With lyrics written by Bernie Taupin, ‘Tiny Dancer’ was first featured as the opening
track to Elton John's 1971 album, Madman Across the Water. It was recorded in Soho’s
Trident Studios on the 9th August 1971. The song's lyrics were inspired by Taupin's first
visit to the US in 1970, and were intended to capture the spirit of California, where he
found the women he met highly contrasted with those whom he had known in his home
country of England. Taupin also stated in a 1973 interview in Rolling Stone that the
song is about Maxine Feibelman, his wife at the time. In 2019, Feibelman said, "I knew
it was about me. I had been into ballet as a little girl and sewed patches on Elton's
jackets and jeans", referring to the song's description of a "seamstress for the band".
The record initially struggled in the U.S. charts and faired much better in Canada where
Elton had much early success reaching No.19 and in Australia where it reached No.13.