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DON’T SHOOT ME I’M ONLY THE PIANO PLAYER

LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-JAN 26, 2020…IT WAS ON THIS DATE IN 1973 THAT ELTON JOHN GRACED US WITH ‘DON’T SHOOT ME I’M ONLY THE PIANO PLAYER’. THIS WAS ELTON JOHN’S 6TH STUDIO RELEASE AND HIS 2ND STRAIGHT #1 ALBUM. THE SINGLE ‘CROCODILE ROCK’ MARKED ELTON’S FIRST OF A STRING OF #1 SINGLES IN AMERICA. THE ALBUM ALSO BOASTED ‘DANIEL’, WHICH STALLED AT #2. IRONICALLY THE RECORD COMPANY DIDN’T WANT TO RELEASE ‘DANIEL’ AS A SINGLE, BECAUSE THEY FELT IT WAS TOO LONG AND SOMBER TO BE A HIT. BERNIE TAUPIN CALLED IT “THE MOST MISINTERPRETED SONG HE AND ELTON HAVE EVER WRITTEN”, SAYING HE’S HEARD IT’S ANYTHING FROM A GAY ANTHEM TO A SONG ABOUT A FAMILY DISPUTE. TAUPIN ACTUALLY WROTE IT ABOUT VIETNAM VETS RETURNING HOME FROM WAR, ON HOW THE VETS WANTED TO GET BACK TO NORMAL LIFE. HE TOOK IT FROM A YOUNGER BROTHER’S PERSPECTIVE, MADE THE SOLDIER DISABLED AND WANTING TO GET AWAY. “HE MADE IT SPAIN, BECAUSE IT RHYMES WITH PLANE” HERE’S ELTON AND DANIEL ON WHAT LOOKS LIKE A BRITISH TV APPEARANCE CIRCA 1973