Taupin chose to write from the perspective of a younger brother watching his sibling, Daniel, leave for Spain to find peace away from the "looky loos" and the "monkeys of war". He chose Spain simply because it rhymed with "plane". The Mystery of the Missing Verse
Lyricist wrote the words after reading an article in Time magazine about the Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War. A sidebar story caught his eye, detailing how wounded soldiers returning to small-town America often felt uncomfortable with the extreme adulation or animosity they received. Elton John - Daniel (1972) With !
The Story of "Daniel": Elton John’s Misunderstood Masterpiece Taupin chose to write from the perspective of