[5] He also released a promotional artwork featuring the song's title with a rose and rocket emoji – referencing Spears' regular use of the former on social media as well as her "Project 1 Rose" selfie montage, and John's popular nickname "Rocket Man"—and shared the song's pre-save link.

[10] He also performed a snippet of the song at the restaurant "La Guérite" in Cannes, on 23 August, as a surprise to diners, which he livestreamed on his social media.

[11] The day after, Spears posted a snippet of the song on her social media, revealing new elements of John's 1992 single "The One" in the duet, and thanked him for having her on the record.

[13][14] Ahead of the song's release, Spears described it as "a big deal" and "pretty damn cool [to be] singing with one of the most classic men of our time".

[19] John revealed that his husband, David Furnish, first suggested him to collaborate with Spears on the song; the former believed the project would "boost" her confidence after a "traumatic time".

"[23] "Hold Me Closer" was released on 26 August to digital download and streaming platforms;[19][24][25] an animated audio visual was uploaded to John's YouTube channel.

[30] An animated lyric video for the song featuring a CGI rocket flying in the air while ejecting roses, was released on 6 September 2022.

[33] The Guardian's Michael Cragg rated the song four out of five stars, praising Spears' "engaged delivery coating the ghostly shimmers of John's original vocals".

"[34] Mary Siroki of Consequence called the song "dreamy and delightful", saying that it "strikes as an instant-classic because, in the literal sense, it already is — we all know the melody and the key lyrics by heart, but the new contributions from Spears provide a present-day spin that gives a new life to the original tune.

[36] Billboard's Stephen Daw opined that the "dance floor-ready production" makes the song "an excellent jam worthy of the icons performing it", and highlighted Spears's vocals as "phenomenal".

[40] Ed Power of The Irish Times also deemed it "a missed opportunity" which "sounds like dance-floor fodder from a regional nightclub circa 1997", while finding Spears' "vocals so low in the mix that you have to check twice to confirm she's there.

"[42] Lyric Waiwiri-Smith of New Zealand news media Stuff found it "uninspring", and "a glitchy rework of John's classic Tiny Dancer with some barely audible Spears vocals".

Club's Gabrielle Sanchez, "Hold Me Closer" is "a tepid offering that fails to utilize everything Spears brings to the table as a pop star", nevertheless she noted that it "serves as a triumphant victory lap regarding the end of her lengthy conservatorship".

[citation needed] As of 15 May 2023, "Hold Me Closer" has sold 111,000 digital downloads and has generated 124.6 million streams in the United States.

[50][51] It was directed by Ukrainian director Tanu Muino, who described her experience working on the visual an "emotional" moment; she grew up listening to both artists.