Sun Goes Down

Album: Montero (2021)
Charted: 42 66
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Before Lil Nas X came out as gay in 2019, he struggled to come to terms with his sexuality. During this reflective track he talks about how he used to question his looks when younger, and the racist bullying he endured:

    Had friends but they was pickin' on me
    Always thinkin', "Why my lips so big?
    Was I too dark?


    The loneliness and alienation he felt:

    It's hard for you when you're fighting
    And nobody knows it when you're silent.


    He even contemplated suicide:

    Don't wanna lie, I don't want a life
    Send me a gun and I'll see the sun


    Once the rapper came out, he found a creative outlet through his music:

    I'm happy by the way
    That I made that jump, that leap of faith
    I'm happy that it all worked out for me
    I'ma make my fans so proud of me
  • Lil Nas X said he titled the song "Sun Goes Down" because, "I feel like at night is when those thoughts you try to avoid really start to hit and you can't escape them."
  • The rapper recalls finding solace in the @NasMaraj fan account he ran on Twitter.

    I'd be by the phone,
    Stanning Nicki morning into dawn
    Only place I felt like I belonged
    Strangers make you feel so loved, you know?


    Lil Nas X said he dedicated six years of his life to running the account.
  • Lil Nas X wrote the song with producers Take A Daytrip, Roy Lenzo, and Omer Fedi, the same team behind his previous single, "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)." Both tracks are about Nas X's identity as a homosexual. However, while "Montero" is a sexually explicit song about a gay dalliance, "Sun" is more contemplative. The producers' slow-whining acoustic guitar, understated trap beats and strings give the track a melancholic feel.
  • The song samples Iann Dior's 2020 single "Holding On."
  • Lil Nas X performed the song on the May 22, 2021 episode of Saturday Night Live, marking his musical guest debut on the show.
  • Lil Nas X directed the song's touching music video alongside Psycho Films. The clip sees the rapper traveling back in time to offer support and encouragement to his younger self. His father, Robert Stafford, makes a cameo, driving him home from work.

    Lil Nas X explained that in the clip, he visits a "younger version self, who's struggling inside, hating himself, and doesn't want to live anymore. I try my best to uplift him."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater RevivalFact or Fiction

Is "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" about Vietnam? Was John Fogerty really born on a Bayou? It's the CCR edition of Fact or Fiction.

JJ Burnel of The Stranglers

JJ Burnel of The StranglersSongwriter Interviews

JJ talks about The Stranglers' signature sound - keyboard and bass - which isn't your typical strain of punk rock.

Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt On How To Create A Music Scene

Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt On How To Create A Music SceneSong Writing

With $50 and a glue stick, Bruce Pavitt created Sub Pop, a fanzine-turned-label that gave the world Nirvana and grunge. He explains how motivated individuals can shift culture.

Famous Singers' First Films

Famous Singers' First FilmsSong Writing

A look at the good (Diana Ross, Eminem), the bad (Madonna, Bob Dylan) and the peculiar (David Bowie, Michael Jackson) film debuts of superstar singers.

Lou Gramm - "Waiting For A Girl Like You"

Lou Gramm - "Waiting For A Girl Like You"They're Playing My Song

Gramm co-wrote this gorgeous ballad and delivered an inspired vocal, but the song was the beginning of the end of his time with Foreigner.

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.