Britney Spears' Elvis Presley Remix To Be Released After Critiques of 'Holder Me Closer' Emerged

Baz Luhrmann hopes to release a popular remix of "Viva Las Vegas" by Elvis Presley and "Toxic" by Britney Spears.

Luhrmann is sure that the fan favorite needs to be released, and he's committed to putting the music out there.

The song was used in the director's latest Elvis biography, but it wasn't included on the film's official soundtrack. He's now wondering how best to go about it so that the track gets released to the wider public.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Baz said: "There's a lot of love, a lot of intense love for the Britney/Elvis track in the movie, and it's my commitment to try [to release the song]."

The music is a remix of both songs and was played in the film amid a montage of Elvis' 1960s cinematic career.

Baz disclosed that an official version of the remix is "all finished" and that he is "just trying to get it out there."

In a prior interview, the filmmaker compared the two actors and asserted that they share numerous similarities. He told Rolling Stones: "Just like Britney, who makes the quintessential pop music of the nineties, you're richer than God and you're in the Hollywood bubble. That's what happens to Elvis. He has gone from this rebellious, this punk who is doing radical music with his black music buddies, to suddenly isolated in pop in Hollywood."

The remixes of "Viva Las Vegas" and "Toxic" would be Britney's second release after she was released from the conservatorship that governed her life and work for more than a decade. She recently returned to music with the release of "Hold Me Closer," a remake of Sir Elton John's renowned song "Tiny Dancer" in partnership with Sir Elton John.

While many have raved about her collab with Elton John, some said though that it has not really did Britney Spears nor Elton John justice.

Although it appeared like "Hold Me Closer" would propel this wave of remixes forward, it actually halted the process. Prior to the song's release, fans heard many leaks, the brevity of which caused listeners to believe they had simply heard a snippet of a full track.

The most unpleasant aspect was that the full song had been leaked. There are eight stanzas in "Hold Me Closer," three of which consist just of the phrase "hold me closer" and the occasional "baby, baby."

Moreover, critics said that the lyrics are devoid of substance and depth, which is a pity considering "Tiny Dancer" features some of John's most astounding work.

Not that the number of lyrics dictates a song's greatness, but the decision to simply employ a few stanzas from "Tiny Dancer's" lyrical masterpiece is puzzling, Study Breaks said.

One may argue that John and Spears wanted the song to stand on its own, so they altered the lyrics significantly. Nonetheless, it is evident that their remix is missing a second track. Two songs are reworked in "Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)" and "BREAK MY SOUL (QUEEN'S REMIX)".

In the case of "Hold Me Closer," they didn't even need to sample another song from John's discography; he could have followed Beyoncé's example and sampled a song from Spears' discography.

Following the end of Spears' conservatorship, this would have seemed even more meaningful; a gorgeous remake of one of her best songs with one of John's marvels might have easily flown. But for some, it did not happen.

Hopefully, Spears' Elvis Presley remix will get better reviews.

Tags

Britney Spears, Elton John, Elvis Presley