Tiny Dancer

“Tiny Dancer” is one of Elton John’s most popular songs, coming in as the first track off his 1971 album “Madman Across the Water”.

Written by John and his usual song writing companion (his lyricist) Bernie Taupin. In a 1973 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Taupin spoke about “Tiny Dancer”: “We came to California in the fall of 1970 and it seemed like sunshine just radiated from the populace. I guess I was trying to capture the spirit of that time, encapsulated by the women we met, especially at the clothes stores and restaurants and bars all up and down the Sunset Strip. They were these free spirits, sexy, all hip-huggers and lacy blouses, very ethereal in the way they moved. They were just so different from what I’d been used to in England. They had this thing about embroidering your clothes. They wanted to sew patches on your jeans. They mothered you and slept with you. It was the perfect Oedipal complex.

“Tiny Dancer” has been remixed and covered by various musicians, such as DJ Ironik and rapper Chipmunk remixing the song, which was released in 2009 and peaked at #3 on the UK charts. It has also been covered by popular British singer Florence and the Machine. The track was also featured in the 2000 film “Almost Famous” in a pivotal scene.

The music video was uploaded to Elton John’s official YouTube channel on the 22nd May 2017, filmed by Max Weiland and features the lives of people who live in Los Angeles but from “a dozen different perspectives”. As of June 2019, it has over 17 million views and 142,000 likes.

Release Date: 7th February 1972

Songwriter/s: Elton John, Bernie Taupin

Producer/s: Gus Dudgeon

Label/s: Uni

Music Video Release Date: 22nd May 2017

Chart Rankings & Certifications: “Tiny Dancer” hit multiple charts in the year it was released, ranking #13 in Australia, #19 and #20 in Canada, #70 in the UK and #41, #35 and #29 in the US. It was certified Gold by the BPI in the UK in August 2018, and 3x Platinum in the US by April 2018.