“Tiny Dancer” by Elton John

Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE is an English born singer, pianist, and composer. Over the course of five decades, John has sold over 300 million records, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world. With more than fifty Top 40 hits, including seven consecutive No. 1 US albums, 27 Top 10, four No. 2 and nine No. 1 hits. He is a certified legend, and his songs have touched millions over the years. The song “Tiny Dancer” appears on John’s fourth album, Madman Across the Water, and was released as a single in 1972. It achieved success over time, certified Gold in the U.S. in May 2005, and Platinum in August 2011 by the Recording Industry Association of America.

The song’s lyrics were written by Elton’s longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin. The goal was to capture the spirit of California in the 1970’s, encapsulated by the many beautiful women he met there. The song features a beautiful piano-based melody during the verses. It also features pedal-steel guitar and light percussion in the beginning of the song. However, the track shifts about halfway through one of the choruses, so that by the end, the song is driven by Paul Buckmaster’s dynamic strings, accompanied by a faint backing choir. The song however, does not contain a hook, which is most likely why it took so long for it to reach Gold status in the US.

While the song was released in 1972, the music video was released rather recently. It was produced by The Cut, which is a project backed by YouTube that pairs directors with musicians. The specific goal of this project was to allow new filmmakers to create music videos for classic Elton John songs. Directed by Max Weiland, the video for “Tiny Dancer” premiered on May 22, 2017, and is based on Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s Californian inspiration for the song. It serves as a reflection of life in Los Angeles from a dozen different people, all unfolding behind the wheel of their cars. The car setting is apropos considering LA’s long standing tradition of sitting in traffic. Two of those twelve people can clearly be seen wearing chucks. One is a young woman who wears a black pair while riding a skateboard through a LA neighborhood. The other is a man who is supposed to represent actor John Wayne, and he wears a blue pair as he dances with a woman who is supposed to represent Marilyn Monroe. They serve as a tribute to the classic Hollywood, and a look as to what LA used to be. The video perfectly encapsulates what it means to live in LA, just like Elton John’s classic song.