Tiny Dancer
An analysis on the song by Elton John
Context Tiny Dancer
• Released: 1971
This song was written by songwriting powerhouses • Album: Madman Across
the Water
Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The song's lyrics were
• Composed and
heavily inspired by Taupin's trip to the US in 1970, performed by Elton John
where he met women who contrasted those who he • Lyrics by Bernie Taupin
knew in England. One of these women was Maxiene
Feibelman, who would later turn out to become
Taupin's wife. She was a ballet dancer when she was
young and acted as a seamstress for Elton
John's band.
Instrumentation
The instrumentation of this song involves both
typical and unusual for rock and pop songs of the
time. These are:
• Vocals (Lead and backing)
• Drum kit
• Pedal steel guitar (commonly used in
Hawaiian music).
• Strings
• Piano
Structure
• Verse
• Verse
• Pre-chorus
• Chorus
• Verse
• Pre-chorus
• Chorus
• Outro
The Intro
The song begins with a 4-bar
intro that repeats a 2-bar
phrase. It switches between the
tonic and the subdominant
over a C pedal in the bass.
Song is in usual 4/4
metre.
This intro establishes the
tonality as major by beginning
on the C chord and having
multiple plagal cadences. This
tonality remains throughout
the song.
The Verse(s)
The verses are made up of eight 2 bar phrases
that make up a form of A, A, B, A1
The first 2 phrases (2 'A' sections) begin on the tonic (I)
chord of the C major scale. The first phrase ends with a
A
plagal cadence that is resolved in the next bar and the
second phrase ends with a perfect cadence in a similar
way. A
The third phrase (B section) begins with the subdominant
(IV) chord, which opposes the listeners expectations for
the tonic chord to occur. Like the last one, this phase ends
with a perfect cadence.
B
The final phase (A1 section) follows the same harmonic
structure as the first 4 phrases, except it ends with a
turnaround, to prepare the listen for a repeat of the verse.
A1
After this, the verse repeats with different lyrics, but still the
same harmonic structure.
The Verse(s) - Melody
The first 2 'A' sections we discussed on the
last slide follow a descending pattern that is
repeated twice before a third pattern that
first ascends and then descends. The
patterns all move in conjunct intervals.
Then, the B section introduces more
disjunct intervals before returning to a
repeated A section, following the same
conjunct, descending ideas.
Pre-chorus
The verses are made up of 6 phrases, all one
bar long
The pre-chorus begins by modulating from C
major to Ab major via common tone modulation
(The C major and Ab major chords both contain
a C). The chord progression then moves
diatonically though this new key with a march-
like feel as the piano plays full chords on a
quaver beat. This is until the end of the section
where the it modulates back to the home key.
The melody contains more accidentals to stay
diatonic within the new key. It moves
Common tone modulation –
diatonically, up and down the Ab major scale. A change in key reinforced by
a shared note between the
tonic chord of the home key
and the new key.
Chorus
The verses are made up of 6 phrases, all one
bar long
The chorus begins with the modulation back
to C major. The progression diatonically
moves though the key, first ending on an
imperfect cadence when the chorus
repeats and ending on a perfect cadence
the second time as there is another verse.
The melody in the chorus uses steps and
leaps to create contrast, using an octave
drop in the word 'closer' and a major 6th
leap between the words "you had"
Outro
After a repeat of the verse, pre-chorus and
chorus, the song ends with a short
instrumental, made up of a perfect
cadence and then 4 plagal cadences in
succession. This subverts the listener's
expectation for the song to end. Once it
does ultimately end, there is a fermata,
making it clear that this is the end
Fermata – A pause in the
music where the note is held
for longer than it is written,
usually at the end of a
section.
General Rhythm
This songs rhythm is full of variety,
containing many dotted notes, ties,
and note values as small as
semiquavers. There is a clear
syncopated feel throughout the
piece that is contrasted during the
pre-chorus.
Dynamics
Dynamically, this song is very
straightforward, with a mezzo-forte
(mf) mark at the beginning and
remaining that way for the duration of
the piece.
Conclusion
Tiny Dancer is hailed as a classic and is
integral to the history of rock and pop.
Its syncopated rhythm, classic structure
and interesting choice of
instrumentation makes it a song that
people still sing along to this day.
Sources
• https://eltonscafe.net/Songs/TinyDancer.
htm
• https://www.e-chords.com/chords/elton-
Thank you for john/tiny-dancer
https://sheetsfree.com/sheets/E/Elton%
listening!
•
20John%20-%20Tiny%20Dancer.pdf
