| "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sleeve for 1986-87 live version charity single |
||||
| Single by Elton John | ||||
| from the album Caribou | ||||
| B-side | "Sick City" | |||
| Released | 20 May 1974 | |||
| Format | 7-inch, audio cassette, compact disc | |||
| Recorded | Caribou Ranch | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 5:35 | |||
| Label | MCA, DJM, Rocket/Phonogram | |||
| Writer(s) | Elton John, Bernie Taupin | |||
| Producer | Gus Dudgeon | |||
| Elton John singles chronology | ||||
|
||||
| "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by George Michael/Elton John | ||||||||||
| from the album Duets | ||||||||||
| Released | November 30, 1991 | |||||||||
| Format | 7-inch, 12-inch, audio cassette, compact disc | |||||||||
| Recorded | Wembley Arena, London | |||||||||
| Genre | Rock, piano rock | |||||||||
| Length | 5:47 | |||||||||
| Label | Columbia, Epic | |||||||||
| Writer(s) | Elton John, Bernie Taupin | |||||||||
| Producer | George Michael | |||||||||
| Certification | Gold (RIAA) | |||||||||
| George Michael/Elton John singles chronology | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" is the first single from British musician Elton John's 1974 album Caribou; it was released that year during the latter half of May in the United Kingdom, and on 10 June in the United States.
Contents |
In the song, Elton sings to someone he has helped and from whom he is now experiencing rejection:
I took a chance and changed your way of life
but you misread my meaning when I met you
closed the door and left me blinded by the light
don't let the sun go down on me
although I search myself, it's always someone else I see.
I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free
but losing everything is like the sun going down on me.
It was written with the other songs on the album during a ten day period in January 1974.
The chorus of the song is supported with a horn arrangement by Del Newman, and features backing vocals of the Beach Boys' Carl Wilson and Bruce Johnston, and Toni Tennille. The original, unreleased session for the backing vocals featured a stellar cast of Bruce, Danny Hutton, Gerry Beckley, Cat Stevens, Dusty Springfield and Brian Wilson: however, the results were disappointing. Also on the song are percussion accents provided by Ray Cooper and a mellotron played by Dave Hentschel.
A live version recorded on 14 December 1986 appears on the Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra album. An edited version of this recording was released as a single in 1987 and also appears in the To Be Continued... box set.
As successful as the 1974 record had been, it was as a duet with George Michael that "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" had its greatest success. The pair had performed the song at the Live Aid concert in 1985. Recorded live at a concert at Wembley Arena, London on 25 March 1991 when Elton John was a surprise guest of George Michael, the duet became a massive hit on both sides of the Atlantic. It was released later that year and reached number one on the UK singles chart for two weeks in December 1991 and a single week on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1992. The duet also spent two weeks at number one on the Adult Contemporary chart.[1]
The footage used for the music video of the song was taken from a "live" concert in Chicago with 70,000 fans. "The video was actually shot over several days," confirms Michael Pagnotta, George's publicist. "It was shot in an airline hangar in Burbank, California where George had been rehearsing; Elton came in for a night and they ran through the song a couple of times. Then the song was filmed in its entirety live in Chicago in the middle of October as part of that Cover to Cover tour, and when Elton came out from the wings, that place went crazy." It appears on John's Love Songs compilation. The proceeds from the single were divided among 10 different charities for children, AIDS and education.
"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" charted on 1 June 1974 in Great Britain, making it to number 16. In the United States, it was released while "Bennie and the Jets" was still in the Top 40, and reached the Top 10 after four weeks. On 10 August, the song's two week stay at number 2 ended. It could not oust John Denver's "Annie's Song", Roberta Flack's "Feel Like Makin' Love" nor Paper Lace's "The Night Chicago Died" from the top spot. But a number 2 pinnacle guaranteed it further airplay. In the U.S. it was certified Gold on 9/6/1974 by the R.I.A.A. In Canada, it reached number 1, becoming his fifth chart topper in that country.[2]
"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" has been a popular song for other artists to perform or record as well. Jay Chattaway arranged this song into a jazz version, which Maynard Ferguson first performed in the 1970s show "The Mark of Jazz" with host Sid Mark.[3] This live version stems from around 1975; it was never recorded onto an album.
Roger Daltrey sang it for the 1987 soundtrack The Lost Boys.
African-American Gospel group The Winans released a version of the song on their album Decisions in 1987.[4]
Gloria Estefan recorded it in 1989.
Jazz singer Oleta Adams recorded it on the 1991 tribute album Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin.
Joe Cocker recorded his version of the song on his album Night Calls in 1991.
Late 1990s punk cover specialty act Me First and the Gimme Gimmes also took it on.
In December 2002 David Sneddon won the BBC's first Fame Academy show singing it. Sneddon also put his version of Elton's song on the B-side, which was number one in the UK Singles Chart in January 2003.
In 2003, Vanessa Carlton performed the song during the Elton John Tribute Concert. Also in the 2000s, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" has become a frequent selection of reality television singing contestants.
The song is covered by the company Wavegroup for the music video game Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol.
Blues singer Bettye LaVette covers the song on her 2010 album Interpretations: The British Songbook.
|
Peak positionsOriginal version
George Michael/Elton John version
|
End of year charts
Certifications
|
Original Elton John version
| Preceded by "Annie's Song" by John Denver |
Canadian RPM number-one single August 10 - 17, 1974 (two weeks) |
Succeeded by "Feel Like Makin' Love" by Roberta Flack |
George Michael/Elton John version
| Preceded by "Black Or White" by Michael Jackson |
UK number one single 7 December 1991 – 14 December 1991 (2 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Bohemian Rhapsody/These Are the Days of Our Lives" by Queen |
| Norwegian VG-lista number one single 52/1991 – 5/1992 (7 weeks) |
Succeeded by "You" by Ten Sharp |
|
| Preceded by "I Love Your Smile" by Shanice |
Dutch Top 40 number one single 11 January 1992 – 29 February 1992 (8 weeks) |
Succeeded by "I Can't Dance" by Genesis |
| Preceded by "Let's Talk About Sex" by Salt-n-Pepa |
Swiss number one single 26 January 1992 – 1 March 1992 (6 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Das Boot" by U96 |
| Preceded by "All 4 Love" by Color Me Badd |
US Billboard Hot 100 number one single 1 February 1992 (1 week) |
Succeeded by "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred |
| Preceded by "Can't Let Go" by Mariah Carey |
US Billboard Adult Contemporary number-one single February 8–15, 1992 |
Succeeded by "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" by Paul Young |
| Preceded by "Black or White" by Michael Jackson |
Eurochart Hot 100 number one single 8 February 1992 – 28 March 1992 (8 weeks) |
Succeeded by "To Be with You" by Mr. Big |
| Preceded by "Qui a le droit... (live)" by Patrick Bruel |
French SNEP number one single 22 February 1992 – 4 April 1992 (7 weeks) |
Succeeded by "You" by Ten Sharp |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||