"Daniel" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
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) | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Gus Dudgeon | |||
Elton John singles chronology | ||||
|
"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 .
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]
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]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
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. |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1974 | "Daniel" | Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male [28] | Nominated |
"Daniel" | ||||
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Song by Wilson Phillips | ||||
from the album Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin | ||||
Recorded | 1991 | |||
Studio | Westlake Studios Capitol Studios (Los Angeles, CA) [29] | |||
Length | 4:03 | |||
Label | Polydor | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) | 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.
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. [30]
Taken from the album booklet. [29]
Chart (1991–1992) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [31] | 26 |
Canada Adult Contemporary ( RPM ) [32] | 7 |
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [33] | 7 |
Chart (1992) | Position |
---|---|
Canada Adult Contemporary ( RPM ) [34] | 68 |
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. [35]
"Tiny Dancer" is a song written by English musician and composer Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was originally released on John's 1971 album Madman Across the Water as its opening track, and was later produced and released as a single in 1972.
"Candle in the Wind" is a threnody style ballad written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was originally written in 1973, in honour of Marilyn Monroe, who had died 11 years earlier.
"Your Song" is a song written by musician Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was John's first international Top 10 chart single.
"Something About the Way You Look Tonight" is a song by English musician Elton John, taken from his 25th studio album, The Big Picture. It was written by John and Bernie Taupin, and produced by Chris Thomas. It was released as the album's first single on 8 September 1997 by Mercury Records and the Rocket Record Company.
"Crocodile Rock" is a song written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, and recorded in summer 1972 at the Château d'Hérouville studio in France, where John and his team had previously recorded the Honky Château album. It was released on 27 October 1972 in the UK and 20 November 1972 in the U.S., as a pre-release single from his forthcoming 1973 album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, and became his first U.S. number-one single, reaching the top spot on 3 February 1973, and staying there for three consecutive weeks. In the U.S., it was certified Gold on 5 February 1973 and Platinum on 13 September 1995 by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
"Someone Saved My Life Tonight" is a song with music by British musician Elton John and lyrics by Bernie Taupin, from John's 1975 album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. It was released as a single on 20 June 1975, the only single released from the album. Like the rest of the album, the song is autobiographical, and addresses an attempted suicide by John.
"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin. It was recorded by John and released in 1976, both as a single and as part of the Blue Moves album. It was John's second single released by The Rocket Record Company. The song is a mournful ballad about a romantic relationship which is falling apart.
"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is a ballad written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It is the title track on John's album of the same name. The titular road is a reference to L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz film and book series.
"Border Song" is a song by Elton John with music by John and lyrics by Bernie Taupin. The song initially appeared on the 1970 album Elton John, and was released in the spring of 1970 as the LP's first single. After failing to chart in the UK, it was released in North America a few months later. It met with more success there, especially in Canada, where it peaked at No. 34. The appearance of "Border Song" on the Canadian charts was John's first chart appearance in any country.
"Island Girl" is a 1975 song by English musician Elton John. It was written by John and his songwriting collaborator Bernie Taupin and released as the first single from the album Rock of the Westies (1975). It reached number one for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., selling over one million copies. It also reached the top five in Canada and New Zealand, as well as the top twenty in Australia and the UK.
"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" is a song with music written by English musician Elton John and lyrics by songwriter Bernie Taupin. It was originally recorded by John for his eighth studio album, Caribou (1974), and was released as a single that peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Bennie and the Jets" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. The song first appeared on the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album in 1973. "Bennie and the Jets" has been one of John's most popular songs and was performed during his appearance at Live Aid.
Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin is a 1991 tribute album consisting of interpretations of sixteen songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The title refers to a song on John's album 21 at 33, "Two Rooms at the End of the World", and to the duo's unusual collaborative style; it is also the title of a 1991 film documenting their collaboration.
"Club at the End of the Street" is an upbeat pop rock song composed by English musician Elton John with lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It was included on John's album Sleeping with the Past in 1989 and released as its third single in 1990. The song describes a night on the town between two lovers at an undisclosed nightclub. In 2013, John stated on Rolling Stone that this song was one of his favourites. The song featured an animated music video. He performed it three times live during the One Night Only concerts in 2000.
"Nikita" is a song by English musician Elton John from his 19th studio album, Ice on Fire (1985). It was released as the album's lead single on 4 October 1985, charting at number three on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number seven in the United States, and reaching the top 10 worldwide, topping the charts of eight countries. The song features George Michael on backing vocals and Nik Kershaw on guitar.
"The Last Song" is a song by English musician Elton John, released as the third single from his 23rd studio album, The One (1992). It was composed by John, with lyrics provided by Bernie Taupin. The song marked the first of John's American singles to benefit his AIDS foundation. It reached No. 7 in Canada and No. 21 in the United Kingdom while peaking within the top 40 in several countries worldwide, including Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United States.
"Sad Songs (Say So Much)" is the closing track on English musician Elton John's 18th studio album Breaking Hearts, written by John and Bernie Taupin, released in 1984 as the lead single of the album. It reached No. 7 on the UK chart and No. 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song reached the Top 10 of many countries except in Germany and Italy where it reached the Top 20. The single version of this song appeared on the 1990 box set To Be Continued... and various versions of the 2007 compilation Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits.
"The One" is the title track and first single released from English musician Elton John's 1992 album of the same name. On bonus footage for the DVD release of his concert Live in Barcelona, John states that he felt an intense connection to Bernie Taupin's lyrics for the song, in light of his personal circumstances around the time of making the album, in particular the line "for each man in his time is Cain until he walks along the beach".
"I Want Love" is a 2001 song by English musician Elton John, co-written with Bernie Taupin, released as the first single from his Songs from the West Coast album. The song reached the top ten in Canada and the United Kingdom. In the US, "I Want Love" reached No. 10 on the Billboard "Bubbling Under" chart and number six on the Adult Contemporary chart. The song also featured in an advert for Royal Mail, in which John starred. It was nominated for a Grammy award in 2002 for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
"Rocket Man(I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin and performed by John. It was originally released on 17 April 1972 in the US, as the lead single to John's album Honky Château. The song first charted in the UK on 22 April, rising to No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 6 in the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming a major hit single for John.
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