You could do an equal amount of time listening to terrible Billy Joel songs. Don't get me wrong: I love Billy Joel. He put out a ton of good songs. But he also has a TON of duds :P
@@datalink7 I respect your opinion but honestly there are only like 10-15 in his catalogue that I don't like, which given his 130 or so total is FAR better than most others I've listened to.
Billy Joel wrote this because of some of the people he was dealing with in the music industry. There were so many people who wanted a piece of him, including his ex-wife, who was his manager at the time. Billy is one of the most straight-forward songwriters in the world. Everything he's done is outstanding. And you should hear him when he gets that piano cookin'. Next time you do Billy Joel, I suggest Angry Young Man, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, Ballad of Billy the Kid, You're Only Human and Goodnight Saigon. Billy Joel is the absolute greatest.
Not to to say that's not true.... he only played bars for about a week or so and that was it and because of the song Piano Man everybody thought it was the
Billy Joel is a master poet, songwriter, performer, pianist and just all round star....you can't go wrong listening to any of his works. I particularly like Goodnight Saigon....a song about the Vietnam war....I heard him perform this, and many others live (a million years ago) in an outdoor arena, on a beautiful night in Melbourne Australia.
Billy Joel is a singer/songwriter. He suffered a lot and numbed himself with alcohol. He is older and wiser now and I hope he is recovered from numbing himself. He was and is one of the best for being profound and honest with his words.
Still making my way through your videos, and I was positively giddy when I came across this one. Absolutely LOVE Billy Joel. And I just love the amount of passion he sings with in this song, and always been among my favorites of his songs. You honestly can't go wrong with Billy Joel, especially his older stuff. An Innocent Man is another good one.
Billy Joel from 1973-1982 is right up there as one of the all-time greats. His best song is probably Laura from 1982, but then again it could be Say Goodbye To Hollywood, Anthony's Song, My Life, Allentown, Just The Way You Are which Barry White covered & had great success with etc.
With Billy, you'll find that everyone has a favorite. Why? Cuz he can put his finger anywhere and any time and make you feel it. Believe it. His songs are your soul which is totally different than making you feel your own. He pulls your soul out, looks at it, holds it close, then puts it back with a comforting, I know. I've been there before. You're not alone. Soooo many of his songs prove that. Even if a person doesn't know his name (I can imagine THAT) they have a favorite song.
I do not know if anyone else wrote this already, but it was about his troubled marriage. After the divorce, he went to the Caribbean's and while staying at a high-end motel decided to play the piano. He was a bit intoxicated and after raising his head he noticed two beautiful women had come to the piano... Christy Brinkley and Ell Mcfearson. In time he married Christy and after Christy looked at his Billy's account books, was horrified at how much money had been stolen. Thus came a VERY long tour and new songs so that he could get what he had stolen from him. "Uptown Girl" was written and performed during the tour... just to name one.
I saw Billy Joel in concert in his heyday, back in 1984 at the Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles. People in the standing area around the stage had been gradually moving closer to the stage and during his performance of "Stiletto", some security guys felt they may be getting too close to the stage and began trying to ease some fans back. Billy noticed this while in the middle of the song and shouted "Leave them alone!", at which point the people charged to the edge of the stage. It was a great concert.
Something strange about Billy Joel . . . he was such an artist! His melodies are complex and rich, his lyrics are articulate and well-woven, so many of his songs ring true to us! I can't say he was a favorite of mine, but I sure appreciate his skill. I especially loved The Longest Time. I think this song is probably not about any specific incident, but rather, expressing the need for a REAL relationship. He can get pretty girls to date, has good friends, but he's hungry for the soul mate of a life relationship. He has had enough of shallow, artificial relationships. Maybe someone else knows more of the story. : )
His cousin stole like 10 million dollars from him. Billy was being forced to declare bankruptcy. He had to sue family for his money. He was only able to recover 5 million
My Long Island boy love him he has so many great tunes. He is such a great song writer and musician.I think sometimes he doesn’t get the recognition of his talent that he really deserves. This song was written around the time his marriage to his first wife was done.
From Wikipedia: Honesty" is a song by American singer and songwriter Billy Joel. Columbia Records released the song as the third single from his sixth studio album 52nd Street (1978) in 1979. "Honesty" was solely written by Joel, while production was handled by Phil Ramone.
I went to a Billy Joel/Elton John concert in Philadelphia. Dueling pianos! Was Epic!! Two music geniuses in the same building playing together. Not enough words to say how truly great the experience was. Ashame it will never happen again.
Billy Joel is one of the prolific American masters of the art of singer songwriters of the past several decades. He and writers like Bernie Taupin over the past few decades have inspired thousands of buding musicians and singers and have healed millions more of heart ache and sorrow with there ability to put words and music together. MRM, I know you do not research before you review, but now that you have listened to Billy, go check out some more of his work. Bernie Taupin is and has been Elton John's writing partner since late 69 or early 70s' when I first became acquainted with their music. Good luck and have fun with your endeavors and god bless, and easy listening.
He built his career back in the 1970s on songs like this. Yeah he wrote it. He was a wordsmith. check out "The Entertainer." And most of his songs require more than one listen to get the lyrics. "No Man's Land" more recently.
Great honest tune!! Great reaction as usual Ty! 🎤👍 Billy Joel doesn't have a bad song!! He is a legend!! He also used to be a boxer, a real good one!! 💥👍
Our song in High School was "Only the good die young" we used to sing it in the halls and every time,the part came,on about you Catholic girls start much too late. We would sing that really loud. Then again we went to Catholic Central lol
Great song! Billy Joel is so talented. My high school girlfriend gave me this "52nd Street" album for Christmas 1978. I read that the lyrics mean that you want the person you love to always tell you the truth, the good and the bad. And that in the record business, he was constatntly surrounded by yes men and yes women.
Billy Joel's album The Stranger is one of the greatest achievements for a singer/songwriter. Vienna, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, and She's Always a Woman are my favorites.
I go back to 1975 with Billy Joel... one of 23 times seeing his shows. It’s hard for many of us to understand how you don’t know Joel at all. 33 top 40 hits 23 Grammy noms 150 million records sold A few of my faves: Summer, Highland Falls & New York State of Mind from Turnstiles. Just the Way You Are & Only the Good Die Young from The Stranger. It’s Only Rock & Roll to Me & You May Be Right from Glass Houses. And So It Goes & Lullaby are beautiful songs that can make you cry. Anyway, that’s just the starter set!
"To all you Liars out there" Still laugh😂 my ass off Ty when you came in with that first comment after this truthful song! Hilarious brother!🤣Not everyone's a liar but there's a lot out there! Keep keeping on Ty, your awesome man!👍
From what I recall in his interviews, he felt he had said all he needed to say in music and it was time for new people to be heard. I believed he continued to compose music but didn't write any lyrics to them.
@@CraigKostelecky Well, yes, he said that he thought other artists just keep on making more albums into old age, and they get worse and worse. And he doesn't want that happening to him. But what I don't get is how he can be such a creative artist, and then just go: "Nah, fuck it."
One of my favorite singer/songwriters. He wrote numerous love/anti-love songs, such as "Travelin' Prayer" & "You're My Home" off of the Piano Man album, "Just the Way You Are" & "Shes' Always A Woman" from The Stranger, "Rosalinda's Eyes" off of 52nd Street, "Shameless" (which has been covered by several artists) & "And So It Goes" (which is probably his saddest song, immediately predating his divorce from super-model Christie Brinkley "And so it goes, and so will you soon, I suppose") and "Lullabye" on Field of Dreams, a song for his daughter Alexa. I would recommend reacting to "And So It Goes". Makes me cry every time.
@@MariaLouisaBrennan With few exceptions, yes, it's all his own. To Make You Feel My Love was written by Bob Dylan, though Billy Joel was the first to record it.
This goes into grand company of great songs that explore a single word concept. Time. Imagine. Money. Honesty. Great explorations or ideations on a theme.
Billy did write this and here is what was said about it. This song makes the case that truth is harder to find than love. Joel sings about how he can find someone to comfort him with promises, but honesty is far more rare. You can be in love with someone, but it doesn't mean you're going to have truth.
This whole album was fabulous - Billy Joel has been going strong for over 30 years, love how varied his songs are! I believe he writes all his own stuff, know he's written songs for other artists, I think he's been writing classical rather than pop lately. I could list songs forever you should have the chance to enjoy, but I know the most popular will be suggested by others. The one that always touches my heart is "Until the Night" because it helps me feel not so alone hanging on through tough days. "Matter of Trust" talks about different kinds of love - that's the song my husband and I call ours
Not trying to split hairs here but it's not so much a case of Billy has written songs for other artists and more that they have covered his songs after he has recorded them. For example Beyonce has covered this very song and yet wasn't born until 3 years after Billy's version was recorded and Ariana Grande, who I think is only in her mid-20s covered his song Vienna about 35 years after him.
Fun fact: when he initially had a melody but no words, Liberty DeVito (drummer) kept singing "sodimy". So Billy changed it to "Honesty" just to shut him up.
What a talent - what a voice, our piano man. If you haven't listened to much of his stuff, keep going. So much amazing, iconic music. Some are quick, some are slow... always enjoyable.
C"Mon Man! Did he write this song? Yeah! To the best of my knowledge Billy wrote every damn song he ever sang (other than covers), that's what make him so damn great! IMO...Probably the greatest pop / rock Song writers of all time!
Of course he wrote it. Billy Joel is one of the greatest singer/songwriters in history. Dozens and dozens of great hits. He was awarded the Kennedy honors for songwriting a few years ago. He had so many great songs that there would be too many to list. Go on line and pull up Billy Joel songs and you will see what I mean. He does a monthly sold out show at Madison Square Garden in New York.
On a side note, the acoustic guitarist is playing an Ovation Acoustic Sunburst guitar made in Connecticut. My dad bought me one for my 16th birthday. Lost it in a divorce. On the outside chance - Model #1117-1. That was 40 years ago.
I always took that as you can always find someone to tell you what they think you want to hear, even if they're just trying to help. It's hard to find someone who can be brutally honest.
A musical genius and very passionate singer with an astonishing voice..one of my influence..thank u very much sir billy joel..and as u have see bruno mars is similar to his style and looks do u agree..its honesty is the same of when i was ur man of bruno mars and they both have same title song of "JUST THE WAY U ARE" a classical one for billy and modern pop version of bruno mars....
he does a master class and someone asked him why he no longer performs Just the Way You Are.Which he says, was written for his 1st ex wife. "I meant it at the time," he said. It's a great look at some of his lesser known songs and stories about his biggest hits.
This is an amazing song. It's been one of my favorites from way back. It was released around the time his first marriage broke up so I always suspended it had something to do with that. To the best of my knowledge, Billy wrote his own stuff.
You are correct. Every song he's done has something to do with what he's gone through in life. Billy Joel wrote EVERY song he's done. Just watched not to long ago, an interview where he said no one writes his music or lyrics but him and every song has a heartfelt meaning of a particular journey in his life.
Thank you, MRM! Another sip of gold. I hope you get to react to more of his music, truly an American Music Icon. Stay Blessed. With love from Pam & LoLa❤️🐾❤️
