Vertical Divider
     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.
Live at Shea Stadium (2008).  Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage, Embed from Getty Images.  See photo.
     Billy's music reflects a wide variety of interests and  themes  almost unparalleled in rock/pop music for a solo artist.  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 still played frequently.  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.
Studio Albums
Live Albums​
Compilations & Specials
    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 
'cause it's always been the same old scene.
There's a new band in a town but you can't get the sound
From a story in a magazine,  aimed at your average teen. 
                   
                    -- From "It's Still Rock & Roll To Me"
    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.  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 former 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).
​
     Although he has not recorded a pop album in over twenty-five 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.
​
Columbia Records Publicity Photo (1980)
Photo: Patrick Demarchelier (1993)
                 And these are the last words I have to say
                 It's always hard to say goodbye
                But now it's time to put this book away
                And that's the story of my life

                                     --  From "Famous Last Words"

​  ​     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.

     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."
At Wembley Arena in 2006.   Photo: Leslie McGhie/WireImage. 
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 a here for editorial commentary and for research purposes, and are not for commercial use. This site has no advertisements, makes no money, and does not collect any personal information.   See also Footer below.  See Contact Us page for DMCA notices or any other questions.​  

Otherwise, other text and layout are copyright this site, One Final Serenade.  Background collage photo from Facebook Group Billy Joel-Fans with permission from Admin.  The collage may have been posted by a fan on BillyJoel.com.  Some photos in collage substituted by One Final Serenade.  This site is not optimized for mobile devices.   

Comments

Please leave a comment or suggestion.  To those of you who posted comments before on the prior version of this website, using Facebook comments, I'm sorry but they did not transfer over when I upgraded the site.  Thanks for commenting.
If the comments are cut off, try changing the view (zoom) to 90% and back to 100%.
​All music and lyrics by Billy Joel, except as noted. Lyrics to Billy Joel songs are © Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC.  This is an unofficial fan site providing information and commentary on Billy Joel's music. This site has no advertisements, makes no money, and does not collect any personal information.  It is not affiliated, endorsed, or sponsored by Billy Joel, UMPG, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Sony Music, Columbia Records, Maritime Music, or any Billy Joel organization.  Billy Joel's official site is at BillyJoel.com.