Daniel (Elton John song)
1973 song by Elton John
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"Daniel" is a song written by British musician Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was first released on John's 1973 album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player as its opening track. The original single release was also notable for a re-recorded version of "Skyline Pigeon" (from John's 1969 debut album Empty Sky) on its B-side, which went on to be a popular track in its own right.
Château d'Hérouville, France
| "Daniel" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
One of side-A labels of the US single | ||||
| Single by Elton John | ||||
| from the album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player | ||||
| B-side | "Skyline Pigeon" | |||
| Released | January 1973 | |||
| Recorded | 10 June 1972, Château d'Hérouville, France | |||
| Genre | Soft rock[1] | |||
| Length | 3:54 | |||
| Label | MCA (US) DJM (UK) | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Gus Dudgeon | |||
| Elton John singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In the United Kingdom, the song reached No. 4 in the official chart.[2] In the United States, the song reached No. 2 on the pop charts (only held from number one by "My Love" by Paul McCartney and Wings) and No. 1 on the adult contemporary charts[3] for two weeks in the spring of 1973.
In the US, it was certified gold in September 1995 and platinum in May 2018 by the RIAA. In Canada, it became his second No. 1 single, following "Crocodile Rock" earlier in the year, holding the position for two weeks in the RPM 100 national singles chart.[4] John and Taupin received the 1973 Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.[5] The song appeared on the soundtrack of the 1974 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.
Composition
Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics after reading an article in either Time or Newsweek about a Vietnam War veteran who had been wounded, and wanted to get away from the attention he was receiving when he came back home.[6] The last verse in the original draft was cut from the final version, which has led to some speculation on the contents.[7]
Reception
Cash Box said that the "fascinating lyrics by Bernie Taupin will make you want to listen over and over again."[8] Record World called it "a natural smash, and one of [John's and Taupin's] best pennings in a while."[9]
Personnel
- Elton John – vocals, backing vocals, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Mellotron (flute parts)
- Davey Johnstone – acoustic guitar, banjo
- Dee Murray – bass
- Nigel Olsson – drums, maracas
- Ken Scott – ARP synthesizer
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
Accolades
- Grammy Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | "Daniel" | Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male[30] | Nominated |
Notable covers
Wilson Phillips version
| "Daniel" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by Wilson Phillips | ||||
| from the album Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin | ||||
| A-side | "Give It Up" | |||
| Recorded | 1991 | |||
| Studio | Westlake Studios Capitol Studios (Los Angeles, CA)[31] | |||
| Length | 4:03 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Songwriters |
| |||
| Producer | Glen Ballard | |||
| Wilson Phillips singles chronology | ||||
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"Daniel" was covered on the 1991 tribute album Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin by American female vocal group Wilson Phillips. Although never released as an official single, the track garnered strong airplay on adult contemporary radio stations, and as a result peaked at number seven on both the US Adult Contemporary and Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary charts. The track also peaked within the top forty of the Canada RPM Top Singles chart. The song is also the B-Side for "Give It Up".
Critical reception
Their cover of "Daniel" received a negative review by Evan Cater of AllMusic, saying that the group "makes a chipper dentist's office ballad" out of the cover.[32]
Personnel
Taken from the album booklet.[31]
- Glen Ballard – producer, vocal arrangement, rhythm arrangement, electric piano, and synthesizer
- Wilson Phillips – vocal arrangement
- Jerry Hey – string arrangement
- Randy Kerber – acoustic piano
- Michael Landau – guitar
- Neil Stubenhaus – bass
- John Robinson – cymbals
- Michael Boddicker – synthesizer programming
- Daniel Higgins – sax
Charts
Other versions
Marie Laforêt adapted and covered the song in French in 1974. It was released as the B-side of the "Cadeau" EP. 125,000 copies were sold in France.[37]
American rock band Fuel covered the song in 2000, as a part of their album “Something Like Human”.
Singer-songwriter Will Oldham sang the track as Bonnie "Prince" Billy with heavily distorted voice, accompanied by the post-rock band Tortoise on their collaborative 2006 album Brave and the Bold.
Sam Smith covered the song for the 2018 tribute album Revamp: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin.