February 2012
34 posts
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Attila Part 1: The Sum Of Its Parts
Song: California Flash
Album: Attila (1970)
From 1966-1969 Billy Joel and Jon Small were members of The Hassles, a Long Island, NY garage rock outfit. Jon was the drummer and Billy started out as the keyboard player but eventually took over as vocalist and primary songwriter. After the Hassles released two records that failed to make much of an impact Billy and Jon left the band and began...
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Welcome To Attila
Hello there Billy Joel fans and curious readers. I hope that you’re having as much fun reading A Year of Billy Joel as I am writing it. Over the last two months I’ve covered Billy Joel’s first four albums and I’m just about to dive into The Stranger, the album that made Billy Joel a superstar, but first I’m going to take a detour into one of Billy Joel’s pre...
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Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)
Song: Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)
Album: Turnstiles (1976)
This post is dedicated to Brendan Haley who is a world class good guy.
From this day forward there are two types of people in this world:
1. Those who think Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) is great.
2. People who are wrong and should not be trusted.
Over the course of the first two months of my...
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I've Loved These Days
Song: I’ve Loved These Days
Album: Turnstiles (1976)
Finally a song that really speaks to me, the rich, drunken, drug user.
Check that, I’m not rich.
Actually I don’t use drugs either. I don’t even drink anymore, but I can still follow along with this one.
On “I’ve Loved These Days” Billy Joel tells the story of a wealthy couple experiencing a Jay...
This Thing In Other Places →
I answer a few questions about A Year Of Billy Joel over at Make Something 365. Check it out.
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Prelude/Angry Young Man
Song: Angry Young Man
Album: Turnstiles (1976)
PRELUDE!
Preeeeeeeeeeeeluuuuuuuuuuude!
That’s me calling out a request at the imaginary Billy Joel concert that is taking place in my brain right now because I think the Prelude portion of this song is terrific.
The “Angry Young Man” part of the song is pretty good too, but one thing at a time.
My personal feelings about Billy...
So This Is A Thing That Happened
One of the perils of being a guy who writes a Billy Joel blog is that you might have a Billy Joel Google Alerts notification pop up on your screen in the middle of a very serious presentation.
Another song recap coming up before this time tomorrow. Thanks for reading.
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James
Song: James
Album: Turnstiles (1976)
In the dead of winter in 1999 I took a trip from Long Island to Los Angeles. The temperature was below freezing when I flew out of JFK and it was 65 degrees when I arrived in Los Angeles.
After a week in Los Angeles I went back home. Within five weeks I had packed my record collection and clothes and shipped them out to my new address in LA. What little...
tardisnare asked: You commented on how Joel has ever said "I made this song for myself". I know you meant it more towards the song "New York State of Mind", but he has said that he makes most of his songs for himself. I cannot link you directly here, but if you go to youtube and type "Billy Joel - 52nd Street". It's on his VEVO. I dunno if that gives you any insight or anything,...
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New York State Of Mind
Song: New York State Of Mind
Album: Turnstiles (1976)
First things first, let’s clear up some old business. In the recap of the previous song “All You Wanna Do Is Dance” I missed some of the subtext of the lyrics and as a result attributed a sentiment to it that was not entirely accurate. To everyone who helpfully pointed this out, thank you. Your comments make this project a...
Streetlife Serenade: The Low Times Review →
Hey, do you remember Streetlife Serenade, the Billy Joel album I recently spent two weeks analyzing? Well you can check out the full album recap over at Low Times.
While you are there check out their podcast and some of the great stuff they have on the site.
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All You Wanna Do Is Dance
Song: All You Wanna Do Is Dance
Album: Turnstiles (1976)
There are two distinctly different but equally important things going on with this song. First there is the reggae musical arrangement and then the lyrics. I find them both interesting but for completely different reasons so I’m going to address them individually starting with the music.
Six weeks ago, maybe even six days ago...
Anonymous asked: If you think Billy Joel is going to talk to a nobody like you than you are as dumb as this blog.
Trying Again
Earlier this month I let it be known that I would be happy to meet Billy Joel for lunch. This wasn’t just a whim, I had a good reason for it inviting Billy Joel to lunch, which you can read about here.
We’ll it’s been almost two weeks since I put this out there and I have heard nothing from Billy or his people. I realize that he is a busy man but I saw yesterday that Billy Joel...
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Summer, Highland Falls
Song: Summer, Highland Falls
Album: Turnstiles (1976)
I could not have been more excited to listen to Turnstiles and it started off great with “Say Goodbye to Hollywood”, which now occupies the top spot on my personal list of favorite Billy Joel songs.
Now I’ve come to “Summer, Highland Falls” and I just can’t with this song. It’s not that I...
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Say Goodbye To Hollywood
Song: Say Goodbye To Hollywood
Album: Turnstiles (1976)
Last Friday afternoon my wife e-mailed me to say she’d be working late. This meant I’d have time to do my favorite thing; hang out with my dog and listen to records. Since I was scheduled to run 18 miles on Saturday (I’m training for the LA marathon) I was also planning to eat a lot of candy. On the way home I stopped at...
Anonymous asked: After three records, what are your feelings about Billy Joel?
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The Mexican Connection
Song: The Mexican Connection
Album: Streetlife Serenade (1974)
No, no, no, no, no. Nooooooooooooo!
That is what I would have told Billy Joel had he asked me if he should include “The Mexican Connection” on Streetlife Serenade.
Since I was an infant when this record was released I was unavailable for consultation and that is one of the reasons this three and a half minute piece of...
Billy. Siriusly.
fuckyeabillyjoel:
deadmanhbk:
PLEASE make a new album.
Do you have any idea how much that would make my LIFE??
The fact that “River of Dreams” was the last album you released makes me immensely sad.
For the love of all which is holy…I’m begging you…one more album.
Just. One. More. Album.
Totally agree with everything except Fantasies and Delusions was his last album. And it really kicked...
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Souvenir
Song: Souvenir
Album: Streetlife Serenade (1974)
This is a very good song.
I skipped the usual introduction because I wanted to emulate the song I’m talking about which gets in, paints a picture, sets a scene and then pulls the rug out from under the listener, all in a span of two minutes.
This is some straight up Raymond Carver science that Billy Joel has dropped on us here.
Here is...
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Weekend Song
Song: Weekend Song
Album: Streetlife Serenade
The best way to describe the Weekend Song is to call it the great hipster Billy Joel song:
Why you ask?
Because Billy Joel was working for the weekend long before everybody was working for the weekend.
More of the working class hero stuff from Billy Joel. Another song about somebody who will be okay as long as they have the one they love....
Anonymous asked: This in reference to a previous question you answered re reviewing Attila. A) Are you serious? and if the answer to that is yes, then B) Why after 'Turnstiles'? Thanks. I feel like you were trying to be funny with that response and you don't plan on actually reviewing Attila but it was difficult to tell for sure.
Anonymous asked: I have two questions: Why are you doing this and more importantly, will you be covering Attila?
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The Last Of The Big Time Spenders
Song: The Last of the Big Time Spenders
Album: Streetlife Serenade (1974)
After listening to “The Entertainer” about 50 times over the course of two days I wanted to take a break before digging into the rest of the record. I was worried that after The Entertainer the rest of the songs would feel like a letdown. As luck would have it I got ridiculously sick last week and spent three...
Anonymous asked: You just need to believe, man! Believe in the power of the Joel!
Anonymous asked: During all of my years of living in NY I've hoped and prayed that I'd run into Billy on the street in the city somewhere, haha. But hey, man, your idea just may work, who knows.
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The Entertainer (An Alternate History)
Song: The Entertainer
Album: Streetlife Serenade
On December 17th 1977 The Sex Pistols were scheduled to appear on Saturday Night Live. However, due to travel visa issues and the fact that the band had basically imploded by that point, their appearance was cancelled. Taking the place of the Sex Pistols were Elvis Costello and the Attractions. This was the night where Elvis Costello famously began...
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Roberta
Song: Roberta
Album: Streetlife Serenade (1974)
“Roberta” is another one of the songs on this record that feels incomplete. There is a good idea at the heart of the song; someone is longing to get to know a girl named Roberta who might be a sex worker of some sort. This is not an uncommon musical theme and Billy Joel does a commendable job trying to convey a sense of longing for her but it gives...
idontwatchsports asked: A fact that may or may not affect your enjoyment of "Los Angelenos." BJ gave an interview on Howard Stern sometime last year in which he explained that he often wrote songs "for other people." Meaning he imagined them singing when he wrote them. I won't spoil the others for you, but apparently "LA" was written as a Rod Stewart song--that is, Billy imagined Rod...
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Root Beer Rag
Song: Root Beer Rag
Album: Streetlife Serenade (1974)
“Root Beer Rag” is one of two instrumentals that fill out Streetlife Serenade. It’s a breezy ragtime number that sounds like it could have been inspired by the ragtime piano soundtrack to The Sting, which featured the music of Scott Joplin. Based on the fact that “Root Beer Rag” had been a staple of Billy...