Meaning of “Daniel” by Elton John

“Daniel” is a song by British singer and songwriter Elton John. According to John’s longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin (who wrote the lyrics of this song), he was inspired to write the lyrics of “Daniel” after reading an article published in Time magazine about the touching story of several Vietnam War veterans who back home to the United States in the hope of enjoying some quiet and peace of mind (a normal life). However, when most of them got home, they were bombarded with a great deal of attention, which they greatly disliked.

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Elton John's Daniel at Lyrics.org.

According to Taupin, he picked the story and wrote it from the point of a view of a younger brother. The younger brother misses his disabled war veteran older brother named Daniel who travels far away from home in order to get away from the attention he was receiving at home.

Taupin explained that the lyrics of “Daniel” tell the story of a soldier (Daniel) who returns to a town in Texas after fighting in the Vietnam War. In the small Texas town, the soldier is praised as a hero and given so much attention. However, he finds the hero treatment and the excessive attention given him very uncomfortable because all he wants is to go back to his normal and quiet life in his farm.

Owing to the extraordinary attention he receives from his people, he decides to travel to Spain. Hence the famous line “Daniel is traveling tonight on a plane”.

But why Spain? Taupin chose Spain because it rhymes perfectly with the word “plane”.

According to Taupin, in writing this song, his main goal was to come up with something that “was sympathetic” to the soldiers who came back home from the Vietnam War.

Lyrics of the song "Daniel" by Elton John

Facts about “Daniel”

  • “Daniel” was written by Elton John and his long-term songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. Elton wrote the music for “Daniel” whereas Taupin wrote the lyrics.
  • The original version of the lyrics written by Taupin contained an additional verse, which Elton deleted because he felt that verse would have gone on to make the already long song even longer.
  • The track was produced by English record producer Gus Dudgeon.
  • “Daniel” was officially released on 26th March, 1973 as the second single from Elton John’s sixth studio album titled Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player.
  • Elton’s record company initially didn’t want to release the track as a single since they felt it was too long and not lively enough to become a hit. However, Elton put so much pressure on the record company they were forced to release the song as a single. The song eventually became one of Elton’s biggest hits.
  • On the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, the track peaked at number 2. On the UK Singles Chart, it peaked at number 4.
  • The song appeared in the 1974 romantic comedy film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore by Martin Scorsese.
  • No official music video was ever made for the song “Daniel”.

 

 

What was in the last verse that Elton John cut out from the song? Did the deleted verse contain the true meaning of the song which Elton didn’t want people knowing?

Contrary to popular belief, the verse Elton deleted from the song didn’t contain any significant content that gave the song another meaning different from the meaning explained at the beginning of the post. According to Taupin himself, the missing verse which Elton got rid of didn’t say or explain anything that the other parts of the song didn’t do.

What musical genre is “Daniel”?

It is a soft rock song.

Did “Daniel” win a Grammy Award?

The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 16th Annual Grammy Awards in 1974. However, the song lost to “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” by Stevie Wonder.

Which artists have covered this song?

Some of the most notable covers of this song include that of the American vocal group Wilson Phillips in 1991 and English singer Sam Smith in 2018.

 

24 Responses

  1. Carlos says:

    Very nice but one minor problem with the premise. The lyrics suggest Daniel is blind (“your eyes have died”) which would make farming a bit of a challenge. Try plowing or driving a tractor by sound or smell, LOL!

    • Abrowne says:

      I am fairly certain that particular line refers to the impact of war on the human psyche- in this way, “your eyes have died” is an analogy for the thousand yard stare typically seen in war veterans and/or those who have witnessed unfathomable trauma.

    • LikeMyFloydPink says:

      LOL and nope. His eyes are “dead” in the way are the eyes of Syd Barrett (“Now there’s a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky”) via “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” by Pink Floyd. Premise much?

      USMC

    • Anonymous says:

      I think what was meant by your eyes have died did not mean that he was blind, but that with all he had been through, he lost that spark of life in his eyes.

    • Anonymous says:

      I cannot believe , you couldn’t understand what died means in this lyric

  2. Karli says:

    In spite of the true meaning of the song, it hits me in a different way. Daniel has been killed by some traumatic event (the scars that won’t heal) and is being taken back to Spain to be buried. After my brother was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident, “Daniel” came on the radio every time I turned it on for several months. I kid you not. It made me a believer in the supernatural. In my brother’s case, his favorite spot was Hawaii…a place he’d been to a lot, although I “had never been”. My brother’s ashes were flown to Hawaii and scattered there.

    • Rob Z says:

      I’m sorry, Karli, I can see how much you loved your Bro!

    • Sherry says:

      Karli. I lost my brother 3 weeks ago! This song is spot on for your pain as well as mine. My brother was my big brother and he has been blind since he was 10 years old. Everytime I’ve heard this song growing up it was my big bro. His eyes had failed but he seen more than me. He was my protector and always guided me the right way. He was my best friend. The song also talks about how even though his eyes have died he sees more than me. My brother traveled to Seoul Korea in 1988 for the paraolympics bringing home a bronze metal in his Judo competition. He was a black belt. He also ran in the Olympic Torch Relay, and ran 3 marathons. One in NY, Miami, and Orlando. I feel you pain as I know you feel mine as well. They are our Guardian Angels forever watching over us! Sending you Love and Hugs!

  3. Bruce S. says:

    I would have never guessed the story behind the song. Story or no story, it is a ballad for all time. A song for the ages.

  4. Rob Z says:

    This song reminds me of abuse not healed from childhood and the singer is reflecting on the siblings death. Spain is metaphorical to me as escape. The singer who is sympethic refelcting on their childhood where the younger sibling was not effected. Just my thoughts.

  5. Capt D says:

    This song reminds me of a time when my older brother left home after joining the Navy. He was stationed in Spain and the only thing I know of his time, is the amount of drinking/pot he did. Since my mother was divorced and working, I was thrust into taking care of everything including my selfish little sister. I missed my brother soo much including my childhood that passed with the tremendous responsibilities dumped on me.

    • Anonymous says:

      That must have been a lot of pressure on you. I’m sorry you were forced to sort of grow up to soon because of your circumstances. Hopefully they helped form you into a strong, independent person today.

  6. Marie says:

    This song reminds me of my brother daniel. I lost daniel in a road accident few years back. he was heading home and his life was taken suddenly by two trucks. everytime i hear this song i think of my daniel and how much i miss him.

  7. Kim says:

    This song was released when my grandfather died. He was the oldest brother of 12 siblings who had to be the man of the family at 10 years old. I always think of him whenever Daniel is played.

  8. RM says:

    It’s been interesting reading everyone’s comments. I always assumed Daniel in the song had died and that’s why he ‘now sees more than I’ as a celestial being, also ‘must be the clouds in my eyes’ makes me think that the younger brother is imagining that he can see his departed brother. I do like the comment by Abrowne above as the reason for eyes have died lyric now I know it was written about a war veteran.

  9. Anonymous says:

    The soldiers of Vietam, Americans, at least, did not come home to a grand welcoming, for the most part. Returning troops were spit upon and called baby-killers. Many of them felt unappreciated and even hated. It’s not unusual for former soldiers to crave peace of mind and want to remain somewhat isolated for a time. They don’t feel particularly heroic. What they don’t want is for people to shun them or try to shame them for serving their country.
    As for the question of sight, you don’t have to be visually impaired to see life, and war, in a vastly different way, through your mind.
    Welcome home, soldiers. Thank you for your service.

    • KP says:

      My brothers both enlisted in different branches of the military rather than be drafted. Their peers were in the same position, so when they returned, they just resumed their life. No jeers, thankfully, but no accolades either. I feel badly for anyone that was given a hard time for serving. Thank you, Vets, for your service.

      I did not realize the story behind the song, either. It’s vague enough to fit all the interpretations that the commenters have mentioned, which makes it more special.

    • Anonymous says:

      It depends what part of the US they returned to. Texas is a lot more pro military than say California.

  10. Anonymous says:

    I continuously cried silently while typing this. My name is Daniel. I was born in the mid-70s and though I came to appreciate this song in the late nineties, this song will always have a place in my heart, especially because of three people. One was my older brother Raymond who suffered from sickle cell, lived through and battled the recurring pain for most of his short life, which made him drop out of school because he couldn’t keep up with his peers and he died from the illness in his early 20s in the early 90s. I can still see him smiling and soft whistling during the few times he was well and happy. The second was a younger brother (actually a cousin born in our home) named Daniel after my dad who raised him. He was the Gung Ho type and naturally wild at heart from an early age but with handsome and innocent looks. When rebels overran the city of Freetown, he took up arms and joined a faction. The last time I saw him was when he came home with ammunition belts strapped around him followed by a little band of young men he “commanded”. My mum asked him to stay away because they appeared scary to us and the neighbours. After the war, he got the news that he fell in an ambush when he rose to launch an RPG. And finally my dad. He was also called Daniel. He was a Colonel in the Sierra Leone Army who survived the civil war. I loved him and he loved me as his only surviving son before he died. He became like an elder brother to me. Anytime this song plays, I wish he was around so I can serenade him and show how much I appreciate his love. Now, my own son is 13 and he also is named Daniel after me. and I have played the song for him. I know he will later appreciate it. I hope I’m around when that appreciation hits him so we can listen to it together.

  11. Gary Jaffe, NYC says:

    Although it’s interesting when songwriters explain what inspired them to write a song or are specific in regard to what a song is about, ultimately, I feel like songs are like poems or paintings and will have varied meanings for different people. From the comments here, one can see quite a few interpretations of the entire song or a specific lyric. It made me think of James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain” – I had always thought it was about a friend who died in a plane crash. But, I’ve come to learn that the first verse is about when Taylor was told a friend of his had committed suicide, and the second and third verse is about Taylor’s struggle with drug use. A girl I knew very well from college years was a HUGE James Taylor fan. Tragically, she was killed on 9/11 while working in the Twin Towers. From then on, the song took on an entirely different meaning for me, “but I always thought I’d see you again” expressing exactly how difficult it is knowing I won’t be seeing my friend again. I say this not to get “sorry for your loss” notes, but to illustrate that well-written, layered or abstract lyrics can mean many things to many people. The beauty of art is in the eye (and ear) of the beholder.

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