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         They swept away all the streamers 
         After the Labor Day parade
         Nothing left for a dreamer now
         Only one final serenade

      For fans of Billy's singer-songwriter days, "Famous Last Words" is the highlight of River of Dreams.  This little-played song ranks up there with some of Billy's finest such as "Summer, Highland Falls," "Vienna" or "Souvenir."  

    This is a beautiful work, poignant, wistful, and melancholy, but also hopeful or at least content.  The song is about goodbyes and closing out a chapter in one's life, epitomized by lyrics conveying images about the small markers in life:  "I can still taste the wedding cake," "there's comfort in my coffee cup" and "stack the chairs on the table tops, hang the sheets on the chandeliers."   The dual emotions of sadness and satisfaction (and euphoria) compete and complement each other.  This is one of Billy's finest lyrics over his last three albums and very impressionistic unlike many of his more literal lyrics.

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Billy on "Famous Last Words" from SiriusXM.

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Don Henley on the song,  from SiriusXM.​

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    The production of the song, however, was a bit heavy.  There is too much going on musically for what is already a rich and symbolic lyric full of colorful and sentimental imagery.  The song did not need much adornment and could have used a more sparse arrangement and production.  For example, Billy did perform a live, piano-only, version of this song on Inside The Actor's Studio in 1999 which really captures the essence of the song  (see video below).  Another acoustic live version from 1993 can be seen below from the UK program Lulu's Big Show.

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Words and Music by Billy Joel

Sitting here in Avalon
Looking at the pouring rain
Summertime has come and gone 
And everybody's home again
Closing down for the season
I found the last of the souvenirs
I can still taste the wedding cake 
And it's sweet after all these years

These are the last words I have to say
That's why this took so long to write
There will be other words some other day
But that's the story of my life

There's comfort in my coffee cup 
Apples in the early fall
They're pulling all the moorings up 
And gathering at the Legion Hall
Swept away all the streamers 
After the Labor Day parade
There's nothing left for a dreamer now
Only one final serenade

And these are the last words I have to say
Before another age goes by
With all those other songs I have to play
But that's the story of my life

And it's so clear standing here where I am
Ain't that what justice is for?
Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn anymore

Stack the chairs on the table tops
Hang the sheets on the chandeliers
It slows down but it never stops
Ain't it sweet after all these years

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

These are the last words I have to say
That's why it took so long to write
There will be other words some other day
Ain't that the story of my life

These are the last words I have to say
Before another age goes by
With all those other songs I have to play
Ain't that the story of my life

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Still Life With Basket of Apples, Paul Cezanne.

"There's comfort in my coffee cup, and apples in the early fall . . ."

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      In 1995, Billy was asked if these "Famous Last Words" were really his last songs and words.   As stated on BillyJoel.com  and shown in the video below (left), the answer was ambiguous.   From BillyJoel.com:   

​"The last song on River Of Dreams is discussed in this 14th Q&A from our Nuremberg series: “What does your song 'Famous Last Words' mean? And are these really your last words…forever?” This complex question has been top of mind for every Billy Joel fan for many years now. Billy describes using the writing process as his subject and music as his ever-present muse.  The song also references the classic line, “Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn,” from the 1939 film “Gone With The Wind” starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh.  Gable, as the character Rhett Butler, says these last words to Scarlett O'Hara.  The line is poignant on many levels, because it demonstrates that Rhett has finally given up on Scarlett after a long struggle to secure her love.  In a way, Billy is Rhett, closing the book on “pop” music at this point in his career, and choosing a new musical direction, which emerges with the release of the album “Fantasies & Delusions” in 2001.

 “Famous Last Words” is sad and joyous at the same time, like the end of summer and the beginning of fall, as it anticipates better things to come.  Billy finishes this Q&A answer with a performance of “Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)” also from “River Of Dreams,” as we “save these questions for another day,” and leave you with these “famous last words.”

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​     It is not clear if Billy knew at the time he wrote "Famous Last Words" that he would not record another pop or rock music album, but he probably sensed this.  If not,  the lyrics are eerily prophetic of that decision.  He does, however, say "there will be other words some other day."  Let's hope so.
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      This website was originally going to be named "Famous Last Words" but the domain name www.famouslastwords.com was already taken.
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Videos
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A video I made about ten years ago for "Famous Last Words" with photos and a couple clips from other fan videos (see fan video by Sallyann Larkin for "Lullabye"); then updated in 2015. "Famous Last Words" is © Sony Music Entertainment and UMG.

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Billy sings an abbreviated version of the song, from the UK program Lulu's Big Show, while he was in Utah (1993).

Billy sings "Famous Last Words" from Inside The Actor's Studio (1999).

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Billy explains how he wrote "Famous Last Words" (1995).

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In this 2022 interview, Billy discusses his realization that this would be his last rock/pop album, his swan song.

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Lyrics video for "Famous Last Words"

ASL for "Famous Last Words"

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