Madonna and Elton John have finally ended their long running feud, after the two pop icons met each other backstage at Saturday Night Live (SNL).
The two pop icons have been in conflict since the early noughties when Elton criticized Madonna’s “Die Another Day”, the theme song for the James Bond film of the same name.
Madonna confirmed their reconciliation in a heartfelt Instagram post, where she spoke of the influence of his music in her younger years:
“Seeing him perform when I was in high school changed the course of my life. I had always felt like an outsider growing up and watching him on stage helped me to understand that it was OK to be different-to stand out – to take the road, less traveled by. In fact, it was essential.”
She also delved deeper into the disappointment the beef brought her: “Over the decades it hurt me to know that someone I admired so much shared his dislike of me publicly as an artist. I didn’t understand it.” Madonna then gave details of their backstage encounter, saying that she was told Elton would be the nights musical guest and was compelled to see him: “I needed to go backstage and confront him. When I met him, the first thing out of his mouth was, “Forgive Me” and the wall between us fell down. Forgiveness is a powerful tool. Within minutes. We were hugging. Then he told me had written a song for me and he wanted to collaborate. It was like everything came full circle!!”” 
Elton then left some kind words in the comment section, paying his respects to Madonna’s music and impact: “Thank you for coming to see me at SNL. And thank you for forgiving me and my big mouth. I’m not proud of what I said. Particularly when I think about all the groundbreaking work you have done as an artist – paving the way for an entire generation of female artists to succeed and be true to themselves. You were also one of the very first people to rise up against HIV/AIDS in the 80’s, bringing love and compassion to so many who desperately needed it.” Brandi Carlile, who Elton was performing with at SNL, jested at the peace-making popstars: “Whatever happens to this country the gays won today folks” Fans were pleased to see the two pop titans bury the hatchet. Some fans on the Live From New York subreddit shared their delight at seeing John and Madonna together:
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The Elton John/Madonna beef has been going since 2004, when John said her theme tune for Die Another Day was the “worst Bond tune ever”.
After this, the ‘Rocket Man’ songwriter took aim at Madonna during the Q Awards, where she was nominated for Best Live Act. Insinuating that she performs with backing tracks, he asked the crowd “Since when has lip-synching been live?”, before asserting that “Anyone who lip syncs in public on stage when you pay £75 to see them should be shot.”
Years later, John criticized her again after she secured the Super Bowl halftime show in 2012. While interviewed on “Good Morning America”, he warned her to “make sure you lip-sync good.”
Later, he would talk to Australia’s Channel 7 about her controversial ‘MDNA’ tour, which came under fire for its graphic imagery, religious and political symbolism, late start times and lip-synching allegations: “Her tour is a disaster and it couldn’t happen to a bigger c—. If Madonna had any common sense, she would have made a record like ‘Ray of Light,’ stayed away from the dance stuff and just been a great pop singer and made great pop records, which she does brilliantly. But no… And she looks like a fucking fairground stripper.
Elton John and Brandi Carlile performed their song ‘Who Believes In Angels?’, a downtempo, rocky ballad from their new collaborative album of the same name. The album was released last Saturday (April 4). So far, it’s received positive reviews, with The Guardian calling it “a true meeting of the minds.” You can read some background information we gave around the making of the album here.
