Songfacts®:

• After recording two tracks in 2021 with Andrew Watt in the cozy subterranean confines of his Beverly Hills home studio, Pearl Jam reunited with the producer at Shangri-La Studios in Malibu.
  
  The approach at Shangri-La was delightfully straightforward: They simply plugged in and played, with Watt keeping a vigilant eye on proceedings. What followed was a burst of creative energy that produced their 12th album, Dark Matter, within three weeks. This quiet walk through twilight is the album's closing track.
• Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder sings about the increasingly elusive quest to forge genuine human connections in an era that seems determined to keep us apart. The song's title evokes imagery of endings and new beginnings.
  
  "That's what I've always loved about Ed's lyrics," guitarist Michael McCready commented to Mojo magazine. "It can be this very dark thing, and he will have some solution to it, an emotional hopefulness in the face of adversity. Instead of saying, 'this is all f---ed up,' and that's it, he says, how do we stay positive? How do we find the answer? How do we not fade?"
• The song ends with Vedder offering a choice, then a wish:
  
  We could become one last setting sun
  Or be the sun at the break of dawn
  Let us not fade
  
  The "we" could be family or nation. It certainly fits Pearl Jam, halfway through their fourth decade and still facing forward. "The older you get, the better you get at living in the present, Vedder affirmed to Mojo. "The understanding that you have less time is the biggest number in the quotient. The goal is to keep making music. It's your passion, your special purpose."
• The epic "Setting Sun" was an obvious choice to close Dark Matter.
  
  "We were looking for a vibe that felt percussive and cool and a little bit hypnotic without trying to get to any huge destination, although I think we got there anyway," guitarist Stone Gossard told Spin. "The mood is supposed to be this in-between state. This is another song that's opening doors for us and I think we can do more of, without feeling like we have to get crazy."