Tin Soldier (song)
{{Distinguish|One Tin Soldier|Little Tin Soldier}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2014}}
{{EngvarB|date=June 2014}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Tin Soldier
| cover = Smallfacestinsoldier.jpg
| caption = UK picture sleeve
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Small Faces
| album =
| B-side = I Feel Much Better
| released = {{Start date|1967|12|2|df=y}}
| recorded = 5–13 October 1967{{Cite AV media notes |last1=Caiger|first1=Rob|last2=Flood|first2=Tosh |title=Greatest Hits: The Immediate Years 1967–1969 |others=Small Faces |date=2014 |type=Liner notes|publisher=Immediate, Charly |id=F 847}}
| studio = Olympic, London
| venue =
| genre =
- Power pop{{cite book |editor1-last=Borack |editor1-first=John M. |title=Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Guide To Power Pop |date=2007 |publisher=Not Lame Recording Company |location=Fort Collins, Colorado |isbn=978-0-9797714-0-8 |page=59 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pqtGTJgE4rEC |language=en}}
- R&B{{cite book|title= The Alternative Jukebox|first=Larry|last=Bradley|date= November 4, 2014|chapter= The 1960s: Small Faces: "Tin Soldier"|page= 23|publisher=Cassell|isbn=978-1-84403-789-6|url=https://books.google.com/books/about/BBC_Radio_6_Music_s_Alternative_Jukebox.html?id=w_phoAEACAAJ}}
| length = {{Duration|m=3|s=06}}
| label = Immediate
| writer = {{hlist|Steve Marriott|Ronnie Lane}}
| producer = {{hlist|Steve Marriott|Ronnie Lane}}
| prev_title = Itchycoo Park
| prev_year = 1967
| next_title = Lazy Sunday
| next_year = 1968
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|i0NTI14Pu2U|Small Faces with P. P. Arnold - "Tin Soldier" (1968)}}}}
}}
"Tin Soldier" is a song released by the English rock band Small Faces on 2 December 1967, written by Steve Marriott (credited to Marriott/Lane). The song peaked at number nine in the UK singles chart and number 38 in Canada.{{Cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.100191.pdf|title=RPM Top 100 Singles - 27 April 1968|date=27 April 1968|website=Library and Archives Canada|access-date=26 October 2019}} It has since been covered by many other notable rock artists.
Song profile
Tin Soldier was originally written by Steve Marriott for singer P. P. Arnold, but Marriott liked it so much he kept it himself.{{Cite book|title=Steve Marriott: All Too Beautiful...|last1=Hewitt|first1=Paolo|last2=Hellier|first2=John|publisher=Helter Skelter Publishing|location=London, England|year=2004|isbn=1-900924-44-7|pages=159}} It was a song that he wrote to his first wife, Jenny Rylance. P. P. Arnold can be heard singing backing vocals on the song and also performed as guest singer at television recordings of the song. The song signalled a return to the band's R&B roots whilst continuing their forays into psychedelic rock and other musical experiments. When Tin Soldier was released the BBC informed the band that the last line of the song had to be removed from all TV and radio broadcasts, mistakenly believing that Marriott sang "sleep with you", when in fact the lyric is "sit with you". Marriott explained that the song was about "getting into someone's mind—not their body".Hewitt & Hellier, pp. 160-1 Tin Soldier reached number nine in the UK Singles Chart and remains one of Small Faces' best known songs.
Talking about the song, and the influence of his wife Jenny, Marriott stated:
{{blockquote|The meaning of the song is about getting into somebody's mind—not their body. It refers to a girl I used to talk to all the time and she really gave me a buzz. The single was to give her a buzz in return and maybe other people as well. I dig it. There's no great message really and no physical scenes.}}
The song seems to have been influenced by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Steadfast Tin Soldier, the story of an imperfect tin soldier's desire for a paper ballerina. The opening lyric is "I am a little tin soldier that wants to jump into your fire".Hewitt & Hellier, p. 56
Upon reaching No. 73 in the U.S. with this single, their label Immediate Records abandoned its attempts to penetrate the American market. "Tin Soldier" would ultimately be the last song performed live by the Small Faces during their original incarnation; It was performed on 8 March 1969 at Springfield Ballroom (now demolished and replaced by the football stand of Springfield Stadium) in Jersey.Hewitt & Hellier, p. 197
=''Mojo'' readers' poll=
In 1997, some 30 years after the song's original release, Mojo voted "Tin Soldier" the tenth-best single of all time, in a readers' poll. The poll placed it ahead of anything by The Who or The Rolling Stones.{{cite web|url=http://www.makingtime.co.uk/rfr/tinsold.htm |title=Small Faces Tin Soldier- Room for Ravers |website=Makingtime.co.uk |access-date=2016-10-01}}
The song has also been much mentioned over the years by Paul Weller and featured in Noel Gallagher's personal all-time top ten song list.
Personnel
- Steve Marriott – lead and backing vocals, acoustic and electric guitars
- Ronnie Lane – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Ian McLagan – acoustic and electric pianos, Hammond organ, backing vocals
- Kenney Jones – drums
;Additional personnel
- P. P. Arnold – backing vocals
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
= Weekly charts =
{{col-2}}
=All-time charts=
| class="wikitable" |
| align="left"|Chart
! style="text-align:center;"|Rank |
|---|
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)
|align="center"|4669 |
{{col-end}}
Covers
The song has been covered by Quiet Riot, Lou Gramm, Uriah Heep, Streetheart, Todd Rundgren, The Guess Who, Paul Weller, Transatlantic, and Humble Pie (which also featured Marriott).
Scorpions made a cover of the song for their 2011 album Comeblack.
Progressive rock band Transatlantic covered this song on their 2014 album Kaleidoscope, on disc 2 of the special edition. In October 2007 Tim Rogers, of You Am I, and Talei Wolfgramm performed the track on Australian music quiz show RocKwiz.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz1V3y953Xk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/Xz1V3y953Xk |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Tim Rogers & Talei Wolfgramm duet on RocKwiz|date=29 October 2007|website=YouTube|publisher=RobWellington|access-date=26 October 2019}}{{cbignore}} In 1998 the Argentine musician Charly Garcia recorded a version, in Spanish, on his album El aguante, titled "Soldado de lata". P. P. Arnold has performed the song live.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.thesmallfaces.com/ Small Faces official website]
{{Small Faces}}
Category:Scorpions (band) songs
Category:Songs written by Steve Marriott
Category:Songs written by Ronnie Lane
Category:Immediate Records singles