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                    Sadness or Euphoria (2017)                              
​This is a playlist of Billy Joel covers that roughly follows the list below.  Click on the icon in the upper left corner to see the playlist.  My favorite cover is probably the UK group The Hoosiers cover of "We Didn't Start the Fire" a unique and fascinating treatment.  If the video does not work, try this link.
Summary (Fiction, there is no such album.)

     In 2017, in honor of Billy Joel's 68th birthday and his song "Miami 2017," several of his fellow recording artists got together and recorded a long overdue tribute album, Sadness or Euphoria: The Songs of Billy Joel.  The title came from a line in one of Billy's finest songs, "Summer, Highland Falls" - "and though we choose between reality and madness, it's either sadness or euphoria."  

     The album featured many cover versions that had been previously recorded such as Dolly Parton's Grammy-Award winning version of "Travelin' Prayer," and  Fyfe Dangerfield's 2010 cover of "She's Always A Woman" which charted in the UK, as well as some new covers such as Lady Gaga's version of "Only The Good Die Young," and Tom Waits' cover of "Souvenir" which was reminiscent of Waits' "On the Nickel."  The album also featured the first recorded duet by Billy and his daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, singing (appropriately) Billy's 1986 classic "Baby Grand."  Garth Brooks came out of retirement to contribute yet another Billy Joel cover, a stirring rendition of "The Ballad of Billy the Kid."   Tori Amos gave a plaintive and soul-searing rendition of "And So It Goes."

    The two-disc album demonstrated the diversity and breadth of Billy's songwriting capabilities.  Few songwriters could have drawn together such a talented and eclectic group of performers.  On May 9, all of the artists who had contributed to Sadness or Euphoria put on a special birthday concert in Central Park in Billy's honor.  All proceeds went to Charity Begins At Home and MusiCares.  At the end of the concert, Billy took the stage himself and sang "Piano Man" to an adoring crowd.  Billy then embarked on a U.S. tour, culminating in a show in Miami, Florida which lead to a live album, Live in Miami (2017).
Picture
Picture
Tori Amos presents Billy Joel with the Billboard Century Award.  Photo from everythingtoriamos.tumblr.com.   See video here.
Songlist
1.  Say Goodbye to Hollywood (Bruce Springsteen or Bon Jovi or Ronnie Spector)
2.  Piano Man (Five for Fighting or Jon McLaughlin or Jamie Cullum)
3.  Honesty (Beyonce) 
4.  Just The Way You Are (Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars, Twinset or Diana Krall)
5.  Scenes from an Italian Restaurant (Rickie Lee Jones)
6.  Goodnight Saigon (Joan Baez or Garth Brooks)
7.  The River of Dreams (Ladysmith Black Mazambo or Paul Simon)
8.  We Didn't Start the Fire (The Hoosiers)
9.  You May Be Right (Pink or Mick Jagger)
10.  Only the Good Die Young (Lady Gaga or Melissa Etheridge)
11.  Sleeping with the Television On (Elvis Costello or Maroon 5)
12.  Close to the Borderline (Bon Jovi)
13.  Captain Jack (Elton John)
14.  The Entertainer (not Helen Reddy or Sheena Easton) (Jackson Browne)
15.  Big Shot (Brandon Urie or Beastie Boys)
16.  Uptown Girl (Westlife)
17.  New York State of Mind (Tony Bennett or Alicia Keys)
18.  Leave A Tender Moment Alone (Natalie Cole at 1:48 (Nat King Cole did it) or Alicia Keys)
19.  It's Still Rock & Roll To Me (Joan Jett, Melissa Etheridge or Gavin DeGraw)
20.  Travelin' Prayer (Dolly Parton)
21.  Vienna (Gavin DeGraw or Sara Bareilles)
22.  She's Got A Way (Don Henley or Jordan Knight)
23.  You're My Home (Jewel 0r James Taylor)
24.  The Ballad of Billy the Kid (Garth Brooks or Bob Dylan)
25.  And So It Goes (Tori Amos or Jennifer Warnes)
26.  All For Leyna (Nellie Furtado)
27.  Blonde Over Blue (Bono)
28.  She's Right on Time (Marshall Crenshaw)
29. She's Always a Woman (Fyfe Dangerfield or Pink)
30.  Summer, Highland Falls (Sara Bareilles or Ingrid Michaelson)
31.  Souvenir (Tom Waits)
32.  Baby Grand (Alexa Ray Joel & Billy Joel)
33.  Air: Dublinesque (Richard Joo)

Bonus Tracks:
The Longest Time (Boyz II Men)
Through The Long Night (Paul McCartney or Paul Simon) 
The Downeaster Alexa (Bob Dylan or Gordon Lightfoot)
Where's The Orchestra (Julian Lennon or Julian Velard) 
Everybody Loves You Now (Bob Dylan)
Everybody Has A Dream (James Taylor or The Manhattans)
Los Angelenos (Rod Stewart)
Don't Ask Me Why (Paul Simon)
Get it Right The First Time (Stevie Wonder)
Videos
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This is a YouTube playlist I created of covers of Billy Joel songs that were originally released by Billy from 1971-1979.
And this is a similar playlist of covers of Billy Joel songs that were originally released by Billy from 1980-1993.

Comments
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