THE STRANGER is one of those albums with solid gold from start to finish. GETTING OUT, VIENNA WAITS FOR YOU, THE STRANGER. The list goes on. Billy Joel was trained as a classical music composer before becoming a pop/ rock star. Elton John and Billy Joel are, without a doubt, the best pianists of the rock era. Piano Man, New York State of Mind, Uptown Girl, Allentown, Always A Woman. A huge catalog.
The Stranger is one of those albums I practically played the grooves off of... I'm pretty sure I could still sing every word from start to finish. Back then I was in high school, now I'm the oldster looking back over life with nostalgia. Talk about full circle.
From "The Stranger" album, which is a classic. This is one of Billy's best songs. Sad that this kind of music is no longer made. So glad I grew up in this era.
His left thumb is taped, don't remember if it was broken or not at that time. And i think the instrument you thought sounded like a trumpet was a soprano sax, i didnt see any brass on stage, just the tenor and soprano both members of the woodwind family
@@jimwilcox2964 He had to have the bone in the tip of his rhumb removed after being knocked off his motorbike, so the tape was for support. And I think people see the body of saxophones as brass and assume, rather than get that the mouthpiece uses a reed.
@frankaq3951 look at his left thumb. It's wrapped up and you can tell it's hurting because he keeps shaking his hand. Amazing he could play that well.
He had at this time, recently been hit by a car and knocked off his motorbike and broken his wrist on one hand and damaged his thumb on the other. He underwent surgery and ended up having to have the bone from the tip of the damaged thumb removed, and so had to tape it up to support it.
@@terri2494 to the contrary, Scenes did NOT get any radio time, as it was never released as a single. There were so many hit singles off of The Stranger album that Scenes was very much lost in the shuffle. Plus with such a long run time it would take a lot of effort to get it on the radio back in the 70s if they had tried to. But the song became such a fan favorite that it became a concert staple.
There were many songs Billy Joel wrote and performed that were commercially more successful, but this is his masterpiece. Vienna, Piano Man, Only the Good Die Young, You May Be Right, these are all good starts.
Whats funny is he claims that he absolutely hated writing music but he was so damn good at it. What makes him even more genius is that none of his songs sound like any other songs that he created. They’re all unique. Not too many artists can claim that.
@@kww117~ I agree in so far as he’s not like Eric Clapton, who definitely had a particular sound to his music, but there are a few of Billy Joel’s songs, which have a bit of a familiar ring. I’m trying to come up with a couple… I think it’s more his upbeat, songs, maybe uptown girl, Only the good die young, some like that.
His piano skills are simply amazing! Try watching Prelude/Angry Young Man also from the Long Island concert, It's simply amazing! He is a wonderful storyteller and writes songs over a wide genre of musical styles. My very favorite is Goodbye Saigon, also done in the Long Island Concert, and it just brings me to tears every time.
He grew up in the next town over from where I did on Long Island, NY so many of the things he is singing about are things I grew up with. He has a fantastic catalog to go into
You guys have REALLY been living under a rock! LOL. First BOSTON and now BILLY JOEL. Never walked into a restaurant or a store playing classic rock? Amazing. Once again, listen to the studio version for your own edification.
Finally some Mr. Piano Man Billy Joel!!! Ughhhh HE'S PHENOMENAL!!! Grew up listening him on my iPod on the bus to school & have loved him ever since! Piano Man is definitely my favorite but I also love New York State of Mind, She's Always a Woman, We Didn't Start the Fire, Allentown, Uptown Girl & pretty much his entire discography!!! Excited for more Billy!🎉🎉🎉
2:15. "I didn't think Billy Joe was that influential.".....150 Million records. He is ranked SEVENTH (7th) All Time in record sales only behind: The Beatles, Garth Brooks, Elvis, The Eagles, Led Zeppelin, & Michael Jackson...hahaha..... The best concert that I ever attended was on July 24th 1994. I paid $240 (in 1994 (!) for 2 tickets) at Giants Stadium for a DOUBLE concert of Billy Joel & Elton John. Best money that I have ever spent for a concert!!
Billy Joel’s songs always tell a story and his music crosses typical Singer/Songwriter to Rock to Americana. A very talented musician. I have seen him twice in the UK. Once was at Wembley!💖
Did you notice that Billy's thumb is wrapped up and he was shaking his hand. He was in a motorcycle accident and had broken his wrist etc and still rocked it!
The entire piece is Brenda and Eddie getting together at their favourite restaurant, years after their relationship ended, and reminiscing. I saw Billy Joel last year in Las Vegas. He filled Allegiant Stadium, and he took selections from his entire catalog to put on a two-hour show. "Not too bad for an old geezer", as he himself said during the show. He's 74 now and still performing, but he just ended a long-standing residency at Madison Square Garden, so I would imagine we'll be hearing of his "official" retirement soon. His daughter is an accomplished musician in her own right. His song "Downeaster Alexa" is named for her.
It's not about "Brenda and Eddie" getting together and reminiscing, it's about two OTHER PEOPLE getting together and catching up, including talking ABOUT Brenda and Eddie. Listen to the lyrics!! LOL
@@n5iln source? I am saying what YOU are saying makes no sense, given the lyrics. Brenda and Eddie, talking about themselves, would not refer to themselves as "Brenda and Eddie," and the line about, "that's all I heard about Brenda and Eddie, can't tell you more" makes no sense, IF you were correct, which you clearly are not. If there's an interview, give the source, otherwise, STFU.
He's got a 50-year catalog of stellar music. Try "New York State of Mind", "Vienna", "Goodnight Saigon", "She's Always a Woman", "We Didn't Start the Fire".
As i have said many times about Billy Joel, you could tell him what you had for Lunch & he would write an Epic, a truly great artist & performer of my Time.
Billy Joel is a native Long Islander like me so his music always makes me think of where I grew up. The instrument played by the sax player is the clarinet. Joel says this is his favorite song he ever wrote. The restaurant which inspired the song was in NYC. 90% of Joel's songs talk about life on Long Island, NYC and northern New Jersey area. The places named in his songs are real and people would learn a lot about the people who reside in this area by Billy's songs.
My favorite Billy Joel song and its best version. Check out “Good Night Saigon” from the same concert. “You’re My Home” “Captain Jack” “Honesty” “Only The Good Day Young” “Pressure “ Etc etc etc
How you could not have heard of Billy Joel is far beyond my comprehension. He is one of the top selling artists of all time. The Stranger, Turnstiiles. 52nd Street, and Glass Houses are all perfect albums, pick any song from any of these
Billy Joel is a great singer songwriter & composer from the 70's-90's. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. "Piano Man" is another great storytelling song. The whole "Stranger" album is great & one of my favorites. It has this song "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" on it. Other songs are "Just The Way You Are", "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)", "Only The Good Die Young", "She's Always A Woman" etc.
Every single song is a concert favorite. He has so many beloved songs that he can't play them all during one show, so he always asks the audience which ones they'd like to hear most, and plays the choices based off of crowd response. Deep rabbit hole with Billy.
@barsandbarbells2022 Look for the official video for this song. It's a video that actually follows the lyrics of the song and it's based on his early experienced as a piano player in his early days. I wish there were piano bar lounges like there used to be as described in the song and video.
I’ve seen Billy Joel in concert, three times. While this is my favorite song by him, he has a most impressive catalogue to check out. A GREAT, GREAT songwriter!! He’s my favorite musical act, after the Beatles!!
Well, that’s another rock lifted off you guys lol! The Billy Joel rock belongs on the shelf with all the other ones from the 1970s, the greatest decade ever for music!
Billy Joel is a storyteller,poet,musician,and all American regular guy from New York! He is a top ten master! By the way,nobody can play the keys like that except him and Elton John.IMHO...😁🎙🎶🎹👊You have only scratched the surface!
This track was a favorite of mine long before I ever heard Joel and his band performing it live. It's just an extraordinarily well constructed track that takes you on a musical journey from old friends getting together over a glass of wine and through their reminiscences of their youth and what happened to the popular couple. Billy Joel has what sometimes seems like an endless supply of great tunes but this one is, for a lot of his fans, his magnum opus; his crowing achievement. While this concert version is a bit faster and the performances are incredibly engaging, the original studio track is WELL worth a listen and, in fact, the entire album - The Stranger - is a banger from start to finish....just like his follow up, 52nd Street.
I'm a 64 year old man from England. I've collected Billy's music since I was a teenager. I sat here watching you both, and I said to myself: "I can't wait to see how these kids respond when the sax solo hits them." You were just like I was 47 years ago when I first heard it. So glad to see you enjoying it, and thanks for reviewing it.
There are SO many incredible songs by Billy Joel, and I bet you'll know way more than you realize by him! You have to hit the biggest hits like Piano Man, Uptown Girl, New York State of Mind, Only The Good Die Young, You May Be Right etc, but also some of my favourites are Moving Out, Allentown, Big Shot, Second Wind, The Longest Time, and one I never see people react to but I absolutely LOVE Goodnight Saigon!
Masterpiece from Joel having 3 unfinished songs! Billy is a musical Genius and must see live. The video to this song helps understand the story better. Worth a watch.
Great reaction. New here and the hook was Billy. Love seeing 1st time reactions to his classics, and you both were fun to see. He is playing hurt as mentioned, he screwed the lyric early, but it is still a priceless performance. Great band too. A favorite memory from a Billy quote that he plays piano as a percussion instrument! Sounds melodic to me...
This is my favourite Billy Joel piece. It’s almost symphonic in how there are distinct sections to it. It tells of a visit between two old friends who haven’t seen each other in a while and begin with idle chit chat and then progress to catching up on each other’s lives. Then they talk about their old friends, Brenda and Eddy. The last portion mellows out as their visit ends. The studio version is terrific too. One thing about Billy Joel is that he always strove to try new things, new styles and genres in his song writing and recording. Some of my other favourites of his are “My Baby Grand”, “River of Dreams”, “New York State of Mind” and “This Night”. Ironically, “Piano Man” (which is based on a real life experience) shot him to fame and is still extremely popular) is one of Billy’s least favourite songs. It is one musical phrase repeated, with no chorus or bridge to add interest; that song is all about the story.
“The Stranger” from this concert is fantastic. So is “New York State of Mind” from The Old Grey Whistle Test. As for how big he is, he actually has a residency at Madison Square Garden.
BJ has countless great songs. His songwriting and lyrics are top tier. The one song that really put him on the map in his earliest days was Piano Man. I suggest the official music video on it. It's story telling at its finest.
Tenor saxophone, then soprano saxophone. This is a pure storytelling song. BJ does mood songs, and vibe songs, and storytelling songs, and homage songs, and does them all superbly. Top 5 all time American songwriters, easily, even without the virtuoso piano and genius arrangements.
We could talk all day about how talented Billy Joel is, but let's take a moment to acknowledge how great his band was. When you write songs that great, you need a band of aces to stick the landing!
Billy Joel is the BEST!!! Here are some great songs:We didn’t start the fire/Piano Man/Uptown Girl/You Maybe right/The River of Dreams/Tell her About it/It’s still Rock and roll to me. There’s a HUGE catalog to choose from
This why Billy still sells out Madison Square Garden in his 70s! Great singer, musician, songwriter, performer with a 3 decade catalogue to get lost in. If you haven't, watch the documentary of his trip to the USSR in the 80s, first western rock act allowed to perform there as Gorbachev was loosening restrictions.
Innocent Man, A Room Of Our Own, Pressure, Tell Her About It, Goodnight Saigon, We Didn't Start The Fire, River of Dreams; Matter of Trust (really fun video) and, of course, The Piano Man.
I thought this Patreon member was foolish for requesting a live version of this. I’m so happy to admit I was wrong. Beautiful reaction guys, thank you :)
I've seen him live twice. Once in the 80's and once about 2019. He is phenomenal. Goodnight Siagon, Allentown, Just The Way You Are, Vienna, and many more!
I love Billy Joel. Only the Good Die Young was our residence floor theme song. It was in a convent...4th floor, next door to Sister Isabelle. This reminds me of the small Italian restraunt we visited often in Antigonish.
What you just experienced was the pure "soul" of Billy Joel. By far the greatest song writer and artist of the 70's and 80's. Try to get some more live version 70's songs they are ALL amazing you'll rank them 10's. "Soul" is what's lacking in most modern music, in fact one of Billy Joel's popular songs was "You Gotta Have Soul", true in all music and true in LIFE as well! More Billy Joel, this was my favorite reaction I've seen you guys do, knocked it out of the park!
Great reaction glad you liked it. If you notice this is from a concert on Long Island where Billy and I grew up a few miles apart in the 1st suburbs called Levitttown. Actually the Levitt development covered 5 or 6 towns . This song is very special to those of us who grw up there in the 50s and 60s You notice the refferences to the Village Green . Well the Levitt developments had 4 Greens one for each point of the compass. There were preplanned strip malls with a huge public pool where as in the song we all hung out in out . Brenda and Eddy are just two people their remembering from school days I actually worked this concert as a stagehand Billy is still playing and has the record for the most sold out concerts in a row at Madison Square Garden I believe the show will finally close down after many many years
The Parkway Diner was at the corner of Levittown Parkway and Old Country Road in Hicksville. I was having dinner at Angelina's in East Norwich once and heard the hostess answer the phone, then hand the phone to the host. She says, "It's your brother pretending to be Billy Joel again." The guy takes the phone and talks, then hangs up and says, "that WAS Billy Joel. He'll be here at 6."
What makes Billy great is prioritizing music. He actually wanted it to be good, popularity of his music was just a plus. He also wrote everything he put out which is rare for big stars, he was an actual talent and songwriting as good as it gets. I think he’s the best
THE STRANGER is one of those albums with solid gold from start to finish. GETTING OUT, VIENNA WAITS FOR YOU, THE STRANGER. The list goes on. Billy Joel was trained as a classical music composer before becoming a pop/ rock star. Elton John and Billy Joel are, without a doubt, the best pianists of the rock era. Piano Man, New York State of Mind, Uptown Girl, Allentown, Always A Woman. A huge catalog.
Billy and Elton have also done concerts together from time to time. From what I hear, they’re as amazing as you’d expect. 🔥🔥🔥
My first introduction was the "Glass Houses" album. Been a fan ever since!! +1 on "The Stranger".
I saw Billy and Elton together at MSG. Excellent show
Piano Man coming soon!
The Stranger is one of those albums I practically played the grooves off of... I'm pretty sure I could still sing every word from start to finish. Back then I was in high school, now I'm the oldster looking back over life with nostalgia. Talk about full circle.
From "The Stranger" album, which is a classic. This is one of Billy's best songs. Sad that this kind of music is no longer made. So glad I grew up in this era.
Me too!
Me as well!
Billy has said that this is probably the best song he ever wrote; certainly his favourite.
“The Stranger” one of the greatest albums ever.
Appreciate the fact that Billy did this concert with an injured hand; you can see him shaking it around a bit.
His left thumb is taped, don't remember if it was broken or not at that time. And i think the instrument you thought sounded like a trumpet was a soprano sax, i didnt see any brass on stage, just the tenor and soprano both members of the woodwind family
@@jimwilcox2964 He had to have the bone in the tip of his rhumb removed after being knocked off his motorbike, so the tape was for support.
And I think people see the body of saxophones as brass and assume, rather than get that the mouthpiece uses a reed.
Playing with a broken thumb & still kills it. Can't go wrong with Billy Joel.
I didn't know that.
@frankaq3951 look at his left thumb. It's wrapped up and you can tell it's hurting because he keeps shaking his hand. Amazing he could play that well.
@@dtkincaid
Gotcha. Yeah, I hadn't seen this before.
He had at this time, recently been hit by a car and knocked off his motorbike and broken his wrist on one hand and damaged his thumb on the other.
He underwent surgery and ended up having to have the bone from the tip of the damaged thumb removed, and so had to tape it up to support it.
What?! 😮
This is an amazing live performance, but the studio/album version is FIRE as well.
And it got a lot of radio air time.
Agreed, the studio version just has something that I found lacking in this live version, but then I was never much of a live enthusiast.
@@terri2494 to the contrary, Scenes did NOT get any radio time, as it was never released as a single. There were so many hit singles off of The Stranger album that Scenes was very much lost in the shuffle. Plus with such a long run time it would take a lot of effort to get it on the radio back in the 70s if they had tried to. But the song became such a fan favorite that it became a concert staple.
You are right. This song needs the strings that are in the studio version. It's an amazing recording.
@@terri2494 It gets a lot of play on the classic rock stations now, but I don't think it was aired much back in the 70's.
Billy Joel is from Long Island New York…..he’s one of us and all Long Islanders love him.
There were many songs Billy Joel wrote and performed that were commercially more successful, but this is his masterpiece. Vienna, Piano Man, Only the Good Die Young, You May Be Right, these are all good starts.
I would also put New York State of Mind and And So it Goes
Piano Man next!
A true storyteller. Saw him 5 or 6 times, always gave a great show.
Piano Man is a must.
Him being a NYC Long Island boy and me being a Queens NYC kid I love this. It reminds me if the kids I grew up with in Queens.
Billy Joel was a GENIUS song writer. One of the best in the modern era. And this one is an absolute GEM.
*IS…
@@STILL-KICKIN Presumably was, meaning he no longer writes/puts out new songs despite still performing.
Whats funny is he claims that he absolutely hated writing music but he was so damn good at it. What makes him even more genius is that none of his songs sound like any other songs that he created. They’re all unique. Not too many artists can claim that.
@@kww117~ I agree in so far as he’s not like Eric Clapton, who definitely had a particular sound to his music, but there are a few of Billy Joel’s songs, which have a bit of a familiar ring. I’m trying to come up with a couple… I think it’s more his upbeat, songs, maybe uptown girl, Only the good die young, some like that.
The live version of "A New York State of Mind" is amazing, and really shows off Billy's piano skills
The video of him performing that at the Old Grey Whistle Test. Pure gold.
His piano skills are simply amazing! Try watching Prelude/Angry Young Man also from the Long Island concert, It's simply amazing! He is a wonderful storyteller and writes songs over a wide genre of musical styles. My very favorite is Goodbye Saigon, also done in the Long Island Concert, and it just brings me to tears every time.
Billy is a Long Island boy... everyone in the audience gets his local references.
He's a great story teller.
I'm a Long Island boy who grew up listening to this genius on a daily basis. Suffolk for life! Newfield HS class of '83!
Billy is the Man! I love at the end he shakes his fist, like "Hell yeah we nailed it!"
He grew up in the next town over from where I did on Long Island, NY so many of the things he is singing about are things I grew up with. He has a fantastic catalog to go into
Back when Long Island was beautiful and a great place to grow up; sadly unlike today.
You guys have REALLY been living under a rock! LOL. First BOSTON and now BILLY JOEL. Never walked into a restaurant or a store playing classic rock? Amazing. Once again, listen to the studio version for your own edification.
My question is always “where were your parents? what were they listening to if not this stuff?” 😂
The first solo played on tenor saxophone, the second solo played on soprano saxophone.
Finally some Mr. Piano Man Billy Joel!!! Ughhhh HE'S PHENOMENAL!!! Grew up listening him on my iPod on the bus to school & have loved him ever since! Piano Man is definitely my favorite but I also love New York State of Mind, She's Always a Woman, We Didn't Start the Fire, Allentown, Uptown Girl & pretty much his entire discography!!! Excited for more Billy!🎉🎉🎉
If I had to choose just one song written by Billy Joel, I would choose this one.
This song makes me emotional every time I hear it. I have old old friends and we still get together and I am so grateful for it.
so many great songs. this, goodbye siagon, piano man. Great
One of my all time favorite songs by a great man...Thanks for the reaction.
Billy Joel says this is his fave song he wrote. Wonderful performance. Thank you very much!
2:15. "I didn't think Billy Joe was that influential.".....150 Million records. He is ranked SEVENTH (7th) All Time in record sales only behind: The Beatles, Garth Brooks, Elvis, The Eagles, Led Zeppelin, & Michael Jackson...hahaha..... The best concert that I ever attended was on July 24th 1994. I paid $240 (in 1994 (!) for 2 tickets) at Giants Stadium for a DOUBLE concert of Billy Joel & Elton John. Best money that I have ever spent for a concert!!
Billy Joel’s songs always tell a story and his music crosses typical Singer/Songwriter to Rock to Americana. A very talented musician. I have seen him twice in the UK. Once was at Wembley!💖
Did you notice that Billy's thumb is wrapped up and he was shaking his hand. He was in a motorcycle accident and had broken his wrist etc and still rocked it!
The entire piece is Brenda and Eddie getting together at their favourite restaurant, years after their relationship ended, and reminiscing.
I saw Billy Joel last year in Las Vegas. He filled Allegiant Stadium, and he took selections from his entire catalog to put on a two-hour show. "Not too bad for an old geezer", as he himself said during the show. He's 74 now and still performing, but he just ended a long-standing residency at Madison Square Garden, so I would imagine we'll be hearing of his "official" retirement soon.
His daughter is an accomplished musician in her own right. His song "Downeaster Alexa" is named for her.
It's not about "Brenda and Eddie" getting together and reminiscing, it's about two OTHER PEOPLE getting together and catching up, including talking ABOUT Brenda and Eddie. Listen to the lyrics!! LOL
@@TheAlmaward So you’re saying Billy Joel lied during the interview where he talked about the song?
@@n5iln source? I am saying what YOU are saying makes no sense, given the lyrics. Brenda and Eddie, talking about themselves, would not refer to themselves as "Brenda and Eddie," and the line about, "that's all I heard about Brenda and Eddie, can't tell you more" makes no sense, IF you were correct, which you clearly are not. If there's an interview, give the source, otherwise, STFU.
He's got a 50-year catalog of stellar music. Try "New York State of Mind", "Vienna", "Goodnight Saigon", "She's Always a Woman", "We Didn't Start the Fire".
As i have said many times about Billy Joel, you could tell him what you had for Lunch & he would write an Epic, a truly great artist & performer of my Time.
This is my favourite song from Billy, and it’s not even close.
Billy Joel is true talent. Enjoy your reactions. Keep it authentic.
One of Joel;s best songs!!
Billy Joel is a native Long Islander like me so his music always makes me think of where I grew up. The instrument played by the sax player is the clarinet. Joel says this is his favorite song he ever wrote. The restaurant which inspired the song was in NYC. 90% of Joel's songs talk about life on Long Island, NYC and northern New Jersey area. The places named in his songs are real and people would learn a lot about the people who reside in this area by Billy's songs.
The sax player started on tenor and switched to a straight soprano sax before the piano solo.
Soprano saxophone
My favorite Billy Joel song and its best version. Check out “Good Night Saigon” from the same concert.
“You’re My Home”
“Captain Jack”
“Honesty”
“Only The Good Day Young”
“Pressure “
Etc etc etc
Warning: "Goodnight Saigon" is a swift kick in the feels, especially for veterans.
How you could not have heard of Billy Joel is far beyond my comprehension. He is one of the top selling artists of all time. The Stranger, Turnstiiles. 52nd Street, and Glass Houses are all perfect albums, pick any song from any of these
I'm blown away that you guys haven't heard of Billy Joel!
Great reaction!
Billy Joel never disappoints in any of his songs! He's unbelievable! So I grew up listening to him !
Billy Joel is a great singer songwriter & composer from the 70's-90's. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. "Piano Man" is another great storytelling song. The whole "Stranger" album is great & one of my favorites. It has this song "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" on it. Other songs are "Just The Way You Are", "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)", "Only The Good Die Young", "She's Always A Woman" etc.
Everyone one .of those songs is fire
You'd really have to look long & hard to find a BAD Billy Joel song - if there are any.
@@Mister_Samsonite~ So true!!
Every single song is a concert favorite. He has so many beloved songs that he can't play them all during one show, so he always asks the audience which ones they'd like to hear most, and plays the choices based off of crowd response. Deep rabbit hole with Billy.
Absolutely hands down his masterpiece ✌️
Truly one of his underappreciated masterpieces!
The wonderful Mark Rivera on sax has been with Billy since the beginning and is still there in his current live band!
mark replaced richie c {richo} on a few songs you hear billy call his name before asax solo
Richie Cannata was the original sax/horn player and was in the band until 1981.
Mark was the newbie in the band here and 40 or so years later is the longest-serving now.
Billy Joel has TONS of hits songs and yes, Piano Man is probably the song he is most known for.
Coming next!
@barsandbarbells2022 Look for the official video for this song. It's a video that actually follows the lyrics of the song and it's based on his early experienced as a piano player in his early days.
I wish there were piano bar lounges like there used to be as described in the song and video.
Best Track Billy Joel ever did!
great song from Billy....I owned this LP and man so many good songs on there...The Stranger. Love it.
My favorite of his. Thanks for reminding me of this man's talent!
Billy Joel is an all time great
Billy Joel was killing it when I was in High School....1000 years ago in the 70's.
I’ve seen Billy Joel in concert, three times.
While this is my favorite song by him, he has a most impressive catalogue to check out.
A GREAT, GREAT songwriter!!
He’s my favorite musical act, after the Beatles!!
Well, that’s another rock lifted off you guys lol! The Billy Joel rock belongs on the shelf with all the other ones from the 1970s, the greatest decade ever for music!
Billy Joel is a storyteller,poet,musician,and all American regular guy from New York! He is a top ten master! By the way,nobody can play the keys like that except him and Elton John.IMHO...😁🎙🎶🎹👊You have only scratched the surface!
My all-time favourite Billy Joel song. Thanks for your reaction. Earned you guys a subscription and a notification plus a like. Well done.
Welcome! Thx for coming along for the ride!
I prefer the studio version, especially as a first listen, only because it's clearer. But as a concertgoer, yeah I would love it...
You're starting with possibly his best song and a fantastic performance.
This track was a favorite of mine long before I ever heard Joel and his band performing it live. It's just an extraordinarily well constructed track that takes you on a musical journey from old friends getting together over a glass of wine and through their reminiscences of their youth and what happened to the popular couple. Billy Joel has what sometimes seems like an endless supply of great tunes but this one is, for a lot of his fans, his magnum opus; his crowing achievement. While this concert version is a bit faster and the performances are incredibly engaging, the original studio track is WELL worth a listen and, in fact, the entire album - The Stranger - is a banger from start to finish....just like his follow up, 52nd Street.
I'm a 64 year old man from England. I've collected Billy's music since I was a teenager. I sat here watching you both, and I said to myself: "I can't wait to see how these kids respond when the sax solo hits them." You were just like I was 47 years ago when I first heard it. So glad to see you enjoying it, and thanks for reviewing it.
There are SO many incredible songs by Billy Joel, and I bet you'll know way more than you realize by him! You have to hit the biggest hits like Piano Man, Uptown Girl, New York State of Mind, Only The Good Die Young, You May Be Right etc, but also some of my favourites are Moving Out, Allentown, Big Shot, Second Wind, The Longest Time, and one I never see people react to but I absolutely LOVE Goodnight Saigon!
"Some Love is Just a Lie of the Heart"
Billy Joel/A Matter of Trust
Best Billy Joel song ever. He even says it’s his number one song of all time. Great story.
Piano man, We didn't start the fire, Only the good die young, River of Dreams....you really cannot go wrong with a Billy Joel song!
Billy Joel has great musicians in his band.
Masterpiece from Joel having 3 unfinished songs! Billy is a musical Genius and must see live.
The video to this song helps understand the story better. Worth a watch.
My mom taught me ALL her music. Thank goodness. That’s American HISTORY.
Of all the hits he made Billy Joel has said this is his favorite.
Once saw Billy interviewed and he was asked what his best song was. He said Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.
Great reaction. New here and the hook was Billy. Love seeing 1st time reactions to his classics, and you both were fun to see.
He is playing hurt as mentioned, he screwed the lyric early, but it is still a priceless performance. Great band too.
A favorite memory from a Billy quote that he plays piano as a percussion instrument! Sounds melodic to me...
This is my favourite Billy Joel piece. It’s almost symphonic in how there are distinct sections to it. It tells of a visit between two old friends who haven’t seen each other in a while and begin with idle chit chat and then progress to catching up on each other’s lives. Then they talk about their old friends, Brenda and Eddy. The last portion mellows out as their visit ends. The studio version is terrific too. One thing about Billy Joel is that he always strove to try new things, new styles and genres in his song writing and recording. Some of my other favourites of his are “My Baby Grand”, “River of Dreams”, “New York State of Mind” and “This Night”. Ironically, “Piano Man” (which is based on a real life experience) shot him to fame and is still extremely popular) is one of Billy’s least favourite songs. It is one musical phrase repeated, with no chorus or bridge to add interest; that song is all about the story.
One of my favorite songs.
“The Stranger” from this concert is fantastic. So is “New York State of Mind” from The Old Grey Whistle Test. As for how big he is, he actually has a residency at Madison Square Garden.
BJ has countless great songs. His songwriting and lyrics are top tier. The one song that really put him on the map in his earliest days was Piano Man. I suggest the official music video on it. It's story telling at its finest.
Although Billy has said he's not that fond of playing it because musically it's boring to play. Great story but it is kind of boring musically.
Coming soon!
True. Billy Joel is/was the BEST storytelling lyricist, and a phenomenal composer as well. He’s just brilliant.
Great vocals , love the piano ❤❤
In honor of Veterans Day, you should do his song, "Goodnight Saigon." It's a powerful bit of music that pertains to the Vietnam War.
Excellent suggestion!
Tenor saxophone, then soprano saxophone. This is a pure storytelling song. BJ does mood songs, and vibe songs, and storytelling songs, and homage songs, and does them all superbly. Top 5 all time American songwriters, easily, even without the virtuoso piano and genius arrangements.
Very few people can "tickle the ivories" like Billy does!!!
We could talk all day about how talented Billy Joel is, but let's take a moment to acknowledge how great his band was. When you write songs that great, you need a band of aces to stick the landing!
And he lets them shine. He’s not ego driven. Just a consummate musician who loves making great music.
Billy Joel is the BEST!!! Here are some great songs:We didn’t start the fire/Piano Man/Uptown Girl/You Maybe right/The River of Dreams/Tell her About it/It’s still Rock and roll to me. There’s a HUGE catalog to choose from
This why Billy still sells out Madison Square Garden in his 70s! Great singer, musician, songwriter, performer with a 3 decade catalogue to get lost in. If you haven't, watch the documentary of his trip to the USSR in the 80s, first western rock act allowed to perform there as Gorbachev was loosening restrictions.
Just keep doing reactions from this concert. It's incredible. Start with Allentown after this if you decide to!
Billy Joel is the GOAT
Innocent Man, A Room Of Our Own, Pressure, Tell Her About It, Goodnight Saigon, We Didn't Start The Fire, River of Dreams; Matter of Trust (really fun video) and, of course, The Piano Man.
I thought this Patreon member was foolish for requesting a live version of this. I’m so happy to admit I was wrong. Beautiful reaction guys, thank you :)
Vienna is another great Billy Joel song
Congrats! You picked the best performance of this song.❤❤❤
Apart from the bit that he messed up.
I've seen him live twice. Once in the 80's and once about 2019. He is phenomenal. Goodnight Siagon, Allentown, Just The Way You Are, Vienna, and many more!
This song was included on a great and iconic album. Billy Joel is a musical genius.
He's a great singer and piano player!
The high brass instrument is a soprano saxophone. Great reaction!
Billy's music is part of my DNA
Probably your favorite musician
I know the song but I don’t think I have ever seen anything from Billy Joel live. It exceeded my expectations ❤
Billy Joel and Elton John may have the greatest catalogs of endless hit songs by solo artists
I love Billy Joel. Only the Good Die Young was our residence floor theme song. It was in a convent...4th floor, next door to Sister Isabelle. This reminds me of the small Italian restraunt we visited often in Antigonish.
What you just experienced was the pure "soul" of Billy Joel. By far the greatest song writer and artist of the 70's and 80's. Try to get some more live version 70's songs they are ALL amazing you'll rank them 10's. "Soul" is what's lacking in most modern music, in fact one of Billy Joel's popular songs was "You Gotta Have Soul", true in all music and true in LIFE as well! More Billy Joel, this was my favorite reaction I've seen you guys do, knocked it out of the park!
Self correction... the title of the song is "It's All About Soul" 😁
So many many great songs… “New York State of mind” live is awesome.
Jump down the Billy Joel rabbit hole right now. He is an amazing and very diverse
Great reaction glad you liked it. If you notice this is from a concert on Long Island where Billy and I grew up a few miles apart in the 1st suburbs called Levitttown. Actually the Levitt development covered 5 or 6 towns . This song is very special to those of us who grw up there in the 50s and 60s You notice the refferences to the Village Green . Well the Levitt developments had 4 Greens one for each point of the compass. There were preplanned strip malls with a huge public pool where as in the song we all hung out in out . Brenda and Eddy are just two people their remembering from school days I actually worked this concert as a stagehand Billy is still playing and has the record for the most sold out concerts in a row at Madison Square Garden I believe the show will finally close down after many many years
Amazing that this is such a personal song for you Rob! Thx for the suggestion & support - hopefully we took a drive down memory lane with ya!
The Parkway Diner was at the corner of Levittown Parkway and Old Country Road in Hicksville. I was having dinner at Angelina's in East Norwich once and heard the hostess answer the phone, then hand the phone to the host. She says, "It's your brother pretending to be Billy Joel again." The guy takes the phone and talks, then hangs up and says, "that WAS Billy Joel. He'll be here at 6."
What makes Billy great is prioritizing music. He actually wanted it to be good, popularity of his music was just a plus. He also wrote everything he put out which is rare for big stars, he was an actual talent and songwriting as good as it gets. I think he’s the best
I have seen many concerts but his was the best. ❤❤❤
Keeping the Faith
And Uptown Girl
We all grooved to it back in the day.
This brings us on a journey.