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Getting Closer
The Bridge (1986) |
Single cover is fictional.
The closing song of The Bridge is "Getting Closer." Unlike many albums which end with a softer song or ballad, "Getting Closer" is an enjoyable rock-blues song about Billy's professional career and the con artists and unscrupulous people in the business that he encountered ("the con men and their acrobats who stomped me in the ground") and Billy's triumph over them ("I have not lost faith in the things I believe").
The song is similar in theme to 1974's "The Entertainer," but it is more optimistic. Despite the rip-offs he has faced, Billy has not given up his dreams and still keeps searching for the truth. He states:
Billy is getting closer to finding out the truth behind shady business and accounting practices, as well as getting closer to finding happiness.
This is one of the better tracks on the The Bridge and one gets the impression that Billy was moving on to a new chapter in his life. He had become an established pop star, had nothing left to prove, and had made millions. It is a nice way to end "The Bridge," a summation of where he stands similar to how "Keeping The Faith" ends An Innocent Man. But as the next few years would reveal, Billy still had some roadblocks and obstacles to overcome including disputes with his band and the betrayal by his long-time manager, Frank Weber. Still as of 1986, Billy had earned the right to take stock of his work and career, and declare that he was indeed getting closer. An excellent review of the song by "Qotita del Sol," as posted in the Billy Joel: Completely Retold Facebook group, can be found here (you may need to be a group member to view it). As he points out, "Getting Closer" is truly Billy's voice. Musically and lyrically, the song does not emulate any particular musician or band. While Billy has taken some unnecessary criticism for being derivative, he cannot be accused of that with "Getting Closer." The song is definitely one of Billy's more underrated compositions. |
Words and Music by Billy Joel
I went searching for the truth But in my innocence I found All the con men and their acrobats Who stomped me in the ground If I count up their percentages I know they're getting rich But they haven't taken everything Those paybacks are a bitch Though I've lost quite a lot I am still in control They can keep what they've got But they can't have my soul And if I don't have this all worked out Still I'm getting closer, getting closer I still have far to go no doubt But I'm getting closer, getting closer What was ripped off by professionals Is not all that it seems While I must live up to contracts I did not give up my dreams If I see it as experience It hasn't gone to waste Lately all the missing pieces Have been falling into place And if I could go back and start over somehow I would not change that much Knowing what I know now Though there have been sins I will regret Still I'm getting close, getting closer I don't have all the answers yet But I'm getting closer, getting close I'm getting closer . . . I'm a mark for every shyster From Topanga to Berlin And I should have learned to kick them out As soon as they crawled in So to every bank in Switzerland That stores my stolen youth I'm all right because despite the laws You cannot hide the truth And although you will say I am still too naive Well I have not lost faith In the things I believe And if I don't have this all worked out Still I'm getting closer, getting closer I still have far to go no doubt But I'm getting closer, getting close
"Lately all the missing pieces have been falling into place"
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Billy on "Getting Closer" from SiriusXM.
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Billy on Steve Winwood, from SiriusXM.
Steve Winwood, Julian Lennon, Phil Ramone and Billy Joel (1986). By: Larry Busacca. CBS Records publicity photo.
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"Getting Closer" also features another one of Billy's idols, Steve Winwood, playing organ. Billy was a fan of the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, and Blind Faith which were all Winwood bands. Billy had this to say about Winwood: "Like Keith Emerson with the Nice and Felix Cavaliere with The Rascals, Steve's style has been an immense influence on any kid who ever sat down at a keyboard. But especially Steve - who was as good at piano as he was at organ, and always featured both instruments on record. For my generation, it was considered sorta wimpy to have taken keyboard lessons until the Spencer Davis Group caught fire, and Traffic just confirmed the idea of the guy at the keys being a leader." This quote is from a 1988 article in Musician magazine which also recounts the funny story about the first time Billy met Winwood in 1967 when he was a fan hoping to meet his idol. Scroll down 2/3 in the article.
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Background photo: Steve Winwood and Billy Joel (1986). By: Larry Busacca. CBS Records publicity photo.
Videos
This is a simple video I made of Billy Joel through the years, up until 1986 when The Bridge was released, set to "Getting Closer."
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Fan video for "Getting Closer" featuring clips from the "Building the Bridge" documentary, with Steve Winwood joining Billy Joel and the band in the studio. Video by Tony Walker (well done).
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Fan video for the alternate version of "Getting Closer" that was on the My Lives compilation released in 2005.
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Billy discusses "Getting Closer" and jams with Steve Winwood, from the 1986 documentary "Building The Bridge."
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Billy and the band do part of "Gimme Some Lovin'" by the Spencer Davis Group (vocal by Steve Winwood, co-composed with Spencer Davis and Miff Winwood) on the second Billy Joel episode of VH-1 Storytellers (1997).
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