Elton John is certainly no stranger to duets. The legendary singer-songwriter has teamed up with several artists over the years, including John Lennon, Kiki Dee, Cliff Richard, and more. But think about a John duet, and many people will likely think of “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” with George Michael.
A massive hit for John and Michael in 1991, “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” is written by John and his longtime songwriting partner, Bernie Taupin. The song first appears on John’s 1974 Caribou album, sung solely by John. In 1991, John released his Duets album. The record includes new versions of some of John’s former songs, including “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”.
Videos by American Songwriter
Perhaps surprisingly, “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” is not John and Michael’s first duet. In 1985, they released “Wrap Her Up”. That song is from John’s 1985 Ice On Fire record.
How George Michael Joined Elton John on “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”
“Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” says, “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.”
In 1991, John and Michael were already mutual fans of each other when John surprised Michael backstage at one of his shows. On a whim, the two decided to sing “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”.
At the time, Michael was already having plenty of success as a solo artist after first being part of the duo Wham! But Michael wisely never opposed doing other people’s songs, especially with someone like John.
“One of the main attractions of a song written by someone else is that there’s nothing personal about it,” Michael explains. “There is some kind of release for me in the middle of a performance to actually stop singing me and just say, ‘Right, this is an instrument, and this is using it to the best of my ability.’”
“Range is something that again is a very important consideration,” he continues. “That’s a very strong reason for me doing so many Stevie Wonder covers. I’ve done, over various sets, four or five Stevie Wonder covers.”
Neither John nor Michael kept the proceeds from their “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” for themselves. The proceeds from “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” were reportedly divided among ten different charities, supporting causes like children, education, and AIDS research.
Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images
Most Viewed
-
(Original Caption) Charlie Daniels (3rd from left), the entertainer who dedicated his last album to "gun-rotting whiskey and hellatious fights" says he will not play gentle music just to please "damn Yankees drinking martinis" 1/20 at Jimmy Carter's inaugural reception. Daniels said he plans to play the same brand of foot-stomping Southern music he and his band have always produced. They are (from left), Charlie Hayward, Tom Crain, Daniels, Joel Digregorio, Don Murray and Fred Edwards.
