Billy is not only versatile, he's also a true poet and storyteller while also being a great musician. If he wrote a full on opera, my reaction would be "of course he did."
Billy Joel did write a full album of classical pieces for piano called Fantasies & Delusions. He also wrote and recorded a classical sounding piano instrumental called Nocturne from his debut album Cold Spring Harbor from 1971 when he was only 22 years old and wrote a instrumental piece called Elegy: The Great Peconic, which is the third part of a never-released 40-minute orchestral suite, The Scrimshaw Pieces, that evokes the history of Long Island. All of those should be in RU-vid too.
Every Billy Joel album is different from every other one. But Billy Joel always sounds like Billy Joel. For another twist, see the official video for River Of Dreams.
FYI, Billy used to get bullied when he was a kid because of his size, and he decided to do something about it and became amateur Golden Gloves boxer. Also, he didn't want to take piano lessons (another reason why he was bullied), but his Mother pushed him to do it (and I'll be he is so thankful that she did - and so is the rest of the world).
Billy Joel is THE goat of the last 50 years. "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" is his culminate anthem. Lyrical storytelling at its finest and multiple genres of incredible music in one song! As a kid, my first concert in 1983 was to see Billy Joel with my family. Parents bought the tickets and as a teenager I expected it to be LAME. It was anything but and to this day he is my favorite artist. Consider reacting to "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant." You won't be disappointed. At his concerts he can stop mid-song and the entire arena will sing it from start to finish 😊
If you want to see him cover other genres I recommend "Longest Time" which is a acapella song, "Still Rock n Roll to Me" which is a rockabilly song, "Big Man on Mulberry Street" which is a blues rock song, and "Baby Grand" which is a blues song. I also recommend "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" which are three songs which weren't so he combined them into one song made of vignettes with the framing device of being set at an Italian restaurant.
I don't know how old you are, but every time I hear "Big Man On Mulberry Street" it always makes me think of the TV series "Moonlighting". They used the song in a dream sequence.
Billy is doing his 100th concert at Madison Square Gardens tonight, which is what my wife is watching in the living room right now. I believe he's done a concert there once a month for over ten years consecutively, and every show sold out.
My band used to do “You May Be Right”, which is one of Billy’s Bangers! Also check out River of Dreams if you want to get blown away again. The song that makes me tear up every time - and those who have young children will get hit even harder - is called Lullabye. It’s devastatingly lovely.
FYI - Billy Joel does the voice of Dodger in Disneys Oliver & Company.. he plays the piano.. he sings.. he wears sunglasses.. exactly what Billy Joel as a dog would be..
Guys This Is A "Love Ballad" thats What Sets it Apart From Many Others By Billy Joel He Did A Few if tham but He Did Everything Wbich Boggles The Mind All Are Excellent !!
River of Dreams is a gospel feel. Vienna is a classical piano, his range is immense. Keep going on the catalog. You would also enjoy “Still Rock and Roll to Me”.
Great videos: Tell Her About It, Pressure, River of Dreams. You should also check out Goodnight Saigon - - it's so beautiful. Two other recommendations: Old Grey Whistle Test performance of Root Beer Rag (no singing/just amazing piano) and a song called A Room of Our Own which is almost hard rock/funk/blues - - really cool. Billy wrote Uptown Girl for Christie Brinkley, when they were dating. They have been divorced for a while but are still friends. There's footage from a concert he did last week where he and the audience serenaded her with Uptown Girl, and she was dancing and stuff. She still looks - - wow.
p.s. Billy is his own genre - - kind of like Elton John. They've toured together. This street scene was truly impromptu for the people there - - just a free, surprise concert. This was somewhere near St. Mark's Place, Lower East Side NYC.
Obsessed with this song to this day. They actually did do that live so everything they’re showing in that video is what happened real time and that lady screaming out the window is timeless.
Billy Joel themed his records and has said that he wrote this song around the guitar instead of the piano. He has written songs in many different styles. Billy Joel is a style of his own as he uses influences from the Everly Brothers to Ray Charles and even has put Baytooven in his writing credits.
The River of Dreams is another whole vibe. He is an incredible song writer. He once said on one of the late night talk shows that has never considered himself a real vocalist. Who ever the host was laughed out loud & told him that the whole world would disagree!
Billy Joel is a master at doing impressions - I once watched him sing a Bruce springsteen song while doing a springsteen impression, and you'd swear you were listening to Bruce. I also once went to one of his concerts where he kept interacting with his band and the audience while doing an Arnold Schwarzenegger impression
You need to catch his concert at Madison Square Garden. He started I believe in 2014 and he just did his hundredth sold out show Madison Square Garden longest in resident performer.
Billy Joel has extreme range. He is a student of music and has a half brother who is a musician conductor. If you like rock, check out his Pressure song. Up town girl was from his innocent man album which was a tribute to 50’s music.
if you want a billy joel song that hits hard, listen to "goodnight saigon", about the hell our soldiers went through in vietnam. the imagery he paints in that song is nothing short of stellar...it gives me chills and sometimes brings me to tears.
Dude is a class act! He got tired of scalpers buying up all the front row seating at his concerts and selling them way overpriced so he held back the first two rows of tickets and gave them to his road crew who handed them out to the real fans in the back seats! Respect!
Tha'ts awesome. I did something similar at a pro baseball game that I got tickets to from a vendor. 1st 2 seats off of 3rd base dugout front row. Wife and I stayed for 2 innings and then walked to the top of the stadium, last row, and randomly picked out 2 people on the last row and gave them the 2 tickets. They absolutely freaked out...and it was awesome. They were kinda happy. :)
If you really want to get blown away by his musical range, try Still Rock and Roll to Me, Tell Her About it, Big Shot, and Scenes from an Italian Restaurant. They are all over the place.
So many songs by Billy Joel to check out. The diversity of his music and the style that he incorporates is incredible. He cannot be pigeon hold into a specific category. Check out - "Pressure", "Allentown", "Laura", "Goodnight Saigon", "Big Shot", "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant", "My Life", "The Stranger", "Still Rock n Roll to Me". The catalog of music is huge
Write these songs down to react to next by Billy Joel: "Only The Good Die Young", "Keeping The Faith", "Big Shot", "River Of Dreams", "Tell Her About It", "The Longest Time". Those songs there are a nice variety in different styles and is still just some of his biggest hits and best songs. Still plenty left to react to, but those 6 should be up next.
Please Please please react to GOODNIGHT SIAGNON! It's about Vietnam and the lyrics are Bars!!!! Billy has disabled vets come on stage Everytime he sings it to sing the chorus. You'd really like it!!! Thanks❤
Billy was a boxer and in a metal band before his career took off. Every album he’s made has its own vibe. And Pegasus, you nailed it with Uptown Girl. That whole album, “An Innocent Man,” was a tribute to 50’s music. Guy can do anything he wants.
The blonde in the background of the video 'A matter of trust' with the baby is Christie Brinkley.. his wife at the time. 'Uptown Girl' was, I believe, written for her and she was in that video, too. In my opinion, the best song Billy Joel ever wrote and performed is 'Always a woman'. It's utterly amazing.
You have barely scratched the surface. His hits alone will keep you busy let alone all the lesser known stuff. NEW YORK STATE OF MIND Live at the Old Grey Whiskey Test
This is one of my top 5 Billy Joel songs and I love that you are reacting to it bc I think it gets overlooked in his massive catalog. I’ve seen him live and been a fan since I was a kid in the 80’s. He is an unbelievable musician. Goodnight Saigon and his duet with Ray Charles on Baby Grand are 2 non radio songs that are so good!
I don't know if anyone has commented on this BUT AFTER like 1981/82 he was in a motorcycle accident that almost killed him and he had complete reconstructive surgery on his face. So a WHOOOOOOLE NUTHA LAYA is not ONLY is he versatile AND a MUSICAL GENIUS you're looking at LITERALLY the REBIRTH of the SAME TALENT 🤯
This song came out around 1986 or so, my teen age years, always had a love and appreciation of this tune, not the first song you think of with him obviously, but a true top 3 for me of his song's!
