The Last Song

This song is so depressing and bittersweet at the same time. From what I understand Elton John wrote this to describe a young gay man dying of AIDS. The young man's father "disowned" his son when he learned of his homosexuality only to overcome his homophobia when learns that his son is dying and he has little time to spend with him. Ultimately it gives both perspectives of the story in a sense. The son, like many of the world's youth, thought he was invincible. "AIDS won't happen to me"...just like many young adults/kids believe STDs, car accidents, tragedies can't happen to them...thus "I never thought I'd lose, I only thought I'd win". It also tells of a father who must overcome his disapproval of his son's lifestlye to ultimately love his son. It's like what Billy Corgan says in "This Time" ----"Only Love will win". This song is tragic in that the death of this person is ultimately inevitable and is much too early in life. It's bittersweet in that it took an extreme taxing of the mind and body of a son and his father by this disease for a father to realize he has nothing to be ashamed of concerning his son, and that the only thing that matters is that he still loves the child he brought into the world.

BERNIE TAUPIN!!! wrote the lyrics. How hard is it to know that? Nobody here seems to own any albums by the artists they listen to, or don't know how to read linear notes. The song is however about a young man re-uniting with his father who had disowned him due to homosexuality years before. They re-unite on his death-bed, when the son is dying of AIDS. Brilliant song.

Elton said in an interview on "Inside the Actors Studio" that this song was about A father and a son who has aids and doesn't know how to tell his father that he has aids. All he wants to do is spend time with his father and it ends up bringing them closer

The song also is the soundtrack to the great movie "and the band played on". It's a movie about Aids and in the end the song on full length will played and you see pictures and short clips from more or less famous persons which dieing on Aids over the years.