Daniel | Great Music of 70's

ForSaleInAmerica5G.com

Inspirational Links

Elton John - Daniel

Sir Elton Hercules John CH CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. He has sold over 300 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time, and he is the most successful solo artist in the history of the US Billboard charts. Acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his work during the 1970s and for his lasting impact on the music industry, his music and showmanship have had a significant impact on popular music. His songwriting partnership with lyricist Bernie Taupin is one of the

most successful in history.

John was raised in the Pinner suburb of London and learned to play piano at an early age, winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied for five years. He formed the blues band Bluesology in 1962, but left it in 1967 to embark on a solo career. John met Taupin after they both answered an advert for songwriters. For two years, they wrote songs for other artists, and John worked as a session musician. John released his debut album Empty Sky in 1969, and a year later formed the Elton John Band and released his first hit single, "Your Song". John's critical success was at its peak in the 1970s, when he released a streak of chart-topping albums in the US and UK, which began with Honky Château (1972) and culminated with Rock of the Westies (1975). John continued his success in the 1980s and 1990s, having several hit singles and albums in both decades, and has continued to record new music since then. He has also had success in musical films and theatre, composing music for The Lion King, Aida, and Billy Elliot the Musical. In 2018, John began his ongoing farewell tour Farewell Yellow Brick Road, which is scheduled to conclude in 2023. His life and career were dramatised in the 2019 biopic Rocketman.

Elton John's 1973 hit "Daniel" isn't a romantic love song or an allegorical tale. The titular fellow is a Vietnam War veteran struggling to readjust to his regular, civilian life after enduring some horrific combat experiences, not to mention Americans' polarized attitudes about that conflict.

Featured on Elton John's album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, "Daniel" was inspired by the lives and struggles of Vietnam veterans returning home from the war. Songfacts relates that the song's lyricist, Bernie Taupin, revealed the origins of the song:
"I'd seen this article in Time magazine on the Tet Offensive," Taupin wrote on his website (via SongFacts), referring to the 1968 event, one of the most violent moments in the Vietnam War. "And there was a sidebar next to it with a story about how many of the soldiers that were coming back from 'Nam were these simple sort of down home country guys who were generally embarrassed by both the adulation and, depending on what part of the country you came from, the animosity that they were greeted by. For the most part, they just wanted to get back to a normal life, but found it hard."

All that is made abundantly clear with the song's final verse ... which John ultimately decided to chop. But Taupin says it added nothing. "It didn't really explain anything. Sure, it was cut out. But that used to happen all the time with our songs. I would often overwrite, and Elton felt it necessary to edit somewhat. But believe me, it didn't say anything that the rest of the song didn't say."

<<Back