| "Daniel" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 One of side-A labels of the US single | ||||
| Single byElton John | ||||
| from the albumDon't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player | ||||
| B-side | "Skyline Pigeon" | |||
| Released | January 1973 (1973-01) | |||
| Recorded | 10 June 1972, Château d'Hérouville, France | |||
| Genre | Soft rock[1] | |||
| Length | 3:54 | |||
| Label | MCA (US) DJM (UK) | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Gus Dudgeon | |||
| Elton John singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Daniel" is a song written by British musicianElton John and lyricistBernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was first released on John's 1973 albumDon'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 albumEmpty 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" byPaul McCartney and Wings) and No. 1 on theadult 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 theRPM 100national singles chart.[4] John and Taupin received the 1973Ivor Novello award forBest Song Musically and Lyrically.[5] The song appeared on the soundtrack of the 1974 filmAlice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.
Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics after reading an article in eitherTime orNewsweek about aVietnam 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[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[27] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[28] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[29] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | "Daniel" | Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male[30] | Nominated |
| "Daniel" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song byWilson Phillips | ||||
| from the albumTwo Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin | ||||
| Recorded | 1991 | |||
| Studio | Westlake Studios Capitol Studios (Los Angeles, CA)[31] | |||
| Length | 4:03 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Songwriters |
| |||
| Producer | Glen Ballard | |||
| Wilson Phillips singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Daniel" was covered on the 1991 tribute albumTwo Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin by American female vocal groupWilson Phillips. Although never released as an official single, the track garnered strong airplay onadult contemporary radio stations, and as a result peaked at number seven on both the USAdult Contemporary and CanadianRPM Adult Contemporary charts. The track also peaked within the top forty of the CanadaRPM Top Singles chart.
Their cover of "Daniel" received a negative review by Evan Cater ofAllMusic, saying that the group "makes a chipper dentist's office ballad" out of the cover.[32]
Taken from the album booklet.[31]
| Chart (1991–1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[33] | 26 |
| Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[34] | 7 |
| USAdult Contemporary (Billboard)[35] | 7 |
| Chart (1992) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[36] | 68 |
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.[37]
American rock bandFuel covered the song in 2000, as a part of their album “Something Like Human”.
Singer-songwriterWill Oldham sang the track as Bonnie "Prince" Billy with heavily distorted voice, accompanied by the post-rock bandTortoise on their collaborative 2006 albumBrave and the Bold.
Sam Smith covered the song for the 2018 tribute albumRevamp: Reimagining the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin.
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