| "Daniel" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Elton John | ||||
| from the album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player | ||||
| B-side | "Skyline Pigeon" | |||
| Released | 26 March 1973 | |||
| Format | 7" vinyl | |||
| Recorded | June 1972 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 3:54 | |||
| Label | MCA (US/Canada) DJM Records |
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| Writer(s) | Elton John, Bernie Taupin | |||
| Producer | Gus Dudgeon | |||
| Elton John singles chronology | ||||
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"Daniel" was a major hit song by Elton John. It appeared on the 1973 album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player. It was written by John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin. In the United States the song reached #2 on the pop charts and #1 on the adult contemporary charts[1] for two weeks in the spring of 1973.In the US it was certified Gold on 13 September 1995 by the R.I.A.A. In Canada, it became his second #1 single, following "Crocodile Rock" earlier in the year, holding the position for two weeks in the RPM 100 national singles chart.[2] In the UK it made the top 5.[3]
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Bernie Taupin wrote "Daniel" while inspired by the events of the Vietnam War. The lyrics (including a verse in the original draft that was cut from the final version) describe a fictional veteran who was blinded as a result of the war ("your eyes have died"/"but you see more than I") and travels to Spain to escape those around him back home ("do you still feel the pain"/"of the scars that won't heal?"), including his brother, from whose point of view the story is told.[4]
"'Daniel' had been the most misinterpreted song that we'd ever written," explained Bernie, in the Two Rooms tribute project. "The story was about a guy that went back to a small town in Texas, returning from the Vietnam War. They'd lauded him when he came home and treated him like a hero. But, he just wanted to go home, go back to the farm, and try to get back to the life that he'd led before. I wanted to write something that was sympathetic to the people that came home."
| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM 100 National Top Singles Chart[2] | 1 |
| Dutch Top 40[5] | 14 |
| GfK Dutch Charts Singles Top 100[6] | 15 |
| German Singles Chart[7] | 27 |
| Irish Singles Chart[8] | 4 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart[9] | 8 |
| Swiss Singles Chart[10] | 5 |
| UK Singles Chart[3] | 4 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[1] | 2 |
| US Billboard Easy Listening[1] | 1 |
"Daniel" was covered on the 1991 album Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin by Wilson Phillips. It reached number seven on the US Adult Contemporary chart as an album cut.[11] "Daniel" was covered on the 2005 album The Brave and the Bold by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & Tortoise. The American alternative rock band Fuel covered the song on their album Something Like Human. American Idol contestant Thia Megia sang the song during Elton John week in Season 10. A studio version was released the next day on iTunes. Tim Mcgraw has covered 'Daniel' acoustically both pre concert and in 'one off specials'
| Preceded by "Little Willy" by The Sweet |
Canadian RPM 100 number-one single 2 June — 9 June 1973 |
Succeeded by "Frankenstein" by Edgar Winter |
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