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Who is the inspiration behind Elton John song ‘Tiny Dancer’?
Elton John has many prongs to his artistry, but songwriting has never been his area of expertise. If it weren’t for his fruitful partnership with Bernie Taupin, his career would have looked significantly different. Like many of his songs, ‘Tiny Dancer’ is written about somebody close to Taupin’s heart rather than Elton.
Lyrics have never been in Elton’s wheelhouse, and ever since meeting in Taupin in 1967, he’s had somebody who understands his skill set in order to supply him with the goods. While Taupin has attempted to get his solo career off the ground, he doesn’t have the razzmatazz or splendour of Elton John, which made his work lacklustre despite the undeniable strength of the lyrics.
Together, the pair have collaborated on over 30 albums, and Taupin is responsible for most of Elton’s biggest hits, including ‘Tiny Dancer’. The track was the opening effort on his fourth studio album, Madman Across the Water, and was inspired by Taupin’s first experience of the United States in 1970.
He had been brought up in rural Lincolnshire, and America was a foreign world to him. The highlight of his trip was meeting Maxine Feibelman, and he moved out to live in Los Angeles soon afterwards so that they could continue their relationship.
Although he didn’t disclose to her that ‘Tiny Dancer’ was about her, Feibelman didn’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to work it out. At the time, she sowed badges for John’s band, and the opening lyrics, “Blue-jean baby, L.A. lady, Seamstress for the band,” spelt it out to her she was Taupin’s muse.
“I knew it was about me,” Feibelman said in 2019. “I had been into ballet as a little girl and sewed patches on Elton’s jackets and jeans,’ – which are two references in the song. I had goosebumps”.
She added: “Elton was on one side of me and Bernie was on the other. That song was like having your really good friends give you the best gift you could ever receive”.
Feibelman then discussed Taupin and John’s typical creative process and explained: “Bernie would be up in our bedroom, writing lyrics. When finished, he would show them to me. Next morning, he’d walk downstairs to the dining room to see Elton for breakfast. There was a piano there and that is where Elton composed the music”.
She continued: “Then Elton would give the lyrics back to Bernie and I would put them into folders for safe keeping. Over the years, I [started keeping] them in a temperature-controlled vault”.
Those folders eventually went to auction in 2019, and the memorabilia landed Feibelman with a handsome payday following the cinematic success of Rocketman. After getting married to Taupin in 1971, they divorced five years later, but on the bright side, the relationship did lead to a string of classic Elton John tracks, including ‘Tiny Dancer’.
