Tiny Dancer

"Tiny Dancer" is a song composed and performed by English musician Elton John with lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It appears on John's fourth album, Madman Across the Water, and was released as a single in 1972. It was ranked No. 397 on the 2010 list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[1]

For the Ironik song, see Tiny Dancer (Hold Me Closer).

"Tiny Dancer"
Single by Elton John
from the album Madman Across the Water
B-side"Razor Face"
Released7 February 1972 (1972-02-07)
Recorded9 August 1971
StudioTrident Studios, London
GenreSoft rock, pop
Length6:12
LabelUni
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Gus Dudgeon
Elton John singles chronology
"Levon"
(1971)		 "Tiny Dancer"
(1972)		 "Rocket Man"
(1972)
Music video
"Tiny Dancer" on YouTube

In the U.S. it was certified Gold on 19 May 2005, and Platinum on 19 August 2011, and 3x Platinum on 26 April 2018 by the Recording Industry Association of America.[2] In the UK, "Tiny Dancer" has been certified Gold on 17 August 2018 by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales of 400,000 copies. On 2 August 2019 it was certified Platinum for sales of 600,000 despite never being released as an official single.

Background and writing

With lyrics written by Bernie Taupin, the song was first featured as the opening track to John's 1971 album, Madman Across the Water. The song's lyrics were inspired by Taupin's first visit to the US in 1970, and were intended to capture the spirit of California, where he found the women he met highly contrasted with those who he had known in his home country of England.[3][4][5][6] Taupin also stated in a 1973 interview in Rolling Stone that the song is about Maxine Feibelman, his wife at the time.[7] In 2019, Feibelman said, "I knew [the song] was about me. I had been into ballet as a little girl and sewed patches on Elton's jackets and jeans",[8] referring to the song's description of a "seamstress for the band".

History

The song features piano-based accompaniment during verses. The arrangement start features pedal steel guitar played by English guitarist BJ Cole, light percussion, Paul Buckmaster's strings and a quiet choir. Back-up vocals are provided by Tony Burrows.[9]

Due to the song's lengthy run time of 6:12 minutes,[3] "Tiny Dancer" was initially a non-starter as a single in the US, reaching only #41 on the U.S. pop chart, and was not even released as a single in the UK. Some radio edits ended the song following the first chorus, because the first verse repeats. Some radio stations banned the song, due to the controversial opening lines of the second verse: "Jesus Freaks/ Out in the Streets". The song fared better in Canada, where John had much of his early commercial breakthrough success, peaking at #19. It was also a hit in Australia, peaking at #13. Eventually, the song slowly became one of John's most popular songs even in the territories that initially failed to embrace it, and the full-length version is now a fixture on North American, UK and Australian adult contemporary and rock radio stations. The song also received a boost of popularity after having been prominently featured in the 2000 film Almost Famous.[3] However, the song was first featured in the 1975 film Aloha, Bobby and Rose.

In 1971, Elton John performed the song on the first series of The Old Grey Whistle Test. The performance has been released as part of The Old Grey Whistle Test - Volumes 1-3 Box Set.[10]

In 2010, Rolling Stone ranked the song number 397 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[1]

Music video

In May 2017, an official music video for "Tiny Dancer" premiered at the Cannes Film Festival as a winner of Elton John: The Cut, a competition organized in partnership with AKQA, Pulse Films, and YouTube in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of his songwriting relationship with Bernie Taupin. The competition called upon independent filmmakers to submit treatments for music videos for one of three Elton John songs from the 1970s, with each song falling within a specific concept category. "Tiny Dancer" was designated for the live-action category, with the competition won by Max Weiland. The video was filmed in Los Angeles, and features scenes of various residents driving around the city,[11][12] including musician Marilyn Manson.[13]

Charts
Chart (1972) Peak
position
Australia 13
Canadian RPM Top Singles[14] 19
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary[15] 20
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 41
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary[16] 35
U.S. Cash Box Top 100[17] 29
Chart (2015) Peak
position
UK Official Charts Company[18] 70

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[19] Gold 45,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[20] Platinum 600,000
United States (RIAA)[21] 3× Platinum 3,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

Covers

In 1972, Lani Hall covered the song in her debut solo album "Sundown Lady" (1972).

In 2002, Ben Folds covered "Tiny Dancer" for his live album, Ben Folds Live. The song was later released as a promo single.

In 2009, DJ Ironik and Chipmunk created a remix of the song, featuring John singing the chorus, which peaked at No.3 in the UK Singles Chart.[22]

A version featuring Mary Black, Paddy Casey and Declan O'Rourke was recorded in Galway, Ireland in 2012 as a charity single. This version reached number one on the Irish Singles Chart.[23][24]

The UK-based department store chain John Lewis, used the song on their August 2015 insurance advert.[25]

Donald Trump has used the song during his 2016 presidential rallies as his entrance and exit song.[26] Notably, it played in the background as President Trump learned of the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.[27]

The song Castle on the hill released in 2017 by Ed Sheeran contains a citation of this song.

In 2019, Welsh actor Taron Egerton sang this song in the biographical film Rocketman.[28]

In 2020 The Name Tiny Dancer was used as a nickname for Black Widow in the Video Game Marvel's Avengers to stay undercover.

References
  1. "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 4 July 2011. Archived from the original on 29 April 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  2. "Gold & Platinum - RIAA: Elton John". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  3. "Readers' Poll: Best Elton John Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 28 November 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  4. Singh, Anvita (25 March 2018). "Why Elton John's Tiny Dancer's oft-misread lyrics doesn't stop it from being a favourite". The Indian Express. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  5. "Bernie Taupin :: Discography". berniejtaupin.com. Archived from the original on 21 December 2010.
  6. "Tiny Dancer by Elton John". Songfacts. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  7. Gambaccini, Paul (16 August 1973). "Elton John: The Rolling Stone Interview He and Bernie Taupin talk about the ups, downs and in-betweens". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  8. Kaplan, Michael (7 December 2019). "'I knew it was about me': Maxine Taupin talks 'Tiny Dancer,' other Elton John hits". New York Post. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  9. Tony Burrows: A Six-Time One-Hit Wonder
  10. The Old Grey Whistle Test (DVD). Warner Home Video. 2003.
  11. "WATCH: Elton John and Bernie Taupin's 'Tiny Dancer,' 'Rocket Man' and 'Bennie and the Jets' Just Got New Music Videos". People.com. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  12. "Elton John Premieres Three Music Videos for His '70s Classics". Out Magazine. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  13. "Behind the Scenes of the New 'Tiny Dancer' Video". EltonJohn.com.
  14. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016.
  15. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  16. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 122.
  17. "Cash Box Top 100 4/08/72". tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on 26 May 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  18. "Elton John | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  19. "Danish single certifications – Elton John – Tiny Dancer". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  20. "British single certifications – Elton John – Tiny Dancer". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Tiny Dancer in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  21. "American single certifications – Elton John – Tiny Dancer". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  22. McAlpine, Fraser (24 April 2009). "DJ Ironik ft. Chipmunk & Elton John - 'Tiny Dancer'". BBC Online. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  23. "Video: Elton heads galaxy of stars backing Lily-Mae's cancer fight". Independent.ie. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  24. "Tiny Dancer - A Song for Lily-Mae" Archived 27 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine, November 2012
  25. "Elton's 'Tiny Dancer' Used in Advert for John Lewis Home Insurance". The Official Site of Elton John. 24 August 2015. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  26. Millward, David (27 April 2016). "Trump wants Elton John to perform at his inauguration". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  27. Keith, Tamara. https://www.npr.org/sections/death-of-ruth-bader-ginsburg/2020/09/18/914666608/trump-reacts-to-justice-ginsburgs-amazing-life-on-tarmac-after-rally. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  28. Rosenberg, Adam. "Elton John and 'Rocketman' star Taron Egerton sang 'Tiny Dancer' together". Mashable. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
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