This was back when Pop music was actually good and had a real meaning to the words. It’s like Billy Joel was telling everyone a message in his songs. Long live the Piano king 🤘
That transcends rock & roll, it really does! I had a jr. high school English teacher played this during class in '78, I went out and bought it the next day. I have never been disappointed with my purchase.
At his peak Elton John outshown Billy Joel in record sales. But Elton was supported by Bernie Taupin's brilliant but often obscure lyrics. Elton would never have achieved his level of success without Bernie, who in my opinion never received enough credit. On the other hand Billy was the complete package. Outstanding musically but oh his lyrics! What incredible stories they told!
@@rockinresurrection6542 Yes, obscure. I've started buying EJ albums starting with Elton John and backing up to Empty Sky until the late 70's/early 80's. I read in all those albums a lot of lyrics and they aren't exactly straightforward.
Billy always says the Beatles were really hot during the Help / Rubber Soul / Revolver period. Well IMHO, his Stranger / 52nd Street / Glass Houses period (78-80) was just as amazing. And written all by himself!
Can we pleeeez STAHP with the "underrated" claims? The "52nd Street" album was Album Of The Year in '79, won TWO Grammys plus an AMA nom, was one of the biggest albums of the entire decade, & is still ranked as one of the 500 Greatest Albums Of ALL Time....Radio, DJs, & skating rinks across the nation played the living HELL out of this entire album back in '79-'80-'81, so there isn't ONE song on there that can be labeled as "underrated". To this very day, all cuts from album are classic rock station staples -- Go turn on your local classic rock radio station for a couple of hours & i guaran-damn-tee you will hear 2-3 tracks including "Stiletto".....And on top of all that, this supposedly "underrated" song went on to become the basis sample loop for one of the biggest & most classic hip-hop songs of the late '80s-early '90s, "Road To Riches"
Thank you, Tarantulisimo ... I get fed up with the mis-use of the term 'underrated', when they probably mean something like 'played rarely on the radio [probably because it wasn't a single] and appreciated only by [insert name of artist here]'s fans who don't make a song and dance [ha ha] about it, safe in the knowledge that they have impeccable taste in music'.
Of course Top 40 radio played Big Shot, Honesty, & My Life non-stop, but AOR radio & classic rock stations wore out the entire album. And the songs have been covered, remade & sampled numerous times.
Billy Joel is what a real Musician is supposed to be . I don't want to sound like an old man . His career has covered almost every genre of Music . What's on the Radio as Pop doesn't compare and he did all this without autotune . He's a Damn Genius . Seen him 4 times ..When he toured with Elton John was the Best concert I've been to .
P!NK is excellent and her concert is by far the best I've ever seen. Anthem rock is hella cool and I love it in spite of being 17 when Joel was in his heyday. I saw him in concert when "Allentown" was his new song. After 25 years of nothing but stinking grunge, how can you not like today's pop? I was like a drowning man getting air!!
She cuts you once, she cuts you twice But still you believe The wound is so fresh you can taste the blood But you don't have strength to leave You've been bought, you've been sold You've been locked outside the door But you stand there pleadin', With your insides bleedin', 'Cause you deep down want some more Then she says she wants forgiveness It's such a clever masquerade She's so good with her stiletto You don't even see the blade She cuts you hard, she cuts you deep, She's got so much skill She's so fascinating that you're still there waiting When she comes back for the kill You've been slashed in the face You've been left there to bleed You want to run away But you know you're gonna stay 'Cause she gives you what you need Then she says she wants affection While she searches for the vein She's so good with her stiletto You don't really mind the pain She cuts you out, she cuts you down She carves up your life But you won't do nothng As she keeps on cutting 'Cause you know you love the knife You've been bought, you've been sold You've been locked outside the door But you stand there pleadin' With your insides bleedin' 'Cause you deep down want some more Then she says she needs affection While she searches for the vein She's so good with her stiletto, You don't really mind the pain
I saw Billy Joel in Salt Lake City for free a few years back. I won tickets to see him over the radio. Oh yeah, and shout out to Kool G Rap. The hardest in the game.
Growing up listening to billy joel is a privilege. He has a song for every stage of life and it almost feels as though he is by your side as you experience it. If there are some songs that werent your fav the first time through go back and revisit them . Maybe you just werent there yet. The range of emotions and soothing sounds from the vinyl late at night got so many of us through our formative years. He is comforting like home....family....friends youve had since kindergarten.... Thank you for sharing the sounds of your soul with us bill, you will always play the keys to our hearts😊
When I was a kid, I just loved the piano/drum break. As a grown man, the lyrics remind me so much of a past relationship it's like I wrote them myself. Amazing...
I will pay good money to sit through a LIVE 12-minute version of Stiletto. To me, it is easily worth $5,000 to have that once-in-a-lifetime experience captured in my brain forever.
Chunky C I believe that that's Ritchie Cantana on playing the sax and horns on this album. I love how he plays. Mark Rivera was a great replacement for Rico!!!!
This should have been the first song in my playlist. Though I'm not a Billy Joel fan, he made a lot of songs that I like... and this is my favorite. The words are unmatched!🤫
this song, and so many of billy's, just sounds like something I've been listening to all my life even on the first listen. like an extremely comfy t-shirt.
The piano solo is badass. The drums are slammin' and Billy does some lovely chord vamping over those key changes and the walking bass lines. :) ----> 2:03
Will always remember this song from my sophomore year in college and dancing around inside my room...one of my favorites of his along with Root Beer Rag. Got to see him the following year (1981?) and loved when he started playing "Live and Let Die" and the crowd went crazy.
"When I was five years old, I realized there was a road at the end, I will win lots of pots of gold. Never took a break, never made a mistake took time to create 'cause there's money to make. To be a billionaire takes hard work for years, some nights I shed a tear while I said a prayer. Been through hard times, even worked part time in a Key Food store sweeping floors for dimes. I was sort of a porter taking the next man's orders breaking my back for a shack from headquarters. All my manpower for four bucks an hour, took my time and wrote rhymes in the shower. Shoes are scuffed 'cause the road gets rough but I'mma rock it 'cause my pockets ain't stuffed enough. All the freaks wouldn't speak 'cause my checks were weak, they would turn the other cheek, so I started to seek... a way to get a play, and maybe one day I'll be performing up a storm for a decent pay. No matter how it seems, I always kept the dream all the girlies screamed and suckers get creamed. Dreamed about it for five years straight... finally, I got a break to cut my first plate. The road ain't yellow and it ain't no witches My name is Kool G Rap, I'm on the Road To The Riches."
very good. love it. Congrats. Nice work. However, it could be polished better. Don't think your work is sacred the way it comes off the top of your head. A guy like Billy Joel gets that excellence by polishing it. Here's few improvements for you: Billionaires work for years so they can be a player. Some nights I shed tears while I say a prayer. Been through hard times, even worked part time At the "Loco Lime" sweepin floors for thin dimes. ... Bidin' time and writin' rhymes... ... All the freaks wouldn't speak cuz my rhymes were weak ... It ain't got no witches Free of charge just for you!!!!!
My second...right behind The Stranger. After Glass Houses i stopped buying but he had At least one Brilliant Song on every Album After that. An innocent Man is my Favorite Song By Him
This uptempo piece is about an irresistible but dangerous woman who wields emotional manipulation like a sharp blade. On “52nd Street” (1978), a jazzy send-up to Manhattan’s nightlife, Billy Joel reunited with Phil Ramone, producer of his breakthrough LP “The Stranger” in 1977. For its follow-up, Ramone encouraged Joel to shift his musical direction and experiment jazz. The album won two Grammy Awards in 1980 : Best Male Pop Vocal Performance & Album of the Year. The funky bass lines, finger snaps and cliffhanger breaks were added after Joel listened to the first playbacks and decided the song needed a visceral hook to create the right tension. Ramone wrote : “Memorable fills, phrases and breaks - such as the one on ‘Stiletto’ - are what set the best records apart. These devices are especially effective when they’re heard at the beginning of a song […].” Ramone explained how drummer Liberty DeVitto nailed the sound effect of a switchblade clicking open : “It had rained that day, so we got an umbrella and Liberty practiced opening it so the timing would be right. We begin recording … here comes the take… and SNAP! The umbrella flew right off the top of the handle. The timing - and the sound - couldn’t have been better.” 💚☂️💛
When the best of both worlds collided.. Kool G Rap used this piano riff on his classic hip hop banger - Road to the Riches.. Thanks Billy Joel for birthing those songs. [posted June 20, 2021]
Saw them in 1978 the day before this album was released, such a great band, Liberty DeVito one of the all-time greats, Richie Canata received several standing O's, how could Billy leave these guys behind?
back when mainstream music had dope ass music and talented musicians (funk, soul, blues, jazz, rock)...and rap had dope ass rappers who sampled all these dope tracks. RIP music.
One of his grooviest songs period. Stiletto is such an under-appreciated banger, especially when Side 1 gets most of the attention imo.
If i could only ever listen to one album for the rest of my life, 52 Street might be the winner.
That piano break still blows my mind,I'm 54 almost 55,in October,and I've been listening to this song since it came out!!!
Look up Kool G Rap “Road to the riches”
That piano though... chills EVERY time
DJ Polo & Kool G Rap
@@oldirtydasher word.... road to the riches
duh duh duh duh duh duh
I know🤗😱😱🤗
@@JOOSEMAN78 Where do you think they got it?
Great song by Billy Joel that hasn't been grossly overplayed on the radio.
You can never overplay any Billy Joel song
@@edwardcannon9199 *we didn’t start the fire and piano man would like to know your location*
@soarinskies1105 Fair point. Not even close to his best songs either in my opinion, which makes it more unfortunate
lol
one of the best piano breaks ever
I tried to play it. My fingers broke at the piano break.
And the sax line is pretty awesome as well.
Yes. SIR
Facts yo
Kool G Rap sampled it
This was back when Pop music was actually good and had a real meaning to the words. It’s like Billy Joel was telling everyone a message in his songs. Long live the Piano king 🤘
Billy Joel is so fucking brilliant.
It's really not fair
He is my favorite singer
@@TransitLover_17 Same
Yup!
It realy is. The only mistery here is why the world doesn't realize it enough.
That transcends rock & roll, it really does! I had a jr. high school English teacher played this during class in '78, I went out and bought it the next day. I have never been disappointed with my purchase.
That saxophone sounds so amazing
SammytheTongue oh yes very
Ok Christie Lee
@@feversia5828 lmao
My father had the record of 52nd St. back when it was out in 1978-79. I loved this song then. I was a senior in high school.
One of my favorites albums. Piano, saxophone played so brilliantly. Still listening in the 21st century.
At his peak Elton John outshown Billy Joel in record sales. But Elton was supported by Bernie Taupin's brilliant but often obscure lyrics. Elton would never have achieved his level of success without Bernie, who in my opinion never received enough credit.
On the other hand Billy was the complete package. Outstanding musically but oh his lyrics! What incredible stories they told!
Iabrat, you hit it right on the button. 👍
"Obscure"?
labrat or you could’ve just said that billy Joel is great. Don’t need to compare him to Elton.
Why not both?
Both is good.
@@rockinresurrection6542 Yes, obscure. I've started buying EJ albums starting with Elton John and backing up to Empty Sky until the late 70's/early 80's. I read in all those albums a lot of lyrics and they aren't exactly straightforward.
the 70s and 80s were by far the best era for music. such a good song
YESS!
bro he only has one album that’s isn’t 70’s or 80’s that’s like saying the 60’s was by far the beatles best
It was truly the golden era of music and film
@@God-ud3yo Hes talking music in general
He was a real master in his prime. So many creative ideas in this song.
experience*
He still is a master. Prime? Still in it. Still touring. Still filling huge venues. Still delighting audiences of all ages everywhere.
This is Billy at his best. Kick ass jam by the entire band.
My favorite Billy Joel song. The time signature (s) and tempos are mind blowing
One of the greatest songs of all time.
Billy always says the Beatles were really hot during the Help / Rubber Soul / Revolver period. Well IMHO, his Stranger / 52nd Street / Glass Houses period (78-80) was just as amazing. And written all by himself!
And better. I am English but believe BJ is the best.
I agree with you
Billy is the best for me all the time.!!!!
Facts
Don’t forget about The Stranger
Can we pleeeez STAHP with the "underrated" claims? The "52nd Street" album was Album Of The Year in '79, won TWO Grammys plus an AMA nom, was one of the biggest albums of the entire decade, & is still ranked as one of the 500 Greatest Albums Of ALL Time....Radio, DJs, & skating rinks across the nation played the living HELL out of this entire album back in '79-'80-'81, so there isn't ONE song on there that can be labeled as "underrated". To this very day, all cuts from album are classic rock station staples -- Go turn on your local classic rock radio station for a couple of hours & i guaran-damn-tee you will hear 2-3 tracks including "Stiletto".....And on top of all that, this supposedly "underrated" song went on to become the basis sample loop for one of the biggest & most classic hip-hop songs of the late '80s-early '90s, "Road To Riches"
In terms of airplay, the facts are in..it's underrated!
Thank you, Tarantulisimo ... I get fed up with the mis-use of the term 'underrated', when they probably mean something like 'played rarely on the radio [probably because it wasn't a single] and appreciated only by [insert name of artist here]'s fans who don't make a song and dance [ha ha] about it, safe in the knowledge that they have impeccable taste in music'.
Of course Top 40 radio played Big Shot, Honesty, & My Life non-stop, but AOR radio & classic rock stations wore out the entire album. And the songs have been covered, remade & sampled numerous times.
This album is in my blood & the grooves in the Lp worn out. Know every word❤️
Don’t forget this is the first album to be pressed into a CD!
I love the piano in the intro and the lead, all throughout!
Such an amazing album , this song has a gritty Ray Charles vibe . Never gets old
52nd street was such a great album,every song was great! It defined our times very underrated
Billy Joel is what a real Musician is supposed to be . I don't want to sound like an old man .
His career has covered almost every genre of Music . What's on the Radio as Pop doesn't compare and he did all this without autotune .
He's a Damn Genius .
Seen him 4 times ..When he toured with Elton John was the Best concert I've been to .
Well of course, he was with Elton John, what can be better than two of the best pop musicians in the damn world on stage together
P!NK is excellent and her concert is by far the best I've ever seen. Anthem rock is hella cool and I love it in spite of being 17 when Joel was in his heyday. I saw him in concert when "Allentown" was his new song. After 25 years of nothing but stinking grunge, how can you not like today's pop? I was like a drowning man getting air!!
I know right and I am 13
Totally agree
TWO GDS AT THE SAME TIME ...I ALSO SAW THEM TOGETHER ...WHAT A PERFECT SHOW ...
Fantastic song. The bassline with the piano is ridiculously cool, funky and hauntingly urgent. I can see why Road to the Riches was created.
I used to be able to play Stegmeyer's bass line during the instrumental bridge. I still can, but not as fast w/o practice.
Kool G Rap & Polo
When I was five years old I realized there was a road at the end I would win lotsa pots of gold!
Liberty Devitto’s just a wiz on the hi-hats... Crisp and fresh...
She cuts you once, she cuts you twice
But still you believe
The wound is so fresh you can taste the blood
But you don't have strength to leave
You've been bought, you've been sold
You've been locked outside the door
But you stand there pleadin',
With your insides bleedin',
'Cause you deep down want some more
Then she says she wants forgiveness
It's such a clever masquerade
She's so good with her stiletto
You don't even see the blade
She cuts you hard, she cuts you deep,
She's got so much skill
She's so fascinating that you're still there waiting
When she comes back for the kill
You've been slashed in the face
You've been left there to bleed
You want to run away
But you know you're gonna stay
'Cause she gives you what you need
Then she says she wants affection
While she searches for the vein
She's so good with her stiletto
You don't really mind the pain
She cuts you out, she cuts you down
She carves up your life
But you won't do nothng
As she keeps on cutting
'Cause you know you love the knife
You've been bought, you've been sold
You've been locked outside the door
But you stand there pleadin'
With your insides bleedin'
'Cause you deep down want some more
Then she says she needs affection
While she searches for the vein
She's so good with her stiletto,
You don't really mind the pain
What's up Dude great
Total Genius . 12 Albums
Billy Joel is a GENIUS
Thank you lyric bro.
Amazing lyrics. True Genius
I saw Billy Joel in Salt Lake City for free a few years back. I won tickets to see him over the radio. Oh yeah, and shout out to Kool G Rap. The hardest in the game.
This was a popular breakbeat at Hip-Hop jams back in the 70s...
The saxophone of Richie Cannata...SIMPLY THE BEST!
absolutley
my son, age 14, has the most eclectic playlist, including this and a handful of other Joel songs
This was my favourite album above all others back in the 70s; it still remains unsurpassed. The music is pure genius and very missed. 💔
What a writer! He’s such a credit to the game. As Billy would say.
Billy Joel at the height of his powers-lyrics, melody, band all on the next level.This song is just so tight. Amazingly well produced for 1978
Growing up listening to billy joel is a privilege. He has a song for every stage of life and it almost feels as though he is by your side as you experience it. If there are some songs that werent your fav the first time through go back and revisit them . Maybe you just werent there yet.
The range of emotions and soothing sounds from the vinyl late at night got so many of us through our formative years. He is comforting like home....family....friends youve had since kindergarten....
Thank you for sharing the sounds of your soul with us bill, you will always play the keys to our hearts😊
One of the greatest breaks in music history
One of my favorite BJ songs. The piano in this is phenomenal!
When I was a kid, I just loved the piano/drum break. As a grown man, the lyrics remind me so much of a past relationship it's like I wrote them myself. Amazing...
@@brucerye255 his first wife Elizabeth I think
@@donnalepore7618
Every woman who's ever lived I think.
just discovered this. billy joel is so cool.
glad to hear it. he has so much great music over 20 years or so
welcome to Billy Joel fans, I been a fan for over 30 years
It is my impression that he is saying that he likes more than "forty years" of Billy Joel's music. I could be wrong. It happened once before.
:)
loving hearing stuff like this....This is my absolutely favorite Album of his...so much goodness..sweet sounds phenomenal beats and fantastic grooves!
This entire album was one banger after another. Absolutely incredible.
One of Billy's very best. Highly underrated.
Cannot agree more.
+longport26 All of them are amazing! Who are we all kidding? :)
My favorite musician hands down!
100%. He's the GOAT.
longport26 this songs a hit single lol but definitely still is under rated
I will pay good money to sit through a LIVE 12-minute version of Stiletto.
To me, it is easily worth $5,000 to have that once-in-a-lifetime
experience captured in my brain forever.
Timeless classic. Whenever I listen to Billy Joel I think of New York and love both in equal measure.
This guy right here. Musical genius!
His lyrics are genius!
very underrated song
Underrated by whom?
By the general public at this point in time
Some don’t know what the word means. It’s used all over TH-cam.
I forgot about this song. This is hard core for billy Joel.
One of Billy's best gems.
Just Sick! the Trumpet & Piano intro epic! Billy's music definitely had influenced on the golden era of Hip Hop!
Chunky C I believe the beginning is a tenor saxophone... but I do really enjoy it
Aanish Puri Good point!
Chunky C I believe that that's Ritchie Cantana on playing the sax and horns on this album. I love how he plays. Mark Rivera was a great replacement for Rico!!!!
That's the joint that made me respect the piano man Billy Joel I always go back to this album masterpiece
This should have been the first song in my playlist. Though I'm not a Billy Joel fan, he made a lot of songs that I like... and this is my favorite. The words are unmatched!🤫
this song, and so many of billy's, just sounds like something I've been listening to all my life even on the first listen. like an extremely comfy t-shirt.
The rhythm of this song does not disappoint.
Every song on this album was a gem -- I wore the album out in '78 when I was 16!
I did the same thing. Same time. Same age. Greatest. Wasnt it fun!
I'm with ya girl. I was one year outta H.S. in 78' and bought this album. Wore it out so I bought another one. Hee Hee.
I just discovered this track yesterday. I can't believe I have been missing out for so long. Thank God for SiriusXM's 70s channel.
He is my mind definitely one of best piano players along with the other great pianists in modern music.
Love the old school sound and vibe that it offers.
Damn straight up , 40 years later I still know all the lyrics , long live Billy Joel
I sing along every TIME I listen
Should have 232 million views
I remember when i first heard this I couldn’t believe it was a Billy Joel song… This is still one of the hardest break beats to this day..
Big ole facts
The piano solo is badass. The drums are slammin' and Billy does some lovely chord vamping over those key changes and the walking bass lines. :) ----> 2:03
My favorite Billy Joel song!
This brings back Childhood Memories! It is so good to be able to see him at the GARDEN!
alicia rosenfeld even his shoes and sweat are sexy
Back when Grammy's meant something as I see it. Tremendous, and wish more was placed on such incredible musical prowess now.
Loved this album as a kid, still do now!
Summer of 79???
Around then.
Liberty de vitto. What a drummer!
THE COLD CRUSH,THE COLD CRUSH,THE COLD CRUSH,THE COLD CRUSH,1982⁉️ WHEN THERE WERE ONLY 6 OR 7 RAP RECORDS 😮😮
Genius, what a masterpiece of a song...
Illest piano break ever.
Kool G. Rap sampled it on Road to the Riches. So sick. I always liked Billy Joel too
I feel like this album was Joel's homage to West Side Story...it's my favorite. Even though I'm 44...my parents have good taste
Best part was definitely the saxophone and piano in the middle, gives you chills
"Pushin' all buttons, pullin' all switches -- My name is Kool G Rap, I'm on the road to the riches..."
Ah shit, here we go again.
@@brainsploder4841 yessir
It’s been 3 years. Can you tell me whence this road end
I was thinking the same thing. I also see you have 2 square lames that commented as while.
@@brainsploder4841them white had me high on crystal meth
I love this so much ..billy is a genius
Will always remember this song from my sophomore year in college and dancing around inside my room...one of my favorites of his along with Root Beer Rag. Got to see him the following year (1981?) and loved when he started playing "Live and Let Die" and the crowd went crazy.
Always liked Bill Joel since my teenage years. This one slipped my mind til the other morning in a dream. Especially the piano solos!!!
This is in my opinion the best song Billy ever put out. I love it!!!
Wrong, Miami 2017 is the best but you are forgiven 😅
Intellectual lyrics.. but straight NYC... that's y people r still catching up... A GENIUS
One of the greatest music creations ever. 52nd Street is where it’s at. They just don’t write em like that anymore! No, they don’t!
Why does this song resonate with me so much 😭
Do have a fetish for stiletto heels?
Same, and I’m a hetero chick.
Because every man alive has been there at least once.
@@ZekeMan62 Yep. Wish THAT was a lie, haha
Totally! and a part of us misses the whole experience.
First album I ever bought myself, I listened to it over and over and over again!
i will never get sick of this song
BTW, super excellent, under appreciated drum track on this song! Wow! You are hearing excellence!
Joel wrote some great hits. But this tune is still my absolute favorite of his.
"When I was five years old, I realized there was a road
at the end, I will win lots of pots of gold.
Never took a break, never made a mistake
took time to create 'cause there's money to make.
To be a billionaire takes hard work for years,
some nights I shed a tear while I said a prayer.
Been through hard times, even worked part time
in a Key Food store sweeping floors for dimes.
I was sort of a porter taking the next man's orders
breaking my back for a shack from headquarters.
All my manpower for four bucks an hour,
took my time and wrote rhymes in the shower.
Shoes are scuffed 'cause the road gets rough
but I'mma rock it 'cause my pockets ain't stuffed enough.
All the freaks wouldn't speak 'cause my checks were weak,
they would turn the other cheek, so I started to seek...
a way to get a play, and maybe one day
I'll be performing up a storm for a decent pay.
No matter how it seems, I always kept the dream
all the girlies screamed and suckers get creamed.
Dreamed about it for five years straight...
finally, I got a break to cut my first plate.
The road ain't yellow and it ain't no witches
My name is Kool G Rap, I'm on the Road To The Riches."
very good. love it. Congrats. Nice work. However, it could be polished better. Don't think your work is sacred the way it comes off the top of your head. A guy like Billy Joel gets that excellence by polishing it. Here's few improvements for you:
Billionaires work for years so they can be a player.
Some nights I shed tears while I say a prayer.
Been through hard times, even worked part time
At the "Loco Lime" sweepin floors for thin dimes.
...
Bidin' time and writin' rhymes...
...
All the freaks wouldn't speak cuz my rhymes were weak
...
It ain't got no witches
Free of charge just for you!!!!!
Real lyrics by a real Emcee
@@tonybaloney5922 lyricism from the greatest
just found a 52nd Street vinyl yesterday for a buck 95 at a thrift store Best purchase ever
Well, a buck three eighty won't buy you much lately on the street these days. So you got a bargain :)
Every song great, put it on, play it, (flip it over), play it. Perfection.
My favorite Billy Joel Album!!
My second...right behind The Stranger. After Glass Houses i stopped buying but he had At least one Brilliant Song on every Album After that. An innocent Man is my Favorite Song By Him
This uptempo piece is about an irresistible but dangerous woman who wields emotional manipulation like a sharp blade.
On “52nd Street” (1978), a jazzy send-up to Manhattan’s nightlife, Billy Joel reunited with Phil Ramone, producer of his breakthrough LP “The Stranger” in 1977. For its follow-up, Ramone encouraged Joel to shift his musical direction and experiment jazz. The album won two Grammy Awards in 1980 : Best Male Pop Vocal Performance & Album of the Year.
The funky bass lines, finger snaps and cliffhanger breaks were added after Joel listened to the first playbacks and decided the song needed a visceral hook to create the right tension. Ramone wrote : “Memorable fills, phrases and breaks - such as the one on ‘Stiletto’ - are what set the best records apart. These devices are especially effective when they’re heard at the beginning of a song […].”
Ramone explained how drummer Liberty DeVitto nailed the sound effect of a switchblade clicking open : “It had rained that day, so we got an umbrella and Liberty practiced opening it so the timing would be right. We begin recording … here comes the take… and SNAP! The umbrella flew right off the top of the handle. The timing - and the sound - couldn’t have been better.” 💚☂️💛
I love the out of nowhere saxophone solo in the middle of the song.
Bought the album in 78'and loved it from the start.
When the best of both worlds collided.. Kool G Rap used this piano riff on his classic hip hop banger - Road to the Riches.. Thanks Billy Joel for birthing those songs. [posted June 20, 2021]
“When I was five years old I realized there was a road
At the end I will win lots of pots of gold”
The vocal/piano call/response is just cool. Love the song
HUH? I didn't notice that! I need to listen again. Thanks!
@@TheLarryBrown I think they're talking about the part at (for example) 3:15
"she carves up your life"...been there, done that...see Billy knows
I don't see this is underrated. Billy Joel got a lot of his following he deserve.
Je n'arrive pas à me lasser de cette chanson...quel moment de bonheur !
Saw them in 1978 the day before this album was released, such a great band, Liberty DeVito one of the all-time greats, Richie Canata received several standing O's, how could Billy leave these guys behind?
Road to the Riches
When I was five years old, I realized there was a road, at the end I would listen to lots of Billy Joel.
Heck yeah. I always wondered where they sampled it from. Thank you internet and Billy Joe.l
Kool G Rap haha
back when mainstream music had dope ass music and talented musicians (funk, soul, blues, jazz, rock)...and rap had dope ass rappers who sampled all these dope tracks. RIP music.
The Coldcrush , The Coldcrush, The Coldcrush.............
Killer Album……Played the Hell out of Side 2 💕🎹
This song always reminds me of playing GTA: San Andreas whenever I hear that one piano solo in this song! Especially when I was a teenager.