One Final Serenade: Songs of Billy Joel
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BILLY JOEL
From cover of Live at Shea. Photo by Myrna Suarez.
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One Final Serenade celebrates the music and lyrics of Billy Joel. This is an unofficial fan site commenting on his music, and is not affiliated with Billy Joel or Sony Music. See Disclaimer below. For optimum viewing, you may want to zoom to 125% to make text larger by pressing the Control and + keys on a PC, or the Command and + keys on a Mac. This site is not optimized for mobile devices.
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BILLY JOEL is one of the most talented and successful musicians in history. His music reflects a wide variety of interests and themes almost unparalleled in pop music for a solo artist. Although he has not released a pop-rock album since 1993, Billy remains one of the most popular musicians on tour, and his music is still played frequently. Recently his music has found a new generation of fans, being featured on television shows like Glee and American Idol.
Billy's music ranges from poignant ballads ("Just The Way You Are," "And So It Goes"), to pugnacious rockers ("You May Be Right," "No Man's Land"), to jazz-tinged classics ("New York State of Mind," "Baby Grand") to thoughtful statements about our times ("Scenes From An Italian Restaurant," "Allentown"). Those 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 others.
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Billy Joel (1993). River of Dreams publicity photo.
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ALBUMS
Studio Albums
Live Albums
Compilations & Specials
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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?
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 any shit from anybody." He didn't.
Oh, it doesn't matter what they say in the papers 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. He followed that up with An Innocent Man (1983) a fun and heartfelt homage to the musical groups he had idolized in his youth. The Bridge (1986) and Storm Front (1989) followed, and in between he played historic concerts in the Soviet Union. Billy closed out his pop recording career with 1993’s River of Dreams, then surprised everyone by releasing an album of classical pieces, Fantasies & Delusions (2001).
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Although he has not recorded a pop album in over twenty years, Billy's music remains extremely popular. Over the years, his songs have been covered by everyone from the Beastie Boys to Beyonce, from Barbara Streisand to Alicia Keys, from Dolly Parton to The Hoosiers, and from Joan Baez to Frank Sinatra. His fans include Gavin Degraw, Leonard Cohen, Nellie Furtado, and Pink. His music has inspired and served as the basis for the hit Broadway musical Movin' Out by choreographer Twyla Tharp.
Stack the chairs on the table tops |
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He 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.
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 and his songs occupy a special place in rock/pop music history. His music is and will be "sweet after all these years."
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 and his songs occupy a special place in rock/pop music history. His music is and will be "sweet after all these years."
DISCLAIMER: This is an unofficial Billy Joel fan site that is not affiliated, endorsed, or sponsored by Billy Joel, Sony Music, Columbia Records, Maritime Music, or any similar entity. All music and lyrics by Billy Joel are copyright by Joel Songs, Sony Music, or various affiliated organizations, and are provided here for research and references purposes, and commentary. To visit the Official Billy Joel site, go to BillyJoel.com. Otherwise, other text and layout are copyright this site, One Final Serenade. This site is not optimized for mobile devices.