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The Longest Time
An Innocent Man (1983) |
I don't care what consequence it brings
I have been a fool for lesser things I want you so bad I think you ought to know that I intend to hold you for the longest time The imminently hummable and unforgettable melodies of An Innocent Man made it one of Billy's most popular albums, and "The Longest Time" may be the most enduring of these tunes. The acapella song, an homage to the doo-wop groups of the 50s and 60s like Frank Lymon & The Teardrops and Don & Juan, became an instant hit among choirs and acapella groups. The song reached #14 on the charts and is still frequently performed by school groups. This was "Glee" material before there was "Glee." Ironically, it was not (yet) used on "Glee" though other Billy Joel songs have been featured on the television series. [Update: Glee did it in 2013].
The song is an earworm; you can't get it out of your head. Billy impressively sings each of the vocal parts, and the only instruments used are a bass and hi-hat. Who would have thought an acapella song with almost no instrumentation could be a hit in the 1980s among all the new wave and synthesizer-music that was coming out? It is a testament to the fact that a good melody will find and capture listeners of all ages. There is always room for a good melody. The song actually has classical music roots as Billy explains in this audio clip at 0:28. Christie Brinkley and Billy Joel celebrating his birthday in 1983.
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Words and Music by Billy Joel
Oh, oh, oh, oh For the longest time Oh, oh, oh For the longest If you said goodbye to me tonight There would still be music left to write What else could I do I'm so inspired by you That hasn't happened for the longest time Once I thought my innocence was gone Now I know that happiness goes on That's where you found me When you put your arms around me I haven't been there for the longest time Oh, oh, oh, oh For the longest time Woa, oh, oh For the longest I'm that voice you're hearing in the hall And the greatest miracle of all Is how I need you And how you needed me too That hasn't happened for the longest time Maybe this won't last very long But you feel so right And I could be wrong Maybe I've been hoping too hard But I've gone this far And it's more than I hoped for Who knows how much further we'll go on Maybe I'll be sorry when you're gone I'll take my chances I forgot how nice romance is I haven't been there for the longest time I had second thoughts at the start I said to myself Hold on to your heart Now I know the woman that you are You're wonderful so far And it's more than I hoped for I don't care what consequence it brings I have been a fool for lesser things I want you so bad I think you ought to know that I intend to hold you for the longest time Oh, oh, oh, oh For the longest time Oh, oh,oh For the longest time Oh, oh, oh For the longest time Oh, oh, oh, For the longest time Billy discusses "The Longest Time" on SiriusXM. Billy says Christie Brinkley was his muse, from SiriusXM. |
The lyrics to "The Longest Time" are some of the most optimistic and upbeat that Billy has ever penned. In some of his other ballads since Turnstiles there is an undercurrent of dread, that these feelings of love cannot last forever. For example, in "This Is The Time" from The Bridge in 1986 he writes "This is the time to remember 'Cause it will not last forever." But in "The Longest Time," Billy is willing to put aside his doubts of "how much further we'll go on" and unabashedly bask in the feelings of love.
Billy Joel fan Paul Dodsworth has pointed out that when Billy sings "I'm that voice you're hearing in the hall," it calls to mind the line from "An Innocent Man" that "They hear in the voice in the hall outside and hope that it just passes by." Billy's voice is the same metaphorical "voice in the hall" in both songs, urging someone to take a chance on love again even though both individuals have been emotionally hurt before and perhaps had become jaded or hardened to finding love again . . . until now. As Billy writes, "once I thought my innocence was gone, now I know that happiness goes on." Billy had found love again with the beautiful Christie Brinkley.
UK single cover
The music video to "The Longest Time" was also a fun bit of make-believe nostalgia, and is one of the few Billy Joel videos to feature his band. In the video Billy portrays a middle-aged man at his 25th high school year reunion. He is sitting in the gym at the end of the party, when suddenly he hears his old high school buddies singing this song. He joins up with them and they are then magically transported back in time to the way they looked back in high school. It is reminiscent of the movie When Peggy Sue Got Married (1986). Like the other videos from the album it is fun and clever (though I'm a bit uncomfortable about the end when the African American janitor does a double-take). In this revealing Songfacts interview, the video director Jay Dubin, who also directed the music videos for "Tell Her About It" and "Uptown Girl," discusses these making of these videos. The song has also become popular to cover by acapella groups., choirs, and individuals who do each of the vocal parts and blend them together using technology. Here is the Glee version. And here is a Covid-19 quarantine version with revised lyrics by The Phoenix Chamber Choir that became popular.
Videos
Billy Joel and the band have some old school fun in the video for "The Longest Time," filmed at The Pratt Institute. © 1983 Sony Music Entertainment.
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Billy Joel and the band sing "The Longest Time" live at Wembley Arena in 1984.
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Billy discusses how the video for "The Longest Time" was made on New York Hot Tracks (1984). It was filmed at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.
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See more videos at The Longest Time - Videos Page