"The Last Song" is a song 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 ...

, released as the third single from his 23rd studio album, '' The One'' (1992). It was composed by John, with lyrics provided by

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 ...

. The song marked the first of John's American singles to benefit his AIDS foundation. It reached 7 in Canada and No. 21 in the United Kingdom while peaking within the top 40 in several countries worldwide, including Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United States.

Background

The song tells the story of a boy dying of AIDS who is rejected by his father because of his homosexuality. The dying son meets his father and confesses his illness to him. John's lyricist,

, faxed the lyrics to him in Paris, shortly after

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

lead singer

Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter who achieved global fame as the lead vocalist and pianist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. Regarded as one of the gre ...

had died the previous year. He said: "I was crying all the time as I wrote the music", John told ''

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * The Advocate (magazine), ''The Advocate'' (magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States * ''The Harvard Advocate' ...

'', "and it was very hard for me to sing it". Taupin went on to explain:

"We didn't go for the obvious. I tried to do something lyrically that would thaw the intolerance of not understanding. That's why I used the idea of a father coming to terms with his son's status in life and his sexuality, but unfortunately understanding too late. If you can melt a little intolerance along the way, I'm happy with that."

Originally titled "Song for 1992", it was renamed for its position on the album to avoid dating it.

Music video

A music video, directed by

Gus Van Sant Gus Green Van Sant Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American filmmaker, photographer, painter, and musician. He has earned acclaim as an independent film, independent auteur. His films typically deal with themes of marginalized subcultures. His ...

, was made for the song, but he was not the first director considered;

David Hockney David Hockney (born 9 July 1937) is an English Painting, painter, Drawing, draughtsman, Printmaking, printmaker, Scenic design, stage designer, and photographer. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considere ...

and

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

had previously declined the offer. It features a father reconciling with his son, who is dying from

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 ...

, interspersed with footage of John performing the song.

Personnel

– piano, vocals *

Guy Babylon Guy Babylon (December 20, 1956 – September 2, 2009) was an American keyboardist/composer, most noted for his work with Elton John. Babylon was born in New Windsor, Maryland. He attended Francis Scott Key High School before moving on to th ...

– keyboards

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

In popular culture

"The Last Song" was used during a closing montage at the end of the 1993 film '' And the Band Played On'', which featured images of notable people who had contracted AIDS. It has also been mentioned numerous times on ''

The Howard Stern Show ''The Howard Stern Show'' is an American radio show hosted by Howard Stern that gained wide recognition when it was radio syndication, nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from WINS-FM, WXRK in New York City, between 1986 and 2005. The sho ...

''; whose producer Gary Dell'Abate said that the song and music video reminded him of his brother, who died of AIDS around the time ''The One'' was released. When they first played the song on the air, Dell'Abate broke out in tears during the first verse. Dell'Abate, Gary (31 May 2011)
''They Call Me Baba Booey''
Spiegel & Grau. p 159. Archived at

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. Retrieved 2 October 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Last Song 1992 singles 1992 songs Elton John songs LGBTQ-related songs MCA Records singles The Rocket Record Company singles Song recordings produced by Chris Thomas (record producer) Songs about HIV/AIDS Songs with lyrics by Bernie Taupin Songs with music by Elton John