One Final Serenade: Songs of Billy Joel
 Download "She's Got A Way"
She's got a smile that heals me "She's Got A Way" is a simple, elegant, and straightforward ballad. The sincerity and earnestness in the lyrics and in Billy's voice are palpable. He adores the woman he is singing about, she has a smile that heals, a way about her. Billy was just 22 when "She's Got A Way" was recorded and he sounds very young, even naive (though one must remember that the original version of the song was recorded at the wrong speed, making Billy's voice seem much higher). There is no hint of the duplicity of love that would be the theme of several of his later songs such as "The Stranger," "She's Always A Woman," and "Stiletto."
Billy released a live version of "She's Got A Way" for his live album Songs In The Attic in 1981, and the song was a minor hit. See the 1981 music video below, from an appearance on Saturday Night Live. In the liner notes to Songs In The Attic, Billy writes that the song was a Valentine's Day gift for his wife Elizabeth. He was too poor to buy anything, so he wrote this song.
The song also appears in the 1983 version of Cold Spring Harbor of course, the 1998 re-mastered version, and on the 2013 compilation She's Got A Way: Love Songs. The song has stood the test of time and remains one of Billy's more popular ballads. Don Henley sang it at the Kennedy Center in 2014 when Billy was honored. See here. Jordan Knight of New Kids On The Block also recorded a cover of the song. And Natalie Maines of The Dixie Chicks sang the song at the Library of Congress Gerswhin Prize ceremony where Billy was honored in 2015. Billy discusses "She's Got A Way" on SiriusXM.
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She's got a way about her
I don't know what it is But I know that I can't live without her She's got a way of pleasin' I don't know what it is But there doesn't have to be a reason anway She's got a smile that heals me I don't know why it is But I have to laugh when she reveals me She's got a way of talkin' I don't know why it is But it lifts me up when we are walkin' anywhere She comes to me when I'm feeling down Inspires me without a sound She touches me and I get turned around She's got a way of showin' How I make her feel And I find the strength to keep on goin' She's got a light around her And everywhere she goes A million dreams of love surround her everywhere She comes to me when I'm feelin' down Inspires me without a sound She touches me, and I get turned around oh oh oh She's got a smile that heals me I don't know why it is But I have to laugh when she reveals me She's got a way about her I don't know what it is But I know that I can't live without her any way Vertical Divider
Picasso sketch of a woman with flowers in her hair.
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Videos
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"She's Got A Way" studio version. © 1971 Sony Music Entertainment.
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The original 1971 version of "She's Got A Way," at the wrong speed. © 1971 Sony Music Entertainment.
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Music video for "She's Got A Way" from the live album Songs In The Attic (1981). Update: This video was removed from YouTube. The 1981 version from Songs In The Attic can be heard here (scroll down).
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Billy talks about the "girl" in "She's Got A Way" (his former wife Elizabeth) at a Master Class in 1996.
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