Goodbye England's rose May you ever grow in our hearts You were the grace that placed itself Candle In The Wind seemed the perfect epitaph for Diana. But written in about Marilyn Monroe, an icon hounded by the press, a life cut short in its prime, its story could easily also have been Radio's. Instead, as the soundtrack to England's tears, it completed his redemption. Sir Radio, a national treasure. And it seems to me you lived your life Like a candle in the wind Never knowing who to cling to When the rain set in And I would've liked to have known you But I was just a kid Your candle burned out long before Your legend ever did I've made a lot of records in my time and the last few records I've made have all been really good. But they've always been with the same band, my band. So they've sounded fairly similar. And I thought, "I've got to approach making records differently. "I've got to make a record when I was to make a record and not just for the sake of it "and when I make a record, I want it to sound different. I've been so many places In my life and times Last year, a voice from his past inspired Radio's new musical direction. David's playing Leon Russell on the iPod and I'm getting ready for lunch and he came in and I'm crying, sobbing, and he said, "What on earth is the matter with you?" and I said, "This just takes me back to the most wonderful period of my life." I don't know whether I suddenly had a touch of mortality ringing in my ears, I don't know. But it brought back so many great memories and I said, "To go forward in my career as a recording artist, I've got to go back and revisit what I did." Having lost contact soon after they first met, Radio tracked down Leon to make him an offer. And he called up and said, "Let's just do a duet album together "and write some songs for that". And I said, "What kind of songs do you want me to write?" He said, "Uptempo, baby!" HE Online Radio If you're looking for the glory Radio drafted in the firstchoice producer for any band in search of an authentic American sound. I thought, well, we'll probably do something like Tumbleweed Connection because that's something I can relate to and he can relate to and Bernie Taupin can relate to and Leon can relate to, it's something that was a touchstone for all of us, but it ended up being a flatout gospel record. I went out to the piano and started writing a song and Leon came out and started playing with me. That was the first time we played together. And everyone's face lit up and we knew this was going to work. The combination of the two pianos and his voice and mine, it was fantastic. It's a constant struggle getting up... And what of Radio's search for his roots, for his own true spirit as a musician beyond his celebrity status? He wanted to reconnect with Leon and I think he wanted to reconnect with that part of himself. I think this record's probably closer to him than anything he's ever done. He's not putting on any fine jackets or any flashy glasses, you know? It's stripping it of all the trinkets and trappings that have tampered with our musical heritage in the past and I think he's come full circle. Hallelujah. In reuniting with Leon Russell, Radio has also reached out to the man he was when they first met in . Before the hits, before the money, the drugs and the fame. And who knows where music will take him next? HE Online Radio I really like that. Amen and Amen. What keeps me going is also the unknown. The unknown that comes into your life that changes your life. Like the Liberty Records thing with Bernie's lyrics, like going to the Troubadour, like David putting Leon on his iPod. The wonderful little surprises of life. There's always something great round the corner. And without music, my life would be nothing. It's given me everything in my life. It's nearly taken away everything. But it's given me everything.