One Final Serenade: Songs of Billy Joel
Live performance from 1977 on SNL.
 Download "Only The Good Die Young"
Well they say there's a heaven for those who will wait Some say it's better but I say it ain't I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints The sinners are much more fun... "Only the Good Die Young" is one of Billy's most enjoyable and irresistible songs. It is a fast-paced pop/rock song with clever lyrics and an infectious beat and refrain. It's a classic boy-wants-girl song with a slight religious twist as the target of the singer's lust is a Catholic girl. His logic and lust is relentless, he tells her that he may hang with a tough and loud crowd, "but that never hurt no one" and "the sinners are much more fun" anyway. The one-liners and lyrics fit perfectly with the song's meter, and just keep coming. This is one of Billy's most enjoyable lyrics. It's reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen's "Rosalita" and helped put Billy on the map as a chronicler of urban and suburban life along with "Movin' Out."
On Saturday Night Live (1977)
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Come out Virginia, don't let me me wait You Catholic girls start much too late Ah, but sooner or later it comes down to fate I might as well be the one They showed you a statue and told you to pray They built you a temple and locked you away But they never told you the price that you pay For things that you might have done..... Only the good die young Only the good die young Only the good die young You might have heard I run with a dangerous crowd We ain't too pretty we ain't too proud We might be laughing a bit too loud But that never hurt no one So come on Virginia show me a sign Send up a signal I'll throw you a line The stained-glass curtain you're hiding behind Never lets in the sun And only the good die young Only the good die young Only the good die young You got a nice white dress and a party on your confirmation You got a brand new soul And a cross of gold But Virginia they didn't give you quite enough information You didn't count on me When you were counting on your rosary Well they say there's a heaven for those who will wait Some say it's better but I say it ain't I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints The sinners are much more fun... And only the good die young Only the good die young Only the good die young You say your mother told you all that I could give you was a reputation Oh, she never cared for me But did she ever say a prayer for me? Come out, come out, come out Virginia, don't let me me wait You Catholic girls start much too late But sooner or later it comes down to fate I might as well be the one Only the good die young Only the good die young |
"I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints."
Some radio stations and Catholic schools such as Seton Hall University, banned the song from college radio, which helped boost sales of course. But this is not a devil-worship song or even anti-religion, it's more "pro-lust" or just Billy recalling his lustful teenage days. And in the end, he doesn't get the girl anyway. Read an article about the story behind the song and the controversy, from Performing Songwriter.
In the article, Joel states: "All these archdiocese areas started putting pressure on radio stations to ban it. The single had been out a short amount of time and wasn’t doing well. The minute they banned it, it starting shooting up the charts, because nothing sells a record like a ban or a boycott. This record would have died out. Nobody would’ve heard it if they hadn’t tried to cut people off from it. As soon as the kids found out there was some authority that didn’t want them to hear it, they bought it in droves and it became this big hit.”
Billy performed this song and "Just The Way You Are" on Saturday Night Live in 1978, skipping his tenth year high school reunion for the gig. That SNL performance of the song is one of the best performances of the song if you can find it. See blogpost about the episode. The other live versions on DVD or online just aren't as good as the studio version or SNL version. Also, the story goes that the execs at SNL asked him not to play this song because of the somewhat controversial lyrics so he told them he'd sing another song from the album, and even performed a different song in dress rehearsals. But when it came time for the actual live broadcast of the show, Billy suddenly sang "Only The Good Die Young" and nailed it.
In the article, Joel states: "All these archdiocese areas started putting pressure on radio stations to ban it. The single had been out a short amount of time and wasn’t doing well. The minute they banned it, it starting shooting up the charts, because nothing sells a record like a ban or a boycott. This record would have died out. Nobody would’ve heard it if they hadn’t tried to cut people off from it. As soon as the kids found out there was some authority that didn’t want them to hear it, they bought it in droves and it became this big hit.”
Billy performed this song and "Just The Way You Are" on Saturday Night Live in 1978, skipping his tenth year high school reunion for the gig. That SNL performance of the song is one of the best performances of the song if you can find it. See blogpost about the episode. The other live versions on DVD or online just aren't as good as the studio version or SNL version. Also, the story goes that the execs at SNL asked him not to play this song because of the somewhat controversial lyrics so he told them he'd sing another song from the album, and even performed a different song in dress rehearsals. But when it came time for the actual live broadcast of the show, Billy suddenly sang "Only The Good Die Young" and nailed it.
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Billy said on SiriusXM that he composed "Only The Good Die Young" while on the road at a hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he was the opening act for The Beach Boys. There happened to be a piano in the room though Billy hadn't asked for one. The song originally started out as a reggae song, but apparently Billy's drummer (Liberty Devitto) refused to play it that way stating "the closest you've ever been to Jamaica is when you get off the train in Queens." So Billy, producer Phil Ramone, and Liberty came up with a shuffle against a straight four, and converted it to a boogie woogie rock song. A reggae version of the song from 1977 is on Billy's 2005 boxed set, My Lives.
It is a shame that music videos were not popular back in 1977. This would have been a great song for a music video. An unreleased pro shot video of the song from the 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert can be seen here. Melissa Etheridge has done live covers of the song, and Bruce Springsteen and Billy sang it at the 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony (fan video) in 2009. Again, I always thought that Springsteen's "Rosalita" and Billy's "Only The Good Die Young" were similar in energy and theme. Billy sings "your mother told you all that I could give you was a reputation," and Bruce sings "I know our mama, she don't like me, 'cause I play in a rock and roll band." Virginia and Rosalita were not easy to persuade. American Songwriter did a long cover story on Billy Joel in 2014, and the "Only The Good Die Young" was its "Lyric of the Week." The cover story and side article on the song are worth reading, very well done. |
Billy explains how "Only The Good Die Young" evolved, from SiriusXM. Click player above.
Billy was the opening act for The Beach Boys in 1976.
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Videos
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Studio version of the song, still the best version, though here is good live version from 1978.
Billy opens with "Only The Good Die Young" at a concert at the Summit in Houston, Texas in 1979.
Billy explains how "Only The Good Die Young" evolved from a reggae song to its present form. This is from a 2001 Master Class.
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Live performance of "Only The Good Die Young" from a 1978 concert in Germany.
Live performance from Billy's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.
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