I like Billy Joel. I think he's amazingly talented and he's written some classic songs that will stay with us forever. That being said, I think I enjoy his 70s era music more than his 80s and 90s stuff. There are songs he did in the 70s that just take me back... After 1980 or so, his sound went a lot more pop/top 40 and became a lot more polished and mainstream. His "Piano Man" era was over and it was time for songs like "An Innocent Man"...
Don't get me wrong. He did some songs in the 80s that I did like a lot. Some of them were even as epic as his 70s era stuff. But given a choice, I'd rather listen to the stuff he did before he became a superstar.
Obviously, "Piano Man" is his signature song...
But I think "Honesty" might be the first song he ever did that I really loved. I was about six years old when this was popular and it fit right in with the whole Movie of the Week genre that was around at the time. It was a serious, somber song with a deep message and an emotional melody in a minor key... Listen to this and try not to catch the gravity of this song...
It took some time before I realized what a beautiful love song "Just The Way You Are" is. When I was younger, it seemed kind of schlocky and contrived. Now it means something to me...
in contrast to the fun of "Only the Good Die Young"...
I've always enjoyed the festive sound of "Don't Ask Me Why"...
and the harder edged sound of "You May Be Right"...
This is a lovely ode to a complicated woman... and a very thoughtful song indeed...
"Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" always takes me back to the summer of 1978, when we had just moved back from England.
And "Stiletto" is another great song... a deeper cut from 52nd Street. It always reminds me of the 1979 film, All That Jazz.
I haven't seen Billy Joel in concert, though I know he and Elton John have teamed up successfully. I've heard Billy has become more of a classical composer, which is admirable I guess. But this is a man with an insane amount of musical talent. I have a lot of admiration for him, though he can't be considered one of my favorite artists. If I liked Billy's more recent stuff more, though, he'd definitely be in the running.
Don't get me wrong. He did some songs in the 80s that I did like a lot. Some of them were even as epic as his 70s era stuff. But given a choice, I'd rather listen to the stuff he did before he became a superstar.
Obviously, "Piano Man" is his signature song...
It took some time before I realized what a beautiful love song "Just The Way You Are" is. When I was younger, it seemed kind of schlocky and contrived. Now it means something to me...
in contrast to the fun of "Only the Good Die Young"...
I've always enjoyed the festive sound of "Don't Ask Me Why"...
and the harder edged sound of "You May Be Right"...
"Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" always takes me back to the summer of 1978, when we had just moved back from England.
And "Stiletto" is another great song... a deeper cut from 52nd Street. It always reminds me of the 1979 film, All That Jazz.
I haven't seen Billy Joel in concert, though I know he and Elton John have teamed up successfully. I've heard Billy has become more of a classical composer, which is admirable I guess. But this is a man with an insane amount of musical talent. I have a lot of admiration for him, though he can't be considered one of my favorite artists. If I liked Billy's more recent stuff more, though, he'd definitely be in the running.
