You can pay Uncle Sam with the overtime Is that all you get for your money? The opening track to 1977's The Stranger, "Movin' Out" is paean to the suburban working class, living a 9-to-5 life and longing for something more. But what? A house in Hackensack? A Cadillac you can't drive because you worked so hard to pay for it that you had a heart attack? Is that all you get for your money?
The characters in the song (Anthony, Mama Leone, Sergeant O'Leary) are not unlike those from "Piano Man" (John at the bar, Davy in the Navy, Paul the real estate novelist), all stuck in their routines and lives, and hoping for a better life, a Cadillac instead of Chevy. The teenager from "Captain Jack" who has a "tape deck and [a] brand new Chevrolet" and perhaps later "made it with a redhead girl in a Chevrolet" is now older and trading in his Chevy for a Cadillac. Billy discusses "Movin' Out" from a 1977 interview.
Billy discusses "Movin' Out" from a 1990 interview.
Billy talks about "Movin' Out" on SiriusXM. The song has a great meandering bass line and is accented by organ and piano flourishes that give it an "Italian" sound. The original melody, however, was reminiscent of Neil Sedaka's "Laughter In The Rain," so Billy quickly changed it. At the end 0f the song, the act of moving out is signaled by the "Layla"-like piano outro and the sound of a car peeling out of a driveway which was a recording of Doug Stegmeyer's Corvette.
"Movin' Out" was the second hit from The Stranger, peaking at #17 on the charts in 1977. Although it was released before "Just The Way You Are," it did not become a hit until "Just The Way You Are" shot up the charts. Columbia then re-released it a second time, and it became a hit. It is now one of Billy's signature songs. |
Words and Music by Billy Joel
Anthony works in the grocery store Savin' his pennies for some day Mama Leone left a note on the door She said "Sonny, move out to the country" Ah but working too hard can give you a heart attack You ought-a know by now Who needs a house out in Hackensack? Is that all you get for your money? Sergeant O'Leary is walkin' the beat At night he becomes a bartender He works at Mister Cacciatore's down on Sullivan Street Across from the medical center And he's tradin' in his Chevy for a Cadillac You oughta know by now And if he can't drive with a broken back At least he can polish the fenders. And it seems such a waste of time If that's what it's all about Mama if that's movin' up then I'm movin' out I'm movin' out You should never argue with a crazy mi mi mi mi mi mind You ought-a know by now You can pay Uncle Sam with the overtime Is that all you get for your money And if that's what you have in mind Then that's what you're all about Good luck movin' up cause I'm movin' out I'm movin out. 
Billy and the band movin' out. Publicity photo (1976)
Bassist Doug Stegmeyer and his Corvette (Doug Stegmeyer Facebook page). Update: But even the "Layla" outro, ostensibly, by Eric Clapton with Derek & The Dominoes, was actually written by Rita Coolidge. See video. |
