Photo via Wes Candela © Wes Candela Photography LLC
On the 10th August 1993, American Singer-Songwriter Billy Joel released his final studio album, River of Dreams, the final song of which was ‘Famous Last Words’. It was a poignant end to Joel’s long run of instant classics. With songs like ‘Piano Man’, ‘Uptown Girl’, and ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ in his discography, Joel could give the ivories a rest; his legacy would be cemented for decades to come. Since the release of the album, Joel has continued his career by way of touring. He has been all over the world and is set to end his record-breaking 150-show residency at Madison Square Garden on July 25 2024.
I have been a fan of Billy Joel for years – I think he captures the human condition in a way no other artist seems to be able to. He is profoundly accessible – his lyrics aren’t shrouded by metaphors or implications – they just are. I had the pleasure of seeing Billy live in 2023, when the Piano Man himself played at Hyde Park, showcasing to me the community that his music creates.
On the 22nd of January 2024, Joel announced that he was releasing a new single. ‘Turn the Lights Back On’, produced by Freddy Wexler, is set to release on the 1st of February 2024. Wexler has produced songs for everyone, from Kanye West to Ariana Grande and BLACKPINK to Celine Dion. In honour of this monumental release, I thought it would be fun to delve into the lyricism and storytelling of Billy Joel, just to remind ourselves what makes this artist so special.
We Didn’t Start The Fire
Growing up with his parents and adopted sister in the suburbia of Long Island in the 50’s, Joel lived a relatively normal life. “We played city games – stickball, stoopball, Ringolevio and ‘Johnny on the Pony’, and plenty of chicken fights,” Joel said, “It was a suburb where every house looked the same, and we were bored out of our skulls”.
Billy Joel recounts his teenage years (with some liberties taken) on ‘Keeping the Faith’ from 1983’s An Innocent Man, which sees him revisit his teen years and reminisce on all the good times he had. From “learning stickball as a formal education” to “making it with a redhead girl”, it’s clear that Joel’s youth was full of experience.
His house didn’t have a television after it broke when he was two, forcing Joel to take on other hobbies to pass the time. Aside from learning more and more street games, Joel also learnt how to box after constantly being attacked by neighbourhood kids. He did very well for himself, winning 22 out of 24 fights. On that 24th fight Joel broke his nose – leading him to hang up the gloves and beginning his journey on the piano.
Sing us a song, you’re the piano man
Billy Joel released twelve studio albums in his career, and each album works as a microcosm of a time in Joel’s life. Whilst Cold Spring Harbour has more blues tunes, signifying a darker time, The Stranger is a mix of happy and hopeful tunes, signifying his energy and desire for a successful album after a few poor receptions.
Throughout his discography, Joel constantly refers to his early life to help draw inspiration and develop ‘lessons’ for the listener. Instances of this can be seen on ‘James’, which is about how quickly the life paths of two people can diverge, or ‘Great Wall of China’, which is about how far you can go if the right people believe in you.
Most famously though, ‘Piano Man’, is all about understanding how important community is, especially to broken people. The classic ballad is a semi-fictitious recount of Joel’s time working as a piano-lounge singer, filled with characters like Davy, who’s still in the navy, or Paul, the real estate novelist. Joel uses these characters in an interesting way, building up a sense of community developed through a shared loneliness and demonstrating just how vital that is for anyone.
Just the way you are
“I never ignore how much luck and chance can help a song”, Billy admits, “when I write, I’m not really speculating that a song will resonate with millions of people. I wouldn’t even begin to know if a song is going to be a hit – and I certainly don’t try to sit down and write one”. Billy Joel’s lyricism is timeless, and a main reason for that is the way he writes his songs. He isn’t writing tunes or big hits – he’s writing stories. Billy Joel is a storyteller who comes to us in the form of a singer/songwriter. He is an avatar of the human condition and understands the need to connect and see yourself in others – he builds on the human desire to relate.
Whilst other artists of the time like Elton John or David Bowie hide the message of their music in metaphors and implications, Billy Joel takes a very literal approach. There are no hidden meanings behind his work, why slow down the delivery of your message by hiding it behind walls of inference? Lyrics like “Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes / I’m afraid it’s time for goodbye again” from ‘Say Goodbye to Hollywood’ or “I really wish I was less of a thinking man / and more a fool who’s not afraid of rejection” from ‘Sleeping With The Television On’ demonstrate it well.
Joel’s literal lyrics work to highlight these human experiences of moving on or feeling unconfident and builds that feeling of being seen. They transcend the time in which they were created; these feelings of loneliness or insecurity exist now, decades after their initial release. Even tracks like ‘Two Thousand Years’, which showcases Joel’s hope for a future of peace after decades of war, can still apply today.
It’s still rock and roll to me
When The Beatles released ‘Now and Then’ in November, I had mixed feelings about it. Honestly, it didn’t feel like anything real, it felt so computer generated. But I asked people who were bigger fans of the Fab Four what the release meant to them, and they had more sentimental thoughts on it. To them, having a Beatles song release in their lifetime was monumental – it brought some of them to tears.
I get it now – with the release of ‘Turn the Lights Back On’ on February 1 2024, I felt this rush of excitement. I found myself relistening to Billy Joel’s discography, rediscovering and understanding his music in a whole new way. The successful history of producer Freddy Wexler and the poetic title of the single give me hope that this won’t turn out to be an upsetting cash-grab.
With a title indicative of this song potentially being one of many new tracks released by Billy Joel, I can only sit and wait with as much anticipation as possible. The immaculate return of The Piano Man is imminent and I for one cannot wait.
