Well, it's no big sin to stick your two cents in
If you know when to leave it alone But you went over the line You couldn't see it was time to go home Billy starts out 52nd Street with one of his hardest rocking songs to date, the blistering "Big Shot." The "big shot" in the song cavorts around New York as if she owns it and as if everyone cares. They don't. But she is oblivious to the fact that there is a price to pay for acting like a prima donna.
Billy has called "Big Shot" a "hangover" song. Billy sounds a bit like Mick Jagger in this one, and the story is that he wrote the song about Mick's then wife, Bianca Jagger (though in earlier interviews Billy had said it was about himself, which made no sense in light of the reference to "Halston dress" but it was perhaps an attempt to deflect the true story). Apparently, Mick had been complaining about Bianca to Billy, and it became the inspiration for the song. Or, the story is that Billy had a dinner with the couple, and later wrote a song that Mick should sing to her. If you notice in the video, Billy strikes a classic Mick Jagger pose at 1:27.
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Well, you went uptown ridin' in your limousine
With your fine Park Avenue clothes You had the Dom Perignon in your hand And the spoon up your nose Ooh, and when you wake up in the mornin' With your head on fire And your eyes too bloody to see Go on and cry in your coffee But don't come bitchin' to me Because you had to be a big shot, didn't ya? You had to open up your mouth You had to be a big shot, didn't ya? All your friends were so knocked out You had to have the last word, last night You know what everything's about You had to have a white hot spotlight You had to be a big shot last night Well, they were all impressed with your Halston dress And the people that you knew at Elaine's And the story of your latest success Kept 'em so entertained But now you just don't remember All the things you said And you're not sure that you want to know I'll give you one hint, honey You sure did put on a show Yes, yes, you had to be a big shot, didn't ya You had to prove it to the crowd You had to be a big shot, didn't ya All your friends were so knocked out You had to have the last word, last night You're so much fun to be around You had to have the front page, bold type You had to be a big shot last night Oh oh whoa whoa oh . . . Well, it's no big sin to stick your two cents in If you know when to leave it alone But you went over the line You couldn't see it was time to go home No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no You had to be a big shot, didn't ya You had to open up your mouth You had to be a big shot, didn't ya All your friends were so knocked out You had to have the last word, last night So much fun to be around You had to have the white hot spotlight You had to be a big shot last night, oh oh Oh oh whoa whoa oh . . . Big shot . . . Big shot . . . Billy discusses the "Big Shot." Subscribe to SiriusXM.
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According to Liberty DeVitto, the final guitar part on the song was done in one take by David Brown who joined the band just before the 52nd Street tour. The part was overdubbed because Billy Joel wasn't satisfied with it. From DeVitto's 2020 biography, Liberty.
"Big Shot" was a big hit for Billy and became a staple of his live show when he'd somersault or jump off the piano, but it's not always in his current live set anymore. Too bad, even without the somersault, it's an energetic crowd-pleaser. The song reached #14 on the charts in the U.S. * * * * *
As with some other songs from 52nd Street, Billy recorded a music video for "Big Shot" which features him performing the song live. It's fun to watch both Billy and drummer Liberty Devitto in this video, they really get into it and ham it up, and Billy finally comes out from behind the piano. Guitarist Mr. Steve Khan is also impressive and fun to watch. The videos were relatively rudimentary, mostly simple performances with some creative moments. When Billy's two-part Video Albums were released in 1986, a new video (see below) for "Big Shot" was recorded which spliced in scenes featuring an actress (Australian comedian Pamela Stephenson of Saturday Night Live) acting out scenes from the song in addition to Billy's original video performance. See below.
In 2013, Brandon Urie of Panic From the Disco did a solid cover of "Big Shot" at the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony honoring Billy and others. See video. Billy seemed to enjoy it. Don Henley, Garth Brooks, Rufus Wainwright and also sang covers of Billy's songs at the ceremony.
The Beastie Boys have covered "Big Shot" live in their concerts, click here to listen. Mike D of the Beastie Boys wrote a funny article explaining why Billy Joel is the "fifth Beastie Boy." Give it up for Mr. Billy Joel, indeed. |
Scenes from the "Big Shot" video.
Billy and The Lords of 52nd Street.
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