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Elton John · S3 E5
Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player
'Crocodile Rock' and 'Daniel.' Two massive hits, two completely different moods, one unstoppable album
In January 1973, Elton John's latest album enters the chart at number one in both America and the UK simultaneously. Nobody in pop music is working this fast or hitting this hard.
Elton John, "Step Into Christmas" (1973). A standalone holiday single released at the peak of his imperial phase. Sleigh bells, a walking bassline, and a vocal performance that sounds like Elton is having the time of his life.
Two Hits, One Album
Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player produces "Crocodile Rock" and "Daniel" back to back. One is a giddy nostalgia trip that reaches number one, the other a tender character study that climbs to number two. Both come from the same chateau sessions, the same band, the same songwriter. The range is staggering.
Daniel (1973)
Bernie writes about a Vietnam veteran returning home, and Elton wraps it in a melody so warm it could be a lullaby. The arrangement is deceptively simple: acoustic guitar, piano, and a vocal that stays intimate even when the strings arrive. Producer Gus Dudgeon cut Bernie's final explanatory verse, leaving the story beautifully unfinished. That missing verse is what makes the song last.
TAP TO REVEAL: Where did the album title come from?
“We were releasing so much material that we could afford to throw away a single on Christmas and not worry about it. That's how confident we were.”
— Elton John, "Me" (2019)
The Pace: Six Albums in Four Years
How many studio albums had Elton John released by January 1973?
Midnight Creeper
From Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973). A slow-burning blues track buried on side two, all swagger and late-night groove. While the singles were pop perfection, deep cuts like this show a band that could lock into a greasy riff and ride it for four minutes without blinking.
Six albums, two number ones, and the costumes are getting stranger. Next: feathered boas, sequined jumpsuits, and why Reg needed Elton to be larger than life.
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