Billie Jean King Revealed As ‘Masked Singer’ Of Elton John’s ‘Philadelphia Freedom’
King, as Royal Hen, sang ‘Philadelphia Freedom,’ which Elton wrote for her in 1974.
A celebration of Elton John’s hallowed songbook on Wednesday night’s (18) episode of Fox‘s The Masked Singer featured the unmasking of tennis great Billie Jean King among the performers.
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Season 10’s Elton John Night included covers of many of his best-loved compositions with Bernie Taupin, with Tiki performing “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and Hawk’s “Saturday’s Alright For Fighting.” Husky sang “Bennie and the Jets,” Royal Hen did “Philadelphia Freedom,” and Robin Thicke, who is one of the celebrity judges on the show along with Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong, and Jenny McCarthy, did his version of “Tiny Dancer.”
The knockout round between the lowest-polling singers saw Hawk, with “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” outdoing Royal Hen’s “Philadelphia Freedom.” The latter celebrity, dressed as a swashbuckling hen, was then revealed as Elton’s longtime friend King. The superstar wrote the 1975 smash for her when she was a member of the Philadelphia Freedoms tennis team.
The pair, already mutual admirers, met in 1973 at a party hosted by the events promoter Jerry Parencio. When Elton played her a rough demo of the song the following summer, she “loved it within the first three notes,” as she said later, predicting that it would become a No.1 hit, which it did for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1975.
As she explained to the Masked Singer audience: “I am really lucky. He said, ‘I want to write a song for you,’ and I’m like, ‘What, what’?!’” She added: “If you go to Philadelphia, everyone is still playing it. It’s their anthem.” Judge Jeong told her “We’re so honored to have you.”
The previously-eliminated contestants in the current season of The Masked Singer were
Michael Rapaport as Pickle, Tom Sandoval as Diver, Anthony Anderson as Rubber Ducky, and Demi Lovato as Anonymouse. The next edition will feature Harry Potter Night.
Buy or stream the Deluxe Edition of Elton John’s Diamonds compilation.
