Elton John has released a new video for his 1973 holiday classic “Step Into Christmas.”
The clip stars actress and model Cara Delevingne as John in a reimagining of what happened behind the scenes of the song’s original performance clip from more than 50 years ago.
The new video features Delevingne lip-syncing to John’s song as she replicates scenes from the original clip, including a red feather boa draped over the piano. You can watch the new video below.
“I saw Cara at Glastonbury last summer, and we talked about how much we’d love to work together if the right idea came up,” John said in a press release announcing the video. “She’s hilarious to spend time with. We both have quite a self-deprecating sense of humor.
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“When someone suggested the idea of her playing me in a riff on the 1973 ‘Step Into Christmas’’ video, I just thought it was the perfect opportunity. Thank God Cara thought the same because it came out great.”
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John and songwriting partner Bernie Taupin – who appears in the original video – wrote “Step Into Christmas” in 1973 and recorded it shortly after Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was released in October of that year. The single – backed by another holiday original, “Ho, Ho, Ho (Who’d Be a Turkey at Christmas)” – came out in late November, just in time for the holiday.
The song initially reached No. 24 in the U.K., while it topped the U.S. Christmas chart. It has since become a holiday favorite, going triple platinum in the U.K. during the 2023 holiday season.
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Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso