Burn Down the Mission

Burn Down the Mission

"Burn Down the Mission" is the tenth and final song on Elton John's album "Tumbleweed Connection", released in 1970. It is one of John's longer works, being 6 minutes 21 seconds in duration.

Song Structure

"Burn Down the Mission" is musically driven by the story told by Bernie Taupin's lyrics, as is common in John/Taupin collaborations.

The lyrics themselves [ [http://www.lyricsfreak.com/e/elton+john/burn+down+the+mission_20046713.html Lyrics] ] , while telling a simple story, are vague enough to be open to interpretation. Ostensibly the story is that of a poor community oppressed by a rich and powerful force, and the narrator, driven by some sort of revelation ["You tell me there's an angel in your tree; did he say he'd come to call on me?"] has decided to take direct action to remedy the situation. However, his attempt fails and he is "taken away", presumably to meet his fate, and justifies his actions as an attempt to defend his family ["But what more could I do just to keep her warm..?"] .

The music reflects this narrative structure by starting with a slow piano introduction and the telling of the hero's situation and his progress towards direct action; the middle section, which is faster, jazzier and brings in full instrumentation, can be read as an interpretation of the actual struggle in which the hero engages. Finally, the struggle has ended and the music returns to its initial understated form, reflecting the eventual defeat of the hero. The song ends with a restatement of the middle section while it fades out.

Cover versions

* The song was recorded by Toto for their album "Through the Looking Glass" in 2002.
* The song was also covered by Phil Collins for the tribute album "".

Notes


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • The Roof Is on Fire — Infobox Single Name = The Roof Is on Fire Artist = Rock Master Scott the Dynamic Three from Album = B side = Request Line Released = 1984 Format = Recorded = Genre = Hip hop Length = Label = Writer = Producer = Chart position = #5 (Hot Dance… …   Wikipedia

  • The Left Hand of God — Infobox Film name = The Left Hand of God caption = Original film poster director = Edward Dmytryk producer = Buddy Adler writer = Alfred Hayes William E. Barrett (novel) starring = Humphrey Bogart Gene Tierney Lee J. Cobb Agnes Moorehead E. G.… …   Wikipedia

  • Burn Notice (season 2) — Burn Notice season 2 Cover Art for the DVD Release Country of origin …   Wikipedia

  • The Mole (U.S. season 2) — The Mole: The Next Betrayal Country of origin  United States No. of episodes 13 …   Wikipedia

  • The Sisters Of Mercy — (in der Besetzung Eldritch Pearson Catalyst) Gründung 1980 Genre Hard Rock, New Wave, Dark Wave Website …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • The Young and the Restless minor characters — The following are characters from the American soap opera The Young and the Restless who are notable for their actions or relationships, but who do not warrant their own articles. Contents 1 Current Characters 1.1 Genevieve …   Wikipedia

  • The City on the Edge of Forever — Star Trek: The Original Series episode The Enterprise crew encounters the Guardian of Forever …   Wikipedia

  • The Mote in God's Eye —   …   Wikipedia

  • Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra — Infobox Album | Name = Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Type = Live album Artist = Elton John Released = June 1987 Recorded = December 14, 1986 Genre = Rock and roll Length = 67:38 Label = MCA (US/Canada) Rocket Records… …   Wikipedia

  • The Sacrament of Penance —     The Sacrament of Penance     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Sacrament of Penance     Penance is a sacrament of the New Law instituted by Christ in which forgiveness of sins committed after baptism is granted through the priest s absolution to… …   Catholic encyclopedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”