James

James
(Turnstiles) (1976)

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Do what's good for you
Or you're not good for anybody
James`

      "James" is a wistful song that Billy wrote for and about his friend, James Bosse, who played in the same band as Billy in their teens in Long Island (though Billy sometimes says it is not based on anyone of the same name). It is also based in part on his childhood friend Bill Zampino who works in Billy Joel's management.

In the song, Billy asks James if he is pursuing what he loves ("Do what's good for you/Or you're not good for anybody James") or pursuing what he feels his duty to family are ("Are you still in school/living up to expectations?"). Like many of us, instead of pursuing what we love, reality and expectations set in and we pursue something more practical in our lives, and we have to carry "the weight of family pride" and can end up staying "someone else's dream of who [we] are." We often never end up writing our "masterpiece," but settle into something more routine. But one has to "do what's good for you, or you're not good for anybody."

  Fortunately, while Bosse pursued a more traditional life and career for a time as an doctor, he also continued to pursue his musical interests. In 1998, Bosse recorded acoustic guitar versions of some of Billy Joel's songs on CD. Click photo above. He also wrote an article about his early days in bands with Billy, which appeared in the liner notes for My Lives. And here is an interesting blog article about Bosse and Billy Joel, with an update and old photo (below).

Billy Joel and Bill Zampino (seated). Jim Bosse (center). I believe this was The Lost Souls or the Echos.

James, we were always friends
From our childhood days.
And we made our plans,
And we had to go our separate ways.

I went on the road,
You pursued an education.
James, do you like your life?
Can you find release?
And will you ever change?
Will you ever write your masterpiece?

Are you still in school
Living up to expectations?
James, you were so relied upon,
Everybody knows how hard you tried.

Hey, oh, look at what a job you've done,
Carrying the weight of family pride.

James, you've been well behaved
You've been working hard
But will you always stay
Someone else's dream of who you are?

Do what's good for you
Or you're not good for anybody
James

I went on the road,
You pursued an education.
James, how you gonna know for sure?
Everything was so well organized.

Hey, oh, now everything is so secure,
and everybody else is satisfied.

James, do you like your life?
Can you find release?
And will you ever change?
When will you write your masterpiece?
Do what's good for you
Or you're not good for anybody
James

A live performance of "James" from 1976 at the Capitol Theater in Passaic, New Jersey.

Billy explains the background behind "James" and that musically it was like a J.S. Bach composition.

Billy discusses "James" on SiriusXM from 2016.

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