Last night (March 20th), Elton John and his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin accepted the 2024 Library Of Congress Gershwin Prize for their contributions to the history of music.
They received the award at a grand ceremony where other bigwigs like Joni Mitchell, Garth Brooks, and yes, Metallica, performed tributes to John's beloved songwriting book.
Metallica opened the whole invitation-only event with a heavy-metal rendition of "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding," a classic cut from John's 1973 double-LP Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
Musically, the thrash titans might have been a bit out of place at the Gershwin Prize ceremony, but their inclusion on the bill made total sense. Metallica and John are long-time mutual admirers of one another.
In fact, in 2021, John made James Hetfield cry when he said 'Tallica's "Black Album" standout "Nothing Else Matters" is "one of the best songs ever written."
See Metallica pay it back with their cover of "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" below.
"They're an inspiration to us," Hetfield told reporters before the ceremony, according to Stereogum. Kirk Hammett added, "They're responsible for some of the greatest songs of my childhood."
One of those things you thought you’d never see in Washington — Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson head-bopping along to @Metallica at the @librarycongress #GershwinPrize for Elton John and Bernie Taupin.
— Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) March 21, 2024
See it April 8 on @PBS. pic.twitter.com/lCJB27SjFx
