This Billy Joel Song Crushes Me
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ก.ย. 2024
- In this livestream I discuss how Billy Joel wrote this perfect song.
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Any songwriter would be thrilled to write just one song like this in their career, but Billy wrote tons of this caliber. One of the best songwriters ever.
Spot on. To me the most under-appreciated aspect of his by far is how good of a vocalist he was/is. His range is ridiculous on bottom and top end. And he *still* performs all tracks, like Innocent Man(falsettos and all), in their original key. At 75 years old. Bonkers.
@@alexandriaocasio-smollett5078 Yes, I totally agree with you
@@alexandriaocasio-smollett5078 I love Billy. Love, love, LOVE him. ...but he does stuff a half or full step down now.
Imagine a Billy Joel interview on this channel.
Yes please ❤
Yes, yes, yes!!!!!!!
This absolutely needs to happen!
Rick is gonna need a bigger server!!!
Yes PLEASE!
Billy Joel is a giant ball of talent. Voice, musicality, and lyrics. Very few who have the whole package, let alone to have it at that caliber in each category.
Yes !
Exactly my thoughts.
Billy doesn't like his singing voice, but it's underrated. He's no Steve Perry, but he's a very good vocalist.
killer
@bassfever - Ball of skill... I hate it when people who worked at it only get relegated to talent. Completely throws all the hard work out the window
Billy is not just a fantastic performer and singer/lyricist, but he is a master craftsman of melody and progression. He isn't just a songwriter - he's a composer.
Billy Joel is not talked about enough.
The Stranger is full of bangers!
All of it! Scenes from an Italian restaurant became a favorite of mine. 💕
Definitely one of the greatest albums of all time.
Definitely! Scenes from an Italian restaurant is his masterpiece, in my opinion ✌️
Bought it when it first came out.
Not a bad on song on the entire album.
Rick's unbridled enthusiasm for the details of music is just delightful. It just makes me happy.
Me too! Thats what I was looking for: unbridled enthusiasm. That's Rick perfectly...in everything he does!
@@eldergeektromeo9868 YES!!!
Agree 100% and love the Seinfeld reference.
Bingham has read one too many Billy Mumphry stories.
This was my first thought when I started listening; it’s the main reason I keep hitting play when he releases. He genuinely is excited about the songs, the artists, and the craft of making music!
Scenes from an Italian Restaurant deserves a deep dive
Agreed! And so many others!
My fav... "And So It Goes." Just Billy and a piano. Stunningly beautiful and simple.
That’s Billy’s own favorite, too. 😊
Billy Joel=master songwriter
Not to mention pianist, singer, and performer. Has it all.
The irony? He doesn't like his singing voice. I think it is SO good.
And a great human and motorcycle rider. He’s super humble and low key from what I’ve read.
The best ever imo
Don’t forget guitarist…saw him a couple of years ago in NOLA and he played lead guitar on AC/DC shook me all night long. Astonishing
Most are performers. He's an entertainer. Those are the icons among us.
For me the perfect Billy Joel's song is scene from an italien restaurant , he wrote it like a movie script .
it's my favorite Billy Joel song aswell
Check out when he played it at Wembley arena back in.. 1984? Just brilliant.
Same, it’s my favourite too. I love singing along with it in the car.
Same here
Here too
Somebody notify Billy that he’s finally made it to the big time. Rick Beato has done an episode about him.
Billy made it YEARS ago; Weird Al parodied one of his songs...
@@fretlessman71, are you sure? This Mr. Joel sounds like a one hit wonder. 😉
A crazy almost reality in 2023.
11 or 12?
@@davidmack4185 I am pretty sure that Rick is fully aware of this. Isn't it enough that he does what he does by respecting and teaching about the greatest songs in our time?
Billy Joel, up there with Gordon Lightfoot, Paul Simon, Elton John. Always just the right harmonies, beautiful melodies. He's an inspiration to me because he was never afraid to write a beautiful song. He was driven to carefully crafting, honing, polishing a song until it was a faceted thing of beauty. And his classical training meant he had the chops to play them the way they needed to be played. Only using the past tense because he officially retired from his pop career to pure piano music. Still a hero.
Paul, Billy and Elton all studied classical music
My son saw him Charlotte NC just a few months ago doing his regular songs.
Also James Taylor ❤
He absolutely is!!!!
@@davidcollins2648 Yes, he's still performing, which is terrific, but no longer writing songs.
His ballad And So It Goes is another perfect ballad, musically and lyrically. I love the melody and his chord choices underlying that melody.
I was looking for this comment. Beautiful song
I identify with "Lullabye" so much as a father of two girls - gets me welled up every time.
according to the man himself, it's his favorite song, even more than Restaurant.
Best song he's ever written, goosebumps ever time
@Alan Osborne I sang out to my daughter every night until she was 3. I sang it poorly, but sang it anyway...
My college buddies and I had the good fortune freshman year to have front-row seats for Billy Joel's December 14, 1974 concert at the Rutgers College gymnasium (capacity 2,600 for basketball games). I was mesmerized by Billy's stellar performance of songs from his Piano Man (released November 9, 1973) and Streetlife Serenade (released October 11, 1974) albums. The highlight of the evening was a surprise appearance by Bruce Springsteen, who was rumored to be playing pinball at the College Avenue Student Center next door. Bruce joined Billy Joel to perform Twist and Shout. It was a night I will never forget.
I was there also. I lived in Hamilton and my sister's boyfriend had an extra ticket. I was an instant fan and have seen him over 30 times.
Aw! What an amazing forever memory!
That sounds so flippin awesome!!
Very few artists wrote plenty of perfect songs. Billy is one of them.
I saw a headline about him “39 Hit Wonder.”
So true.
@@chloemchll3774 Yup. 3 Greatest Hits CDs - and counting
@@chloemchll3774Yep, I think it's 40 now with the new song.
what perfect songs has he written
Aahh! Thank you for doing Billy Joel. I took a music class in college. The professor asked us to bring in sheet music of something from popular music. He kept saying "Hmm, that's not very interesting" with the tunes people found, but then as he played "Honesty" which I brought in, he perked up, his facial expressions looked both happy and astonished as the chords went on. "Now this one's clever." he said.
✋✋💪💪
Summer Highland Falls is an amazing song. One of my favorites from Billy Joel.
I think it’s a masterpiece! The Songs In The Attic version is fantastic!
Billy at one point said that Summer Highland Falls was the point at which his songwriting reached a new level. I agree 100%. One of my favorite Billy Joel songs. It should have been released as a single.
my favourite ❤
@@simonhodgetts6530 that is one my top ten favorite live albums
Totally agree. It needs more love
I think Summer highland falls is a perfect song. I can listen to it over and over and never get sick of it.
I agree. You're My Home is similar to me in that both are beautiful in their simplicity. And probably that they are both on Songs From the Attic ...
@@wildcatfey 👍🏻😊❤️
It's his impersonation of Jackson Browne
Yes sir, you are so right!!
Billy is a musical genius full stop. One of the best song writers ever and an underrated vocalist. So often compared to Elton John. Billy has always said Elton was the better pianist, but Elton never wrote a lyric, so Billy has always been the better artist in that regard. An incredible legacy they both have left us to enjoy.
They are both great in their own ways.
That's just Billy being humble. Elton isn't even close to Billy's piano abilities. There's no Elton performance that Billy couldn't copy, but there's a whole bunch of Billy's that Elton couldn't copy.
Billy is a far better pianist, obviously a better lyricist, Elton’s voice has a bit more belt to it, but not as innocent or pure as Billy’s.
Billy is pathologically self-deprecating; I love Elton, but Billy is a master pianist, in addition to being a great singer and a genius composer and lyricist.
The REASON Billy Joel's melodies are so great, is that his chord progressions are above the median.
The chords in Piano Man go below the median.
@@kencory2476 Piano Man is a very conventional song harmonically, not that that has any bearing on anything at all. Tomorrow Never Knows has one chord and it's about as good as it gets. However, there's no denying that Billy Joel's music is unbelievably sophisticated harmonically, as far as Pop music goes. It isn't obvious either, which is the trick. Even something like Uptown Girl, which is one of his more straightforward songs, is more complex than the overwhelming majority of popular music songs ever made.
@@garethharrison5797 Both Piano Man and Uptown Girl use conventional harmony from the Golden Age of American song: I-vi-ii-V-I's and chords otherwise derived from the major scale. Tomorrow Never Knows is a modal song, shifting from the tonic major to the tonic suspension (B to A/B). All are complex and sophisticated in their own way. The reason I commented in the first place is that none of these songs have any relation to "the median", whatever that means. Cheers!
@@kencory2476 Now I get you. The marvel of Uptown girl for me is the key changes and the way he resolves them. He's a very clever man. Anyway, take it easy
@@garethharrison5797I think because it began in his head as a classical piece.
Billy is hugely popular and still underrated. "She's Always a Woman" is a really great song that says, "It's your fault never hers, deal with it, man." That song seriously saved me and I know I'm not the only one.
Preach it Brother...
Not what the song is about dude. That song is about his ex-wife (and former manager) ripping him off
That song is a Bach Prelude turned into a pop ballad. And because he just “drops” various notes your hand really wants to do next it is really difficult to play it with that ease, that makes it sound so beautiful and natural…
52nd Street is one of those albums I can listen too from start to finish.
Rosalinda’s Eyes is beautiful. “My Life” is an anthem. “Half a mile away” is one of my favorites songs. Honesty us deep.
Ends with that crazy 52nd street outro that’s just pure soul
If artists were ranked based on their depth, Billy joel would be at the top. What's unique about him is he writes all his songs with the same process, giving them all the attention and writing of a hit. That is opposed to most artists who write 3-4 singles and filler.
Zanzibar. Listen to the bass line in the instrumental section. His band was absolutely killer in that era.
The Stranger falls into that category as well.
@@samrosen9823Hes really hard on himself from what I've read and has very high standards about what he releases. Unless he loved a song, it wasn't going on the album. He didn't want to put anything out that was just ok or filler. I wonder if he realized at that time that he was setting standards for his legacy.
Until the Night is a criminally underrated piece from the same album.
Yes! Billy’s tribute to the Righteous Brothers!
The only real problem with Rick's videos is I can never finish them. I'm always infected with his enthusiasm for the music and have to switch over and listen. Rick, you are a beautiful ambassador for all music and I am grateful for your content and existence. ❤️ Thank you
Yessss, that's it!
Happened to me!
God! Me too! I don't feel so bad now!! ❤
Ye, I do that too. 😄
Nothing compares to the songwriting geniuses of the 1970s
The Beatles provided the "paint samples" if you will.. And sparked 2 decades of musical art. Just my perspective.
True true
Harry Chapin doesn't get a quarter of the credit he deserves!
Amen...
Say it louder for the people at the back
His lyrics are more descriptive and evocative than Springteen. You can smell his scenes. You are there.
And he has a way better voice
Not a competition, Bruce is amazing and a living Legend no need to get into A>B
Both of them are amazing, but also very different. No need to make any comparisons in a competitive sort of way and I don't think jeffreyparlo2909 was trying to do that, but I can see how his comment could open the door for such a thing.
Respect to Billy but come on darkness on the edge of town...
Billy had a go at Bruce type songs in the 80s - Allentown especially.
I have a feeling Billy Joel is one of those talents that, while he has had plenty of fame and recognition over his career, will likely not be fully appreciated by most until after he leaves us.
Vastly under appreciated artist, I’ve literally listened to him since I was 3, have all of his albums and I’ll tell everyone that his albums from Turnstiles to innocent man are *all* classics
The Stranger was so far ahead of its time. Talk about Raw Truth. That and the Piano Man are two of the best songs I’ve ever heard. Love all his music but those two are golden!
The only dark cloud over his career was the band he left behind. I'm thinking it was a label decision and he went along with it. Full doc on it from everyones point of view.
I LOVE Billy Joel’s music and always have. Don’t know him personally, but would probably like him that way too. 🙂
@@retired4365 Agree. What happened to Doug Stegmeyer is simply tragic.
Billy Joel's work on "Goodbye, Saigon" was waaayyy deeper and more powerful than probably anyone ever truly understood. Also, on a totally different note, "While the Night Is Still Young" is SUCH a fantastic piece... again... people just simply do not understand.
That’s my favorite song on 52nd Street- which is tough because it’s an album of favorites and perfect songs. 8:47
While the night is still young is an overlooked but incredible song.
I was surprised to hear him do it live (about 17 years ago😂)
FINALLY BILLY!!!! I never thought I’d see him live… (born in ‘93, live in Australia). But he came here last year for one concert only and I got to see him 😭 please do more Billy 👏🏼👏🏼
Amazing concert ❤
"Vienna," from The Stranger has become a favorite of mine in all the years since the album was released, even more so than "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant." Joel was interviewed on Inside The Actors Studio back in the late 90's, and I'm pretty certain the full interview is here on TH-cam. It's worth your while. James Lipton wanted to interview him regarding the craft of songwriting and storytelling.
Me too! And crazy enough, one of my students several years ago actually asked me to play it in class (I taught high school art & graphic design, we played music during studio and work time) … I was like 😭😭 how insanely cool that you know this song. They always amazed me with their knowledge 💜
Vienna is awesome!
Vienna ❤️
It's probably the best Billy Joel interview you'll find anywhere.
Played the Actors Studio interview on your recommendation and it was fabulous. Thank you!
Billy Joel. Coolest guy in the room. Awesome musician and songwriter.
Allentown still makes me cry.
The plight of people working all their lives for nothing is more prevalent then ever in 2023.
Never forget how lucky you are Mr Beato.
Living here in Allentown, PA! ❤
@@EvonZundel🤣🤣🤣
A fun little piece of Billy trivia Allentown actually started out as a sone about Levittown Long Island where he grew up, but he could think of anything to write about it.
I bought 52nd Street in 1979, then went back and bought his earlier ones after that, and continued to buy into the 80s. I remember when we were newlyweds, my husband and I spent an entire weekend listening to each song and following along with the printed lyrics on the album covers. Life these days is too busy and rushed to be able to spend a weekend like that. Good times.
What blows my mind with Billy Joel is that, as well as being the man behind those incredibly well crafted melodies and chords, he's also the lyricist. What a man, what an artist ! Love forever, Billy Joel. His song "My Life" also deserves deep analysis.
My grandmother was also born in 1919 and would listen to Billy Joel with us. He was unbelievably popular in the late 70s/early 80s. Maybe the last multi-generational pop star.
I remember my sister and I loved 52nd Street and Glass Houses, as did my parents. My older teen cousins and younger uncles also had his records. In my small world, everyone listened to Billy Joel.
When I six or so I would ask my mother to play "Honesty" on the record player. I didn't grasp the lyrics, but the music was beautiful and made me feel emotions.
We all know this is a classic song but only Rick can explain it as to why😎👍👍👍
Exactly! I first heard this album about 5 years after release (1983) and I knew there was a lot of interesting, special stuff going on but I didn't know what. Back then I knew no music theory but I could hear those special moments and I've loved this album and Billy's stuff ever since.
I love Billy Joel! Great singer and songwriter.
Billy is one of the few musicians who never wrote for hits, he wrote to create pieces that will stand the test of time
Billy Corgan?
@@lomarsweed6604 i never said the only one
@@sammyhoffman4812 You said Billy, I wasn't sure if you meant Billy Corgan or Billie Joe Armstrong. Now I know you mean the latter. Cheers.
@LoMar, context much?
Except for the song “We Didn’t Start the Fire” which I heard him describe as a song designed to be a hit. However, it turns out he doesn’t like it. I don’t love it either but all his other hits make it easy to look past this one.
Zanzibar has always been my favorite of his for a long time. Such a fantastic vibe and one of the best trumpet solos in the last 50 years.
The late Freddie Hubbard played that great solo.👍🔥😁
Love that song.
Easily his most underrated song.
Does Rick have a jazz guitar?
Agreed!
I've wondered for years why you've never discussed Billy Joel. I figured growing up in NY, you'd have some connection with him. Billy is my favorite artist of all time. He wrote the soundtrack for a generation of Americans! I'm sure I'm not alone in saying we would LOVE for you to interview him. Thank you for covering his material.
I love when Rick sings, its nice to know he isnt good at everything
Laughed at that, but I wonder if he applied himself like he did for that President's Award Physical Fitness he did a video on, that he wouldn't become one eventually even in his sixties.
He is without doubt one of the greatest songwriters of all time in my book. A musical prodigy. Some of his songs have me in floods of tears they’re so touching and thought provoking. Then there’s the chord structures of his music. Spellbinding.
The one I call the angel hymn❤. I cry each time I hear it 😮
I love Billy Joel. Vienna and Scenes of an Italian restaurant, are in my top 10 songs of all time. He is a genius.
Billy Joel was one of the most masterful showmen I have ever seen on stage. He totally OWNED the audience. Talent.
Billy writes difficult songs but makes them sound easy. This song is one of many examples. I don’t think people realize how hard that is to do. Non musicians can relate to these complex songs because he makes them sound so natural. He’s a master. I was fortunate to be in his show Movin Out on Broadway. I still perform his music all over the world. Often with my band as well as symphonies. Guitar players that didn’t come up on Billy’s music are often surprised at how complex Billy songs are. That’s because he makes them so natural. A song like Allentown is another example. As many times as I’ve played these songs, I’m still blown away.
We saw you on Broadway, Michael. You were amazing in Movie’ Out. We had seen you perform earlier in Las Vegas at the NY NY dueling piano bar and I got a chance to talk to you during the break. It’s nice to see you have followed your piano passion and talent
I saw you in Chicago, with Movin' Out! From what I remember, I was in the balcony, but you were elevated, which was a total treat! Billy Joel songs may be easy to cover, but hard to make them unique. You manage to do that!!! Congratulations! Glad to see you are still performing strong and spreading the love for Billy Joel songs!
Such a gift to be born in an era when I was exposed early to this kind of genius in melody.
Billy Joel has so many great songs, but "The Downeaster Alexa" is his masterpiece. It is emotionally brutal, the arrangement is fantastic, and Billy sings the crap out of it.
It actually makes you feel like you are on a boat on a rolling sea!
Damm right! What a monster song
Yes,when I heard this song and the video the first time,ice cold water was running down my back-fantastic !!!
I love Billy.
Ps: as a German I am ashamed for what the Nazis have done to his grandparents and parents.
@@rolfbrunner3016 you factually have absolutely nothing to do with what happened to Mr. Joel's relatives.
The amazing playing of the accordion.
"Captain Jack" from Piano Man should be Billy Joel's best song, despite NEVER being released as a commercial single.
I like Captain Jack and it was an important song early in his career but Honesty is superior. Billy has said about CJ, "In the verses, there's only two chords, and it goes on and on, and it's kind of a dreary song if you think of the lyrics."
That said he's also on record for loving some of the piano parts in it.
Agree Captain Jack is far superior to this Popped out paint by numbers targeted radio drivel
Billy is classically trained. He loves Bach which explains so much. He has the best bridges I have ever heard. Every song has great bridges. Also, Great Job Rick.
Just the Way You Are is the perfect love song. Best love song ever written.
like so many artists of that era, the songs on Billy Joel's albums that didn't make pop radio often are better than the ones that did. Saw him in concert in 2018, was good as ever.
52nd Street is an amazing album with the first five songs all getting massive amounts of airplay back in the late '70s thru the early '80s. Honesty is also one of Billy's great vocal performances in that it portrays the raw emotions the lyrics are trying to convey, especially leading up to and including the bridge. "I can find a lover, I can find a friend, I can find security until the bitter end...Anyone can comfort me with promises again, I know, I know".
Billy Joel had a way of making love songs (and just slow songs) feel masculine. It was a nice contrast to the Dan Fogelbergs and Christopher Cross's of the era. Honesty is SO good.
Expertedly put ❤️
I know you didn't just impugn the masculinity of Dan Fogelberg and Christopher Cross!
Billy Joel has a song for every emotion you can feel as a human being, and does so in the most relatable to ways. Feels like some one wrote a song using the words you couldn’t find yourself.
“summer highland falls” might be my favorite song of all time.
My favourite song by Billy Joel is This Is the Time. I find the melodic line on that song absolutely brilliant, as well as the way he uses the mode.
Stiletto still knocks my socks off every single time I hear it!! That entire 52nd street record is beyond phenomenal. For anyone who hasn’t heard it from start to finish, please do yourselves a favour. You will not regret it one bit. It’s certainly one of my top of the pile favourite records of all time. I would likely choose it as my lonely island record if push came to shove. A true masterpiece of songwriting.
Best album ever!!! I have seven children, they all love Joel. Three have seen him concert.
@@debbiepond8727 ❤️🔥
The song Honesty by Billy Joel is one of the first songs I learned to play on piano right after it came out when I was a kid. I always knew there was something special about it and it makes me cry every time I hear it. The voice leading in that song is amazing as well.
Yeah; Vienna does that for me
And the man doesn't think he can sing? Go figure! 🤷♀️🤯
I have loved Honesty since the day I first heard it when I was 12. But it has taken me the 40+ years in between to really appreciate its meaning. What a beautifully written and meaningful song.
“Summer, Highlands Falls” is yet another example of Joel’s ability to compose complex music. The idea of playing on the flattop is something that I really wish we would hear more of.
I thought of that tune first when I saw Rick's headline. A beauty! Then, The Falling of the Rain.
Probably my favorite of Joel's songs. But it's not easy to pick one as the best from his extensive catalogue.
The classical station played a choral version of his Lullaby today. It was really lovely. @@apmartini70
I was a boy in the 80s and "For The Longest Time" is a vehicle that takes me back. The vocals, lyrics, everything is just an amazing experience, too.
The doo-wop theme of the whole album was amazing.
BJ has a gift for writing songs that seem to portray America is a deep way. Honesty is one of those rare tunes that bring tears to my eye every time.
Yeah, the day I learned that Always a Woman was about America! Mind blown!
“Honesty” is (probably) my favorite song and (in my humble opinion) the best song Billy Joel has ever written.
It is more then meets the eye (or ear).
Hello.......I listened to Billy one night with the speakers by my head. I flipped that album over for about four hours. The Piano man Album. Then the trip was over. I loved Billy after that!
1978.
Dang, this song really put Rick through his paces. Says a lot about both Billy Joel's songwriting and Rick's great ear.
Billy Joel is a genius and a brilliant pianist and singer. It doesn’t get much better than that.
1978, indeed it was an incredible year in music! So many greats that you mentioned Rick, and also: The Cars' debut album, Queen's We Are The Champions/We Will Rock You, Bee Gees' Night Fever and Stayin' Alive, Styx Come Sail Away, Kansas Dust In The Wind. And on and on. One of those "magic music years".
Would you maybe consider doing a video about the music of 1978? Or any other incredible music year.
Completely agree with you! Great mentions!
All of 52nd street is a freaking masterpiece - you need to do Zanzibar, Stiletto, and Until the Night
you said it for me and picked exactly the right songs!
@@reaganbrowneofficialyoutube my late father who passed in 2012 loved that song and as a kid I didn’t get it quite yet: I was hooked on Big Shot and Stiletto as well as Zanzibar - but as I got older that song gave me the feels - especially that sax solo and the part leading up to it (that chord progression….chills!)
He and I would sing this in the car together growing up - now that he’s gone I nearly lose it singing and bawling my eyes out. Such an amazing song, and such an amazing memory.
Rosalinda's Eyes as well!👍😁
@@louiebee6745 yes! Ugh the whole album.
@@reaganbrowneofficialyoutube Actually 52nd Street was the first Billy Joel album I ever bought as a kid back in '79 at age 12. (Only for the long version of My Life at first, but after playing the whole thing, WOW!) Then I got The Stranger, Turnstiles (waaay underrated) and eventually the other 3 LPs once Glass Houses came out.
I was 28 when this song/album was released… he was SO popular back then, and this song was my favorite from this album. I’ve never seen him perform live, but wish I had. In the early 70s he played at a small venue in Portland, OR.. and a friend of mine invited me to join her, but I couldn’t.. she said he was an amazing performer, engaging the crowd constantly. Thank-you for your breakdown of this amazing song!
Billy is obviously one of the greatest modern songwriters. A true treasure for us all. My favorite part in this composition is the line "... I depend upon... honesty". The way he stretches the word "upon" into "honesty"... so beautiful and creative. Long live Billy Joel!
When he said, "This Billy Joel song" I immediately thought "Honesty" or "She's Always a Woman" - two of the most melodically and lyrically rich songs of his.
We Need A Billy Joel Interview here, Rick!!!
as a piano player who was a teenager in the 70s this song was one of my first that I studied and copied right off the album. still love & play it today
I still can remember when I heard the song the first time on radio.. I just had to listen to it, stopped everything else because of its beautiful haunting mood.. what a perfect synergy of voice leading and harmonic progression!
As good as it gets. Just the Way You Are with Phil Woods playing the alto sax. I have been singing and playing alto sax on this tune for 50 years. I lifted the Phil Woods solo because I can't think of anything more perfect to play. Great work Rick as usual.
Absolutely love Billy Joel
Nothing I can say that hasn't been said here already.
All for Leyna is an absolute favourite.
The Stranger, favourite album.
I LOVE All For Leyna! It rarely gets mentioned. What a phenomenal songwriter.
Bill Joel is a great educator/story teller on how he writes his songs. He comes across as someone like yourself that enjoys getting into the heart of song construction.
I can imagine a 3 hour interview would fly by.
He loves talking about how he creates songs and music, along with helping young aspiring musicians and what the inspiration was behind every song.
I'm so glad he's so open about his craft because I think his work is an important part of history and his legacy.
So excited to listen to you explore a Billy Joel song!! His music was always playing in my home growing up and then I “re”discovered him and formed my own appreciation and love for his music listening to my dad’s old CDs and vinyls when I came home from middle school. Billy’s heartfelt, tender, playful, and brilliant songwriting is truly one of a kind. So grateful for his artistry. Thank you for this awesome analysis!!
Billy Joel is underrated as a songwriter IMO. Some really iconic songs.
“Underrated”? His albums all went platinum. He packs stadiums and even Central Park to this day.
Look up the word “underrated”.
@@Frankie5Angels150 Look up Billy Joel. Some people (me included) think until Billy's hailed as the greatest songwriter since Irving Berlin, he's underrated.
And just down side A (yes, I'm that old) you had "My Life" and the great "Zanzibar". Billy Joel is a monster! Thank you again for such a joy, Rick. Cheers from Brazil.
For that reason, I go back and forth between this album and the stranger as the best. I love glass houses and the rest, but those two are unbeatable
Heard it the first time as a little boy and it’s been permanently tattooed in my mind since. This and “she’s always a woman” alone are enough to cement him as one of the greatest songwriters of our time
He's the reason I took piano lessons as a kid. Was fortunate to play in a bar when I was younger and a lifetime of music later, I owe it all to him.
I'm glad you covered Billy Joel. One of my all time favorite singer-songwriters. We haven't even scratched the surface of his greatness with just this song!
I really like his prior album as well, The Stranger. Songs like "Vienna" from that album are also perfect ones - really great music and lyrics that, if you relate, really hit home. Going back further, "Piano man" has made me tear up from hearing it when I was a kid - becomes that much more poignant as I've gotten old/older as well.
I dunno why but I think VIENNA is one of the greatest ballads ever written. Lyrically and melodically it's up there with IN MY LIFE.
@@jhamler1 heartily agree :-)
It was Piano Man that introduced me to Billy Joel. Hie albums through time show how much he works with the music itself and tries different things. Amazing.
"You can get what you want, or you can just get old"... greatest line in Rock music, in my opinion. Resonates more and more as every year passes...
Songs like this are why the '70s and '80s were the greatest. There were plenty of simple mass appeal songs, but this was the era that I learned music theory from artists like Billy Joel, David Foster, Paul Simon, and so many other incredible writers. I learned just by listening and picking out on the piano what they were playing. My dad also had tons of music books with piano scores and chord charts that I could learn what these chords were, why they were notated the way they were notated, and how they played together well in succession. On the piano you can see where one chord goes to the other either by parallel movement or especially by the use of what I called pivot notes. I was writing music in high school where different instruments were playing different chords that fit together, and I was writing passing chords within a single chord structure. By the time I took music theory in college my ear was already fairly well developed, I already understood the material, and I was tutoring my fellow students. So I have Billy Joel to thank, in part, for my early music education.
Just saw him in concert for the first time. Can't believe I waited so long. Phenomenal performance
The fact that he hasn't made a album in 30 years is incredible, he didn't have anything else to say and he's still a legend. Imagine if he was still putting out albums
He deliberately has not put out an album because his voice is not what it was when he was younger. In his mind, it would be subpar in quality. That's the way I understand it, anyways.
He stopped writing new songs because he's still under some sort of contract and won't make any money.
I admire him for that - he realised that he had nothing more to add to his body of work, and called a halt before he, perhaps, embarrassed himself. To be honest, River Of Dreams aside, which had some great moments, the preceding 2 albums weren’t too hot…..he also realised that the time was up for the 70s singer-songwriter, and that the industry had moved on…..clever!
I remember Elton John telling Joel" why don't you put out more albums " to which Joel responded " why do you put to many". Lol
@Joe Terzio that's not entirely true, he still sounds pretty good right now. He stopped because he said everything he wanted to say.
This is honestly one of my favourite Billy Joel songs.
Billy Joel is one of the true musical geniuses.
His Old Grey Whistle Test performance is on fire - he was a fabulous pianist in his early days - technically superb.
52nd street is definitely one of my favorite albums. Honesty is one of few songs that have brought me to tears, the pacing of My Life is great from road trips, and the, idk, moods of Zanzibar and Bug Shot just bring me joy. It's great to hear you discuss Billy Joel's work, and I hope you go through more of his songs on your channel
Thank you so much for this Rick. I now better understand why I have loved this song since 1978. I also have a much greater appreciation for the musicianship of Billy Joel.
To me the lyrics are perfect. Now that you explained the genius of all these chord changes, perfectly perfect. Billy Joel the piano man is a poet.
Billy wrote the music first, as he usually did. He knew he had to think of lyrics fast because when the band were rehearsing the song, his drummer Liberty was singing, " Sodomy, it's such a lonely word."
True story!
Streetlife Serenade truly underrated. So many fabulous songs to choose from in the Billy Joel repertoire. Honesty tugs on the heartstrings.
Root Beer Rag, The Entertainer......
@@gasaholic47 Roberta does it for me - what a great song!
I LOVE Streetlife Serendade. The moment when it gets to "Souvenir" is just stunning.
In my top 10 favorite albums!!
But still behind Piano Man!
New York State Of Mind is THE quintessential Billy Joel song…
This really is a stunning song. It's timeless and perfect, even, for these days "don't bore us, get to the chorus" types... he's there in seconds. The song structure, from the catchy intro through the verses to chorus, etc. is... it's just magnificent.
He is a total keyboard player, I played in a Tribute band dedicated to his work a number of years back, and when you study his stuff as deep as we did to get it right you realize, first verse/chorus is pretty on the page, but he will toss in subs and passing chords in different verses and recording you will hear of the same tune from different live performances in different eras and even night to night.
The thing that knocks me on the floor with this one, both in laughter and amazement is that the lyrics were a necessary afterthought. I know he has told the story a number of times, but it is definitely in the interview he did on "Inside the Actors studio" (great interview is here on youtube and worth checking out) where he talks about, per his usual technique, not having the lyrics worked out,or even a title, it was just a melodic idea when they first started recording this song at the end of a booked session block-- and Liberty was providing his own lyrics -- needless to say -- it wasn't Honesty.
I sometimes hear Liberty’s adlib in my head when the song is playing 😂
Every time I hear Rick's and his passion I smile. It's just so good to learn about these songs.
I love that song. I learned to play it on piano and sing it and used to play it live. It went down well, too. He was a brilliant song writer. There’s no one doing this anymore. Shame.
You are a national treasure to musicians and those who love music, Rick. How fortunate are we for these videos. I hope I have enough time left on this earth to learn a fraction of it all. 🎹🎸
I love Billy Joel. One of my favorite artists. So glad you finally covered one of his songs.
Feeling in the form of notes with words that transform and exist! This song is perfect and beautiful! She has a strength with affection that is very rare! You can feel pain and emotion! Notes with pure feeling!