Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player

Don't Shoot Me
I'm Only the Piano Player
Studio album by Elton John
Released 26 January 1973
Recorded June 1972
Studio Château d'Hérouville, Hérouville, France; mixed at Trident Studios, London
Genre Pop rock[1]
Length 42:45
Label MCA (US)
DJM (UK)
Producer Gus Dudgeon
Elton John chronology
Honky Château
(1972)		 Don't Shoot Me
I'm Only the Piano Player
(1973)		 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
(1973)
Singles from Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player
  1. "Crocodile Rock"/"Elderberry Wine"
    Released: 27 October 1972
  2. "Daniel"
    Released: 26 March 1973
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Robert ChristgauC+[3]
Rolling Stone(favourable)[4]

Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player is the sixth studio album by Elton John.[5] Released in January, 1973 by DJM Records, it was John's sixth normal studio album release, and was his second straight No. 1 album in the US, yielding his first No. 1 single in both the US and Canada: "Crocodile Rock".[6] "Daniel" was also a major hit from the album, giving him his second Canadian No. 1 single on the RPM Top Singles Chart[7] and just missing the top slot south of the border, still reaching a successful No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reaching No. 4 in the UK, one place higher than achieved by "Crocodile Rock".

Background

Once again, the team returned to France to record at the Château d'Hérouville, also known at the time as "Strawberry Studios",[8] which was how the studio was credited in the album's sleeve. The album featured horns arranged by producer Gus Dudgeon on "Elderberry Wine" (the B-side to "Crocodile Rock"), "Midnight Creeper" and "I'm Gonna Be a Teenage Idol", the latter of which was inspired by John's friend, T-Rex frontman Marc Bolan. The horn players were the same ones, in fact, who were used on Honky Château. Paul Buckmaster returned to add strings on "Blues for Baby and Me" and "Have Mercy on the Criminal". During his Australian concerts with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 1986, John lauded Buckmaster's work on songs such as "Have Mercy on the Criminal", calling the string arrangements "revolutionary".

The album was a huge hit on both sides of the Atlantic, topping the UK and US album charts. It is one of only three albums to feature just the core band of John on pianos and keyboards, Davey Johnstone on guitars, Dee Murray bass and Nigel Olsson on drums, without percussionist Ray Cooper. The other two are Honky Château (1972) (bar a performance by Cooper on congas on the song "Amy") and Breaking Hearts (1984).

An outtake of note was a re-recording of "Skyline Pigeon", which became the B-side to the single of "Daniel".

Critics at the time called some of the performances, especially "Crocodile Rock", derivative, which John freely acknowledged years later. In His Song: The Musical Journey of Elton John by author Elizabeth Rosenthal, John said "Crocodile Rock" was written as an overt homage to '50s records, and his vocal intentionally mimicked singer Bobby Vee. "High Flying Bird" was designed to sound like a Van Morrison record, and "Midnight Creeper" was a tip of the hat to the Rolling Stones.

John toured Australia during 1972 and was so inspired by Daddy Cool's hit single "Eagle Rock" that, with Taupin, he wrote "Crocodile Rock". The cover of this album has a photo of lyricist Taupin wearing a "Daddy Who?" promotional badge.

Don't Shoot Me... was also, according to John, the first album during which he felt comfortable experimenting with his vocal performances and style.

Packaging

The album's title comes from something Elton said during an evening spent with Groucho Marx. After an evening of constant ribbing from Marx, Elton's comeback was to hold his hands up and say, "Don't shoot me, I'm only the piano player."[9] The album's cover photograph, which shows a young couple outside a movie theatre whose marquee reads: Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player starring Elton John, also includes a movie poster of the Marx Brothers' film Go West. Whether this was an intentional tribute to Groucho, or merely a coincidence, is uncertain.

The title is also a play on the 1960 François Truffaut film Shoot the Piano Player and the original Oscar Wilde quote "Don't shoot the piano player, he's doing his best", which Wilde said he saw in a saloon on a visit to the U.S. [10]

Track listing

All songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin.

Side one

  1. "Daniel" – 3:54
  2. "Teacher I Need You" – 4:10
  3. "Elderberry Wine" – 3:34
  4. "Blues for My Baby and Me" – 5:42
  5. "Midnight Creeper" – 3:55

Side two

  1. "Have Mercy on the Criminal" – 5:57
  2. "I'm Gonna Be a Teenage Idol" – 3:55
  3. "Texan Love Song" – 3:33
  4. "Crocodile Rock" – 3:58
  5. "High Flying Bird" – 4:12

Bonus tracks (1995 Mercury and 1996 Rocket reissue)

  1. "Screw You (Young Man's Blues)" – 4:43
  2. "Jack Rabbit" – 1:49
  3. "Whenever You're Ready (We'll Go Steady Again)" – 2:51
  4. "Skyline Pigeon" (Piano version) – 3:56

B-sides

Song Format
"Skyline Pigeon" (Piano version)Daniel 7" (US/UK)

Personnel

Production

  • Producer – Gus Dudgeon
  • Engineer – Ken Scott
  • Remixed at Trident Studios (London, UK).
  • Coordinator – Steve Brown
  • Art Direction and Sleeve Design – David Larkham and Michael Ross
  • Cover Photo – Ed Caraeff
  • Booklet Photography – Ed Caraeff, Bryan Forbes, Maxine Taupin and Michael Ross.

Charts and certifications

References

  1. ↑ "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player - Elton John - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic.
  2. ↑ "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  3. ↑ "CG: Elton John". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  4. ↑ Holden, S. (15 March 1973). "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  5. ↑ John Tobler (1995). "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player". albumlinernotes.com.
  6. ↑ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  7. ↑ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  8. ↑ Willsher, Kim (4 August 2013). "For sale: 'honky château' where Elton and Bowie recorded classic hits". The Guardian. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  9. ↑ Buckley, David (2007). Elton The Biography. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 1556527136.
  10. ↑
  11. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  12. ↑ Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 29 October 2011
  13. ↑ "adnskehitlister.dk".
  14. ↑ "dutchcharts.nl Elton John – Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player". Hung Medien (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Archived from the original (ASP) on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
  15. ↑ Billboard – 30 June – 1973. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  16. 1 2 "Hit Parade Italia – Gli album più venduti del 1973" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  17. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  18. ↑ "norwegiancharts.com Elton John – Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player". Hung Medien. VG-lista. Archived from the original (ASP) on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
  19. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  20. ↑ http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-chart/19730204/7502/
  21. ↑ "allmusic ((( Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
  22. ↑ "Album Search: Elton John – Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
  23. ↑ "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1973" (in Dutch). Archived from the original (ASP) on 17 April 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  24. ↑ "The Official UK Charts Company : ALBUM CHART HISTORY". Archived from the original on 17 December 2007. Retrieved 17 December 2007.
  25. ↑ "adnskehitlister.dk".
  26. ↑ "American album certifications – Elton John – Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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