"...some kind of cosmic experience..." Let me tell you about a cosmic experience. I've loved Billy since I was very young, beginning with Piano Man. My husband and I have been together 42 years, married 39. Without delving into detail, 2023 was a very hard year for us personally. Very hard. The day "Turn The Lights Back On" was released, I looked up the lyrics and was stunned at their prescient similarity to our lives. I was waiting in our car, reading the lyrics. He got in the car and I handed him my phone and he read the lyrics. He said, "Did Billy write this song as words for me to say to you?" I was crying. Within 5 seconds "Turn The Lights Back On" began playing on our radio. It was the spookiest, eeriest, most beautiful thing that's ever happened to me. It is a poignant song, one that resonates with us both and I can't hear it without crying.
@@martywhite2988 Through the lens that it is the first radio song in 30 years from a 74 year old famous song writer I'm willing to cut him some slack. I personally found the AI video to be fairly agregis personally, but then at the end the clips of him throughout his career and with his family completely redeems it. When the greats get old you take and appreciate whatever they can give us. If we are lucky Rick Rubin might finally get his shot too and if so I predict a lot more spectacular result.
@@jameshisself9324 One of the great things about Billy Joel was that he wrote about other people, Anthony, Brenda and Eddie, Paul at the bar, and an Uptown Girl. And a lot of the time if the song was about the self, it was in plural sense: Allentown or Goodnight Saigon. But this, who's story is it? His? Wexler's? Don't really know. Therefore it doesn't matter. Worse than the AI video, was whatever noodling they did with his voice. It made him sound 40 years younger, which really robs us of insight from an aging songwriter.
@@martywhite2988 I hear all of your complaints. I'm just glad we have something, anything to complain about. 30 years is a really long time to just quit and then come back. I predict we will get better output from him (hopefully with different producing) before he really hangs it up for good.
Freddy actually said in that interview that they had been working on a group of unfinished Billy Joel songs when he came up with the idea for this one. Billy is clearly inspired again and with the song being so well received I expect we will finally get more songs not too far down the road. What a gift after so many years along with the final Beatles song
This is a beautiful song. It resonates with one who is getting and feeling a bit older. I’m happy to be able to experience another piece of music from Billy who I have admired my entire life.
I've always loved Billy Joel but I found myself listening to his old songs a little less over time. Hearing this new song reinvigerated by desire to listen to Billy again. I love the new song and the new video is so nastalgic.
Billy has and always being my favorite. That song is totally his own, and such as it's in life, we are not our own unique person but the sum of many interactions and experiences that impact us into been who we are.
Friend and fellow musician, I've watched your two videos on Billy Joel's song, and I must say that your ability to analyze is both straightforward and sharp, bringing us closer to this composer's work in a special way. If you feel that special connection with his work, I would be extremely grateful if you decide to make that podcast about Billy Joel's music that you mentioned. Thank you for taking the time to reflect and share your thoughts on the music of this great artist. I am eager to hear the podcast and sincerely hope you decide to make it, and that it happens soon.
Great commentary on a masterful artist with a unique career that is so powerful. Of course, I love the new song....and I ain't just sayin' that because I love and respect Billy Joel so much. Fingers crossed of course that there will be more. I'm confident there will be ... When the jucies flow....man that must feel good!!!
Great commentary! Yes, I would love to hear a Billy Joey Pod cast! I definitely think that Billy changed some lyrics and chord structure or progression as necessary to make it his own. I really do not think that Billy would have performed the song on the Grammy's unless he had taken ownership of the song, so yes, I think it is his.
Glad he came back with a great new song! I would listen to a podcast about Billy Joel! His live vocal performance outshined the studio version because his emotions came through like 50% more without pitch correction. It might also be the energy of doing it LIVE but few singers have that kind of ability. Thanx!
I love your videos, the detail and emotion you put into them. I’m a life long Billy fan and this song is so good. I’m glad we heard one more song from the master. Hopefully there will be more, along of course with your videos giving your take on them. Great stuff.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on Billy Joel new song , when I heard it on the radio driving to work , I was like wow is that a new song from Billy Joel. I didn't know a new song had been released , I fell in love instantly. Hope he continues to create & release new music & songs ❤
As much as I loved Billy and would have loved new music I always respected the fact that he didn't want to put out music for the sake of putting out music and making money. And I also thought it was perfect the way River of Dreams ended with the song "Famous Last Words". I love the way he tied that into the video for this song, and the way the lyrics of this song are essentially a continuation of his musical career/story/journey
Thank you for this video. The reason why Billy Joel is my favorite artist is because he wrote all his songs himself. It all came from his soul & life experiences that made his songs so authentic. I had seen another video where the speaker said that he was 26 or something and really into music, loved Billy Joel but never experience a new released song by him. Billy Joel releasing a new song didn't only affect the older generations that loved him but is also affecting the younger generations. Just like the line in his new song "And maybe you love me, maybe you don't, Maybe you'll learn to, and maybe you won't" speaks to that. I really hope that there will be a new Billy Joel album released. So far 2024 is off to a great start!!
I love it. Billy has so much integrity that he’s willing to co-write, or perform a song that someone else mostly wrote as long as it is up to his standard. The alternative is we get nothing, or he releases sub-par stuff that his heart isn’t in, but that he can get 100% credit for.
The guy has basically written everything in his catalog and l see some people stating their disappointment that he had a cowriter, or people saying the songs no good. No way these people can be real fans of Billy Joel or know much about his music. But I would watch a podcast about Billy Joel.
Agreed. . . but . . . his voice was definitely altered, an AI facelift to sound like '70s - '80s Billy. Compare the studio version to his Grammy appearance (with the song performed in a lower key), the difference is unmistakable.
@stephenfeldman8104 I see what you mean. Finally found a video of the performance. He sounds great there, too, but you're right that it's different. I wouldn't necessarily assume it was AI, though.
There's no mistaking the song has his trademark repertoire of changes. I think the song is cathartic for him and it certainly gives him permission to re-enter the publics longing for his new material. If the song had been anything but vulnerable it could easily have bombed, its been that long and tastes have changed. I think this way, familiarity meets apology opens the door for a new phase of redemption and potential a final good bye on his terms. Either way it's wonderful to see the down man man rekindle his fire.
Billy is so humble. The new song may not cure cancer, but on countless occasions, his music has healed my soul! Howard Stern once asked, " I wonder if Billy knows how much his music means to people?" I hope he does. He deserves the same happiness he has given to millions.
Billy brought it back to the 1970s…..classic….his voice sounds amazing…..young again! If my memory is correct….I recall interviews in the past where Billy said that Elton John would ask him”Why don’t you write some new songs?”….and Billy answered….”Why don’t you stop writing new songs?”😂😂😂😂😂
When I heard this on the car radio (SiriusXM) the other day, I 100% thought it was a Billy Joel "deep track" from some old album (I don't know most of his stuff). His voice sounded exactly like it did in the 70s and 80s. After the song ended, I Googled it to see what album it was on.... And I was _absolutely shocked_ to see it was a brand new song! It is so "him" - the whole vibe of it. Anyway, I totally applaud him for reconnecting with music, and for writing this gorgeous song and making this glorious recording. Another one for the ages. Cheers!
Excellent , interpretation of the songwriting process.Billy Joel also said he used to dream the Melody's.He also goes through the unusual process of writing the music first then the words.Please start your podcast of Billy Joel.
Hi yes, I was one of the viewers who mentioned the cowriters. I think this post answers mine and probably hundreds of people’s questions about the ownership of the song. I personally from what you said suggest it is a Billy Joel song co-written with Feddie. I like your Beatle analogy as with Paul and John, some songs were very 50/50 whereas others some were John's improved by Paul and vice-versa and of course a few were solo compositions like Yesterday and Revolution no 9. What would Strawberry Fields Forever be without Paul’s mellotron intro or his and Martins idea for the crescendo of orchestration in A Day in the Life. Equally John could reign in Paul when his lyrics were not up to par. This beautiful song, Turn the Lights Back On, (after repeated listens I have grown to love it more) has some very Billy Joel trademarks and whilst lyrically it has a lot of Billy in it I can hear the contributions of another. His vocal is superb. An excellent video post and one I was hoping that someone would write. Music lovers and fans of stars like to know the work and people involved in the creation of any piece and I think you explained the subtleties very articulately. I hope I did not come across as being critical of Billy rather I simply wanted someone to explain to me the process and the contributions made in greater detail. Thank you for doing this. Cheers.
You know your stuff. He is the real deal. All music and all words by Billy Joel. Elton John, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson...none of them can say this. I can't say he's the only one to pull this off, but I am confident he is the only one to pull it off at the level of quality and quantity he did. And the kicker....most of the "hits" aren't his best stuff. Unless you are a real follower, you don't know his true catalog. From ragtime and classical instrumentals to the bluegrassy Travelin Prayer and EVERYTHING in between, I am not sure there is anyone like him. Joel brings the background of a classical pianist to his work. B Side cuts dig deep into chord progressions that most "Swiftie Style" strummers could never wrap their heads around. The Stranger, 52nd Street, and the Nylon Curtain are examples. If you want to play those songs, you need more than a G chord and a capo! I would love to see a podcast that digs into the B side Joel....maybe you are the one!
Freddy, who was born way after Billy's heyday brought renewed life and hope nd joy into Billy's songwriting... the same way my current (2nd) wife was born in 1981, but gave this old guy (me..68 y.o.) a renewed sense of hope with her love. What a blessing for Billy... and us, his fans!
I'm a huge Billy Joel fan and happy that he's doing something that is making him excited and maybe make new music. I like this song and his performance of it, but it seems to lack so much of what makes a Billy Joel song. Like the chord progression is very straight forward and the chorus and the verse both have the same chords. Usually when he does this on some of his classic songs, My Life and Piano Man come to mind, there is some kind of bridge. In this song there isn't one and maybe it is by design, but it bothers me still. Still seeing how happy he seemed while performing at the Grammys and getting such a reaction, I say, do what you gotta do Billy, you've got nothing to prove, just have fun.
I too hear that it's more "conservative" (artistically speaking) than some of his historical gems. Or, another way to look at it: he's seasoned and more mellowed out now. Ultimately I see him as being authentic to the person he is now -- a very different person he was during his songwriting career (1971-1993).
The chord progression is not simple. It’s is the key of C - 1,4,5, then a 3 dominant, 6, then a 2 dominant. Unique if you ask me. The instrumental is the bridge using a different combination of the chords.
@danielmarra1555 It is very simple: C F Please open the door G E Nothing is different, we've been here before E7 Am Pacing these halls D/F# G F Em Trying to talk over the silence C F And pride sticks out its tongue G E Laughs at the portrait that we've become E7 Am Stuck in a frame D/F# G F Em Unable to change, I was wron
I love this song! And I have many many thoughts about it. For one, it does sound very much like something he would have written by himself. But one thing I noticed, at least for me, that this song is sort of a nod to his song "Piano Man". I sat down to learn the piano part a few days ago and there's some elements of "Piano Man" that I detected. Some of this may seem trivial but I've studied his music for over 40 years. First, it's in the same key. Second, it has a 3/4 feel (or 6/8), very similar to Piano Man, though the tempo is a bit slower. Third, it follows a similar pattern in the AB structure, as did Piano Man. In other words the verse (A) chord progression is the same as the chorus (B) progression in both songs. Different progressions but following the same structure. And then you have a piano break in the middle. It starts on Am, just as Piano Man did, but it does take a turn. But for me it was enough to say, "Hey! This is a nod!" And there's the walk down at the end of a verse. Except, it is different. "Turn the Lights Back On" Billy plays G to F to Em and on Piano Man it starts at the F then the Em and then Dm. Again, that was enough for me to see how they may have crafted it this way. I could totally be wrong with this assessment. I am in no way giving any bad criticism here. I truly love this song and I danced with my nearly 4 year old granddaughter that just melted in my arms while we danced in the dark. She loved it. I have other thoughts, too, about the lyrics.
Very well said. Nice video. It was the business too, that got to Billy. His first contract followed him his entire career and eventually took away from his drive and inspiration to continue to write.
Artie Ripp is such a piece of sh&t. He DID get Billy his first solo record with CSH, but clearly it was "Piano Man" and Columbia Records (with some help from Walter Yetnikoff) that put him on the map (and got him away from Artie). 🤨 But Artie Ripp DID give us one thing - the term "rip(p)-off," so we at least have THAT to thank him for... 🙄
Another great video. A few years back Billy was on one of the late night talkshows. The host said to him “Elton John thinks you should write more”. Billy‘s response? “I think Elton should write less“😂 As an aside, a songwriting team that I think does it amazingly well when it comes to songwriting credits is U2. From day one in 1978 everything they’ve written/released under the name U2 (members have released individual tracks which aren’t technically under the name U2) has been listed as written by Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. split 4 ways. 25% each. I think that’s pretty cool. Their recently retired manager (Paul McGinnis) Drill that into their head that for the band to last long term it needs to be cut and dry. It probably goes a long way into contributing to why they’ve now officially been the longest running band in rock history with zero lineup changes/departures.
Most people who have sole credit for the vast majority of their songs have uncredited contributors. I believe Liberty Devito came up with the line from "My Life": "Either way it's ok you wake up with yourself". Conversely (as you alluded to) there are people that did essentially nothing (or literally) and get credit. This might not ever happen but I'd love to know specifically what all the credited writers contributed to this tune "Turn The Lights Back On". I believe Billy actually did the least of the writing and Freddy Wexler wrote most of it.
Re: your comment about Liberty, yes, it's very likely in the 70's and 80's that Liberty (and others) contributed aspects to the songs' development to help make it what it became. There are well-documented stories about Liberty's involvement in changing the feel of songs like Just the Way You Are. It's arguable whether it deserves songwriting credit, since it's really the arrangement, but sometimes the arrangement can change so drastically that it affects the song significantly, so there's a bit of gray area there. Billy and Liberty were great friends back in the day and it wouldn't surprise me if the occasional quote from Liberty ended up in a Billy Joel lyric...and similarly...it's a bit of a gray area whether it deserves actual co-credit. I mean, if it did, then Julian Lennon deserves co-writing credit for the drawing he made when he was 4 years old about "Lucy in the sky with diamonds."
@@daviddas That's part of the reason Billy and Liberty fell out. Liberty felt he deserved royalties for his contributions to Billy's music, and Billy (who has struggled with predatory business practices for most of his career and has only recently gotten full ownership of his catalog) refused. In other words, the version Liberty tells in the _Hired Gun_ documentary leaves quite a bit out.
It’s official. Billy Joel was on the Howard Stern show. This is one of Billy’s old unfinished song that Wexler helped finish with an idea. The lyrics and music is Billys.
In a recent Howard Stern interview Billy plays a classical sounding piece that has the basic harmonic framework for what became this song and says it was something that he played for Freddie. So at the least Billy inspired some of the song’s harmonic direction it appears.
I'm assuming maybe it wasn't public info when this video came out, but Billy has publicly talked about the writing process for this song and the collaboration with Freddie Wexler
I think the demo is one of Billy Joel’s old compositions that Wexler was working on. Why would Wexler ask for them and then present him with an original? That would be deceptive.
@@danielmarra1555 Good question - but from the way it's described by Freddy, it sounds like that *was* the case. It's a great song, so it would've been great if the impetus was Billy's...but sadly, I don't think it was, especially since Freddy talks about kicking it around with the other two writers first. I hate to say it, as a tremendous, extreme life-long fan (I can name every track off every studio album off the top of my head, the exception being "Fantasies and Delusions!"), but I think that as far as the songwriting goes, Billy's creation on it is maybe 25% at most - but I'd fathom more like 10-15%. I'm finding it very hard to accept this nonetheless - but upon further investigation, it's seeming more and more to be the case, unfortunately. 😔 I really do wish that at least half of the song were Billy's - which I'd be fine with - and I hope that future recordings, if there hopefully are some, *will* be based on Billy's original demos. Otherwise I could go listen to any number of Freddy's albums on here from over the last 15+ years... 🙄
Both Doxa & Epistemology working in concert. I see the trinity in one, Borromean rings. Thank you, to the master of the house, for your delightful introspective.
Billy Joel podcast? YES PLEASE!! I like the new song alot but can't say love, there's just something not quite there for me. It's a bit 'commercial' maybe, it feels a bit rushed to be finished or something?? The video is outstanding though. 😀
There IS one other lost track which Billy did in 1996 - it was a song co-written with Paul Reiser, where Billy did the music and Paul then wrote the lyrics...but was only *recorded* by Bebe Winans. It was from the "Mad About You" soundtrack, and while it's nice, I still wouldn't quite call it "stellar!" 🤷♂
No question, the finished product was a product of collaboration, not the solo work of Billy Joel. And he's the first to admit as much--that Freddy Wexler coaxed him into returning to songwriting--starting with "scraps" of previously created music, not necessarily "brand new" spare parts. From there, the song was sculpted over time. Over much time. In the end, it really is the ownership of Billy Joel and collaborators. No cookie-cutter approach to creating music--and isn't that great. Thank you for the deep understanding of how vibrant and "dynamic" the creative process can be.
I thought the same thing on initial listen! But then the song goes in a different, more complex direction, in a very unique way! But Cat Stevens - talk about a long musical drought (taken for a rather unfortunate, anti-intellectual reason... 🤷♂)!! But he did make somewhat of a comeback over recent years, as well. 🙂
Love the new song. I'm a huge fan. Even like an Attila track or two. Have you noticed that he sounded his age in the Grammy performance but in the studio track sounds much younger? Paramount is also not allowing it intact on RU-vid, only short clips of it? In those clips, you don't hear the more complex piano playing happening. It makes me wonder if Billy's voice was computer enhanced to sound younger for the track and if he can still play complex parts without pain in his fingers. Hmm... Getting old is NOT for sissies.
I seriously think he got cold feet after the bad experience of the recording of "River of Dreams" and got writers block. This is his first original song since "All My Life" and "Christmas in Fallujah" although he has sporadically shown up on tribute albums, soundtracks and guest spots on other performers recordings but those were all cover songs. I'm just happy he has released a new song. I dont care if it had ten co writers, Billy is back!
Hey - I get what you're saying here, and I do believe Billy had some input into the song...but with Freddy's Grammys red-carpet commentary about how he and a few of his friends had bounced the song off each other a bit before showing it to / playing it for Billy first...I've started to become suspect as to Billy's true input into it's creative conception. Lyrically, Billy's mentioned how it sounded like something he could've said or written verbatim...which is both odd *and* cool, but even so...he *didn't.* And that's unfortunate, because it would've been necessary for him to have written most of the lyrics himself to really to OWN what he's saying. It's still a great song, and it has an incredible Billy Joel feel about it - but Freddy is also an intelligent-enough songwriter, producer, and FAN...that he and a couple of collaborators could write something that mimics Billy's sound from his more recent AND earlier albums. So that further complicates things and makes it hard for us die-hards truthfully to question what's going on, especially WANTING to believe wholeheartedly that this is Billy's creation...as much as possible. But, when further digging seems to present evidence to the contrary, that becomes difficult. 🤷♂
Yes he wrote the song. Producers and whoever is in the room at the time say they wrote it as well. Just like Taylor wrote all of her songs...with other writers.
How much do you think the pressure of having fulfill a contractual obligation to produce songs and albums by a certain date, had to do with losing the love for songwriting?
It might have been part of it. If you know anything about Billy's business side, he's had some heart-wrenching awful moments in his career, enough to make anyone quit.
@@daviddas In his autobiography, Phil Ramone writes quite a bit about how Billy was never comfortable in the studio, and the lengths they'd go to to make recording feel more like performing live. That might also explain why Billy's toured and performed constantly since _River of Dreams,_ but rarely gone back into the studio and never released another album.
As a writer myself, I understand where Billy's coming from. My personal M.O. is to write all of the music, and a good chunk of the lyrics. But then agonize, for months, over what lyrics go on these blank spaces. I have a personal dislike for bringing in collaborators to co-write with me. There have been a couple of instances where I've had somebody attempt to contribute some lyrics. Only to find that the other person "twists it off-course" and not be in line with my original vision. For that reason, I can relate to Joel's sense of distrust of collaborators.
I think Billy saw that a song John Lennon wrote in the late 70s and recorded with the other Beatles over the last 30 yrs. became a hit song 3 months ago and thought to himself..well if they are still having new hits..maybe I can too
The exhaustion of spending the entirety of the 1970s touring, writing, recording, repeat began to show after Nylon Curtain, which is his masterpiece and also his last truly soup-to-nuts great album. For all the success and well-deserved accolades tha An Innocent Man has garnered, it is an album of nostalgia. It is an album of covers, essentially, covers that he wrote, reflective of the generation that preceded him. The Subsequent albums have moments of inspiration, but they none of the three amount to fully coherent expressions of anything other than a workmanlike craftsmanship. By River of Dreams he was even beginning to self-sample from his own internal songbook, with the title track essentially auditioning to replace Modern Woman on An Innocent Man! I do not know if it would ever come out, but I am deathly fearful that the lyrics for the new song were created with AI assistance. Given his self-confessed struggles with lyrics, I worry that ChatGPT and Bard may been too much of a temptation. There is something strange about the lyrics, and I base this on having worked with this software for over a year at this point. I hope these suspicions are themselves simply a product of living too close to these memes.
Excellent post and I agree 100% with your analysis of his records…although I do believe An Innocent Man was an inspired record. After that, he was reaching…I agree, there’s something about this song that bothers me…it sounds canned to me…could’ve been an Adele song…slick…anyway, it’s nice…it’s just not Billy…as the video pointed out, it was the producers title and idea
I disagree with you on the general arc. An Innocent Man is (IMHO) a brilliant album in the style of 50's doo woo. The songwriting and production and the creativity is impeccable. I do think there were some moments in The Bridge and Storm Front and River of Dreams that may not have been his best work (some of which he has admitted, particularly on The Bridge), but there isn't a batter in this world that only hits home runs. I don't think the AI assistance comment is even in the realm of possibility. Billy just doesn't do that.
Why did he perform it a full step lower than it was recorded? Or was what we heard last Wednesday studio trickery making it sound like he was singing in C instead of B flat? Very disappointed to hear that last night
Probably stamina. In the studio, it's possible to sing things a phrase at a time, where you can really take your time. Live, his voice is getting older and if he didn't feel like he could make it through with power, he'll just lower the key. He's done this with most of his repertoire, and it's a fact of life for many older singers.
@@daviddasI totally get that he needs to perform only the good die young, Vienna, piano man and other songs from the 70s a full step down live now but this song at the time of the Grammy performance was less than a week old
