 Billy first began taking piano lessons when he was four years old. Both his father and mother were musicians, classically trained. When he was very young, Billy would listen to his father play classical music on their piano at home, passionate and moving classical pieces.
Billy's "Nocturne" is a Chopin-like classical prelude, though it effectively serves as the conclusion to his album Cold Spring Harbor (the last song, "Got To Begin Again" is more like a coda or epilogue to the album). It is a pleasant, wistful piece. Billy often played it between songs during concerts in his early years. There is apparently a version of 'Nocturne" that had lyrics too that was named "Silver Seas" (or the song was originally "Silver Seas" before becoming "Nocturne"). A recording of it on YouTube can be found here. Those lyrics are shown on the right. Billy's classical music aspirations would be put on hold for a few decades, however, until he recorded 2001's Fantasies & Delusions, containing all classical pieces. Until then, "Nocturne" was his fans' only overt reminder of Billy's classical music training, notwithstanding the chorus to 1983's "This Night" which was derived from Beethoven's "La Pathetique." |
(Note: "Nocturne" is an instrumental. The lyrics below are from another unreleased version of the song, Silver Seas.).
When it rains I watch the window Golden dreams Wash down the willow Where are my Mardi Gras memories? Under silver seas Long cold nights Change my reflection Unsung songs Show my direction Where are my make believe victories? Under silver seas Ships pass over my head Purple and blue, yellow and red White sails catching the breeze Sailing on silver seas Once I lived You might remember Born in May Died in September Where are my carousel fantasies? Under silver seas 
Photo by Will Powell (from Flickr)
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Videos
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Studio version of "Nocturne" from the 1983 album Cold Spring Harbor.
Slower cover version by David Castagna. Nicely done.
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Billy plays "Nocturne" from the video Billy Joel Tonight recorded in 1976.
Great cover of Nocturne by Robert Baldwin.
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