I don't want clever conversation I never want to work that hard I just want someone that I can talk to I want you just the way you are. "Just The Way You Are" is the song that made Billy an international superstar. It won both Song of the Year and Record of the Year in 1978 at the Grammy Awards and was probably the most frequently played song on the radio in 1977. Millions of newlyweds played it at their weddings.
It is a classic. It remains Billy Joel's most covered song, along with "New York State of Mind." The gradually descending bass line of diminished 7ths chords coupled with producer Phil Ramone's soft Latin-like samba beat played in part by Liberty Devitto, of course, and Phil Woods' beautiful sax solo make the song irresistible, even sublime. Click here (removed) to read about how it was put together, from an interview of Billy in Jazz Wax by Mark Myers. \ And the sentiment behind Billy's lyrics still rings true. The lyrics are sincere and clever at the same time. Each verse is unique, none are repeated until the end (rare in a pop song), and each expresses a heartfelt sentiment. In a time of turbulent change, "Just The Way You Are" struck a chord with people who wanted to be accepted and loved for being just the way they were.
The song almost didn't make it on the album as Billy and his bandmates thought it was too sappy, a "chick song" as Billy said. But singers Linda Ronstadt and Phoebe Snow (photo below), who were visiting Billy in the recording studio, urged him to keep it on the album. |
Don't go changing, to try and please me
You never let me down before Don't imagine you're too familiar And I don't see you anymore I would not leave you in times of trouble We never could have come this far I took the good times, I'll take the bad times I'll take you just the way you are Don't go trying some new fashion Don't change the color of your hair You always have my unspoken passion Although I might not seem to care I don't want clever conversation I never want to work that hard I just want someone that I can talk to I want you just the way you are. I need to know that you will always be The same old someone that I knew What will it take till you believe in me The way that I believe in you. I said I love you and that's forever And this I promise from the heart I could not love you any better I love you just the way you are. I don't want clever conversation I never want to work that hard I just want someone that I can talk to I want you just the way you are. HUGH MCCRACKEN - ACOUSTIC GUITAR RALPH MCDONALD - PERCUSSION STEVE BURGH - ACOUSTIC GUITAR PHIL WOODS - ALTO SAX 
Jazz saxophonist Phil Woods.
Photo from Wikimedia Commons (1978). 
Billy and Jamie Cullum discuss the sax solo of "Just The Way You Are" on BBC Radio 2 (2016). |
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The enormous popularity of the song (it peaked at #3 on the US charts) caused many critics to unfairly peg Billy as a balladeer, another soft-rock sensitive guy like Barry Manilow or Neil Diamond, although Billy's roots were always in rock and pop. A critical backlash began to develop against the song and Billy who was enjoying worldwide recognition for the first time. Some critics mocked the song as being maudlin or "lounge" music. But that didn't stop millions of people from buying the record, and over the years, it has become recognized as a pop standard by musicians and fans alike. Both Billy and the song have withstood the test of time. That's why Billy and the song are classics.
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Jazz and R&B musicians and vocalists such as Frank Sinatra, Isaac Hayes, Diana Krall, Harry Connick Jr., Barry White and numerous others have covered "Just The Way You Are." Guitarist Jose Feliciano does an impassioned cover as well. Here is a nice bossa nova version by Breeze. Billy's daughter Alexa Ray Joel does a nice version too. See her discuss the song as part of the Gap promotion, and hear a snippet of an in studio performance. And here is a good mashup of Billy's song with Bruno Mars' same-titled "Just The Way You Are" from 2010. Here is a nice jazzy and funky cover by Piere Aristil and friends. In 2021, Jose James did a unique cover of the song too (see below) with an album cover that is an homage to the 52nd Street album. But my favorite version is the jazzy cover by New Zealand group Twinset which is done as a duet. See video below. |
Phoebe Snow urged Billy to keep the song on the album. Photo: Sheri Lynn Behr. Billy discusses how the music came to him, and how the lyrics have sometimes been misinterpreted, from SiriusXM.
Billy and Tom Odell discuss the nuance in the song and Billy's use of an electric piano (Fender Rhodes) from BBC Radio 2 (2019). |
