Editing Tumbleweed Connection (section)

===Song information===
"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, 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, 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.

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, [[Jazz|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.

In the premiere episode of [[Elvis Costello|Elvis Costello's]] show ''[[Spectacle: Elvis Costello with...|Spectacle]]'', John cited [[Laura Nyro]] as an influence on, among other things, the unusual structure and rhythm changes of this song in particular.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sundancechannel.com/spectacle/episodes |title=Elvis Costello with Elton John, episode 1 |access-date=2010-12-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615164437/http://www.sundancechannel.com/spectacle/episodes/ |archive-date=2011-06-15 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

This is one of the most musically complicated works of John's career. The key changes four times before returning to the original opening chord sequence at the half-way mark. It has always been quite a fan favorite, and John has frequently performed it live over the last 40 years: <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/burn-down-the-mission-mt0014802656|title=Burn Down the Mission - Elton John |website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=30 October 2024}}</ref>

* John's first live album, the [[WPLJ|WABC]] radio broadcast ''[[11-17-70]]'', concludes with a version (running 18:10), interpolating [[Elvis Presley]]'s "[[My Baby Left Me]]" and [[The Beatles]]' "[[Get Back]]" 
* The song was a regular feature of the 1974 US and UK tours, with a version from the ''[[Royal Variety Performance]]'' in [[London]], included in the album [[Here and There (Elton John album)|''Here and There'']]
* Elton's longest and most complex standalone jam of "Burn Down the Mission" (lasting 10:17) was in the Christmas Eve 1974 performance broadcast live on the [[BBC]] from [[Hammersmith Odeon]] in London, much bootlegged as ''Ol' Pink Eyes Is Back'' and ''Just Like Strange Rain'' (listen [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zM_bkLB_d0 here] at timecode 9:43).
* A more conventional rendition was recorded in December 1986 and released on ''[[Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra]]''.