♫ Tiny Dancer ♫

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, History, music

I told you last night when I played Goodbye Yellow Brick Road that you’d probably see this one soon, but I really didn’t think it would be quite this soon!  Oh well, here we are …

The lyrics, written by Bernie Taupin, 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. A common misconception is that the song’s lyrics were about Taupin’s first wife, Maxine Feibelman. Taupin has stated that this wasn’t true, and that the belief came about due to the song being dedicated to Feibelman on the original album.

Due to the song’s lengthy run time and lack of a hook, 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.  Eventually, the song slowly became one of John’s most popular songs even in the territories that initially failed to embrace it.

Tiny Dancer
Elton John

Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band
Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you’ll marry a music man
Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand
And now she’s in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand

Jesus freaks out in the street
Handing tickets out for God
Turning back she just laughs
The boulevard is not that bad

Piano man he makes his stand
In the auditorium
Looking on she sings the songs
The words she knows, the tune she hums

But oh how it feels so real
Lying here with no one near
Only you and you can hear me
When I say softly, slowly

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

Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band
Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you’ll marry a music man
Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand
And now she’s in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand

But oh how it feels so real
Lying here with no one near
Only you and you can hear me
When I say softly, slowly

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

Songwriters: Bernie Taupin / Elton John
Tiny Dancer lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

22 thoughts on “♫ Tiny Dancer ♫”

  1. madman across the water is my favorite Elton John album. I had it on eight track tape when I was a kid. some of you remember those. Just mentioning this antiquated technology gives away my vintage.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. I used to watch a sitcom called “Friends” once in a while. One episode which I caught had one of the show’s character thinking this song was about the actor, Tony Danza. “Hold me closer, Tony Danza.” I enjoy mondegreens, so that had me laughing out loud. Hugs and cheers

    Liked by 2 people

    • Thanks for sharing that one … it definitely gave me a chuckle! AND … I learned a new word! I never heard the word ‘mondegreen’ before, but now I know what it means! Thanks, Michael! Hugs and cheers

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Who needs charts when your music is this beautiful? A wonderful song and a glorious video, which I’ve played in a Tuesday Tunes post. Everything about this is just so very good, isn’t it!

    Liked by 2 people

  5. Dear Jill,

    Bernie Taupin who wrote the lyrics for Elton John’s rendition of the song “Tiny Dancer” was referencing his first wife Maxine who had been a seamstress for Elton John, and she’s shared that in her youth, she had wanted to be a dancer. But I think the song is also about how this British band saw California women in 1970s, in general.

    Hugs, Gronda

    Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Jill,

      I believe the story about the song being about Maxine because as per an American Songwriter report, the credits for the song on the Madman Across The Water album end with the words, “With love to Maxine.”

      I read about this: https://www.grunge.com/305469/the-true-story-behind-elton-johns-tiny-dancer/?utm_campaign=clip.

      It’s sad that Bernie Taupin wanted to discredit his first wife, post their divorce in 1976, after 5 years of marriage, but that’s the way of a lot of small-minded men.

      Hugs, Gronda

      Liked by 2 people

      • That was an interesting article … I read about some of the celebrities that Elton doesn’t care for, and in most cases I’m in agreement with him, such as Madonna!

        I try not to judge Taupin too harshly for what he’s said about his ex-wife because we don’t know what went on in their marriage, but yes, a lot of men (and some women, too) are petty and small-minded.

        Hugs!!!

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