- Writers: Elton John and Bernie Taupin
- Producer: Gus Dudgeon
- Recorded: February 1974 at the Caribou Ranch in Nederland, Colorado
- Released: May 1974
- Players:
Elton John — vocals, piano
Davey Johnstone — guitar, vocals
Dee Murray — bass, vocals
Nigel Olsson — drums, vocals
Ray Cooper — percussion
Dave Hentschel — mellotron
Tower Of Power — horns
Carl Wilson, Bruce Johnston, Billy Hinsche, and Toni Tennille — backing vocals - Album: Caribou (MCA, 1974/Rocket, 1995)
- Also On:
Greatest Hits (MCA, 1974)
Here And There (MCA, 1976)
Live In Australia (MCA, 1987)
To Be Continued… (MCA, 1990)
Duets (MCA, 1993)
Greatest Hits 1970-2002 (Island, 2002) - Recorded at the height of Elton John‘s mid-’70s superstardom, the Caribou sessions were squeezed into a 10-day period in mid-February 1974.
- Philip Norman‘s biography of John calls “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” the album’s “most troublesome track.” According to producer Gus Dudgeon, John was in a “filthy mood” when he recorded the song: “On some takes, he’d scream it, on others he’d mumble it. Or he’d just stand there, staring at the control room. Eventually, he flung off the (headphones) and said, ‘Okay, let’s hear what we got.’ When I played it to him, he said, ‘That’s a load of… crap. You can send it to Engelbert Humperdinck and, if he doesn’t like it, you can give it to Lulu as a demo.'”
- John explained his tantrum by saying, “I used to find putting my vocals on in the studio a very cold process. I’d do two or three takes and then get fed up…We’d never have recorded a song like ‘Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’ for the Elton John album because I couldn’t have sung it.”
- After John left to perform in Japan, Dudgeon set about reworking the song, bringing in Beach Boys Carl Wilson and Bruce Johnston, along with Toni Tennille, to add backing vocals.
- The latter move sat well with John, who’s a big Beach Boys fan. In the liner notes of the Caribou reissue, he said, “The Beach Boys were a major influence on my work… Their sound, harmonies, the way they structured their songs — some of their records sounded so amazing, like nothing I’d heard before. The most perfect sounding album ever was Surf’s Up by the Beach Boys.”
- The song was very successful, selling a million copies and reaching Number Two in the U.S. and Number Six in Britain.
- Despite poor reviews, the Caribou album was also a million-seller, and it hit Number One in both the U.S. and the U.K.
- Shortly after its release, John signed a new contract that paid him $8 million for five albums. It was the biggest deal in the record industry at that time.
FAST FORWARD:
- “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” experienced a revival in 1991, when R&B singer Oleta Adams covered it for the Two Rooms tribute album. George Michael also released a live recording of it that featured Elton. That song was also included on John’s Duets album.
- Dee Murray, who played bass on “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me,” died January 14th, 1992, of a stroke.
- Johnstone has remained a constant presence in John’s band, while drummer Nigel Olsson rejoined John for his 2001-2002 concert dates.
- John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
- Despite periodic and highly publicized “retirements,” John has continued to record and perform.
- He’s branched out into film and theater work, including soundtracks and scores for The Lion King, The Road To El Dorado, and Aida.
- John and lyricist Tim Rice won an Oscar in 1995 for best original song for The Lion King‘s “Can You Feel The Love Tonight.”
- Since publicly coming out as gay, John has become increasingly active in promoting AIDS research and relief for AIDS sufferers, including an annual post-Oscar party to raise money for his own foundation.
- His reworked version of his hit “Candle In The Wind,” in memory of the late Princess Diana, was recorded to raise money for the Princess Diana Of Wales Foundation.
- John received the Grammy Legend Award in 2000.