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Welcome to One Final Serenade: Songs of Billy Joel. This is an unofficial fan site dedicated to the songs and music of Billy Joel, one of the most talented and successful musicians in history. This is a non-commercial site providing commentary, analysis, and editorial information on Billy's songs. There are no advertisements on this site. See Disclaimer below. For news, tour information, music, and merchandise, go to Billy Joel's official site at BillyJoel.com.
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Photo: Peter Cunningham (1974). Columbia Records publicity photo.
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Billy's music reflects a wide variety of interests and themes almost unparalleled in rock/pop music for a solo artist. His music ranges from poignant ballads such as "Just The Way You Are" and "And So It Goes," to pugnacious rockers like "You May Be Right" and "No Man's Land." He has penned jazz-tinged classics ("New York State of Mind," "Baby Grand") as well as thoughtful statements about our times ("Scenes From An Italian Restaurant," "Allentown"). Those critics and fans who are only familiar with his quirky atypical hits like "Uptown Girl" and "We Didn't Start The Fire" are missing out on many of his finest songs such as "Summer, Highland Falls," "Vienna," "Where's The Orchestra," "The Downeaster Alexa," "And So It Goes," "Famous Last Words," and many, many others. Although he has not released a rock/pop album since 1993, Billy remains one of the most popular musicians on tour, and his music is admired by many.
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Now we are forced to recognize our inhumanity
Our reason coexists with our insanity
And though we choose between reality and madness
It's either sadness or euphoria
– From "Summer, Highland Falls"
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Billy Joel's diversity is one of his greatest strengths. Since The Beatles, few musicians have created as diverse a body of music than Billy Joel. The Beatles, Beethoven, Dave Brubeck, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, and others were all influences, but Billy's musical diversity is also the source of much of the criticism he has received. Many critics do not know how to classify or categorize him. In the 1970s, they tried comparing him to two of the biggest rock stars of the time, Elton John and Bruce Springsteen. Was he an American Elton or a piano-playing Springsteen?
Oh, it doesn't matter what they say in the papers |
Columbia Records Publicity Photo (1980)
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He was neither. He was both. He was different. His irresistible melodies drew comparisons to Paul McCartney, yet his ironic and sardonic lyrics were reminiscent of John Lennon. When critics derided Billy as being just another soft-rock balladeer after the success of songs like "Just The Way You Are" and "Honesty," he punched right back with songs like "Big Shot" and "It's Still Rock & Roll To Me." As he often says at the end of his concerts, "Don't take any shit from anybody." He didn't. After the back-to-back popular success of The Stranger, 52nd Street, and Glass Houses, Billy won over the critics with The Nylon Curtain (1982) which featured more political themes and complex sounds.
Columbia Records Publicity Photo (1982)
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He followed that up with An Innocent Man (1983) a fun and heartfelt homage to the musical groups he had idolized in his youth, which shot up the charts in the Eighties despites its retro theme. The Bridge (1986) and Storm Front (1989) followed, and in between Billy played historic concerts in the former Soviet Union. Billy closed out his rock/pop recording career with 1993’s River of Dreams, then surprised everyone by releasing an album of classical pieces, Fantasies & Delusions in 2001.
Oh, I'm going to listen to my 45's |
Although he has not recorded a rock/pop album in over twenty-five years, Billy and his music remains extremely popular today among other recording artists as well as fans. Over the years, his songs have been covered by everyone from the Beastie Boys to Beyonce to Dolly Parton and Frank Sinatra. His fans include Gavin Degraw, Leonard Cohen, Nellie Furtado, Pink and Olivia Rodrigo. His music served as the basis for the hit Broadway musical Movin' Out by choreographer Twyla Tharp which ran on Broadway from 2002 to 2005. And his songs have been featured in movies and televsion programs such as The Office, The Hangover, Glee, The Boys, How I Met Your Mother, and This Is Us.
Columbia Records Publicity Photo and cover of Voyage on the River of Dreams (1993). Photo: Patrick Demarchelier.
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Billy has received every conceivable award and accolade given in the music industry, including the The Grammy Legend Award in 1991, Billboard Century Award in 1994, induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992 and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors Award (video) for contribution to the Performing Arts in 2013, and the Library of Congress Gershwin Award for Popular Song (video) in 2014. But he is not done, he is still going strong today. He stole the show at "12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief" and his concerts sell out in minutes. He became the first musician franchise at Madison Square Garden, selling out concerts month after month. In fact, in the past few years, it has suddenly become fashionable among music critics and pundits to "re-discover" Billy Joel and heap praise upon him. Billy celebrated his 73rd birthday in 2022, still performing and still at the top of his game.
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While Billy Joel may not have created a new genre of rock or pop (it's all still just rock and roll to me), he has created a body of work that is both timeless and poetic. Billy Joel would have been a successful musician and artist in any era, in any genre. He is the "five-tool" player in music, a brilliant composer, supreme lyricist, amazing singer, accomplished keyboard player, and fantastic live performer. Billy Joel and his music occupy a special place in American rock/pop music history. His music is and will always be "sweet after all these years."
And these are the last words I have to say |
Wembley Arena (2006). Getty Images. Photo: Leslie McGhie
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Update: A new version of Live At Yankee Stadium, both the video (DVD) and audio (CD), was announced in August 2022 and set for release in November 2022. The new DVD has the same songs as the prior one, with the addition of "Uptown Girl." However, the video and audio quality have been greatly improved, and the video has been re-edited to make it less "jumpy" like the original one from 1990. The concert film will be shown at theaters on October 5 and 9, 2022. See link. As to audio (CD), this is a two disc set with 22 songs. There was no prior official CD of the concerts, except for the five-song CD that was part of the Australian package.
Disclaimer: This is an unofficial fan site that is not affiliated, endorsed, or sponsored by Billy Joel, Sony Music, Columbia Records, Maritime Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, or any similar entity. The Official Billy Joel site is at BillyJoel.com. Except as otherwise noted, all music and lyrics by Billy Joel are © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC Joel Songs, Sony Music, and/or affiliated organizations, and are posted here for editorial commentary and research purposes, and are not for commercial use. This site has no advertisements and does not collect any personal information. See Contact Us page for DMCA notices or any other questions. Otherwise, text and layout are copyright this site, One Final Serenade. Background collage photo from Facebook Group Billy Joel-Fans with permission from Admin. Some photos in collage substituted by One Final Serenade. This site is not optimized for mobile devices.
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