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Daniel (Elton John song)

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"Daniel"
Single by Elton John
from the album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player
B-side"Skyline Pigeon"
ReleasedJanuary 1973 (1973-01)
Recorded10 June 1972,
Château d'Hérouville, France
GenreSoft rock[1]
Length3:54
LabelMCA (US)
DJM (UK)
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Gus Dudgeon
Elton John singles chronology
"Crocodile Rock"
(1972) 		"Daniel"
(1973) 		"Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"
(1973)

"Daniel" is a song written by English musician Elton John and his long-time songwriting partner 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.

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

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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

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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

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Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[25] Platinum 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[26] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[27] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Accolades

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Grammy Awards
Year Nominee / work Award Result
1974 "Daniel" Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male[28] Nominated

Notable covers

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"Daniel" was covered on the 1991 album Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin by Wilson Phillips. It reached number seven on the US and Canadian Adult Contemporary charts as an album cut.[29][30] The song also reached number 26 on the Canadian pop chart.[30]

Sam Smith covered the song for the 2018 tribute album Revamp: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin.

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.[31]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Fontenot, Robert. "Oldies Music Encyclopedia: "Soft Rock"". About.com. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  2. ^ a b "The Official Charts Company – Elton John – Daniel". Official Charts. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  3. ^ a b c "allmusic – Elton John – Billboard singles". Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  4. ^ a b "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  5. ^ Lister, David, Pop ballads bite back in lyrical fashion, The Independent (London), 28 May 1994
  6. ^ Foy, Joseph J. (5 February 2015). American Politics Through Popular Culture. University Press of Kentucky. p. 203. ISBN 9780813159980.
  7. ^ "Bernie Taupin Interview". Billboard. 4 October 1997. p. 14.
  8. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 31 March 1973. p. 16. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  9. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 31 March 1973. p. 1. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  10. ^ RPM Adult Contemporary, June 16, 1973
  11. ^ "irishcharts.ie search results". Archived from the original on 26 January 2010. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  12. ^ "De Nederlandse Top 40, week 9, 1973". Archived from the original on 20 February 2008. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  13. ^ "dutchcharts.nl – Elton John – Daniel". Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  14. ^ "Flavour of New Zealand – search listener". flavourofnz.co.nz. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  15. ^ "norwegiancharts.com – Elton John – Daniel". Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  16. ^ ""Daniel" on the South African Singles Chart". Springbok Radio. Retrieved 25 September 2010.[permanent dead link‍]
  17. ^ "Elton John – Daniel – hitparade.ch". Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  18. ^ "Top 100 1973-06-16". Cashbox. Retrieved 1 March 2016.[permanent dead link‍]
  19. ^ "charts-surfer.de search results". Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  20. ^ * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  21. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Forum – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  22. ^ "Top 100 Singles of '73" (PDF). RPM. 29 December 1973. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  23. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1973/Top 100 Songs of 1973". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  24. ^ "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1973". Cashbox. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  25. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Elton John – Daniel". Radioscope. Retrieved 24 December 2024. Type Daniel in the "Search:" field.
  26. ^ "British single certifications – Elton John – Daniel". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  27. ^ "American single certifications – Elton John – Daniel". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  28. ^ "Grammy Awards: Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male". rockonthenet.com. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  29. ^ "allmusic – Wilson Phillips – Billboard singles". Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  30. ^ a b "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 22 February 1992. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  31. ^ "Les charts de Marie Laforêt". Pure Charts. 30 December 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
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