Two Suns in the Sunset

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"Two Suns in the Sunset"

Song by Pink Floyd
from the album The Final Cut
Released	March 21, 1983 (UK) April 2, 1983 (US)
Recorded	July-December 1982
Genre	Progressive rock
Length	~5:23
Label	Harvest Records (UK) Capitol Records (US)
Writer(s)	Roger Waters
Producer(s)	Roger Waters, James Guthrie and Michael Kamen
The Final Cut track listing
Not Now John (12)	"Two Suns in the Sunset" (13)

"Two Suns in the Sunset" is the final song on Pink Floyd's 1983 concept album, The Final Cut. Partway through the song, the lyric "the sun is in the east, even though the day is done" is a metaphor referring to the glowing fireball of a nuclear explosion. It is not clear from the lyrics whether the described nuclear holocaust is actually taking place in the song, or is just a part of the singer's "premonition."

The Final Cut's main proponent was the band's bass player and controversial frontman, Roger Waters, previously a chair of the youth branch of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in Cambridge. "Two Suns in the Sunset" was his view on the world's end, thermonuclear war, which would ultimately end in nuclear winter. Waters later returned to this theme in his solo albums, most prominently so in Radio K.A.O.S., which dealt with this theme throughout the album.

It is notable for being one of the few Pink Floyd songs in which drummer Nick Mason does not feature. It was felt that Nick was not able to play the part well enough and so drumming duties were instead given over to Andy Newmark.