Alice In Chains’ Jerry Cantrell recently joined 93XRadio for an interview during which he remembered the time he got permission from Elton John for the song ‘Goodbye.’ The musician stated that he always asks the originator of the music before putting a cover version into an album to get feedback.
Jerry Cantrell and Elton John admire each other’s work, and they have been friends for quite a long time. John has a significant influence over Cantrell, and he is one of many reasons Cantrell initially wanted to pursue a music career. Due to this, Elton John gladly accepted joining Alice In Chains to work on their 2009’s ‘Black Gives Way To Blue.’
However, the musicians didn’t just get together to record an Alice In Chains song in the same studio. In Cantrell’s third solo album ‘Brighten,’ released on October 29, 2021, there is a cover of Elton John’s ‘Goodbye’ as the album’s last track. Cantrell was covering this song during live shows, and he decided to include a recorded version in the album as well.
In an interview with 93XRadio, the show’s host Lindsey talked with Jerry Cantrell about the song ‘Goodbye’ and asked him whether he got approval from Elton John for covering the song. In response to this, Cantrell said he sent John the song’s demo as a way of respect. The musician then added that he doesn’t want to put covers on his albums without first sending the artists’ demos.
Moreover, Cantrell said he doesn’t want to butcher somebody’s work and put it in his record without hearing their opinions on the music material. According to the musician, Elton John liked the outcome, which carried the song into his 2021 album, ‘Brighten.’
During the conversation, the host asked Jerry Cantrell the following:
“Elton John has given a seal of approval, is that correct?”
As a response, Cantrell said:
“Yeah, I sent him the demo out of respect. I wouldn’t put somebody’s song on my record unless I sent it to them and got their approval. You don’t want to butcher somebody’s sh*t and then put it on your record without giving them the opportunity to go like ‘I don’t really like that, man.’ Luckily, he dug it. So, all is good.”
You can watch the rest of the interview and Cantrell’s rendition of ‘Goodbye’ below.
