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The Mexican Connection
Streetlife Serenade (1974) |
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Billy ends Streetlife Serenade with a satisfying instrumental, "The Mexican Connection." The song has a slight western and Mexican feel to it, with a syncopated bass that repeats itself though most of the song and a light use of marimbas. The solid block chords of the bridge are reminiscent of a thunderstorm temporarily disrupting the peaceful Mexican sunset, but then calm and serenity soon return. This was the last time that Billy did an instrumental, notwithstanding the intro to 1977's "The Stranger" or his classical music album Fantasies & Delusions. It is unfortunate that he did not write more instrumentals.
Billy has done a few other Latin-tinged songs like this one (e.g., "Rosalina's Eyes" and "Don't Ask Me Why"), and one wishes he had experimented in this genre more often as well. "The Mexican Connection" was played as an introduction at Billy's concerts for a number of years, being played over the loudspeakers, not performed. One of the live performances of the song was at The Great American Music Hall in June 1975, listen (below). |
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Videos
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Studio version from 1974 (audio only). "The Mexican Connection" was often played at the beginning of Billy Joel's concerts in the 1970s.
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Rare live version from 1975 (audio only) at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.
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Background photo: Weebly stock photo.
