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Piano Man - Videos Page
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Words and Music by Billy Joel
It's nine o'clock on a Saturday The regular crowd shuffles in There's an old man sitting next to me Makin' love to his tonic and gin He says, "Son, can you play me a memory I'm not really sure how it goes But it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete When I wore a younger man's clothes." La la la, di da da La la, di di da da dum Sing us a song, you're the piano man Sing us a song tonight Well, we're all in the mood for a melody And you've got us all feelin' all right Now John at the bar is a friend of mine He gets me my drinks for free And he's quick with a joke and or a light of your smoke But there's some place that he'd rather be He says, "Bill, I believe this is killing me." As his smile ran away from his face "Well I'm sure that I could be a movie star If I could get out of this place" Oh, la la la, di da da La la, di da da da dum Now Paul is a real estate novelist Who never had time for a wife And he's talkin' with Davy, who's still in the Navy And probably will be for life And the waitress is practicing politics As the businessman slowly gets stoned Yes, they're sharing a drink they call loneliness But it's better than drinkin' alone Sing us a song you're the piano man Sing us a song tonight Well we're all in the mood for a melody And you've got us all feeling alright It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday And the manager gives me a smile 'Cause he knows that it's me they've been comin' to see To forget about their life for a while And the piano, it sounds like a carnival And the microphone smells like a beer And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar And say, "Man, what are you doin' here?" Oh, la la la, di da da La la, di da da da dum Sing us a song you're the piano man Sing us a song tonight Well we're all in the mood for a melody And you've got us all feeling alright |
Studio and Live Versions
Studio version of "Piano Man" (1973). Several photos from Bob Egan's Popspots. "Piano Man" © 1973 Sony BMG Music Entertainment
This is the original promotional music video for "Piano Man" from 1973, years before MTV launched.
Billy performs "Piano Man" on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert in 1973.
Billy on the BBC UK program, The Old Grey Whistle Test, with mustache in or about 1975.
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Live at Connecticut College in 1976.
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Live at the Capital Theater in 1976.
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Live at Nassau Coliseum (1977) (audio only)
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Live from Long Island (1982)
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Live in London (Wembley) (1984)
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The video for "Piano Man" which was made in 1986 for The Video Album, Volume I. © 1985 Sony BMG Music Entertainment.
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Live at Yankee Stadium (1990)
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Live in Frankfurt, Germany (1994)
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Face to Face Tour with Elton John, Tokyo (1998)
On the PBS Special, Piano Grand! (2000)
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Live New Year's Even 1999.
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On the Tonight Show, with Elton John (2001)
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Live at the Tokyo Dome (2006). Billy plays Kyu Sakamoto's "Sukiyaki Song" as a prelude.
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Live at Shea Stadium (2008)
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Live performance at the ceremony for the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song (2014)
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The Making of "Piano Man"
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Billy, in his usual sarcastic humor, discusses the origin of the song at a Master Class in 1994 (audio only), from Disc 4 of The Complete Hits Collection. He describes what he meant by "a real estate novelist."
At a 1996 Master Class, Billy discusses "Piano Man" and pokes fun at it and people's reaction to the song.
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This is a video of the same Master Class segment (left) in which Billy discusses the origins of the song "Piano Man," held at Harvard University in 1994, and tells a few jokes.
Billy on Inside The Actor's Studio in 1999. He discusses his gig as a piano man at The Executive Room.
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Billy talks about "Piano Man" at a Master Class in 2001 that was aired on the A&E Network.
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Fans at a Mets game serenade Billy with "Piano Man" (2015)
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