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.
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.
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| Pro Tip: this is not Billy Joel |
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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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!
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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.
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And that's it! I hope you guys enjoyed this post, see you back here next week!
Hi Kay, I really liked how you incorporated the anecdote about when you first listened to Billy Joel. I think that shows your audience that they should be willing to give it a try even if you don't like it the first time around. I also like the helpful hints you give - it definitely helps to make his work less intimidating. In the future it could be cool if you discussed why you liked the album covers you chose.
ReplyDeleteThis is truly, a great post of one of the most iconic musicians and songwriter's.I do not listen to Billy Joel as much as i used to, and this blog just rekindled a new flame.You have great descriptions of his voice and his music and you can really tell that you truly know the artist.Awesome tips for how to get introduced, or reintroduced, to his music.Great job.
ReplyDeleteIt can be really overwhelming to get into an artist who has so many great songs and your tips make it really helpful. I feel like they can kind of be applied to a lot of artists, which is good. I also really like you backstory about how you got into Billy Joel.
ReplyDeleteYour extensive knowledge on Billy Joel is amazing and really adds to your posts. I love that you are an informed fan, and that you want to inform the rest of us about Billy Joel too. Your approach was funny and lighthearted, which made me want to keep reading, and now I just might get his album.
ReplyDeleteThe album you recommended*
DeleteI cannot express how nice it is to find a fellow Billy Joel lover who is under the age of thirty. I really love how you got to know his music. Your blog was filled with humor and it was plain fun to read.
ReplyDelete