"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.

Composition

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]

Reception

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]

Personnel

• Elton John – vocals, backing vocals, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Mellotron (flute parts)
• Davey Johnstone – acoustic guitar, banjo
• Dee Murray – bass
• Nigel Olsson – drums, maracas
• Ken Scott – ARP synthesizer

Charts

Certifications

Accolades

Grammy Awards

Notable covers

Wilson Phillips version

"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.

Critical reception

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]

Personnel

Taken from the album booklet.[29]

• Glen Ballard – producer, vocal arrangement, rhythm arrangement, electric piano, and synthesizer
• Wilson Phillips – vocal arrangement
• Jerry Hey – string arrangement
• Randy Kerber – acoustic piano
• Michael Landau – guitar
• Neil Stubenhaus – bass
• John Robinson – cymbals
• Michael Boddicker – synthesizer programming
• Daniel Higgins – sax

Charts

Year-end chart performance for "Daniel"

Other versions

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]

See also

• List of RPM number-one singles of 1973 (Canada)
• List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1973 (U.S.)