# In 1971, Elton John released a song that was almost entirely forgotten. Since then, it has been streamed 1,000,000,000 times

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1971-elton-john-released-a-song-that-was-almost-entirely-forgotten-since-then-it-has-been-streamed-1000000000-times/
- Published: 2026-11-11T10:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-11T10:21:12+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/1971-elton-john-released-song-that-was-almost-entirely-forgotten/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- ‘Tiny Dancer’ has passed one billion Spotify streams.
- The six-minute song initially struggled on US radio.
- Its appearance in *Almost Famous* helped revive its popularity.

## Summary

Elton John’s ‘Tiny Dancer’, first released on his 1971 album *Madman Across the Water*, was initially a commercial disappointment but has since surpassed one billion Spotify streams. Its later popularity shows how a song can find a much larger audience decades after its release.

Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics after visiting California, drawing on people he met there, including his then-wife Maxine Feibelman. Released as a US single in 1972, the song struggled partly because its six-minute length was difficult for radio and some stations objected to its “Jesus freaks” reference; it reached number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its resurgence gathered pace after it featured in the 2000 film *Almost Famous*.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.