Tiny Dancer- Urgh!?

[RedRosesForMe]

What is with this song? It's following me everywhere!

I heard it on the radio 3 times last week, and now I find out my BF secretly downloaded the ringtone so when he calls me, I'm treated to a little taste of the chorus (inexplicably, he loves this song).

It's irritating on so many levels. I've got to go look up the lyrics, they seem so ridiculous from the 2 lines I recall. What the hell is he talking about? A music box ballerina or something?

Anyway, I can't summon the energy or requisite foul language to pit this, so I leave it to you to either extoll this song's virtues or join me in mocking it.

[Exapno Mapcase]

It's a love song by Bernie Taupin to his then girlfriend, Maxine Feibelman.

http://www.eltonography.com/songs/tiny_dancer.html
Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band
Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man
Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand
And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand

She was a ballerina. She was tiny. She gave up dancing to follow him and Elton and the band.

Taupin wrote the song in 1971. He married her later that year.

It's about as straightforward a song as he ever wrote. Read the rest of the lyrics and it's practically an article.

[Captain Socks]

Well, September by Earth, Wind, and Fire has been stalking me for like the last nine months or so.

[Liberal]

Anyway, I can't summon the energy or requisite foul language to pit this, so I leave it to you to either extoll this song's virtues or join me in mocking it.Virtues, for me. There's nothing about it I don't like.

[fessie]

It's Show Me the Way over here, from Frampton Comes Alive.

That song is NEVER going to die.

[Idlewild]

I heard it makes an even better earworm if you substitute "Tony Danza" into the lyrics.

No, no, don't thank me.

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

I heard it makes an even better earworm if you substitute "Tony Danza" into the lyrics.

No, no, don't thank me.
You must do more than that!

Hold me closer, Tony Danza.......
Count the head lice on my heinie..........

[Idlewild]

You must do more than that!

Hold me closer, Tony Danza.......
Count the head lice on my heinie..........
I bow to your superior mischief-causing skills :p

[FriarTed]

Hold my order, terrible dancer....

[Equipoise]

I never paid much attention to it, but it was part of one of the best scenes in Almost Famous, and I've liked it ever since then. If I hear it now it makes me think of that movie and I smile.

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

It's running thru my head constantly now
Hold me closer, Tony Danza
Count the headlice on my heinie
Lay me down on sheets of lettuce
I had a bath today, today

[installLSC]

"Tiny Dancer" is actually a great song, but it's almost unlistenable these days due to the massive airplay in numerous formats--it's soft rock's answer to "Freebird". The problem is that radio stations apparently believe this and "Rocket Man" were the only songs Elton John ever recorded. Considering how popular he was in the early 70's (a time when album cuts got as much airplay as singles), would it kill radio to play "Burn Down The Mission" or "Elderberry Wine" once in a while?

[woodstockbirdybird]

You know what bugs me most about the song (aside from the adjective "tiny", which makes it sound like he's singing about a Lilliputian)? The friggin' thing takes like 6 minutes to get to the chorus! After listening to the verses for so long I start to feel like I'm being jerked around a bit.

[Elenfair]

It's running thru my head constantly now

Qadgop, will you be my adoptive father? I mean, I can't ask you to marry me. lno would be jealous, and you're old enough to be my dad. So, um... come 'ere n' gimme a hug, ol' man! :D you're brilliant.

*snort* Tony Danza... *snort*

[dropzone]

I heard it on the radio 3 times last week, and now I find out my BF secretly downloaded the ringtone so when he calls me, I'm treated to a little taste of the chorus (inexplicably, he loves this song).Be happy it's now and you don't need to hear Jerry Vale's "Red Roses for a Blue Lady." :eek:

(signed) Someone for whom 1965 is "recent."

[Mr. Goob]

I always remember it as the closing music to an episode of WKRP in Cincinnati when a Russian hog expert falls for Bailey and tries to defect.

[FriarTed]

I always remember it as the closing music to an episode of WKRP in Cincinnati when a Russian hog expert falls for Bailey and tries to defect.

My above quote was dubbed in for his quoting the lyrics when WKRP went into syndication & didn't carry the rights to quote/play the song.

The music rights people really need to fix crap like that.

[Beadalin]

Oh Christ. I hate this song SO much. My husband has a classic rock cover band, and one of his bandmates (a gay male keyboard player, naturally) luuurrrrves this song. That guy makes sure the band plays it at every gig I attend, without fail. And I swear it gets longer every time. Now I just step outside when it starts.

[Ike Witt]

Basically, there is nothing wrong with the song. However, it has suffered in the way that many classic rock songs have by being overplayed. Elton Johns song library consists of more than just 7 good songs.

[Dung Beetle]

I can barely listen to Elton now, he's been so played to death. I've given away any of his music that I owned, except for a tape that has Levon on it and I never even listen to that.

I felt pretty sorry for myself for a while when it seemed like Billy Joel's Piano Man was stalking me, but it's (a little) better than Tiny Dancer!

[Ludovic]

I heard it makes an even better earworm if you substitute "Tony Danza" into the lyrics.

No, no, don't thank me.You don't know how long Blinded by the Light stuck in my head when pointed to the alternative lyrics to:

And little Early Birdy
came by in his twilry whirly
("Gave his WHAT Twirly Whirly? And what's Twirly Whirly in that context, anyway?")

[Liberal]

A helicopter, isn't it?

[Bobotheoptimist]

I always remember it as the closing music to an episode of WKRP in Cincinnati when a Russian hog expert falls for Bailey and tries to defect.I still get funny looks from people for (among other things) randomly saying "Hold me closer, tiny dancer" with a thick Russian accent.

I don't have one song, but it seems that Tom Petty is stalking me. At least twice a day I'll hear a Petty song. Seems to me I've gone years without encountering Tom, but the past 3 months have certainly made up for it.

[Turek]

I still get funny looks from people for (among other things) randomly saying "Hold me closer, tiny dancer" with a thick Russian accent.


Mmmm.... Bailey.

[Crusoe]

This thread confused me. I've no idea what song you're all talking about (and from the sound of it I'm not missing much) but there's a band making inroads in the twee-pop-alternative market called the Tiny Dancers (annoyingly catchy guitar indie stuff) that I assumed this was about.

[Exapno Mapcase]

This thread confused me. I've no idea what song you're all talking about (and from the sound of it I'm not missing much) but there's a band making inroads in the twee-pop-alternative market called the Tiny Dancers (annoyingly catchy guitar indie stuff) that I assumed this was about.
How old are you trying to make me feel? :(

(I remember when Rolling Stone reviewed the first album by some nobody singer/songwriter named Elton John and called him a promising talent in the folk world.)

Seriously, if you're not familiar with a song as famous as "Tiny Dancer" then you're probably missing huge important chunks of rock history that you might want to catch up on.

[Crusoe]

Hmm, I know (more or less) the Elton John hits, but that one is completely unknown to me (just listening to it now).

(and ha, I don't think being 32 makes me a spring chicken!)

[Equipoise]

This thread confused me. I've no idea what song you're all talking about (and from the sound of it I'm not missing much) Oh forget the fogeys. It's a decent song, just WAY overplayed. More importantly, it sounds like you've never seen the movie Almost Famous. You have to rectify that asap! Forget the Tiny Dancer scene (though it's a good scene), the rest of the movie is really wonderful too.

[Turek]

Hmm, I know (more or less) the Elton John hits, but that one is completely unknown to me (just listening to it now).

How long have you lived in this alternate universe? :)

[Ceejaytee]

I was stalked all last week by a Hawaiian remake of Air Supply's "All Out of Love." I just looked it up and it was recorded by a group called First Verse.

It was a good remake, actually, with more bounce than the original, but it played every time I stepped into my sister's car, as apparently the local Kauai station could just NOT get enough of it. And she'd call my attention to it every time: "Oooh, Cathy, they're playing your song." Gee, thanks. I was trying to ignore it.

Tiny Dancer's great though.

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

Qadgop, will you be my adoptive father?
Um, ok.

But you'd have to be pre-cut out of the will.

Might be better if I was avuncular instead.

Tony Danza, in my haaaaaaaaaaaaaand!
<<shudder>>