Billy Joel - Q&A: Who Was Laura, What Did She Do? (Hobart & William 1996)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ต.ค. 2013
- Throughout the years, Billy Joel has become known for his willingness to hold Q&A sessions with fans in settings across the globe. Here Billy is asked the inspiration behind 'Laura' off the 1982 album The Nylon Curtain at Hobart & William Smith Colleges in 1996.
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Billy Joel's official TH-cam channel features music videos, live performances, interviews, TV appearances and more. Best known for his first hit song, 'Piano Man', in 1973, Billy has written and recorded thirty-three Top 40 hits in the United States. He is a six-time Grammy Award winner, a 23-time Grammy nominee and one of the world's best-selling artists of all time, having sold over 150 million records worldwide. Billy Joel is the sixth-best-selling recording artist and the third-best-selling solo artist in the United States. - เพลง
You can hear the Beatles influence in this song.
almost plagiarism!!
duke0219 the vocals/mic setup reminds me of John Lennon.
duke0219 ...
Similar to the modulation in the in the first eight bars of Beatles "If I Fell." Certainly not plagiarism, but reminiscent. Those two songs taught me a lot about music theory. (Tritone substitutions, pivot chords)
JimInPinoyLand the first bars sound absolutely *NOTHING* like “If I Fell”
And yes I have heard that song
As a songwriter,I can tell you flat out that this is exactly the answer I would think fans would expect, and if I don't want to derail anyone's impressions and associations with my song, this is the answer I'll give.
But it was sure as fuck written about someone specific. Believe that.
It was about his mother.
It doesn't matter who he wrote it about. It's a topic we can all relate to. So many people in our lives push our buttons. It's relatable
It was about his mother. Who else would "hold an umbilical cord?" He started admitting it after she died.
That makes sense, but we know who a lot of his songs are about. He hasn't made a consistent effort to keep that sort of thing hidden to maintain fans' impressions and associations, right?
@@joeyd219Well this was a super, super sensitive topic!!!
It's breathtaking how talented this man is
The song is a masterpiece. Everyone who’s ever been in a codependent relationship can relate. You hate them and you hate yourself but they’re all you have.
literally my college roommate
Relationship with parents, significant others, best friends, siblings.
I think I read somewhere that "Laura" is actually based on Billy's mom and his frustrations with her.
Why do people think liking Billy is uncool?. I love Billy Joel
All the dislikes are by The Clones Of Jim Rome. They all hate and make light of the "Meano Pan".
Laura sounds like a Lennon number instead. This definitely sounds like a Beatles track and the way he just sung this, I heard Lennon loud and clear!
The Nylon Curtain came out right after Lennon was shot. Billy Joel said in an interview that he realized a lot of the album sounded like Lennon after he finished it.
Given that Laura is about Billy’s mom, I would guess that Julia is a particular influence here.
It is reminiscent of "Sexy Sadie".
So did I! I was reading your comment as soon as Billy was playing the song. What timing!
The guitar in it is all George Harrison too.
It's about his mother. He said it in an interview and said that the line "'how can she hold an umbilical cord for so long' should've really given it away." He didn't wanna talk about it for a long time cuz it's obviously very personal to him. Case closed, stop arguing about it.
He didn't want to talk about it while his mother was alive. He started talking about after she died.
His mother was named Rosalinda
@@joeg3741 It was actually Rosalind. What's your point?
@@arobins point is song is Laura. Maybe you have it confused with Rosalinda's Eyes
@@joeg3741 Are you saying Billy is confused too? He says it's about his mother. When she was alive he never admitted it. If he had named it Rosalind it would have made it hard to hide the fact that it was about her while she was alive.
Forget Laura, what about Lenya? “All for Lenya” is a vicious song.
Do you mean Leyna?
@@kodinamsinh1267 yes Leyna
I have a "Laura" in my life. God, did she ever push me to the edge. She's a nutcase, but I love her.
This sounds like a collaboration between Jeff Lynne of ELO and John Lennon of the Beatles.
I was already a big fan, but the more interviews and live performances of his that I watch, the more I realize what a true musical genius he was. So inspiring!
There's a lot of weird chords in this song, uhh Bb.
XDDDD
And the F-word?
Not really, he is using a cliched progression but only in Bb and then he is changing key, piano intro: Bb-Ab- F#- Eb 2x
Verse: Bb- Bb(A bass) - Gm - C7 - Eb……. Bb- Bb(A bass) - Gm - C7 - F#
(shouting part) B7 - F7 - Gm -F# 2x
I hear Beatles influence in that song !! that piece sounds familiar !
Theodore Korbos it’s mostly John I hear, and the bass and backups but yes he emulates a Beatles feel. He’s very secretive about who this is, but it’s weird I have the same name but when I hear it I cry because there’s many parallels to my own life.
“It was in D-FLAT!”-
Billy, 1996
thezombiecreeper , it starts with a B flat! But goes into D flat at the bridge.
Rocket Man I just like how he puts so much emphasis on “D flat”
I was 8 when the album THE NYLON CURTAIN was released. It was my first album I bought at the local CONTINENTAL store. It was the cassette tape, I still own it. The same one I bought way back in 1982 or 1983. I was listening to this and singing along with the songs. But I was only a kid, the songs have totally different meanings now.
This is a truly great song. It is so true to life! It often comes to mind when I feel manipulated by people. I find the sarcastic edge cathartic.
great song, great album, love his Q&As and when he talks music generally, so great about it
Why would you not want to hear the songwriter this way, I love it. You are amazing.
If you listen to the lyrics it becomes obvious that it's about his mother. "How can she hold an umbilical cord for so long?"
There are people in the world that constantly need saving. And then you don't get so much as a thank you. Until the day comes when you can't save them, and they tell you that you OWE them.
“Laura in the Sky with Diamonds”
Brilliant
" here I am , feeling like a fucking fool , do I react the way exactly she intends me to " ....
My favorite lyric. Beautiful rhyming scheme while also delivering a powerful message.
I found this song very relatable when in a relationship with a rather overbearing and suffocating Ex. We of course all have an obligation to ourselves and others to steer clear from broad misogynistic generalizations, but I think many men had a "Laura" in their life whether a girlfriend, a platonic female friend, or family member.
The way Billy explained it here reminds me of my pain in the ass brother and nephew.
Liberty Devitto said that at the time, the name Laura was submitted in place of 'Mother'.
Along the lines of "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar," I find it entirely possible that he could have written this about the category of "hapless and hopeless manipulator" without specific reference. Although great art like his is so often born from specific unsavory experiences, great artists can retool that experience so that anybody can identify.
Christopher M. Zelonis no way, there is definitely a specific reference
There's literally only one person on earth who ever had an umbilical cord attached to him.
@@marshallsweetwater The specific reference is to Billy’s mother Rosalind.
Billy revealed later that he wrote the song about his mother.
It also combines the Lennon and McCartney in one song if that makes sense. Mostly Lennon with a few Paul bits.
brilliant interview such a spontaneous talented guy. He is incredible
One of my favoriete BJ tunes ever.
In my home town of Geneva, NY. Wish I had gone to this once in a lifetime event!
his ex drummer liberty divetto (sorry if i spelt it wrong) later on said that this song was about his mother
RiverXVI909 I think you flip-flopped the “I” and “E” in DeVitto
So did Mark Rivera.
So did Joel, he said the "umbilical cord" was the big clue.
in 2014 he Told Howard Stern that Its about somebody in my family who is a pain in the ass
The the mother in Throw momma from the train movie?
Why is it a vicious song? It’s about the nicest way to talk about someone who is, in fact, deliberately vicious to others. So, Laura is vicious, not the song.
The Beatles influence just screams at you!
I wish he would do a tour of Q&A gigs.
I think he has mentioned that it's about his mother.
As if one cannot write two different songs about one person. In any event, he has stated that it is about his mother. Perhaps you should do
your research, sir.
Dummy? Says the person who can't spell "Wikipedia."
How old are you? 8? Grow up.
+Eli Rah Haha. How so?
+Eli Rah And you, sir, have the intelligence of a rock. Goodbye.
I don't think Billy himself said it was about his mother. I know one of his band mates said that (probably Liberty DeVito)
I forgot how “Laura” sounded like when he forgot it.
I totally understand what he's talking about. People push your buttons all the time and can make you turn into a terrible person cuz this one person just doesn't let up.
Bit of an awkward moment when she asked that question......
Seriously! We don't deserve or need to know every detail of his personal life; a good lyric will be universal anyway.
It's about my first wife and my mom and some of my ex girlfriends! Hahaha! You just get tired of the drama at some point but you just keep answering the phone because you love them in some way or another. ???
ok I accept that as a reason
It was probably about someone in particular at the time and he just used a different name.
What Billy DIDN'T say?
Laura is about Mother... Not necessarily his mother... Liberty DeVitto disclosed this fact...
"How can she hold an umbilical cord for so long?"
it's about his mother
Lara's Theme? i think that was Over the Waves.
Liberty Devitto’s book mentions Laura was his mother. Instead of saying “mother!”, “Laura!“ sounded better.
I always thought it was about his ex wife
This song was about his mom. Apparently she had a bad drinking problem
Did you watch the video? "Rosalinda's Eyes" is about his mother. Here, Joel says that it is nobody in particular like a lover; "Laura" is anyone who knows how to push your emotional buttons and attempt to hurt you as BAD as you can get hurt.
+thezombiecreeper he's said since this that it is about his mum. he tried to keep it a secret originally but then liberty devitto told everyone so billy joel himself admitted it. don't know about the drinking problem though.
thezombiecreeper his wife said it was about his mother.
Dr. Jasontheman ah
I Think Billy was heavily influenced by the Beatles
I think this woman was an abused and lonely girl with Complex PTSD who’s family was toxic and she sought comfort because this man was strong. In the song she would “put herself in my chair”
That's a good analysis. I thought some of the same, especially since she seems to be getting herself into trouble a lot. She seems like an older teenager or a naïve young adult, attaching herself to him because she feels that he is reliable and trustworthy, but doesn't realize the damage she's doing to him (and really, even if she did, she might just be prioritizing her own needs and desperation over his inconvenience, however brutal it can be for him at times. There are other lyrics that imply that she has a manipulative nature, or that at least he sees it that way.)
Billy can't let go or draw boundaries because he feels too pitiful for her and her situation, but near the end, his anger has festered and made him more bitter than before. It's a bad situation for both parties.
It's interesting that you pointed out c-ptsd in particular; I think I have it, and when I was younger and less mentally sound I did this to a friend and it fucked us both up. I guess that's one reason I like the song so much.
Glad to talk about this song. It's one of my favorites of his, and it's nice to hear him talk about it too.
I think it's his mom . How can she hold an umbilical cord for so long. I don't really know though what billies mom name is though
Rosalinda, as in "Rosalinda's Eyes".
Hillary is today's laura haha
How is making fun of a woman misogynistic? LMAO.
Who is Hillary?
Oh PLEASE...
Sounds like a woman who could play him at his own game better than anyone.
Who gives a fuck though!
I have always loved this song
There is no "Laura." Billy would write the music first and then add lyrics. Mostly, he just made up whatever sounded good.
He wrote the song about his mother.
This song was about his mother but his mother’s real name was Rosalind.
Bull Shit, why you gotta front Billy? Don't want her stalking you again? LOL.
This guy sure is in love with himself.
He’s motherfucking billy Joel. He’s allowed to be
@@scotthamstead1771 meh