching No. 3 on the U.K. charts on Friday with an Instagram video of her posing in different outfits, and sometimes just in underwear, with an inscrutable caption that both celebrated the achievement and addressed public statements made by her son Jayden, 15, and his father Kevin Federline about their estranged relationship. Spears has recently been posting and deleting audio messages, the latest in which she declared “ I don’t believe in God anymore because of the way my children and my family have treated me.”

Further Reading

Bad Bunny, Harry Styles Continue Summer Domination Of Billboard Charts (Forbes)

Britney Spears Releasing Duet With Elton John—In Return To Music After Ending Conservatorship (Forbes)