 Of all the people in the world that I know
You're the best place to go When I cry, when I cry "Why Judy Why" is a sad but tender ballad. The song was a bit unusual in this early stage of Billy's career in that it featured an acoustic guitar with a slightly Spanish feel, rather than the piano. One wonders if Billy wrote the song on the guitar rather than piano.
In the song, the singer is overcoming heartbreak ("it's wrong for her to hang me up this way") and he turns to his friend and confidante, Judy. The heartbreak is taking its toll on the young singer ("a man my age is very young, so I'm told, why do I, feel so old") and Judy is "the best place to go when I cry." The song is named after Billy's older sister, Judy. The two were very close growing up, bonding together in light of the tough times they faced growing up as the poor family of divorce in a middle-class neighborhood in the 1950s and 1960s. Although the song is relatively obscure, it was used in an episode of the television series "This Is Us" in 2017. Vertical Divider
Billy discusses "Why Judy Why" on SiriusXM.
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Words and Music by Billy Joel Of all the people in the world that I know You're the best place to go When I cry, when I cry I never asked for much before, not before Things are changed; I need more Tell me why Judy why? I never thought that she would say Say goodbye; but she did And now I wanna die. I wanna die I never thought that I would need, need a friend But I did, in the end Tell me why Judy why? Oh, what a scene It's wrong for her to hang me up this way Oh, where you been? 'Cause it's so hard to make it through the day A man my age is very young, so I'm told Why do I feel so old? Tell me why Judy why? Oh, what a scene It's wrong for her to hang me up this way Oh, where you been? 'Cause it's so hard to make it through the day There's no tomorrow 'cause my dreams did not last So I live in the past Tell me why Judy why? 
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Videos
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Studio version of "Why Judy Why" (1983).
© 1971, 1983 Sony Music Entertainment |
An acoustic cover of "Why Judy Why" by Patrick Stift.
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