One Final Serenade: Songs of Billy Joel
"It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" was not released on 1987's Kohuept or on the 1991 concert video "A Matter of Trust," but it was released on 2014's "A Matter of Trust: The Bridge To Russia" on the album and the DVD.
 Download "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me (Live-Russia)"
Oh, it doesn't matter what they say in the papers
'Cause it's always been the same old scene . There's a new band in town But you can't get the sound from a story in a magazine... Aimed at your average teen Billy's first #1 hit was "It's Still Rock & Roll to Me." The song is Billy's sarcastic take on the music industry and music critics who were unfairly dogging him in the press. Once a critics' favorite, Billy had become a target after the success of ballads like "Just the Way You Are" and "Honesty." As critics fawned over almost every punk and new wave act that came out, Billy pushed back, he wasn't about to "take any shit from anybody." In the song, a critic or music industry exec is urging the singer to try on new clothes or get a new car, to appease fans and critics, to jump on the latest trend, but Billy wryly notes that "it's the next phase, new wave, dance craze, anyways, it's still rock and roll to me." And critics are useless, "you can't get the sound from a story in a magazine, aimed at your average teen." It is not that Billy didn't like the new wave, it was just that the "new" wave wasn't much different fundamentally than any old rock and roll, it was stripping rock and pop music of its excesses and pretensions that had built up in the late sixties and seventies. The song irked critics of course, a Rolling Stone writer even called it the "worst song" ever written about rock and roll, but that only showed that Billy had hit the right note. The song struck a chord with fans too, as it went to number one on the charts and Billy received a Grammy award Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for Glass Houses. |
What's the matter with the clothes I'm wearing?
Can't you tell that your tie's too wide? Maybe I should buy some old tab collars? Welcome back to the age of jive. Where have you been hidin' out lately, honey? You can't dress trashy till you spend a lot of money. Everybody's talkin' 'bout the new sound Funny, but it's still rock and roll to me What's the matter with the car I'm driving? Can't you tell that it's out of style? Should I get a set of white wall tires? Are you gonna cruise the miracle mile? Nowadays you can't be too sentimental Your best bet's a true baby blue Continental. Hot funk, cool punk, even if it's old junk It's still rock and roll to me. Oh, it doesn't matter what they say in the papers 'Cause it's always been the same old scene. There's a new band in town But you can't get the sound from a story in a magazine... Aimed at your average teen How about a pair of pink sidewinders And a bright orange pair of pants? You could really be a Beau Brummel baby If you just give it half a chance. Don't waste your money on a new set of speakers, You get more mileage from a cheap pair of sneakers. Next phase, new wave, dance craze, anyways It's still rock and roll to me What's the matter with the crowd I'm seeing? Don't you know that they're out of touch? Should I try to be a straight 'A' student? If you are then you think too much. Don't you know about the new fashion honey? All you need are looks and a whole lotta money. It's the next phase, new wave, dance craze, anyways It's still rock & roll to me. Everybody's talkin' 'bout the new sound Funny, but it's still rock and roll to me Original music video from 1980.
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