Indian Sunset
"Indian Sunset" is a 1971 song, written and recorded by Elton John, with lyrics by his long-time songwriting partner, Bernie Taupin. It was from John's album Madman Across the Water. The song chronicles the story of an unnamed American Indian warrior on the verge of defeat from the white man. Taupin was inspired to write the lyrics after visiting a Native American reservation. In 2004, the song was sampled in an Eminem-produced Tupac Shakur song entitled "Ghetto Gospel". The song contains numerous inaccuracies, most notably the line about Geronimo being shot by U.S soldiers. In reality, the Apache warrior died of pneumonia at the age of 79.
John told Rolling Stone in 2011 that this is one of his favourites to play live: "I do 'Indian Sunset' with Ray Cooper. Nobody knows that song at all, it's an obscure track from Madman Across the Water, and it gets a standing ovation every night. It's a six-minute movie in a song."
