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A Room of Our Own
The Nylon Curtain (1982) |
"A Room of Our Own" is a sardonic take on modern relationships. Men and women are different, she's got "yoga" and he's got "beer" (my two favorite things these days). She's got the day shift, he's got nights.
So sometimes we need time off from each other, to get away to a room of our own or else we feel "packed together like a can of sardines . . . pushin', shovin', that's when lovin' starts to come apart at the seams." Billy tells us repeatedly "it's alright," everyone needs to get away and have a room of their own. Retreat to your man cave, or go out and get a beer. It's the same sentiment he put forth in 1973's "Ain't No Crime," that "it's to good to get it on to get a load off your mind" or "for the rest of your life you might have somebody, but you won't want 'em every day." "A Room of Our Own" was likely inspired, at least in part, by Billy's relationship with his first wife Elizabeth who was also his manager (they divorced after The Nylon Curtain was released). 
"Room In New York" by Edward Hopper (1932). Like many of his other works, this evokes feelings of inner isolation and needing one's own space to pursue one's own interests.
In any event it's an enjoyable rocker, albeit with a somewhat sarcastic message, and a brief respite from the more heavy songs on The Nylon Curtain. Billy stated on SiriusXM that he had John Lennon and The Beatles songs on his mind when recording the song including The Beatles' "She's A Woman" (written mainly by Paul). "A Room of Our Own" is another underrated Billy Joel song that is rarely played in concert.
Billy discusses "A Room Of Our Own" on SiriusXM. Subscribe to SiriusXM.
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You've got diamonds
And I've got spades You've got pills And I've got razor blades You've got yoga, honey I've got beer You got overpriced And I got weird But it's alright We're the same even though we're alone It's alright Yes we all need a room of our own You've got love darlin' I've got sex You've got cash, mama And I've got checks You've got business, baby I've got the kids You got crowded just the way I did But it's alright Cause we all need a place to call home It's alright Yes we all need a room of our own I can still remember packed together Like a can of sardines No, no, no Pushin', shovin', that's when lovin' Starts to come apart at the seams Oh no, no, no, no You've got the day shift I've got nights We go wrong at times But we've got rights You've got TV shows I've got crime But you've got your room, honey And I've got mine It's alright It's the one thing that we should have known Yes, it's alright Yes, we all need a room of our own And it's alright Yes we all need a place to call home It's alright Yes we all need a room of our own It's alright, it's alright To have a room of your own No, no, no, it's alright, yeah it's alright mama To have a room of our own Sometimes you've got to get away Got to get away, got to get away Got to get away to a room of our own Got to have a room Got to have a little elbow room of my own. Billy Joel in a room of his own, performing in his home studio in his Los Angeles house in 1984 (Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns)
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