“Tin Soldier” is a song released by the 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.
The song is a superb example of the power of Steve Marriott’s lead vocals ranging from the quietness of the verse to the more raunchy choruses. It is also a track that features Ian McLagan at his best with the opening swirls of keyboards.
“Tin Soldier” was originally written by Steve Marriott for singer P.P. Arnold, but Marriott liked the song so much he then kept it himself. 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. The song signialled 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. Tin Soldier reached number nine in the UK Singles Chart and remains one of Small Faces‘ best known songs.
In 1997, some 30 years after the song’s original release, The Rock magazine Mojo voted “Tin Soldier” the tenth best single of all time, in a readers’ poll. The poll placed the song ahead of anything by The Who or The Rolling Stones. 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.
The meaning of the song is about getting into somebody’s mind—not their body. It refers to a girl (Jenny Rylance) 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.
Small Faces
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
The Fat Angel Sings 