This is a quote from Wikipedia "Joel attended Hicksville High School until 1967, but did not graduate with his class.[14] He was playing at a piano bar to help support himself, his mother and sister, and missed a crucial English exam after playing a late-night gig at a piano bar the evening before.[14] Although Joel was a comparatively strong student, at the end of his senior year he did not have enough credits to graduate. Rather than attend summer school to earn his diploma, Joel decided to begin a career in music: "I told them, 'To hell with it. If I'm not going to Columbia University, I'm going to Columbia Records, and you don't need a high school diploma over there'."[28] In 1992, he submitted essays to the school board in lieu of the missed exam. They were accepted, and he was awarded his diploma at Hicksville High's annual graduation ceremony 25 years after leaving.[29
I love the fact that when Billy Joel was asked why he didn't make more albums -- because he totally can -- he said that he feels that he's had his say, and I felt that. It's like we go through life and make our mark, say what we're born to say, and then go, and if we're lucky, be remembered. And Billy Joel will definitely be remembered.
Especially good for Joel because he got out right as the alternative scene was starting up and if he kept going he would've joined his other 80s contemporaries in Todd In The Shadows' "nirvana killed me career" category
My beloved Uncle owned an Italian Resraurant for nearly 60 years. He very recently passed away at age 91. I am the son of an Italian immigrant. This song just hits. Thank you!
First song I ever heard from Billy Joel.Honesty ..late at night on a little radio in an army barracks.I cried till my face was swollen.never looked back .Mr Joel you stole my heart years ago And I dont want it back.
My grandparents' names were Brenda and Eddie. Just lost Grammy in 2018. Eddie went in 2007. Every time I start missing them, I crank this full throttle and sing the hell out of it. "There we were waving Brenda and Eddie goodbye!" Gets me every damn time. Billy is the KING of the ballad and the keys.
I'm from L.I. and knew a guy that went to high school with Billy. He said that Billy was a bit of a "clown" and a teacher told Billy that he he would never amount to anything. (True story) I wonder how many times that teacher rocked-out to Billy's songs? 😂
@@crispo41westbury40 some teachers and guidance counselors love to say that to their students. It's just a reflection of their own self disappointment.
I‘m 16 years old. One thing I love about phones and the internet is that I can find such songs. I‘d probably never ever have heard such bangers. Love you all
Absolutely same, it did help that my neighbor kind of got me into the older stuff, including this song. imo any song pre 2000 era just had so much more soul to it. There are still some good ones, but I found my place living in the 70’s-80’s in 2023 😅
Awesome! Worked in radio for over 25 yrs and love me some Ol time Rock n Roll. Check out Billy’s Glasshouses album and keep going back ‘73 was a great year for a blend of music. Rock, soul, funk. Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind and Fire. But have fun and always share your tunes.
My own little way of breaking the song down into, smaller songs, like a medley 1. 0:00-1:43 Italian Restaurant 2. 1:44-2:48 Lost Time 3. 2:49-6:00 The Ballad of Brenda and Eddie 4. 6:01-7:39 Italian Restaurant (Reprise)
I see it all as one story. I could be wrong, but I’ve always interpreted that the song is being sung by Eddie. Italian Restaurant is Eddie arriving at he and Brenda’s favorite date night locale. Lost Time is Eddie and Brenda having an unexpected encounter and reconnecting, leading Eddie to remember he and Brenda’s relationship, which leads directly to him reminiscing about their marriage, before his stroll down memory lane is interrupted by the waiter again asking what wine he would prefer.
@@mikeboothroyd5978 that's a really interesting way of looking at it that i've never thought of before. I always thought of it as someone meeting up with and old girlfriend, reminiscing about his teenage years and remembering the high school sweethearts that seemed to be made for each other, but didn't work out in the end.
I'd be honored if some Billy Joel fans would take a listen to my acoustic piano & vocal interpretations of VIENNA and ALLENTOWN on my YT channel in tribute to the master. No autotune or digital editing. Peace and stay safe.
Back in my younger past, I went to a concert featuring Billy....I wandered into the back of the Key oh hell the place that is still there.... Seattle back then....I was trying to find where to go to my seat....wandering down on the first level....I was walking down a long hall and this nice guy in a grey sport coat and jeans came out of of door...smiled at me and said...here to see the show? I said yes but said this was my first time in the building....I showed him my ticket...he said..."find a person who works here and they will help you find your seat".... I got up to my seat....and...oh my GOODNESS....the nice fellow helping me was BILLY...!!!! he waved to me from the stage...i HAD 1ST row seats up on stage LEFT...in the balcony I saw him...he saw me...I waved....and blew him a kiss.....what a nice man!!!!!!
I saw Billy Joel and Elton John as a duet back in 98 in Texas. I was singing this song at an Italian restaurant for kicks as part of my job as a singing waiter. Seemed sensible at the time for a 20something
I think it's interesting and pretty cool how he never sells front row tix. He doesn't want some rich snobs in the front, so before his concert he has his people search for "true fans" to give them front row tix.
Lyrics A bottle of white, a bottle of red Perhaps a bottle of rose instead We'll get a table near the street In our old familiar place You and I, face to face A bottle of red, a bottle of white It all depends upon your appetite I'll meet you any time you want In our Italian Restaurant Things are okay with me these days Got a good job, got a good office Got a new wife, got a new life And the family's fine We lost touch long ago You lost weight I did not know You could ever look so nice after So much time Do you remember those days hanging out At the village green Engineer boots, leather jackets And tight blue jeans Drop a dime in the box play the Song about New Orleans Cold beer, hot lights My sweet romantic teenage nights Brenda and Eddie were the Popular steadys And the king and the queen Of the prom Riding around with the car top Down and the radio on Nobody looked any finer Or was more of a hit at the Parkway Diner We never knew we could want more Than that out of life Surely Brenda and Eddie would Always know how to survive Brenda and Eddie were still going Steady in the summer of '75 When they decided the marriage would Be at the end of July Everyone said they were crazy Brenda you know you're much too lazy Eddie could never afford to live that Kind of life But there we were wavin' Brenda and Eddie goodbye They got an apartment with deep Pile carpet And a couple of paintings from Sears A big waterbed that they bought With the bread They had saved for a couple Of years They started to fight when the Money got tight And they just didn't count on The tears They lived for a while in a Very nice style But it's always the same in the end They got a divorce as a matter Of course And they parted the closest Of friends Then the king and the queen went Back to the green But you can never go back There again Brenda and Eddie had had it Already by the summer of '75 From the high to the low to The end of the show For the rest of their lives They couldn't go back to The greasers The best they could do was Pick up the pieces We always knew they would both Find a way to get by That's all I heard about Brenda and Eddie Can't tell you more than I Told you already And here we are wavin' Brenda And Eddie goodbye A bottle of red, a bottle of white Whatever kind of mood you're in tonight I'll meet you anytime you want In our Italian Restaurant
Thank you! with me these days ⇔ in Oyster Bay deep pile carpet ⇒ deep pile carpets more than I told ⇒ more cause I told （ Brenda and Eddie ⇔ Lennon and McCartney ）
The second time around it's "a bottle of reds, a bottle of whites" -- note the plural and you can hear it too when he sings it: he's talking about pills--they've moved from wine to pills.
@@patrickwalsh279 yes, he obviously adds an "s" , but what makes you think it's a reference to pills? Did BJ reveal that in an interview, or is that just your personal interpretation? It could be, but NYers just talk like that sometimes, (adding a random "s")
Billy Joel always seemed to have a realistic point of view on life in general. But he told his stories in such a damn classy and masterful way. You were and still are one of the greats, Bill!
@Takamine Man I agree with you completely!! Billy Joel is one of the best of all time!! He is a true master and among the best musicians to ever live!!! :)
I love how he doesn’t pretend life is a perfect fairy tale, he sings about love that turned out not to be, the grit of American society, the less than glamorous life that many of us live.
Reminds me of my high school sweetheart. We drifted apart, lost contact. Learned recently that she passed. Here I am, 50, remembering our time together over 30 years ago. Wow.
Reminds me of my high school days ( class of 80, biggest class up to that point to ever graduate from that school... 200) my sweetheart, prom date and we sat together and held hands at graduation, came with my family to see me graduate from Navy Boot camp, at sra I got perfumed love letters, etc... then we drifted apart, when I got home I tried to find her but had no luck. I saw her at our first reunion and talked to her for about 2 minutes before her obviously insecure husband dragged her from the reunion. 28 years later I had a Myspace account which o found the easiest way to keep in touch with my daughter in college. One day a woman posted a question as to whether her son should go to college or the military, I gave her my reply and the next day she thanked me and ask. Me a few more questions about the military, one thing led to another, we met and it was great, we married two months later with the blessing of our combined 7 children who all get along better than brothers and sisters, it's beyond great. I walked in her mother's living room and had her hide the Sapphire engagement ring and she was the only person who knew. I proposed at a theatre showing of " It's a Wonderful Life" ( her favorite movie) during the scene where Bert and Ernie sing " I love you truly " it's been a great ride.
I had my own "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" occur almost 25 years ago, with a woman I was deeply in love with, and our 1st "date" was at this dingy little Italian restaurant near our place of work, and sure enough, as soon as we sat down, this song came up on the overhead speakers. We both looked at each other (both being hardcore Billy Joel fans), and it was a unique one-in-a-million experience of us both laughing our butts off, and a deep love for each other being shared at that particular moment. That was the last time I was "truly" in love, and felt love in return...unfortunately we were never fated to be together, but I still think of her, and that dingy restaurant, every time I hear this song.
This is what I consider to be a perfect song. Great storytelling, with consistent energy, no matter how many times you listen to it. Another mark of the perfection of this song is there's not one note that is unappreciated, or out of place. I'm still waiting for someone to find and upload his live version of this song, which he performed on VH-1's "Storytellers." An incredible performance, with equally incredible audience energy!
@MrChrispy777 I agree with you about this song! It is one of the best story pop songs ever, in my opinion. I know that The Piano Man is Billy Joel's signature song, and I like that song a lot. But I think this song is even a little better than that one, and that's really saying something! Hard to beat this! I always enjoy hearing it, no matter how many times I've listened to it before!! :-D
@@anthonyhitchman9789 Yep, hilarious but very, very true. Had a friend many years ago who went for his Master's degree in music (with an emphasis in the piano) and he had to play several classical pieces in front of a very good-sized audience as his "final." His hands and fingers were moving along the piano's keyboard at an absolutely astounding rate of speed, but he made look as easy as if he were talking a causal Sunday stroll in the park. I can imagine Billy playing this song with as much ease.
One of Billy's best. Also, very McCartney-esque with all the changes of melody within the song. Always loved this work, and Billy said it's his favorite!
Yeah it sounds like a McCartney song, like something off of Ram perhaps. His singing voice even sounds like Maccas in this. I wonder if that's exactly what he was going for. Like he'd been listening to a lot of McCartney's solo stuff, and his stuff with Wings, and got inspired. I wonder if McCartney has ever covered this
I cannot find any evidence that McCartney has ever sung this, however, it was inspired by the 16 minute suite from Abbey Road which is primarily Paul's musical idea. "Like most of Joel's songs, he composed the music first, which in this case was inspired by The Beatles, specifically the suite of songs on their Abbey Road album where a few unfinished tunes were put together to create one coherent piece." Take care!
When i heard this song being played on the radio while i was vacation in N.Y....I then and there decided to move to America.....no radio ststion played this song in my country. This was where i belonged
Just saw Billy Joel in concert at the Ravens Stadium in Baltimore. He's 74 and was beyond amazing. He had fans young and old rocking all night. He played this song and blew us all away ❤🎉❤🎉
I’ve been to hundreds of pop and rock concerts in the 70’s and 80’s in Canada, the US and the UK. The best concert I ever went to was a Billy Joel concert at Massey Hall in Toronto in the late fall of 1976 or very early 1977.
@@jeffmilligan7030 I graduated from High School in 1977. I definitely grew up with the best music and concerts didn't cost a fortune. I went to so many great concerts but never saw Billy Joel until 2023.
i saw him on this same tour. i told my date ahead of time that if he breaks into this song shes going to see me unashamdledly lose it. he did, i did, and she was ok with it lol. Growing old isnt a disease, it's an honor
Every time I hear this song I remember my best friend Jeff from high school. He passed away many, many years ago. Bittersweet memories everytime I hear this.
When I first met my ex-girlfeind of 11 years, we went into her bedroom and we sat down on her bed. She pulled out this album and played this song for me. This was in April, early May of 1993. I'll never forget. ❤ I'LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU JANET.
Between this song and Allentown, I no longer think of Billy Joel as a guy who merely writes songs. He teaches American history. The schoolbooks teach the events as they happened in the world. Billy teaches them as they happened at the dinner table, at the machine shop, and in the hearts. I just hope he reads these comments sometimes and understands how much we all appreciate what he's done.
I was at an Italian restaurant just now and it was the perfect time for me to listen to this song. Calling it a masterpiece would be a gross understatement.
This is one of my favorite songs of all-time. It's got an epic 3-act quality to it like some other great songs. But it deals with life in a fairly matter-of-fact way, without a lot of ambiguous or mysterious lyrics. The shifts in tone are handled with remarkable deftness. There are so few love stories or love songs about divorce. Yet growing up in the '80s, divorce was a fixture of American life. Half your friends were either from divorced families or you lived through either their parents or your own getting divorced. Now many of those same kids have lived through divorces of their own. More analysis and reflection on just what this strange, new and unpleasant institution in modern life really means is useful.
+jedijones Not to compare Rupert Holmes to Billy Joel, but the "Partners in Crime" Album by Rupert shows very literal lyrics. Alas, not to many people's taste, hence the muted career after Pina Colada. I urge you to check out the title track and if you like it, the rest of the album would be enjoyable to you, I think.
+jedijones You are right. I saw an interview Billy Joel gave in which he confirmed that this Song is indeed a combination of 3 separate independently written Songs.
!:D Hearkens Away back to around Our "EARLY"days, Maybe Still Livin' in Trees: JUST Before this Genre "Officially" was Termed "Ballad?!":D Thanks, "jedijones.":)
Do you ever wonder like was he just born knowing all this stuff? Or did his parents introduce him to the piano at 2 :00 and he just fell in love with it? I always wondered that about many stars. Were they just born with the gift of it? All? Came so easy
How can anyone not be swept away by that piano work? That rising tempo and volume get me every time. I've been listening to this song for decades and it is always timeless, exhilarating, and always moves me to tears.
It warms my heart when a teenager or a twentysomething posts a comment under these great old tunes, ranting about how they just discovered an old song like this one and how much they are loving it! I was the same way with my parents' music and to this day have a deep and abiding love of golden greats like Jim Reeves and Patsy Cline.
Not a Big Fan of this opus ..but admire the effort and execution of such a song. Thank the Fab Four( SPLHCB) and others who pioneered the soundscapes of storytelling.
Brenda and Eddie, summer of 1975, here we are waving Brenda and Eddie goodbye, a bottle of red, a bottle of white, kind of mood you are in tonight.....dam!!! Thank you for the beautiful music, Mr. Joel!
Few artists manage to tell a great story through song. Fewer yet tell great stories - plural - in one track. But none tie them together so seamlessly and beautifully as Billy Joel does here.
@@leagueidiot3052 There are no universal themes here. It's a narrative with a lot of musicians playing assorted instruments. And a pleasant story. It is suitable for a theatrical score.
This is the song that made me a fan of Billy Joel as a 12-year-old kid. My sisters would play "The Stranger" album, and this song would come on, and I was awed by the storytelling and the musical twists and turns. Still am four-plus decades later. The ultimate Billy Joel song.
So many marriages turned out this way. Just about everybody I know went through this 3 part act. Except for the late bloomers who didn't get married till later in life. I was one of the lucky ones who missed out on the divorce fun.
In 4th grade almost everyone I knew got divorced and I lost my friends so now i go to a shitty school where my best friends aren't even in the same grade so I only see them for 2 hours a day through xbox
This song takes me back to Lygon St in Melbourne Australia in the 90s. Known as Italian Street, filled with Italian pizza pasta restaurants. Little Italy there.
Ahhh..the fabulous 70s.. I remember a friend had this album, and curious of its cover I picked it up..hmmm I thought, I know one song on this, "Just the way you are" so I played it, over and over again..loved every single song, this one included..my God where did the time go? It all went so fast.. I can literally close my eyes and I can see myself sitting there in my friend's small apt listening to this wonderful album..thank you Billy Joel..for taking me back,.if only for a while, afterall, its not the song we seek here, but the memory it holds..❤️🌈
What is it with people deciding to label famous, legendary, and brilliant songs and performers "underrated"? You can't turn a song like this into an obscure song only cool hipsters know about. What *else* is someone going to call "underrated" this week? Breathing? Food? 🤨
I just love reading this outpouring of support for and admiration of Billy Joel In these comments and I echo all of it. Billy Joel’s music has provided the soundtrack for my life- every epic stage of life is marked by his music- from driving around aimlessly with my besties during the innocence of my youth, to the madness and expectations of the y2k concert we went to, to the music I labored through childbirth with, to the songs that my daughter now begs to fall asleep to. Billy is so much more than a talented musician to me. ❤️❤️
I went to my first proper bar last night, and it was a piano bar. These two guys were taking recommendations, so of course I had to put down Scenes. Well after some great songs, they start playing it, and mom and I nail every single word just like we do in the car! Then one of the piano guys, taking a break at the bar, said to my mom, "I'm so glad she knows all the words to this song. It warms my heart." Last night, singing songs and having a drink, was the happiest I have been in a long time. I'm glad this music is in my life!
Billy Joel is not only one of the best worlwide singer, pianist, and songwriter of the las 40 decades. He is an artist and a committed singer with everyone in the world
I love this song because it reminds me of my grandparents. They’re both still alive, but they were the popular couple in high school like Brenda and Eddie. They got married in the summer of 1975, but got divorced about 15 years later I believe. They get along really well though, and often tell stories of when they were together. It makes me really sad though because I know eventually I’m gonna be at that age where I’m reminiscing on my “glory days”
Went to my 40 year high school reunion about three weeks ago. Laughing, grinning, smiling, hugging, looking at the senior yearbook and cringing at the senior photo----oh yeah, Billy Joel captured the passage of youth, immaturity, hopes, dreams, middle-age ruefulness perfectly in a seven-minute ode.
I was 10 yrs old and would listen to this album over and over in my parents 79 Pontiac Bonneville 8 track. It was the first time I truly started to grasp musicianship and the art. It’s my go to reset to silence and calibrate the noise called music now.
My first wife and I LIVED this story...during that timeframe. I saw her this past July at my 50th HS class reunion. We talked..went to lunch...spent some time together...43 years after our parting ways.
This brings back wonderful memories of cruising around in my '77 Plymouth singing this song as loud as I could!!! (With the windows rolled up because I can't sing!!!) I've been a Billy Joel fan since the early days and his concert in '78 was one of the best I ever saw!!!
I know people from around the world can relate to Billy Joel's songs, but if you were born and raised in the 5 boroughs of New York, especially Brooklyn, I feel you get a deeper nostalgic connection to his stories. GOD Bless, everyone.
We sang this song on our way back to our hometown high school from a cross country meet that was tens of miles north of our hometown high school. Greatest way to end the day by playing this on the bus. Our coach had us bend and scoop when the bus came to a complete stop at the school’s auditorium entrance and bend and scoop means to pick up anything that shouldn’t be left behind. I miss the old days of being in cross country for high school
My favorite Billy Joel album. Years ago I bought it because of a couple songs that were on it, but I ended up liking this one best. Not sure why. Now I have found that other people like it too.
Can anybody add to this….The best lyricist, one of the best piano players, one of the most expressive voices, puts on one of the best concerts and he did it all for 50 years. Nobody can tell me he is not the best. Does anybody want to add to this list of his skills
A bottle of white, a bottle of red Perhaps a bottle of rose instead We'll get a table near the street In our old familiar place You and I, face to face A bottle of red, a bottle of white It all depends upon your appetite I'll meet you any time you want In our Italian Restaurant Things are okay with me these days Got a good job, got a good office Got a new wife, got a new life And the family's fine We lost touch long ago You lost weight I did not know You could ever look so nice after So much time Do you remember those days hanging out At the village green Engineer boots, leather jackets And tight blue jeans Drop a dime in the box play the Song about New Orleans Cold beer, hot lights My sweet romantic teenage nights Brenda and Eddie were the Popular steadys And the king and the queen Of the prom Riding around with the car top Down and the radio on Nobody looked any finer Or was more of a hit at the Parkway Diner We never knew we could want more Than that out of life Surely Brenda and Eddie would Always know how to survive Brenda and Eddie were still going Steady in the summer of '75 When they decided the marriage would Be at the end of July Everyone said they were crazy Brenda you know you're much too lazy Eddie could never afford to live that Kind of life But there we were wavin' Brenda and Eddie goodbye They got an apartment with deep Pile carpet And a couple of paintings from Sears A big waterbed that they bought With the bread They had saved for a couple Of years They started to fight when the Money got tight And they just didn't count on The tears They lived for a while in a Very nice style But it's always the same in the end They got a divorce as a matter Of course And they parted the closest Of friends Then the king and the queen went Back to the green But you can never go back There again Brenda and Eddie had had it Already by the summer of '75 From the high to the low to The end of the show For the rest of their lives They couldn't go back to The greasers The best they could do was Pick up the pieces We always knew they would both Find a way to get by That's all I heard about Brenda and Eddie Can't tell you more than I Told you already And here we are wavin' Brenda And Eddie goodbye A bottle of red, a bottle of white Whatever kind of mood you're in tonight I'll meet you anytime you want In our Italian Restaurant
At least for me, everyone has that Italian Restaurant. My grandparents had their first date at this one. Then my parents met at the same one, and now it seems it’s still a part of my life. I hope I can one day take a girl out there to keep this semi-tradition alive. Hope you all have that too
I forgot how good this song is. I am always a little put off by the intro to it for some reason, but it really is an amazing song. Thanks for letting me rediscover it with this cover.
Billy Joel doesn’t simply write songs, he paints stories
Damn straight!
Always straight - Billy Joel doesn’t simply write songs, he paints stories.
Glen Austin Agreed
Yes he does!!!
Damn straight. He didn't need MTV, we can visualize each song.
Billy Joel's number one song as voted by Billy Joel
Who's Billy Joel?
Miguel Parra The guy who made this song
@@jacksonlechlak6698 What song?
Old Town Road
I saw that .. It was great since this is my fav song from his catalog.
This is a quote from Wikipedia "Joel attended Hicksville High School until 1967, but did not graduate with his class.[14] He was playing at a piano bar to help support himself, his mother and sister, and missed a crucial English exam after playing a late-night gig at a piano bar the evening before.[14] Although Joel was a comparatively strong student, at the end of his senior year he did not have enough credits to graduate. Rather than attend summer school to earn his diploma, Joel decided to begin a career in music: "I told them, 'To hell with it. If I'm not going to Columbia University, I'm going to Columbia Records, and you don't need a high school diploma over there'."[28] In 1992, he submitted essays to the school board in lieu of the missed exam. They were accepted, and he was awarded his diploma at Hicksville High's annual graduation ceremony 25 years after leaving.[29
I love the fact that when Billy Joel was asked why he didn't make more albums -- because he totally can -- he said that he feels that he's had his say, and I felt that. It's like we go through life and make our mark, say what we're born to say, and then go, and if we're lucky, be remembered. And Billy Joel will definitely be remembered.
Very well said!
@@deancummings586 I just about to say the same thing! :)
Well said.
Especially good for Joel because he got out right as the alternative scene was starting up and if he kept going he would've joined his other 80s contemporaries in Todd In The Shadows' "nirvana killed me career" category
Exactly - Famous Last Words
My beloved Uncle owned an Italian Resraurant for nearly 60 years. He very recently passed away at age 91. I am the son of an Italian immigrant. This song just hits. Thank you!
I am sorry for your loss...
Sorry for your loss. How’s business, though?
My daughter and son are Sicilian and Polish. I love this song 😅
You will meet again with him in Heaven, my friend. In that restaurant; what a great and happy reunion it will be. Respect to you.
@@ce244 very true, the party NEVER ends , just plenty of love and caring
This is Billie Joel's Bohemian Rhapsody. Fantastic arrangement.
agree!
waow, i always thought the same thing.. hats 🎩 off
No my friend this is Billy Joel's Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
Both are anthems
I thought exactly that
First song I ever heard from Billy Joel.Honesty ..late at night on a little radio in an army barracks.I cried till my face was swollen.never looked back .Mr Joel you stole my heart years ago And I dont want it back.
My grandparents' names were Brenda and Eddie. Just lost Grammy in 2018. Eddie went in 2007. Every time I start missing them, I crank this full throttle and sing the hell out of it. "There we were waving Brenda and Eddie goodbye!" Gets me every damn time. Billy is the KING of the ballad and the keys.
that's incredible. May they Rest In Peace
this isnt exactly a happy song about the couple being named...
5.0
Losing a grandparent is always something youre "ready for", but never ready for. 🙏🏽❤ RIP Brenda and Eddie
Max....may YOUR Brenda and Eddie rest in peace for all eternity!
Please stand for the national Anthem of Long Island.
I'm from L.I. and knew a guy that went to high school with Billy. He said that Billy was a bit of a "clown" and a teacher told Billy that he he would never amount to anything. (True story) I wonder how many times that teacher rocked-out to Billy's songs? 😂
@@crispo41westbury40 some teachers and guidance counselors love to say that to their students. It's just a reflection of their own self disappointment.
Mike O'Grady Lon Gihlun...
This made me laugh pretty damn hard.
the same year great band for long island b.o.c agents of fortune
This entire album is a monster, there are no bad songs.
I remember when The Stranger first came out and we found this gem.
What a great song.
and it was during disco!
yup! I was at UCONN! music is everything!
@@jamesbarry6248 The album went platinum in New York alone, apparently. Not everyone was buying disco records back then.
Just like “Turnstiles”
MONSTER!!! so true
I‘m 16 years old. One thing I love about phones and the internet is that I can find such songs. I‘d probably never ever have heard such bangers.
Love you all
Absolutely same, it did help that my neighbor kind of got me into the older stuff, including this song. imo any song pre 2000 era just had so much more soul to it. There are still some good ones, but I found my place living in the 70’s-80’s in 2023 😅
You found a pearl! Keep searching my friend, there are so many beautiful songs awaiting ❤, peace and Blessing to you
Awesome! Worked in radio for over 25 yrs and love me some Ol time Rock n Roll. Check out Billy’s Glasshouses album and keep going back ‘73 was a great year for a blend of music. Rock, soul, funk. Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind and Fire. But have fun and always share your tunes.
God bless
Thunderclap Newman-something in the air
Look up "Candles in the Rain"
My own little way of breaking the song down into, smaller songs, like a medley
1. 0:00-1:43 Italian Restaurant
2. 1:44-2:48 Lost Time
3. 2:49-6:00 The Ballad of Brenda and Eddie
4. 6:01-7:39 Italian Restaurant (Reprise)
Yup, only way to go about it. I'd say Brenda and Eddie's story could be interpreted as a segue from "Lost Time".
I see it all as one story. I could be wrong, but I’ve always interpreted that the song is being sung by Eddie.
Italian Restaurant is Eddie arriving at he and Brenda’s favorite date night locale. Lost Time is Eddie and Brenda having an unexpected encounter and reconnecting, leading Eddie to remember he and Brenda’s relationship, which leads directly to him reminiscing about their marriage, before his stroll down memory lane is interrupted by the waiter again asking what wine he would prefer.
@@mikeboothroyd5978 that's a really interesting way of looking at it that i've never thought of before. I always thought of it as someone meeting up with and old girlfriend, reminiscing about his teenage years and remembering the high school sweethearts that seemed to be made for each other, but didn't work out in the end.
*Brender and Eddie
I'd be honored if some Billy Joel fans would take a listen to my acoustic piano & vocal interpretations of VIENNA and ALLENTOWN on my YT channel in tribute to the master. No autotune or digital editing. Peace and stay safe.
This is like the "Godfather" of pop songs, a sweeping epic that sucks you in the moment it starts. God, I love Billy Joel....
Great artist
Marc Aquin
Marc Aquino AGREED
Well said Marc. Magnificent song
Nice summation of this song.. always appreciate a good story teller & Billy Joel is a great one! “Cold beer, hot nights, my sweet romantic life!”
Back in my younger past, I went to a concert featuring Billy....I wandered into the back of the Key oh hell the place that is still there.... Seattle back then....I was trying to find where to go to my seat....wandering down on the first level....I was walking down a long hall and this nice guy in a grey sport coat and jeans came out of of door...smiled at me and said...here to see the show? I said yes but said this was my first time in the building....I showed him my ticket...he said..."find a person who works here and they will help you find your seat"....
I got up to my seat....and...oh my GOODNESS....the nice fellow helping me was BILLY...!!!! he waved to me from the stage...i HAD 1ST row seats up on stage LEFT...in the balcony I saw him...he saw me...I waved....and blew him a kiss.....what a nice man!!!!!!
cool
Relax with the ellipses man
I saw Billy Joel and Elton John as a duet back in 98 in Texas. I was singing this song at an Italian restaurant for kicks as part of my job as a singing waiter. Seemed sensible at the time for a 20something
I think it's interesting and pretty cool how he never sells front row tix. He doesn't want some rich snobs in the front, so before his concert he has his people search for "true fans" to give them front row tix.
@@TeriNtheGirlz That's classy
Lyrics
A bottle of white, a bottle of red
Perhaps a bottle of rose instead
We'll get a table near the street
In our old familiar place
You and I, face to face
A bottle of red, a bottle of white
It all depends upon your appetite
I'll meet you any time you want
In our Italian Restaurant
Things are okay with me these days
Got a good job, got a good office
Got a new wife, got a new life
And the family's fine
We lost touch long ago
You lost weight I did not know
You could ever look so nice after
So much time
Do you remember those days hanging out
At the village green
Engineer boots, leather jackets
And tight blue jeans
Drop a dime in the box play the
Song about New Orleans
Cold beer, hot lights
My sweet romantic teenage nights
Brenda and Eddie were the
Popular steadys
And the king and the queen
Of the prom
Riding around with the car top
Down and the radio on
Nobody looked any finer
Or was more of a hit at the
Parkway Diner
We never knew we could want more
Than that out of life
Surely Brenda and Eddie would
Always know how to survive
Brenda and Eddie were still going
Steady in the summer of '75
When they decided the marriage would
Be at the end of July
Everyone said they were crazy
Brenda you know you're much too lazy
Eddie could never afford to live that
Kind of life
But there we were wavin' Brenda and
Eddie goodbye
They got an apartment with deep
Pile carpet
And a couple of paintings from Sears
A big waterbed that they bought
With the bread
They had saved for a couple
Of years
They started to fight when the
Money got tight
And they just didn't count on
The tears
They lived for a while in a
Very nice style
But it's always the same in the end
They got a divorce as a matter
Of course
And they parted the closest
Of friends
Then the king and the queen went
Back to the green
But you can never go back
There again
Brenda and Eddie had had it
Already by the summer of '75
From the high to the low to
The end of the show
For the rest of their lives
They couldn't go back to
The greasers
The best they could do was
Pick up the pieces
We always knew they would both
Find a way to get by
That's all I heard about
Brenda and Eddie
Can't tell you more than I
Told you already
And here we are wavin' Brenda
And Eddie goodbye
A bottle of red, a bottle of white
Whatever kind of mood you're in tonight
I'll meet you anytime you want
In our Italian Restaurant
Thank you! with me these days ⇔ in Oyster Bay deep pile carpet ⇒ deep pile carpets more than I told ⇒ more cause I told （ Brenda and Eddie ⇔ Lennon and McCartney ）
The second time around it's "a bottle of reds, a bottle of whites" -- note the plural and you can hear it too when he sings it: he's talking about pills--they've moved from wine to pills.
@bestever史上最高 You must be kidding about the Lennon & McCartney lyric. There's no way he says that in this song
@@patrickwalsh279 yes, he obviously adds an "s" , but what makes you think it's a reference to pills? Did BJ reveal that in an interview, or is that just your personal interpretation? It could be, but NYers just talk like that sometimes, (adding a random "s")
Whilst I appreciate you putting in the lyrics, you could’ve done more then to just copy and paste off of google and keep in the errors.
Top 5 as ranked by Billy himself:
5. Vienna
4. And so it goes
3. You may be right
2. She’s right on time
1. Scenes from an Italian restaurant
I love She's right on time. And the other songs too.
Id add baby Grand
Billy Joel always seemed to have a realistic point of view on life in general. But he told his stories in such a damn classy and masterful way. You were and still are one of the greats, Bill!
Well said.
exactly! I wanted to like your comment but it is steady at 333 so I let it be....
@Takamine Man
I agree with you completely!! Billy Joel is one of the best of all time!!
He is a true master and among the best musicians to ever live!!!
:)
Its called living a full life
I love how he doesn’t pretend life is a perfect fairy tale, he sings about love that turned out not to be, the grit of American society, the less than glamorous life that many of us live.
Any songwriter could die happy knowing they wrote this. Absolute perfection.
Who else thinks this is a good song to play at a high school reunion?
Reminds me of my high school sweetheart. We drifted apart, lost contact. Learned recently that she passed. Here I am, 50, remembering our time together over 30 years ago. Wow.
You are not alone brother… somehow I feel like you.
❤k
Same here, my ex girlfriend played this song for me back in 1993 when we first met. We sat on her bed and she pulled this album out❤
Awwww❤
Reminds me of my high school days ( class of 80, biggest class up to that point to ever graduate from that school... 200) my sweetheart, prom date and we sat together and held hands at graduation, came with my family to see me graduate from Navy Boot camp, at sra I got perfumed love letters, etc... then we drifted apart, when I got home I tried to find her but had no luck. I saw her at our first reunion and talked to her for about 2 minutes before her obviously insecure husband dragged her from the reunion.
28 years later I had a Myspace account which o found the easiest way to keep in touch with my daughter in college. One day a woman posted a question as to whether her son should go to college or the military, I gave her my reply and the next day she thanked me and ask. Me a few more questions about the military, one thing led to another, we met and it was great, we married two months later with the blessing of our combined 7 children who all get along better than brothers and sisters, it's beyond great. I walked in her mother's living room and had her hide the Sapphire engagement ring and she was the only person who knew. I proposed at a theatre showing of " It's a Wonderful Life" ( her favorite movie) during the scene where Bert and Ernie sing " I love you truly " it's been a great ride.
I had my own "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" occur almost 25 years ago, with a woman I was deeply in love with, and our 1st "date" was at this dingy little Italian restaurant near our place of work, and sure enough, as soon as we sat down, this song came up on the overhead speakers.
We both looked at each other (both being hardcore Billy Joel fans), and it was a unique one-in-a-million experience of us both laughing our butts off, and a deep love for each other being shared at that particular moment.
That was the last time I was "truly" in love, and felt love in return...unfortunately we were never fated to be together, but I still think of her, and that dingy restaurant, every time I hear this song.
Had a similar with Paulie...I loved him so much and he didn't know...
I hope you find that true love again, life is so short. Maybe she is thinking the same thing?? 🤔😉
I believe she is still thinking about you... why don't you try to meet her again?? Life is short!
I know the feeling
I wonder if you got "a table near the street"?
This is what I consider to be a perfect song. Great storytelling, with consistent energy, no matter how many times you listen to it. Another mark of the perfection of this song is there's not one note that is unappreciated, or out of place. I'm still waiting for someone to find and upload his live version of this song, which he performed on VH-1's "Storytellers." An incredible performance, with equally incredible audience energy!
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Rose Palisoc, thanks for that analysis, That cleared everything up for me. LOL!
MrChrispy 100℅ Right
@@rosepalisoc5546 r/ihadastroke
@MrChrispy777 I agree with you about this song! It is one of the best story pop songs ever, in my opinion. I know that The Piano Man is Billy Joel's signature song, and I like that song a lot. But I think this song is even a little better than that one, and that's really saying something! Hard to beat this! I always enjoy hearing it, no matter how many times I've listened to it before!!
:-D
For those of us coming of age in the late 70's and 80's Billy's songs narrated love and life better than anybody else.
I have been practicing this on piano for 35 years. Billy has 12 fingers on each of his five hands. I love this mans talent!
amazing Carla!
That made laugh. 12 fingers on 5 hands. Hilarious but true. An amazing singer songwriter. Been following him before he was famous. The best ❤❤❤❤
@@anthonyhitchman9789 Yep, hilarious but very, very true. Had a friend many years ago who went for his Master's degree in music (with an emphasis in the piano) and he had to play several classical pieces in front of a very good-sized audience as his "final." His hands and fingers were moving along the piano's keyboard at an absolutely astounding rate of speed, but he made look as easy as if he were talking a causal Sunday stroll in the park. I can imagine Billy playing this song with as much ease.
One of Billy's best. Also, very McCartney-esque with all the changes of melody within the song. Always loved this work, and Billy said it's his favorite!
Yeah it sounds like a McCartney song, like something off of Ram perhaps. His singing voice even sounds like Maccas in this. I wonder if that's exactly what he was going for. Like he'd been listening to a lot of McCartney's solo stuff, and his stuff with Wings, and got inspired. I wonder if McCartney has ever covered this
I cannot find any evidence that McCartney has ever sung this, however, it was inspired by the 16 minute suite from Abbey Road which is primarily Paul's musical idea. "Like most of Joel's songs, he composed the music first, which in this case was inspired by The Beatles, specifically the suite of songs on their Abbey Road album where a few unfinished tunes were put together to create one coherent piece." Take care!
Ya the first change made me think of A Day in the Life
@@michaelulbricht9438 puting songs together into one is also commonly called a medally
Paul & Billy are good friends too. Billy had him over for dinner, talked and played.
When i heard this song being played on the radio while i was vacation in N.Y....I then and there decided to move to America.....no radio ststion played this song in my country. This was where i belonged
Just saw Billy Joel in concert at the Ravens Stadium in Baltimore. He's 74 and was beyond amazing. He had fans young and old rocking all night. He played this song and blew us all away ❤🎉❤🎉
I’ve been to hundreds of pop and rock concerts in the 70’s and 80’s in Canada, the US and the UK. The best concert I ever went to was a Billy Joel concert at Massey Hall in Toronto in the late fall of 1976 or very early 1977.
@@jeffmilligan7030 I graduated from High School in 1977. I definitely grew up with the best music and concerts didn't cost a fortune. I went to so many great concerts but never saw Billy Joel until 2023.
COOL i thought he was dead
Even at his old age, he can still rock his song like he was 20. Amazing live!
i saw him on this same tour. i told my date ahead of time that if he breaks into this song shes going to see me unashamdledly lose it. he did, i did, and she was ok with it lol. Growing old isnt a disease, it's an honor
Billy’s 8-minute opera. A masterpiece! My all-time favorite Billy Joel song!!!
One of my favourites too! And She's always a woman to me.
Every time I hear this song I remember my best friend Jeff from high school. He passed away many, many years ago. Bittersweet memories everytime I hear this.
When I first met my ex-girlfeind of 11 years, we went into her bedroom and we sat down on her bed. She pulled out this album and played this song for me. This was in April, early May of 1993. I'll never forget. ❤ I'LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU JANET.
Back when many creative geniuses made great music.
Best Billy Joel song. EVER.
It's my favorite too. I'm 63.
I love having the imagery of two people waltzing to this song, thanks Karina
I’m 20 listening to this
Real music lives forever
You betcha ❤
Between this song and Allentown, I no longer think of Billy Joel as a guy who merely writes songs. He teaches American history. The schoolbooks teach the events as they happened in the world. Billy teaches them as they happened at the dinner table, at the machine shop, and in the hearts. I just hope he reads these comments sometimes and understands how much we all appreciate what he's done.
Yep. Goodnight Saigon. Leningrad. New York State of Mind and other.
I’m Italian and I can say for sure, this song is 100% accurate to how romance is treated
I was at an Italian restaurant just now and it was the perfect time for me to listen to this song.
Calling it a masterpiece would be a gross understatement.
Right up there with A Day in the Life.
it truly is...right up there with Abbey Road medley
plonker
Hopefully they weren't looking for the apartheid covid certs. Because discrimination has no part to play in our society.
So you’re saying it’s not a masterpiece because you said it’s gross.
this is a modern masterpiece music
+Ikaro Bagano .
+Ikaro Bagano this was '77
Still the "modern era".
Ikaro Bagano you better believe it🎵✌️😎
This is one of my favorite songs of all-time. It's got an epic 3-act quality to it like some other great songs. But it deals with life in a fairly matter-of-fact way, without a lot of ambiguous or mysterious lyrics. The shifts in tone are handled with remarkable deftness. There are so few love stories or love songs about divorce. Yet growing up in the '80s, divorce was a fixture of American life. Half your friends were either from divorced families or you lived through either their parents or your own getting divorced. Now many of those same kids have lived through divorces of their own. More analysis and reflection on just what this strange, new and unpleasant institution in modern life really means is useful.
+jedijones Not to compare Rupert Holmes to Billy Joel, but the "Partners in Crime" Album by Rupert shows very literal lyrics. Alas, not to many people's taste, hence the muted career after Pina Colada. I urge you to check out the title track and if you like it, the rest of the album would be enjoyable to you, I think.
+jedijones You are right. I saw an interview Billy Joel gave in which he confirmed that this Song is indeed a combination of 3 separate independently written Songs.
!:D Hearkens Away back to around Our "EARLY"days, Maybe Still Livin' in Trees: JUST Before this Genre "Officially" was Termed "Ballad?!":D Thanks, "jedijones.":)
It’s his bohemian rhapsody
It's one of my all-time favourites, and an absolute classic.
gotta be in the top 10 greatest songs ever made
He’s a music genius-composition, lyrics, arrangements, piano, AND VOICE! One of the greatest musicians of our time.
Vamos dança com essa musica de billy.Let's dance with this billy song.
hello ma’am how are you doing?
He is up there with Paul Simon, Bob Dylan and Marty Robbins.
A man who appreciates MR is OK in my book. Guy’s a legend
Do you ever wonder like was he just born knowing all this stuff? Or did his parents introduce him to the piano at 2 :00 and he just fell in love with it? I always wondered that about many stars. Were they just born with the gift of it? All? Came so easy
How can anyone not be swept away by that piano work? That rising tempo and volume get me every time. I've been listening to this song for decades and it is always timeless, exhilarating, and always moves me to tears.
And the bridge ❤
It's impossible to find music and artists like this nowadays. Classic Rock lives on.
It warms my heart when a teenager or a twentysomething posts a comment under these great old tunes, ranting about how they just discovered an old song like this one and how much they are loving it! I was the same way with my parents' music and to this day have a deep and abiding love of golden greats like Jim Reeves and Patsy Cline.
Not a Big Fan of this opus ..but admire the effort and execution of such a song. Thank the Fab Four( SPLHCB) and others who pioneered the soundscapes of storytelling.
Billy Joel is to my ears what a glass of fine wine is to my mouth.
Victoria Janelle love the analogy 👍
@@chriskelly5099 I usually enjoy a glass (or two or three) of 🍷when I listen to Billy's songs and I love the analogy too!!!
Brenda and Eddie, summer of 1975, here we are waving Brenda and Eddie goodbye, a bottle of red, a bottle of white, kind of mood you are in tonight.....dam!!! Thank you for the beautiful music, Mr. Joel!
I believe that somewhere in the world, there are people who feel the same emotions that I feel when I listen to masterpieces like this song.
Of course there are. What emotions do you feel?
I get pins and needles.
Few artists manage to tell a great story through song. Fewer yet tell great stories - plural - in one track. But none tie them together so seamlessly and beautifully as Billy Joel does here.
That was The 70 ' s The decade of the Singer Songwriter, Storyteller..so different than the music Today
Harry Chapin, Jim Croce also the kings of story telling
i love the line -"we never thought we could want more out of life" back when ppl had simple desires.
+charliedontsurf70 I thought the line was about being young and dumb about the world.
Is there ever really such a thing as "simple desires"?
I agree with das bass we live in a society that prepares for nothing when we're young we have no direction and we follow only what we see as "life".
@@redzeppelin6 Isn't that what he's saying?
Hey, my desires are pretty simple. Younger women, faster horses, older whiskey, more money
I feel like this song is 3 songs mashed into 1 fucking masterpiece of musical storytelling.
Hands down, one of the greatest songs of all time.
Bruh no
@@karolk7711 actually yes it is. Easily top 50 songs ever written.
@@leagueidiot3052 top 30 easily, only the good die young is the best song he ever produced imo and its the best i’ve heard
@@leagueidiot3052 ok. Haha.
@@leagueidiot3052 There are no universal themes here. It's a narrative with a lot of musicians playing assorted instruments. And a pleasant story. It is suitable for a theatrical score.
The incomparable “Billy Joel”
The right music at the right time, for the right audience. This is simply brilliant work.
One of the greatest songs ever
Brenda and Eddie after buying a water bed and paintings:
*we got no more money*
Lmao
lol, waterbeds
😅
@@mishaa7263 waterbeds.....ah the 70s
Amazing
Billy Joel makes me feel like am home wherever I am❤❤
This is one of the best songs ever written.
This is the song that made me a fan of Billy Joel as a 12-year-old kid. My sisters would play "The Stranger" album, and this song would come on, and I was awed by the storytelling and the musical twists and turns. Still am four-plus decades later. The ultimate Billy Joel song.
From the high to the low
To the end of the show
For the rest of their lives
these lines hit me every time
So many marriages turned out this way. Just about everybody I know went through this 3 part act. Except for the late bloomers who didn't get married till later in life. I was one of the lucky ones who missed out on the divorce fun.
In 4th grade almost everyone I knew got divorced and I lost my friends so now i go to a shitty school where my best friends aren't even in the same grade so I only see them for 2 hours a day through xbox
Divorced twice. Still in love and lust with the second one. Hottie. We talk/text/ facetime every day. I dunno,,,,
Steven Rudak LOL what
good for you! (6 September 2020 1805 hours)
This song takes me back to Lygon St in Melbourne Australia in the 90s. Known as Italian Street, filled with Italian pizza pasta restaurants. Little Italy there.
Hearing this masterpiece in January 2021!!! Billy Joel forever!
Ahhh..the fabulous 70s.. I remember a friend had this album, and curious of its cover I picked it up..hmmm I thought, I know one song on this, "Just the way you are" so I played it, over and over again..loved every single song, this one included..my God where did the time go? It all went so fast.. I can literally close my eyes and I can see myself sitting there in my friend's small apt listening to this wonderful album..thank you Billy Joel..for taking me back,.if only for a while, afterall, its not the song we seek here, but the memory it holds..❤️🌈
I think this is the most underrated song ever.
Truly Masterpiece ❤🎹
Under rated? No! Underplayed? Absolutely!
What is it with people deciding to label famous, legendary, and brilliant songs and performers "underrated"? You can't turn a song like this into an obscure song only cool hipsters know about. What *else* is someone going to call "underrated" this week? Breathing? Food? 🤨
as i listened to this, then at 2:50 i went "whoa!"
this man is gold!!!!
+Rosario G. Martinez Like, it doesn't seem like anyone has enough fingers to play like that XD I wish I had a quarter of his talent.
listen to his root beer rag that is when you know this man had more than gold
Its simply genious!
This is the national anthem of Long Island ❤
We all did
I just love reading this outpouring of support for and admiration of Billy Joel In these comments and I echo all of it. Billy Joel’s music has provided the soundtrack for my life- every epic stage of life is marked by his music- from driving around aimlessly with my besties during the innocence of my youth, to the madness and expectations of the y2k concert we went to, to the music I labored through childbirth with, to the songs that my daughter now begs to fall asleep to. Billy is so much more than a talented musician to me. ❤️❤️
Me too. I love reading the comments.
Billy Joel’s Bohemian Rhapsody, love how the temp and style changes throughout the song, one of his best!
This song puts my emotions on an amazing roller coaster ride thanks Billy Joel you paint like picaso with your songs.
I went to my first proper bar last night, and it was a piano bar. These two guys were taking recommendations, so of course I had to put down Scenes.
Well after some great songs, they start playing it, and mom and I nail every single word just like we do in the car! Then one of the piano guys, taking a break at the bar, said to my mom, "I'm so glad she knows all the words to this song. It warms my heart."
Last night, singing songs and having a drink, was the happiest I have been in a long time. I'm glad this music is in my life!
KasperAura, aw, that sounds like a great moment, I’m glad you got to experience something like that :D
Billy Joel is not only one of the best worlwide singer, pianist, and songwriter of the las 40 decades. He is an artist and a committed singer with everyone in the world
It wasn't until my son's fiancée (whom I adored) left him in 2020 that I actually "heard" this song. Ever since, I've cried each time I've heard it.
I dunno why, but this song always moves me. The upbeat part is actually sad and the sad sounding part is actually sweet.
Yeah. same here. That's the genius of Billy Joel.
I love this song because it reminds me of my grandparents. They’re both still alive, but they were the popular couple in high school like Brenda and Eddie. They got married in the summer of 1975, but got divorced about 15 years later I believe. They get along really well though, and often tell stories of when they were together. It makes me really sad though because I know eventually I’m gonna be at that age where I’m reminiscing on my “glory days”
This song will never age, it will be there when we need it and I dont think you would find that to much in todays music
Went to my 40 year high school reunion about three weeks ago. Laughing, grinning, smiling, hugging, looking at the senior yearbook and cringing at the senior photo----oh yeah, Billy Joel captured the passage of youth, immaturity, hopes, dreams, middle-age ruefulness perfectly in a seven-minute ode.
The 819 people that disliked wanted a bottle of blue
I wanted a bottle of yellow goddammit
LMFAO
@@McFlakies 🤣🤣🤣
One of his greatest, the arrangement, the lyrics, the musicianship, I love this song and, indeed, this entire album.
His greatest. His Bohemian Rhapsody
I was 10 yrs old and would listen to this album over and over in my parents 79 Pontiac Bonneville 8 track.
It was the first time I truly started to grasp musicianship and the art.
It’s my go to reset to silence and calibrate the noise called music now.
yeah i could waltz to this
I wonder if it was Mr. Caccatorie's down
on Sullivan St.?
+Jerry Liptak The one across from the medical center?
+Katie Dorntge Yes that one.
Oh yeah, where Sergeant O'Leary walks the beat (and at night becomes a bartender)?
Saif Sheikh I know right! And if he can't drive it with a broken back atleast he can polish the fenders
Well that just seems like a waste of time to me
Here from Only Murders in The Building. Fell in love from the first time I listened to it
He played this song last night at Seattle. It was amazing to hear it live!
An utter masterpiece. A Van Gogh in musical form. What more can you say?
Agreed. But I can also say the drums and especially the bass are incredible.
@@ge2623 Without a great bass player, and a great drummer, most great bands would be just 'good'.
I play this for my beautiful wife as she loves Billy Joel, she has a great choice in music xxx
Still cranking this in 2020 during covid19 lockdown! Masterpiece
ditto 12-22-20
as an italian i feel obligated to know every word of this song sung by my favorite artist
My favorite Billy Joel song. Tells a great story and Billy sings it masterfully.
Pepe 18 I agree
My first wife and I LIVED this story...during that timeframe. I saw her this past July at my 50th HS class reunion. We talked..went to lunch...spent some time together...43 years after our parting ways.
This brings back wonderful memories of cruising around in my '77 Plymouth singing this song as loud as I could!!! (With the windows rolled up because I can't sing!!!) I've been a Billy Joel fan since the early days and his concert in '78 was one of the best I ever saw!!!
Dolan Shoemaker
Driving down 231 in North Babylon in the 70’s WBAB playing this song ....life was awesome
I know people from around the world can relate to Billy Joel's songs, but if you were born and raised in the 5 boroughs of New York, especially Brooklyn, I feel you get a deeper nostalgic connection to his stories. GOD Bless, everyone.
Been listening to him for decades. This is one of those songs that is so timeless I can’t even believe that such perfection exists.
We sang this song on our way back to our hometown high school from a cross country meet that was tens of miles north of our hometown high school. Greatest way to end the day by playing this on the bus. Our coach had us bend and scoop when the bus came to a complete stop at the school’s auditorium entrance and bend and scoop means to pick up anything that shouldn’t be left behind. I miss the old days of being in cross country for high school
My favorite Billy Joel album. Years ago I bought it because of a couple songs that were on it, but I ended up liking this one best. Not sure why. Now I have found that other people like it too.
Can anybody add to this….The best lyricist, one of the best piano players, one of the most expressive voices, puts on one of the best concerts and he did it all for 50 years. Nobody can tell me he is not the best.
Does anybody want to add to this list of his skills
A bottle of white, a bottle of red
Perhaps a bottle of rose instead
We'll get a table near the street
In our old familiar place
You and I, face to face
A bottle of red, a bottle of white
It all depends upon your appetite
I'll meet you any time you want
In our Italian Restaurant
Things are okay with me these days
Got a good job, got a good office
Got a new wife, got a new life
And the family's fine
We lost touch long ago
You lost weight I did not know
You could ever look so nice after
So much time
Do you remember those days hanging out
At the village green
Engineer boots, leather jackets
And tight blue jeans
Drop a dime in the box play the
Song about New Orleans
Cold beer, hot lights
My sweet romantic teenage nights
Brenda and Eddie were the
Popular steadys
And the king and the queen
Of the prom
Riding around with the car top
Down and the radio on
Nobody looked any finer
Or was more of a hit at the
Parkway Diner
We never knew we could want more
Than that out of life
Surely Brenda and Eddie would
Always know how to survive
Brenda and Eddie were still going
Steady in the summer of '75
When they decided the marriage would
Be at the end of July
Everyone said they were crazy
Brenda you know you're much too lazy
Eddie could never afford to live that
Kind of life
But there we were wavin' Brenda and
Eddie goodbye
They got an apartment with deep
Pile carpet
And a couple of paintings from Sears
A big waterbed that they bought
With the bread
They had saved for a couple
Of years
They started to fight when the
Money got tight
And they just didn't count on
The tears
They lived for a while in a
Very nice style
But it's always the same in the end
They got a divorce as a matter
Of course
And they parted the closest
Of friends
Then the king and the queen went
Back to the green
But you can never go back
There again
Brenda and Eddie had had it
Already by the summer of '75
From the high to the low to
The end of the show
For the rest of their lives
They couldn't go back to
The greasers
The best they could do was
Pick up the pieces
We always knew they would both
Find a way to get by
That's all I heard about
Brenda and Eddie
Can't tell you more than I
Told you already
And here we are wavin' Brenda
And Eddie goodbye
A bottle of red, a bottle of white
Whatever kind of mood you're in tonight
I'll meet you anytime you want
In our Italian Restaurant
Thanks
Love ❤you Billy
At least for me, everyone has that Italian Restaurant. My grandparents had their first date at this one. Then my parents met at the same one, and now it seems it’s still a part of my life. I hope I can one day take a girl out there to keep this semi-tradition alive. Hope you all have that too
Billy lived behind my brother and sister in law when the lived in East Islip in the mid 80s. Nice guy! The music? Stellar.
Doesn't need to.
He's proved he's the premier singer songwriter of his generation.
one of the very best albums of the 70's
I THINK IS ONE OF THE VERY BEST ALBUMS NOT ONLY OF THE 70's, OF ALL TIMES!!!!!
NO doubt about it.
So sweet, powerful, and nostalgic how Billy sings that one line, “we never knew we could want more than that out of life.....”
Was there ever a better song more perfectly recorded and produced?
Piano man maybe? This man is a master.
Yeah, it's an album called Aja by Steely Dan :P
nope definitely there's none. and the youngsters today who don't know billy joel are just too unfortunate...
Not sure about EVER recorded and produced, but I will say it is Billy Joel's best song by far.
Yes. It's called Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. The opening song is stunning. Then you get to listen to the rest of it, which is killer too.
One of Billy's best songs, in my opinion. 😊
Agreed
I forgot how good this song is. I am always a little put off by the intro to it for some reason, but it really is an amazing song. Thanks for letting me rediscover it with this cover.
This is Billy Joel’s most brilliant song!!