Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only the Piano Player is the sixth studio album by Elton John. It was produced by Gus Dudgeon and released in January 1973 by DJM Records. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Album of the Year." The album's title originated from a remark Elton John made during a conversation at the house of their friend Groucho Marx, while he was playing the piano. Marx held out his middle and index finger in the style of a pistol and pointed at John, who then raised his hands and said, "Don't shoot me, I'm only the piano player." On the wall, the album's cover photograph is a poster advertising the Marx Brothers' 1940 film, "Go West," as a tribute to Groucho Marx.