Today’s classic song of the day is one of Elton John’s best, “Tiny Dancer” was the opening track on Mr. John’s 1971 Madman Across the Water album, which is my second-favorite Elton John album. (Tumbleweed Connection takes my personal top spot.) It was released as a single in February of 1972 but didn’t fare too well, probably because of its 6+ minute length; it only reached #41 on the Billboard Hot 100, #29 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #35 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. It’s since become a classic, however, and justifiably so.
“Tiny Dancer” was written by Elton John (music) and his compatriot, Bernie Taupin (words). One story has it that Bernie wrote the song after his first visit to the U.S. in an attempt to capture the carefree spirit of the women he met in California, who were somewhat different from the more restrained British women he was used to. Another, more plausible, story has it that Bernie wrote the song about his then-wife, Maxine Fiebelman. As Maxine recalls:
“I knew [it] was about me. I had been into ballet as a little girl and sewed patches on Elton’s jackets and jeans.”
In other words, she was a “seamstress for the band,” as noted in the song’s lyrics:
Blue jean baby, L.A. lady
Seamstress for the band
Pretty-eyed, pirate smile
You’ll marry a music man
Ballerina, you must’ve seen her
Dancing in the sand
And now she’s in me, always with me
Tiny dancer in my hand
Hold me closer, tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today
Hold me closer, tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today
The recording features Elton John on piano, of course, along with Caleb Quaye on electric guitar, B. J. Cole on pedal steel guitar, Davey Johnstone on acoustic guitar, David Glover on bass, and Roger Pope on drums. Paul Buckmaster did the memorable orchestral arrangements, as he did for “Levon” and other Elton John tunes of the time, and background vocals were provided by Tony Burrows, Roger Cook, Nigel Olsson, Dee Murray, and Leslie Duncan, among others.
And here’s your daily bonus video of the day, from the 2000 film Almost Famous. The film is about a teenaged journalist traveling with an up-and-coming rock band and the song plays on the band’s tour bus, with the entire otherwise-fractious band coming together to sing along. It’s a great moment from a great movie—and highlights a great song.
