But I don't want some pretty face
To tell me pretty lies All I want is someone to believe "Honesty" is one of Billy's most popular ballads probably because the sentiment behind the song is so universally held among both men and women. People seek honesty and truthfulness from each other, maybe even more than love and comfort, but it is "hardly ever heard." As Billy says, one can find a lover, a friend, or security, but it's harder to find truthfulness. He is referring not simply to factual truthfulness, but to emotional honesty and faithfulness.
It's a beautiful song, but unfortunately its success (it peaked at #24 in the US) continued to pigeonhole Billy as a soft rock balladeer despite the jazzier, harder sound of 52nd Street. "Honesty" was an even bigger hit in France, reaching #1 on the French charts. Billy and his band appeared on French television in 1979 to promote the song; click here to see the video clip. The song was also very popular in South Korea and Japan, and is in heavy rotation at every karaoke bar in those countries. Jazz harmonica virtuoso Toots Thielemans also did an instrumental cover of "Honesty" (YouTube video) on his 1979 album Apple Dimple. Thielemans is, of course, most well known to Billy Joel fans for playing harmonica on "Leave A Tender Moment Alone" in 1983. Vertical Divider
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Kohuept (1987) | A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia (2014)
Originally released on 52nd Street (1978) Words and Music by Billy Joel
If you search for tenderness It isn't hard to find You can have the love you need to live But if you look for truthfulness You might just as well be blind It always seems to be so hard to give Honesty is such a lonely word Everyone is so untrue Honesty is hardly ever heard And mostly what I need from you I can always find someone To say they sympathize If I wear my heart out on my sleeve But I don't want some pretty face To tell me pretty lies All I want is someone to believe Honesty is such a lonely word Everyone is so untrue Honesty is hardly ever heard And mostly what I need from you I can find a lover I can find a friend I can have security until the bitter end Anyone can comfort me With promises again I know, I know When I'm deep inside of me Don't be too concerned I won't ask for nothin' while I'm gone But when I want sincerity Tell me where else can I turn Because you're the one that I depend upon Honesty is such a lonely word Everyone is so untrue Honesty is hardly ever heard And mostly what I need from you 
Billy in Moscow (1987). Columbia Records publicity photo.
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A couple decades later in 2008, Beyonce recorded a cover version of "Honesty," which was a hit in South Korea and Japan. See fan video below (right). And Beyonce's husband Jay-Z also samples Honesty in Marcy to Hollywood. And here is a nice instrumental cover of "Honesty" on acoustic guitar.
Videos
Live version of "Honesty" during Billy's 1987 Russian concerts.
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Original music video for "Honesty" (1978)
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Acoustic version from Q&A in Nuremberg, Germany (1995).
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