Joel Has Soul Part 2: In the Mood for a Melody

In case you were wondering, Billy Joel has recorded 121 songs (not including his album of piano compositions).  His songwriting career spans three decades, and he has released 12 studio albums.  For anybody trying to get into Billy Joel's music for the first time, the sheer volume of his work can certainly be a bit daunting- which is why I've compiled some tips and tricks for you!

For anyone new to Billy Joel, you might utilize this post as a reference point or starting block for your listening endeavors.  For those of you who already love the Piano Man, let me know what you think! (Are my suggestions on point, or am I way off?) So without further ado...

To start, I guess I should tell my Billy Joel story.  How did I become such a Billy Joel fanatic? I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that I was not always the super fan I am today.  An anecdote will illustrate this nicely.

Pro Tip: this is not Billy Joel

My first hazy and obscure memory of hearing Billy Joel dates back to my elementary school years.  My mom and I had just pulled into the grocery store parking lot when "Piano Man" came on the
radio, and my mom, being the one who introduced me to the glory of the 1970s music scene, insisted that we sit in the car 'just a few more seconds' to listen to the duration of the song.  And this is where it gets weird.

For some reason, nine year old me thinks that I am listening to someone called "Penguin Man", and all I know is that I think Penguin Man is very strange and I do not want to listen to him any longer.

Alas, since then my relationship with Penguin Man Billy Joel has only improved.  I hope that with the help of this post, your introduction to Billy Joel will be much more enlightening than mine.
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Billy Joel and You: Some Friendly Suggestions

1. Listen to his older songs first.

Billy Joel has one of the most distinct voices to have ever been recorded.  And while his voice has aged amazingly (he can still hit the high notes!), it's deeper and a bit raspier now.  Listen to any song from his early 1970s albums, and prepare to be liberated by his soaring falsettos and crystal clear vocals. "Somewhere Along the Line" is a good place to start- it's a bit obscure now, but still one of my favorites.

2. Appreciate Billy Joel first as a writer/composer, then as a musician, then as a performer.

So remember those 121 songs that I was telling you about?  Fun fact: he wrote every one of them himself, and it shows in the authenticity of his songs. Many of his songs are about his own life and his home- New York City, most of his love songs are dedicated to one of his three ex-wives, and he often wrote for the everyman in America.  Most notably, "Allentown" and "The Downeaster Alexa" demonstrate's Joel's ability to write knowledgeably and poetically about situational hardships that in many ways connect to the American experience.

In general, Joel's melodies are amazing and tend to steal the show, but next time really listen to the lyrics too. (and watch him work his magic on the piano- it's enthralling)

The piano solo at the end of "Miami 2017" is my personal favorite.

3.  On a similiar note, learn some backstory behind his songs.

Because so much of Billy Joel's music is taken straight from his life experiences, there are some super interesting tidbits of trivia floating around about the inspiration for some of his most well-known songs.  For example, did you know that "Uptown Girl" was written about Christie Brinkley, Billy Joel's second wife? Or that "Captain Jack" is based on a heroin dealer who lived across the street from Joel in the 70s? There's an interesting story for almost all of Joel's songs.

4. Take a gander at the album covers.

     



                                               
My favorite is Turnstiles, with Piano Man and River of Dreams tying for a close second. Listen to Joel talk about the fascinating stories behind the album covers here and here.

Along the same lines: start with the right album.  If you prefer to listen to an artist's entire album instead of individual songs,  don't just pick any Billy Joel record at random. Take my advice: choose The Stranger.  Anyone might mistake this album for a Billly Joel greatest hits compilation- it's amazing how many of Joel's most enduring songs are packed into one studio album.  Absolutely not to be missed!
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And that's it! I hope you guys enjoyed this post, see you back here next week!

70s Fever Part 1: Play Me a Memory

So remember last week when I professed my love of Billy Joel in the form of an in-depth analysis of Piano Man? Well get ready, because it's about to happen again, but this time I'm going to be writing about an entire decade (this half of my blog will be known as "70s Fever").  In case you're super confused and wondering what the set up of my blog is going to be from here on out, I'm planning on alternating Billy Joel and 1970s posts each week (but honestly, every post is going to have some Billy Joel in it- it's bound to happen Somewhere Along the Line). But I digress.  It's showtime.

Please enjoy some Saturday Night Fever John Travolta to ease into the right frame of mind:

Hey guys.  Welcome to the 1970s.

What is there to say for a decade that so effortlessly speaks for itself? All I can tell you is that from the political drama to the music to the idea of growing up in my mom's childhood home in Erdenheim, Pennsylvania, I am completely enamored with the times and culture of 1970s America. My hope is that by the end of this series, you will be too.  For the first post of this series, we're going to start where any self-respecting history lesson should: with the people.  

Eagles, Desperado (1973)

The people. What were they fighting for? The 1970s heralded a new era of the civil rights movement, one that brought the focus back on women's rights, and for the first time shone the spotlight on gay rights in the United States.  Long-standing beliefs were being challenged, and in many ways real progress was being made- spearheaded in the form of grassroots efforts by ordinary people.  And...*Looks forebodingly towards the moonlight as a strange mist rises and a violin solo is heard in the distance*...perhaps most tellingly, snow fell for the first and last time (thus far) in Miami, Florida.

But anyways, back to the people.  In the mid-1970s disgruntled citizens took to the streets of San Francisco to protest Anita Bryant's anti-gay Save Our Children campaign, and women's rights were being fought for on an even larger scale.  Across the country, women were campaigning for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, and the first National Women's Congress in a century was held in Houston, Texas in 1977.  

Announcement: The other day I wrote an essay using only feminine pronouns, and it was one of the most liberating moments of my life (really).  I can only imagine what it would have been like to be a part of those rallies for change- to be one of the 20,000 women who gathered in Texas to pass a National Plan of Action, or one of the many who fought against intolerance in California.  

In today's world, the old Tears for Fears tune (not from the 1970s and not Billy Joel, consistency is obviously not my forte) rings painfully true: "everybody wants to rule the world"- or perhaps everybody wants to save the world.  Most change occurs as a result of a group working together, and many of us seem to have forgotten that.  In the 1970s, passionate people found strength in numbers- and they were heard, at least as a rumble of things to come.  The gay rights movement picked up speed, and serious conversations were being held on women's reproductive health; however, discrimination based on gender and sexuality continued and intolerance has persevered to today.  

Would anything be different if one more person had joined the fight? Probably not. But then again, is that a real reason not to stand up for what you believe in?  As my favorite philosopher Billy Joel once crooned, "you've got your passion /you've got your pride/ but don't you know that only fools are satisfied" ("Vienna" The Stranger). Technology and social media have made it simple and temporary to advocate for oneself and others; in the 1970s, people acted on their convictions in a meaningful and public way- and the world has not yet outgrown their efforts.

LGBTQ rights (increasingly emphasizing transgender rights) and gender equality (the ERA never passed) still have a long way to go in the United States and the world, but if the 1970s have taught us anything, it's that snow can happen in Miami. *cue collective gasp*

Isn't that something you'd like to experience?

        John Travolta and snow in a sub-tropical climate?! The 70s prove you can have it all.

Joel Has Soul Part 1: Sing Us a Song...

Hello and Welcome to my contribution to the vast and bountiful expanse that is the internet! 

Seeing as this is my first post on a blog called "Gospel of the Piano Man"(which is really a 1970s blog with heavy emphasis on Billy Joel), I figured I should start things off right and give the people what they want (and need). Without further ado, here is part one of the "Joel Has Soul" miniseries.

In the latter parts of this series, we will be exploring the meanings and historical context (get excited) of Billy Joel’s songs. But before that, it only seems right to begin with an overview of who the Piano Man really is.

Let’s start with the basics.

If you know nothing else about Billy Joel or his music, chances are you’re at the very least aware of his most popular hit “Piano Man”, which effectively launched his career in 1973.  Besides the catchy tune and soaring chorus, what really sets this song apart is the stories that it tells.

This brings us to Billy Joel Fact #1: Billy Joel is first and foremost a storyteller.

In my opinion, people love Billy Joel for the same reason people love J.K. Rowling or C.S. Lewis: they love and relate to his stories. In life, we all have our own stories to tell, but sometimes we need someone else to tell them for us.  In "Piano Man", we get to hear snippets of other people’s stories.  “John at the bar” and the waitress dream of more fulfilling careers, Paul and Davy are consumed by their work, and the businessmen need a release from reality. 

Does any of this sound familiar?

 While we may not all be waitresses or bartenders, we can all relate to that intense yearning to have/become that inexplicable something more in life, and ultimately we realize that the stories we are hearing are our own.  In this way, Billy Joel’s music stories make us aware of our similarities rather than our differences, and remind us of the power of a shared experience.

Wow, that was deep.  Here is a relevant cat cartoon:

Okay, let’s move on.  I’m just going to jump right into this one.

Billy Joel Fact #2: Billy Joel keeps it REAL. (I know, that was eloquent)

No piece of art-whether it be a painting, a piece of literature, or a musical composition- is ever created in a vacuum, but it seems that Joel was especially observant to the world around him when he was writing his songs during the 1970s.  

If you’re not already aware, the 1970s were not exactly a highlight in America’s history.  While the 70s did produce some of the best music of the century of all time, there were several political dark spots that disillusioned much of the general public.  Always a man of the people, Billy Joel reflected this by incorporating cynicism and seriousness into some of his songs.  But at the same time, he also released songs that are almost giddy with hope and straight-up emotional sappiness.  Other times, as is the case with "Piano Man", which is probably best summed up by this lyric-"yes they’re sharing a drink they call loneliness, but it’s better than drinkin' alone" -Joel toes the line between the two extremes with resonating finesse.  

In this way, the very nature of Joel’s music mirrors both the conscience of America and the ebb and flow of our everyday emotions, our defeats, and our dreams for the future.  In my humble opinion, no other artist has mastered this so well.

At this point, you may be expecting me to end this long-winded post with a nice quote from "Piano Man" to wrap everything up neatly.  However, this is my blog and I get to choose when to make sense, so here is a quote from "Summer Highland Falls", off of Turnstiles, 1976: 

"And so we'll stand upon the ledges of our lives,

With our respective similarities...

It's either sadness or euphoria."

There’s no way around it: Joel Has Soul.