"I Go To Extremes" is either a song about manic-depression (see also "Summer, Highland Falls"), an apology from Billy to Christie Brinkley for acting out, or probably a bit of both. The message is simple and straightforward, the singer goes to extremes and does not know why. He wonders if his partner will be able to take it: "Tell me how much do you think you can take, Until the heart in you is starting to break?" He is both "eager to please" and then also "ready to fight" and does not know why he goes to these extremes. Yet he tries to reassure his partner too: "You can be sure when I'm gone, I won't be out there too long."
Darling I don't know why I go to extremes
Too high or too low there ain't no in- betweens You can be sure when I'm gone I won't be out there too long Darling I don't know why I go to extremes Like most songs on Storm Front, it has an infectious melody and a strong beat, but is a bit over the top in production. The recording is somewhat bombastic, yet is one of the most fun Billy Joel songs to sing at karaoke or on Rock Band.
The music video for the song is also fun to watch albeit the part where Billy plays piano with his foot at the end seems gratuitous. While he was recording the song, Billy broke some piano keys because he was pounding the keys so hard, and when the video producer heard about this, she wanted to capture this on the video. You can see the broken keys toward the end of the piano. The video is reminiscent of U2's videos for "The Fly" and "Mysterious Ways." If U2 were to do a cover of a Billy Joel song it should be this, "No Man's Land," "She's Right On Time," or "Blonde Over Blue." Unfortunately, however, the only recorded cover of this song is Paul Anka's bizarre Las Vegas style version. "I Go To Extremes" was the second single off Storm Front and reached #6 on the charts in 1990. Many years later, actress and fellow Long Islander Lindsay Lohan tattooed the lyrics "clear as a crystal, sharp as a knife/I feel like I’m in the prime of my life" on her side. See article. Vertical Divider
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Call me a joker, call me a fool
Right at this moment I'm totally cool Clear as a crystal, sharp as a knife I feel like I'm in the prime of my life Sometimes it feels like I'm going too fast I don't know how long this feeling will last Maybe it's only tonight Darling I don't know why I go to extremes Too high or too low there ain't no in-betweens And if I stand or I fall It's all or nothing at all Darling I don't know why I go to extremes Sometimes I'm tired, sometimes I'm shot Sometimes I don't know how much more I've got Maybe I'm headed over the hill Maybe I've set myself up for the kill Tell me how much do you think you can take Until the heart in you is starting to break? Sometimes it feels like it will Darling I don't know why I go to extremes Too high or too low there ain't no in-betweens You can be sure when I'm gone I won't be out there too long Darling I don't know why I go to extremes Out of the darkness, into the light Leaving the scene of the crime Either I'm wrong or I'm perfectly right every time Sometimes I lie awake, night after night Coming apart at the seams Eager to please, ready to fight Why do I go to extremes? And if I stand or I fall It's all or nothing at all Darling I don't know why I go to extremes No I don't know why I go to extremes Too high or too low There ain't no in-betweens You can be sure when I'm gone I won't be out there too long Darling I don't know why I go to extremes I don't know why, I don't know why I don't know why, I don't know why Out of the darkness, into the light Either I'm wrong or I'm perfectly right Billy on "I Go To Extremes," from SiriusXM.
Still shot from music video. Sony BMG Music Entertainment.
Storm Front tour book cove, publicity photos, and alternative single cover. Columbia Records/Sony Music Entertainment.
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Videos
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Music video for "I Go To Extremes." © 1989 Sony BMG Music Entertainment.
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"I Go To Extremes" from Live at Yankee Stadium (1990).
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