"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" is a song with music written by English musician

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

and lyrics by songwriter

Bernie Taupin Bernard John Taupin (born 22 May 1950) is an English lyricist and visual artist. He is best known for his songwriting partnership with Elton John, recognised as one of the most successful partnerships of its kind in history. Taupin co-wrote th ...

. It was originally recorded by John for his eighth studio album, ''

Caribou The reindeer or caribou (''Rangifer tarandus'') is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. It is the only represe ...

'' (1974), and was released as a single that peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, and reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart. A version of the song recorded live as a duet between John and

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. Regarded as a pop culture icon, he is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling rec ...

reached number one in the UK in 1991 and in the US in 1992. The pair had performed the song together for the first time at

Live Aid Live Aid was a two-venue benefit concert and music-based fundraising initiative held on Saturday, 13 July 1985. The event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia, a m ...

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

in July 1985. During his headlining appearance at the

Glastonbury Festival The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (commonly referred to as simply Glastonbury Festival, known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts held near Pilton, Somerset, England, in most su ...

on 25 June 2023, John dedicated the song to Michael, who died in 2016.

Elton John version

Background

"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" was co-written by

and

during a ten-day period in January 1974 along with the other songs for John's ''

'' album. The song was released as the first single from the album on 24 May 1974 in the United Kingdom, and on 10 June 1974 in the United States. The chorus of the song features backing vocals by

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop compositio ...

Carl Wilson Carl Dean Wilson (December 21, 1946 – February 6, 1998) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He was their lead guitarist, the youngest sibling of bandmates Brian Wilson, Brian and Dennis Wilson, ...

and

Bruce Johnston Bruce Johnston (born Benjamin Baldwin; June 27, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter and musician who is a member of the Beach Boys. He also collaborated on many records with Terry Melcher (his bandmate in Bruce & Terry, the Rip Chords, and ...

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

with Billy Hinsche and Toni Tennille. A horn arrangement by Del Newman augments and reflects Johnston's chorale lines, with trumpets echoing Carl Wilson's high notes. The original backing vocalists were Johnston,

Cat Stevens Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou; ), commonly known by his stage names Cat Stevens, Yusuf, and Yusuf / Cat Stevens, is a British singer-songwriter and musician. He has sold more than 100 million records and has more than two billion st ...

Danny Hutton Daniel Anthony Hutton (born September 10, 1942) is an Irish-American singer, best known as one of the three lead vocalists in the band Three Dog Night. Hutton was a songwriter and singer for Hanna-Barbera Records from 1965 to 1966. Hutton had a ...

, Gerry Beckley,

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), better known by her stage name Dusty Springfield, was a British singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano voice, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop mus ...

, and

but according to Johnston, who handled the vocal arrangements, "everyone was afraid of one another and I couldn't get a performance out of anyone". Also on the song are percussion accents provided by

Ray Cooper Raymond Cooper (born 19 September 1947) is an English musician who has worked as a session and road-tour percussionist. During his career, Cooper has worked and toured with numerous musically diverse bands and artists including Elton John (as ...

and a

mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which causes a length of magnetic tape to contact a Capstan (tape recorder), capstan, which pulls i ...

played by Dave Hentschel.

Davey Johnstone David William Logan Johnstone (born 6 May 1951) is a Scottish rock guitarist and vocalist, best known for his long-time collaboration with Elton John as a member of the Elton John Band. Career Johnstone was born in Edinburgh. At the age of s ...

's electric guitar stylings provide a counterpoint to the melody, the signal routed through a

Leslie speaker The Leslie speaker is a combined amplifier and loudspeaker that projects the signal from an electric or electronic instrument and modifies the sound by rotating a baffle chamber ("drum") in front of the loudspeakers. A similar effect is provided ...

, but his acoustic guitar part was not used in the final mix. His electric guitar

string harmonic Playing a string harmonic (a flageolet) is a string instrument technique that uses the nodes of natural harmonics of a musical string to isolate overtones. Playing string harmonics produces high pitched tones, often compared in timbre to a whis ...

s are heard ringing out between vocal lines.

Reception

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' called it "a gradually building track with pretty lyrics that is as brilliant in performance as it is in production" ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' said that "More poetic than anything he's released since ' Daniel', this expansive ballad begins simply and builds into a bonanza of bright harmonies." "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" charted on 1 June 1974 in the UK, reaching number 16 on the UK Singles Chart. The song reached the top 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart after four weeks, peaking at number two for two weeks from 27 July behind

John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American Country music, country and Folk music, folk singer, songwriter, and actor. He was one of the most popular acoustic m ...

's " Annie's Song". In the US, the single was certified

Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

on 6 September 1974 by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. In Canada, it reached number one, becoming his fifth chart topper in that country.

Track listings

* May 1974 US and UK 7" vinyl single # "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" # "Sick City" * February 1991 UK 7" vinyl single and cassette # "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" # " Song for Guy" * February 1991 UK 12" vinyl and CD single # "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" # "Song for Guy" # " Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"

Personnel

– piano, organ, vocals *

– electric guitar, acoustic guitar *

Dee Murray David Murray Oates (3 April 1946 – 15 January 1992), known as Dee Murray, was an English bass guitarist. He was best known for his long-time collaboration with Elton John as a member of the Elton John Band. Biography Murray was born in Gilli ...

– bass *

Nigel Olsson Nigel Olsson (born 10 February 1949) is an English drummer, best known for being a lifelong member of the Elton John Band. He has had an equally long career as a session musician and composed, recorded and produced albums as a solo artist. Ca ...

– drums *

– tambourine, bells *

David Hentschel David Hentschel (born 18 December 1952) is an English recording engineer, film score composer and music producer who engineered on George Harrison's ''All Things Must Pass'' and Elton John's ''Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'', as well as for such a ...

–

Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which causes a length of magnetic tape to contact a Capstan (tape recorder), capstan, which pulls i ...

– backing vocals *

– backing vocals * Billy Hinsche – backing vocals * Toni Tennille – backing vocals *

– backing vocals (uncredited) * Vocals arranged by Bruce Johnston with help from Daryl Dragon * Horns arranged by Del Newman

Accolades

Grammy Awards

, - , rowspan="2",

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, rowspan="2", "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" ,

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without re ...

, , - , Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male , , -

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

1986–1987 live version

Elton John recorded a live version on 14 December 1986 at the

Sydney Entertainment Centre Sydney Entertainment Centre, later known as Qantas Credit Union Arena, was a multi-purpose arena located in Haymarket, Sydney, Australia. It opened in May 1983, to replace Sydney Stadium, which had been demolished in 1970 to make way for the ...

that appears on the '' Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra'' album. In his 2019 autobiography, '' Me'', John claimed that this performance is special because he thought it was the last time he was ever going to sing as he was having a dangerous throat surgery a few days later. An edited version of this same recording was released as a single in 1987 and also appears in the '' To Be Continued...'' box set.

1990 ''MTV Unplugged''

On 17 May 1990, Elton John recorded a performance on ''

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV. It showcases recorded live performances of popular music artists playing acoustic instrument, acoustic or "unplugged" variations of songs. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999. F ...

'' at the Chelsea Studios in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. An acoustic version of the song was included as a track on '' The Unplugged Collection, Volume One.''

George Michael and Elton John version

Background

In 1991, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" was covered in a live version as a duet by

and Elton John. The pair had first performed the song at the

concert in 1985 (with Michael singing and John playing, featuring backup vocals by

Wham! Wham! were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981 consisting of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They were one of the most successful pop acts during the 1980s, selling more than 30 million certified records worldwide from 1982 to ...

partner

Andrew Ridgeley Andrew John Ridgeley (born 26 January 1963) is an English musician, best known for his work in the 1980s in the musical duo Wham! consisting of Ridgeley and George Michael. Associated with the MTV-driven Second British Invasion of the US, th ...

and

Kiki Dee Pauline Matthews (born 6 March 1947), better known by her stage name Kiki Dee, is an English pop singer. Known for her blue-eyed soul vocals, she was the first female singer from the UK to sign with Motown's Tamla Records. Dee is best known f ...

). Six years later, Michael's Cover to Cover tour regularly included the song, and for the final show at

Wembley Arena Wembley Arena () (originally the Empire Pool, currently known as OVO Energy, OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, Greater London, England. The 12,500-seat facility is Greater Lond ...

, London on 23 March 1991, Michael brought out John as a surprise guest to sing it with him.

Reception

Released as a single later that year, the song reached number one on both sides of the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

, spending two weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart in December 1991 and one week on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart dated 1 February 1992. The duet also spent two weeks at number one on the

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...

chart. This version of the song was also nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the

35th Annual Grammy Awards The 35th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1993 and recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. The nominations were announced on January 7, 1993. The evening's host was the American stand-up comedian Garry Shan ...

. It appears on John's ''

Love Songs A love song is a song about love, falling in love, broken heart, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. Love songs can be found in a variety of different music genres. They can come in various formats, from sa ...

'', '' Greatest Hits 1970–2002'' and ''

Diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of electricity, and insol ...

'' compilation albums, as well as his 1993 '' Duets'' album. The proceeds from the single were divided among 10 charities for children,

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

and education.

Music video

The footage used for the single's music video (directed by Andy Morahan) was taken from a concert at the Rosemont Horizon,

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, during Michael's Cover to Cover tour. It is interspersed with footage shot in an airline hangar in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...

, where Michael had been rehearsing.

Track listings

* US and UK 7" vinyl and cassette single # "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" # " I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" * US and UK 12" vinyl single # "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" # "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" # " Last Christmas" * UK and Europe compact disc single (Epic 657656) # "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" # "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" # " If You Were My Woman" # "

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

" * US compact disc single (Columbia 44K-74240) # "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" # "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" # "

Freedom Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" i ...

" (Back to Reality mix) # "If You Were My Woman" * All B-sides and additional tracks were performed solo by George Michael, except "Last Christmas" which is performed by Michael's duo Wham! * The live version of "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" had previously been issued as the lead track on a free promotional cassette given away at Michael's Wembley Arena gigs in March 1991. It was promoted to urban radio in February 1992.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Other versions

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

singer Oleta Adams recorded a cover version for the 1991 tribute album '' Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin''. It was released as a single and peaked at number 33 in the UK and at number 32 in the Netherlands. *

Roger Daltrey Sir Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is the co-founder and lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band the Who, known for his powerful voice and charismatic stage presence. His stage persona ear ...

from

The Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...

performed a cover for the soundtrack to the movie The Lost Boys. * Another version was performed by

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances featuring expressive body movements. Most of his best-known singles, such as "Feelin' Alright ...

(who also appears on ''Two Rooms'', singing "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"), again in 1991. His version first appeared on the album Night Calls. * George also performed the song as a duet with Joe McElderry during the final of

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...

in 2009.

References

External links

* {{authority control 1974 songs 1974 singles 1970s ballads 1991 singles 1992 singles The Beach Boys songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Columbia Records singles David Archuleta songs DJM Records singles Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Elton John songs Epic Records singles European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles George Michael songs Male vocal duets MCA Records singles Music videos directed by Andy Morahan Number-one singles in Belgium Number-one singles in Greece Number-one singles in Italy Number-one singles in Norway Number-one singles in Portugal Number-one singles in Switzerland Oleta Adams songs Phonogram Records singles The Rocket Record Company singles RPM Top Singles number-one singles SNEP Top Singles number-one singles Song recordings produced by Gus Dudgeon Song recordings produced by George Michael Songs with lyrics by Bernie Taupin Songs with music by Elton John UK singles chart number-one singles