Tiny dancer

Tiny Dancer ("little dancer", engl.) Is a famous song by the singer Elton John . The lyrics are from Bernie Taupin . It first appeared on John's fourth album Madman Across the Water and was released as a single in 1972. The song achieved triple platinum status in the United States and platinum status in the United Kingdom as well. The song was also extremely successful in German-speaking countries.

refrain

A special feature of the song is the redeeming refrain. Bob Dylan once asked Elton John whether he had gradually, spontaneously, worked his way up to this chorus or had thought it through from the beginning. John replied, “That's a very good question. Tiny Dancer has really long lyrics, very cinematic, California-in-the-early-70s lyrics, so it had two verses and a bridge before it even got to the chorus, and it's good for a long build. The bridge prepares it well, then it slows down for a moment - 'when I say softly, slowly ...'. This line indicated a big refrain. I don't remember writing it very much, but I do remember trying to make it sound as Californian as possible. Writing a song like this is a bit like jerking off. You want to have a good climax, but you don't want to let it be over too quickly - you want to work your way towards it. It took Bernie's lyrics so long to get to the chorus. I thought, 'Shit, the chorus should have been special when it finally arrives.' And it feels like, 'I'm coming' literally. "

Individual evidence

1. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/oct/12/this-is-a-very-good-question-bob-dylan-elton-john-interviewed-by-famous-fans In the English original: “This is a very good question. Tiny Dancer has a really long lyric, a very cinematic, California-in-the-early-70s lyric, so it had two verses and a middle eight before it even gets to the chorus, and it lent itself to a long buildup. The middle eight sets it up well, then it slows down for a moment - 'when I say softly, slowly ...' That line suggested a big chorus. I don't remember much about writing it, but I do remember trying to make it sound as Californian as possible. Writing a song like that's a bit like having a wank, really. You want the climax to be good, but you don't want it to be over too quickly - you want to work your way up to it. Bernie's lyric took such a long time to get to the chorus, I thought, 'Fuck, the chorus had better be something special when it finally arrives.' And it's 'here I come', literally. "