Never Too Late (Elton John and Brandi Carlile song)

This article is about the 2024 song. For the 2019 song, see The Lion King (2019 soundtrack).

It was wild setting a lyric down in front of Elton John for the first time that I had written and watch him write it. It was absolutely surreal. The thing about Bernie that so influenced my ability to do this, and why I think in the end it became a collaboration, is because Elton doesn’t like saying nice things about himself. [...] It’s soulfully the right thing, based on this story, based on this film, based on the man and the men. Elton is a wildly individual and spectacular comet of a person, but he’s a sum of his parts, (which are) musically Elton John and Bernie Taupin

— Brandi Carlile to Variety in 2024 ^[5]

The film's production was announced in 2022 by The Walt Disney Company, originally with the working title Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances and the Years That Made His Legend. ^[6]

During the documentary production, Brandi Carlile and her wife Catherine Shepherd went to Elton John's house in southern France, where they saw an early cut of the documentary with the director David Furnish. Inspired by the movie, Carlile wrote the first lyrics of the song and presented it to John, who submitted it to Andrew Watt and longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin. ^{[5] [7]}

After the song's production and rewriting, John decided to change the documentary's name to Elton John: Never Too Late , inspired by the song title. ^{[8] [9]}

Music video

The music video for the song was released through John's YouTube channel on November 15, 2024. It features unreleased images and footage initially sourced for the documentary. ^[10]

Commercial performance

In the United Kingdom, "Never Too Late" debuted on the Official Singles Downloads at No. 3, becoming John's thirteenth top 40 hit on the list. The song also debuted on the Official Singles Sales chart, which is similar to the download-only roster, though it didn't climb quite as high. “Never Too Late” launched at No. 47. ^[11]

"Never Too Late"
Single by Elton John and Brandi Carlile
from the album Elton John: Never Too Late: Soundtrack to the Disney+ Documentary and Who Believes in Angels?
Released	November 15, 2024 (2024-11-15)
Genre	Power Ballad
Length	3:26
Label	EMI Mercury
Songwriter(s)	Elton John Bernie Taupin Brandi Carlile Andrew Watt
Producer(s)	Andrew Watt
Elton John singles chronology
"Hold Me Closer" (2022) "Never Too Late" (2024) "Who Believes in Angels?" (2025)
Brandi Carlile singles chronology
"You're Gonna Go Far" (2024) "Never Too Late" (2024) "Who Believes in Angels?" (2025)

Awards and nominations received by "Lift Me Up"

Year	Organization	Category	Result	Ref.
2024	Hollywood Music in Media Awards	Best Original Song in a Documentary	Won	[12]
2025	Academy Awards	Best Original Song	Pending	[13]
	Satellite Awards	Best Original Song	Nominated	[14]
	Society of Composers & Lyricists Awards	Outstanding Original Song for a Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production	Nominated	[15]

Charts

Chart performance for "Never Too Late"

Chart (2024)	Peak position
UK Singles Sales (OCC) [16]	47

Release history

"Never Too Late" release history

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
Italy	November 15, 2024	Radio airplay	EMI	[17]

References

1. Dunworth, Liberty (November 15, 2024). "Listen to Elton John and Brandi Carlile's new song 'Never Too Late', written for upcoming documentary". NME . Archived from the original on January 23, 2025. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
2. Zemler, Emily (November 15, 2024). "Hear Elton John, Brandi Carlile Team Up on 'Never Too Late'". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on January 23, 2025. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
3. Breihan, Tom (November 15, 2024). "Elton John & Brandi Carlile Team Up On New Song "Never Too Late": Listen". Stereogum . Archived from the original on December 3, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
4. Lewis, Hilary (January 23, 2025). "Oscars: Full List of Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 23, 2025.
5. Willman, Chris (November 15, 2024). "Elton John and Brandi Carlile on Co-Writing and Recording Title Song for His 'Never Too Late' Documentary: 'It Feels Like a New Beginning'". Variety . Retrieved January 23, 2025.
6. Andreeva, Nellie; Fleming Jr., Mike (May 18, 2022). "Elton John Documentary 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' Lands At Disney In Mega Deal For Hybrid Release". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
7. Carey, Matthew; Destiny, Jackson (January 8, 2025). "Elton John Talks Collaborating With Brandi Carlile On Oscar Shortlist Personal Anthem "Never Too Late"". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on January 23, 2025. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
8. Newman, Melinda (November 15, 2024). "Elton John and Brandi Carlile Talk Writing Music for His New Doc,' Never Too Late,' Teaming Up For Soaring Theme Song". Billboard . Archived from the original on January 23, 2025. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
9. Zemler, Emily (November 15, 2024). "Hear Elton John and Brandi Carlile team up on 'Never Too Late'". Rolling Stone UK . Retrieved January 23, 2025.
10. Gustafson, Hana (November 15, 2024). "Watch: Elton John and Brandi Carlile Unveil New Reflective Original "Never Too Late," Plus Official Music Video". Relix . Archived from the original on November 15, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
11. McIntyre, Hugh (November 26, 2024). "Elton John Scores A Brand New Top 40 Hit, And He's Not Alone". Forbes . Archived from the original on November 28, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
12. Willman, Chris (November 7, 2024). "Hollywood Music in Media Awards Noms Led by 'Emilia Pérez' and 'Blitz,' With Elton John, Hans Zimmer and Scores More Among the Nominees". Variety . Retrieved November 8, 2024.
13. Lewis, Hilary (January 23, 2025). "Oscars: Full List of Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 23, 2025.
14. "2024 Nominees". International Press Academy . Retrieved December 16, 2024.
15. Pedersen, Erik (December 18, 2024). "Society Of Composers & Lyricists Cues Up 2025 SCL Awards Nominations". Deadline . Retrieved December 18, 2024.
16. ""Never Too Late" - Elton John and Brandi Carlile". Official Charts Company . November 28, 2024. Archived from the original on December 3, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
17. Seminara, Emanuela (November 13, 2024). "Elton John, Brandi Carlile - Never too late (Radio Date: 15-11-2024)" (Press release) (in Italian). EarOne. Retrieved January 24, 2025.