Throwback To 1971: Elton John Explains How "Tiny Dancer" Came To Be

A still from the music video for "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John. The song
was released in 1971, but didn't get an official music video until 2017.

One of my very favorite Elton John songs is among his very first hits: "Tiny Dancer."

The blog Laughing Squid found a YouTube video in which Elton John, in 1971, then roughly 23 years old, explains the musical mechanics of the song,and why he chose the music the way he did for the lyrics, penned by his longtime co-writer Bernie Taupin.

The song is about Taupin's girlfriend and eventual wife Maxine Feibelman.  The tune has a rather gentle musical score. Elton John said that decision was based on the lyric, "Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand."

Hard, driving rock does not fit well with ballerinas, John explained.

"Tiny Dancer" was never a huge hit on the Billboard charts, but man, has it had staying power! It has become a classic in every sense of the word.

This song never had an official music video until 2017, when Elton John participated in "The Cut" a video contest for up and coming videographers.  Filmmakers made music videos for three of Elton John's early classics, including Tiny Dancer.  I do think the California breeziness of the song is captured well in that 2017 video.

But you be the judge. First video is the throwback to 1971, when Elton John explains the song's construction, and the second video by Max Weiland, which uses a wide range of Los Angeles characters to demonstrate how much this song has kind of united us.

Downs Syndrome Kids Recreate Famous Paintings, Beautifully

Left: "Fifer" by Manet, Flavio poses for similar
photograph by Seola Zani. 

Sometimes great works of art beg to be recreated.

If only placed in the right hands.

The right hands in this case belong to Seola Zani, an Albanian photographer.

Zani had an ingenious idea: He took famous paintings, and used children with Downs Syndrome to recreate those paintings through photography.

Zani used famous paintings such as "Child With Dove" and Paulo as Harloquin, both by Picasso; "The Fifer," by Manet; "Prima Ballerina" by Degas and "Clara Serena Rubens" by Rubens

According to the Web site TheMighty, a web site with articles about successes with special needs youths, Zani specializes in family photography, and has always been drawn to classic works, so the photo project was perfect for her.

 

Left, "The Dancer" by Renoir: Right, "The Damcer"
(Ima) buy Seola Zani

Said Zani:

"The message I want to share through this project is that every human is a piece of art, so we have to learn to see them in a beautiful way....These children are beautiful, and they are able to do everything if we give them a chance."

I have to say, judging by the photos, Zani has certainly highlighted the beauty she describes.

Left, "Child With Dove" By Picasso, Right: "Child With
Dove," (Eljana) Ny Seola Zani.