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    • Oct 23, 2023
    • 25 min read

Lorelai Schroeder - Top 15 Billy Joel Songs To Change Your Life.



I vividly remember the night I heard a Billy Joel Song on the radio for the first time. In September of a year, I believe in 2014, I was heading home from a party my aunt threw. And every year during the fall season,"SiriusXM New York" reserves a channel on the radio for Billy Joel, and Billy Joel alone. So that night, when my mom turned the dial on the car for some music, it turned to channel 105, and I heard "Leningrad" for the first time.


Now this was not my first time hearing his name, it had been thrown around millions of times in my old Long Island home, I just didn't realize how important he really was. He wasn't just some singer to my family, or to anyone else in Nassau County, he was more like a friend. Billy grew up with our grandparents, went to high school with them, voted with them, and lived next to them for practically their whole lives. Billy Joel wasn't just some rich guy who made a living hitting a few keys on the piano. He was a working-class kid, with real talent, who worked his way up to the place he was in. He is a living representation of the men and women who worked for what they got, he just had the talent to make it in the industry.


In my opinion, there is no number 1, Billy Joel song. With full honesty, if someone told me to pick one, it very well could take days, and there is a strong possibility I wouldn't be able to do it. However, I am able to provide a list of my top 15 songs, the songs I grew up with, the songs ingrained in my head, the lyrics of which I could recite with just a reiteration of the title. (Keep in mind, these songs have not been ranked, because the songs are so versatile, that one could simply not be compared to the other).


( A playlist of the songs below, along with a multitude of others can be found on the "UCPL" Spotify Account titled "Top 15 Billy Joel Songs To Change Your Life - And A Multitude of Others", or by clicking this link: https://spotify.link/s7TAAhqE8Db ).


 

Piano Man (1973)


  1. Piano Man - A song so simple, yet so powerful. The song's simplicity can be found in the explanation. Throughout Joel's teen years, he worked at a piano bar in Hicksville NY. He worked there day and night to support his family, he worked so hard and so often that he missed a crucial English exam necessary for graduation- So he didn't graduate, and spent his former years playing that very bar. During that time he encountered so many different people, with different stories, and different lives. Billy was fascinated by the stories of his friends and the regulars at the bar- so naturally he decided to write a song about it. Piano Man is a beautiful combination of true stories of normal people, and dreams, passion, and the wants and wishes of these people. In the lyrics, we see that so many of the regulars in Joel's bar come to see him play, "To Forget About Life For Awhile". These people, their lives are so normal, but they dream of being movie stars, politicians, and performers. They think that they are irrelevant and unimportant- that being famous would make them matter. But what they don't realize is that their normality is what makes them so special. Everyone has wishes, everyone has dreams, and we are all alike and that is truly something special


"It's nine o'clock on a Saturday, The regular crowd shuffles in, There's an old man sittin' next to me, Makin' love to his tonic and gin, He says, "Son Can you play me a memory? I'm not really sure how it goes, But it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete, When I wore a younger man's clothes", La, la-la, di-di-da, La-la di-di-da da-dum, Sing us a song, you're the piano man, Sing us a song tonight, Well, we're all in the mood for a melody, And you've got us feelin' alright

Now John at the bar is a friend of mine, He gets me my drinks for free, And he's quick with a joke, or to light up your smoke, But there's someplace that he'd rather be, He says, "Bill, I believe this is killing me", As a smile ran away from his face, "Well, I'm sure that I could be a movie star. If I could get out of this place", Oh, la, la-la, di-di-da, La-la di-di-da da-dum

Now Paul is a real estate novelist. Who never had time for a wife, And he's talkin' with Davy, who's still in the navy. And probably will be for life

And the waitress is practicing politics, As the businessmen slowly get stoned. Yes, they're sharing a drink they call loneliness, But it's better than drinkin' alone

Sing us the song, you're the piano man, Sing us a song tonight, Well, we're all in the mood for a melody, And you've got us feelin' alright, It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday, And the manager gives me a smile, 'Cause he knows that it's me they've been comin' to see, To forget about life for a while, And the piano, it sounds like a carnival, And the microphone smells like a beer, And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar, And say man what are you doin' here?

Oh, la, la-la, di-di-da, La-la di-di-da da-dum, Sing us the song, you're the piano man, Sing us a song tonight, Well, we're all in the mood for a melody, And you've got us feelin' alright"


 


 

Turnstiles (1976)


2. New York State Of Mind - A song written about the pride of being from New York, it was written when Joel returned from a trip to Los Angeles California, and realized how much he missed his home. Joel was quite literally "Takin' a Grey Hound Bus on the Hudson River Line" when he found the inspiration for the song. It represents how all New Yorkers feel, and Billy puts it into words we never could. Some folks like to get away


"Some folks like to get away, Take a holiday from the neighbourhood, Hop a flight to Miami Beach, Or to Hollywood, But I'm taking a Greyhound, On the Hudson River Line, I'm in a New York state of mind, I've seen all the movie stars, In their fancy cars and their limousines, Been high in the Rockies under the evergreens, But I know what I'm needing, And I don't want to waste more time, I'm in a New York state of mind, It was so easy living day by day, Out of touch with the rhythm and blues, But now I need a little give and take, The New York Times, The Daily News, It comes down to reality, And it's fine with me 'cause I've let it slide, Don't care if it's Chinatown or up on Riverside, I don't have any reasons, I've left them all behind, I'm in a New York state of mind, It was so easy living day by day, Out of touch with the rhythm and blues, But now I need a little give and take, The New York Times, The Daily News, It comes down to reality, And it's fine with me 'cause I've let it slide, Don't care if it's Chinatown or up on Riverside, I don't have any reasons, I've left them all behind, I'm in a New York state of mind, I'm just taking a Greyhound on the Hudson River Line, 'Cause I'm in a New York state of mind"




 

The Stranger (1977)


3 . Movin' Out ( Anthony's Song) - An intricate song about the lives of the upper and middle class. The song follows a young man by the name of Anthony, who works in a grocery store. Anthony dreams of "Making it" in the world, but his definition of "making it" isn't like other people's. You see, he doesn't want to work his whole life just to buy a house out in Hackensack, or trade his Chevy in for a Cadillac, he doesn't want to waste his time saving up pennies for a life he will regret and hate. Anthony wants to be rich, a star even - and if he ain't movin' up ( in the world), he's movin' out.


"Anthony works in the grocery store, Savin' his pennies for someday, Mama Leone left a note on the door, She said, "Sonny, move out to the country", Workin' too hard can give you, A heart attack (ack, ack, ack, ack, ack), You oughta know by now (oughta know), Who needs a house out in Hackensack, Is that what you get for your money?, It seems such a waste of time, If that's what it's all about, Mama if that's movin' up, Then I'm movin' out, I'm movin' out, Sergeant O'Leary is walkin' the beat, At night he becomes a bartender, He works at Mister Cacciatore's down, On Sullivan Street, Across from the medical center, He's tradin' in his Chevy for a Cadillac (ack, ack, ack, ack, ack), You oughta know by now, And if he can't drive, With a broken back, At least he can polish the fenders, It seems such a waste of time, If that's what it's all about, Mama if that's movin' up, Then I'm movin' out, I'm movin' out, You should never argue with a crazy mind (mi-, mi-, mi-, mi-, mi-), You oughta know by now, You can pay Uncle Sam with the overtime, Is that all you get for your money, If that's what you have in mind, If that's what you're all about, Good luck movin' up, 'Cause I'm moving out, I'm moving out (mmm), Ou, ou, uh huh (mmm), I'm moving out".


 

4. She's Always A Woman - Written about his first wife Elizabeth Weber, in a time dominated by men, she is considered to be a big part of Joel becoming famous. She was often seen as "cold and ruthless" with the businessmen she negotiated with, in order to get Billy opportunities in the industry. She managed Joel's financials and got him out of bad situations when he naively put himself in bad deals and contracts. As "Cold and Ruthless" as Elizabeth was made out to be, Billy always saw the beauty behind it, he knew it was all a front, and as soon as they closed the door of their home behind them, he would see his ethereal, kind, intelligent woman once again.


"She can kill with a smile, she can wound with her eyes, And she can ruin your faith with her casual lies, And she only reveals what she wants you to see, She hides like a child but she's always a woman to me, She can lead you to love, she can take you or leave you, She can ask for the truth but she'll never believe you, And she'll take what you give her as long as it's free, Yeah, she steals like a thief, but she's always a woman to me, Oh, she takes care of herself, she can wait if she wants, She's ahead of her time, Oh, and she never gives out and she never gives in, She just changes her mind, And she'll promise you more than the garden of Eden, Then she'll carelessly cut you and laugh while you're bleeding, But she'll bring out the best and the worst you can be, Blame it all on yourself 'cause she's always a woman to me, Mmm-mmm, mmm-mmm, Mmm-mmm, mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm, Oh, she takes care of herself, she can wait if she wants, She's ahead of her time, Oh, and she never gives out and she never gives in, She just changes her mind, She is frequently kind and she's suddenly cruel, But she can do as she pleases, she's nobody's fool, And she can't be convicted, she's earned her degree, And the most she will do is throw shadows at you, But she's always a woman to me, Mmm-mmm, mmm-mmm, Mmm-mmm, mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm"


 

5. Vienna - The word "Vienna" is a metaphor for "Growing Older". If you took the lyrics of the song and replaced the word "Vienna" with the phrase "Growing older", the song makes much more sense. Since the song basically tells us to slow down and not rush adulthood, because it waits for us, we need to relax and enjoy our time before we need to really work. If you put it in simple terms, Billy wants us to get some R+R, before we dive into adulthood. As teenagers, we often take so much more onto our plates than we can handle, and we get burnt out We kick off before we even get halfway through. We need to take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while, because eventually we are going to be adults and look back on our childhoods with disappointment, realizing that we didn't enjoy ourselves.


"Slow down, you crazy child, you're so ambitious for a juvenile, But then if you're so smart, tell me, Why are you still so afraid?, Where's the fire, what's the hurry about?, You'd better cool it off before you burn it out, You've got so much to do and, Only so many hours in a day, But you know that when the truth is told.., That you can get what you want or you can just get old, You're gonna kick off before you even, Get halfway through, When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?, Slow down, you're doing fine, You can't be everything you want to be, Before your time, Although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight, Tonight... , Too bad but it's the life you lead , you're so ahead of yourself that you forgot what you need , Though you can see when you're wrong, you know , You can't always see when you're right. You're right , You've got your passion, you've got your pride , but don't you know that only fools are satisfied?, Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true, When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?, Slow down, you crazy child, and take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while, it's all right, you can afford to lose a day or two, When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?, And you know that when the truth is told, that you can get what you want or you can just get old, You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through, Why don't you realize, Vienna waits for you , When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?"


 

6. Scenes From An Italian Restaurant - A story that follows Brenda and Eddie, the most popular kids in school, madly in love in the 70s'. Every day they went to the same restaurant, religiously- dimes in the jukebox, they were there from the time school ended to closing time. Everyone told them that they were crazy, and they would never make it- but in the summer of '75, they tied the knot. They bought an apartment and lived their lives until 'the money got tight and they started to fight and got a divorce as a matter of course and they parted the closest of friends'. They knew they could never go back to the people who told them they would never make it, so they picked up their pieces and left for good. Joel wrote this song simply because he wanted to capture the essence of the observation of the typical New York life.


"A bottle of white, a bottle of red, Perhaps a bottle of rose instead, We'll get a table near the street, In our old familiar place, You and I, face to face, A bottle of red, a bottle of white, It all depends upon your appetite, I'll meet you any time you want, In our Italian Restaurant, Things are okay with me these days, Got a good job, got a good office, Got a new wife, got a new life, And the family's fine, We lost touch long ago, You lost weight I did not know, You could ever look so nice after, So much time, Do you remember those days hanging out, At the village green, Engineer boots, leather jackets, And tight blue jeans, Drop a dime in the box play the, Song about New Orleans, Cold beer, hot lights, My sweet romantic teenage nights, Brenda and Eddie were the, Popular steadys, And the king and the queen, Of the prom, Riding around with the car top, Down and the radio on, Nobody looked any finer, Or was more of a hit at the, Parkway Diner, We never knew we could want more, Than that out of life, Surely Brenda and Eddie would, Always know how to survive, Brenda and Eddie were still going, Steady in the summer of '75, When they decided the marriage would, Be at the end of July, Everyone said they were crazy, Brenda you know you're much too lazy, Eddie could never afford to live that, Kind of life, But there we were wavin' Brenda and, Eddie goodbye, They got an apartment with deep, Pile carpet, And a couple of paintings from Sears, A big waterbed that they bought, With the bread, They had saved for a couple, Of years, They started to fight when the, Money got tight, And they just didn't count on, The tears, They lived for a while in a, Very nice style, But it's always the same in the end, They got a divorce as a matter, Of course, And they parted the closest, Of friends, Then the king and the queen went, Back to the green, But you can never go back, There again, Brenda and Eddie had had it, Already by the summer of '75, From the high to the low to, The end of the show, For the rest of their lives, They couldn't go back to, The greasers, The best they could do was, Pick up the pieces, We always knew they would both, Find a way to get by, That's all I heard about, Brenda and Eddie, Can't tell you more than I, Told you already, And here we are wavin' Brenda, And Eddie goodbye, A bottle of red, a bottle of white, Whatever kind of mood you're in tonight, I'll meet you anytime you want, In our Italian Restaurant"



 


 

The Nylon Curtain - (1982)


7. Allentown - (One of my absolute favorites due to it being written about my hometown!) Allentown is a pseudonym for Levittown, a town in New York as well as a town in Pennsylvania. Joel originally had the lyrics ready to be fully about Levvitown, but then he visited Bethlehem Pennsylvania, and altered the lyrics to fit that town as well. The entire song was about the people who moved to those factory towns so many years ago, the people promised jobs- the jobs they never got. These people worked so hard in run-down places, and they were only ever able to make it just about as far as their parents did. The song is a representation of normal people, not necessarily the normal people who dreamed and got to where they wanted to be. But the people who didn't know any better, who worked to stay afloat, and even alive.


"Well we're living here in Allentown, And they're closing all the factories down, Out in Bethlehem they're killing time, Filling out forms, Standing in line, Well our fathers fought the Second World War, Spent their weekends on the Jersey Shore, Met our mothers in the USO, Asked them to dance, Danced with them slow, And we're living here in Allentown, But the restlessness was handed down, And it's getting very hard to stay, Well we're waiting here in Allentown, For the Pennsylvania we never found, For the promises our teachers gave, If we worked hard, If we behaved, So the graduations hang on the wall, But they never really helped us at all, No they never taught us what was real, Iron and coke, And chromium steel, And we're waiting here in Allentown, But they've taken all the coal from the ground, And the union people crawled away, Every child had a pretty good shot, To get at least as far as their old man got, But something happened on the way to that place, They threw an American flag in our face, Well I'm living here in Allentown, And it's hard to keep a good man down, But I won't be getting up today, And it's getting very hard to stay, And we're living here in Allentown"



 


 

An Innocent Man (1983) (My Favorite Album!)

8. Uptown Girl - Joel actually wrote the song about himself- not quite, but still he wrote the character of the poor man after his own heart, and the "Uptown Girl" about his 'soon- to- be' wife, supermodel Christie Brinkley. At the time, it wasn't that Joel was poor, it was that he didn't think he could ever deserve the 'put together', elegant, and poised Brinkley. So naturally, he was very surprised when Brinkley agreed to go out with him. When the music video was shot Billy went as far as to put himself and Brinkley front and center. The entire album is rumored to be completely about her, (Even the song "Christie Lee")


"Uptown girl, She's been living in her uptown world, I bet she's never had a backstreet guy, I bet her momma never told her why, I'm gonna try for an uptown girl, She's been living in her white-bred world, As long as anyone with hot blood can, And now she's looking for a downtown man, That's what I am, And when she knows what, She wants from her time, And when she wakes up, And makes up her mind, She'll see I'm not so tough, Just because, I'm in love with an uptown girl, You know I've seen her in her uptown world, She's getting tired of her high-class toys, And all her presents from her uptown boys, She's got a choice, Oh, oh, oh, oh, Oh, oh, oh, oh, Oh, oh, oh, oh, Oh, oh, oh, oh, Uptown girl, You know I can't afford to buy her pearls, But maybe someday when my ship comes in, She'll understand what kind of guy I've been, And then I'll win, And when she's walking, She's looking so fine, And when she's talking, She'll say that she's mine, She'll say I'm not so tough, Just because, I'm in love, With an uptown girl, She's been living in her white-bred world, As long as anyone with hot blood can, And now she's looking for a downtown man, That's what I am, Oh, oh, oh, oh, Oh, oh, oh, oh, Oh, oh, oh, oh, Oh, oh, oh, oh, Uptown girl, She's my uptown girl, You know I'm in love, With an uptown girl, My uptown girl, You know I'm in love, With an uptown girl, My uptown girl, You know I'm in love, With an uptown girl, My uptown girl, You know I'm in love, With an uptown girl"


 

9. This Night (OK I'm not kidding, this is my favorite song) - A song about a singer, trying not to fall in love with a woman. She's so magical it's inevitable, so inevitable he realizes and ultimately gives in. He tried to convince himself she wasn't anything special, he tried to say that she meant nothing to him. He told her he wasn't ready for romance, but it was all out the window once he kissed her. Now, he has completely changed his mind. He's infatuated and entranced, and he never wants the night to end, and as long as it's just them, the night could last forever.


"Didn't I say, I wasn't ready for a romance, Didn't we promise, We would only be friends, And so we danced, Though it was only a slow dance, I started breaking my promises, Right there and then, Didn't I swear, There would be no complications, Didn't you want, Someone who's seen it all before, Now that you're here, It's not the same situation, Suddenly I don't remember the rules anymore, This night is mine, It's only you and I, Tomorrow, Is a long time away, This night can last forever, I've been around, Someone like me should know better, Falling in love, Would be the worst thing I could do, Didn't I say, I needed time to forget her, Aren't you running from someone, Who's not over you, How many nights, Have I been lonely without you, I tell myself, How much I really don't care, How many nights, Have I been thinking about you, Wanting to hold you, But knowing you would not be there, This night you're mine, It's only you and I, I'll tell you to forget yesterday, This night we are together, This night is mine, It's only you and I, Tomorrow is such a long time away, This night can last forever, Tomorrow is such a long time away, This night can last forever"


 

10. The Longest Time - There's no real story behind this one, It's a song about, *Drumroll Please*, ' You've Guessed it, Folks! A man in Love! Joel came up with it one day. The style is what really matters, is the beautiful, harmonic doo-wop style of the 1950s, surprisingly, all the voices are Billy! It's all an illusion, the style is Called method singing, on the day of the song recording, Joel was told that his backup singers would not be able to make it. Billy, being the busy man he is decided to just do all of the voices himself. He didn't want all the voices to sound the same, so he methodically changed his voice 7 times to fit the description of the 7 people who couldn't make it that day. And that's how "The Longest Time Was Born".


"Oh, oh, oh,For the longest time, Oh, oh, oh, For the longest, If you said goodbye to me tonight, There would still be music left to write, What else could I do, I'm so inspired by you, That hasn't happened for the longest time, Once I thought my innocence was gone, Now I know that happiness goes on, That's where you found me, When you put your arms around me, I haven't been there for the longest time, Oh, oh, oh, For the longest time, Oh, oh, oh, For the longest, I'm that voice you're hearing in the hall, And the greatest miracle of all, Is how I need you, And how you needed me too, That hasn't happened for the longest time, Maybe this won't last very long, But you feel so right, And I could be wrong, Maybe I've been hoping too hard, But I've gone this far, And it's more than I hoped for, Who knows how much further we'll go on, Maybe I'll be sorry when you're gone, I'll take my chances, I forgot how nice romance is, I haven't been there for the longest time, I had second thoughts at the start, I said to myself, Hold on to your heart, Now I know the woman that you are, You're wonderful so far,And it's more than I hoped for, I don't care what consequence it brings, I have been a fool for lesser things, I want you so bad, I think you ought to know that, I intend to hold you for the longest time"


 

11. An Innocent Man - The song is about a woman who is scorned by men, she has had her heart broken so many times in the past, that she is hesitant about dating. Joel, the man in love with her (Shocker) is trying to convince her to give him a chance because he is truly "An Innocent Man" and he is not like other guys.


"Some people stay far away from the door, If there's a chance of it opening up, They hear a voice in the hall outside, And hope that it just passes by, Some people live with the fear of a touch, And the anger of having been a fool, They will not listen to anyone, So nobody tells them a lie, I know you're only protecting yourself, I know you're thinking of somebody else, Someone who hurt you but I'm not above, Making up for the love, You've been denying you could ever feel, I'm not above doing anything, To restore your faith if I can,Some people see through the eyes of the old, Before they ever get a look at the young, I'm only willing to hear you cry, Because I am an innocent man,I am an innocent man, Oh yes I am, Some people say they will never believe, Another promise they hear in the dark, Because they only remember too well, They heard somebody tell them before, Some people sleep all alone every night, Instead of taking a lover to bed, Some people find that's it's easier to hate,Than to wait anymore, I know you don't want to hear what I say, I know you're gonna keep turning away, But I've been there and if I can survive, I can keep you alive, I'm not above going through it again, I'm not above being cool for a while, If you're cruel to me I'll understand, Some people run from a possible fight, Some people figure they can never win, And although this is a fight I can lose, The accused is an innocent man, I am an innocent man, Oh yes I am, An innocent man, You know you only hurt yourself out of spite, I guess you'd rather be a martyr tonight, That's your decision but I'm not below, Anybody I know, If there's a chance of resurrecting a love, I'm not above going back to the start, To find out where the heartache began, Some people hope for a miracle cure, Some people just accept the world as it is, But I'm not willing to lay down and die, Because I am an innocent man, I am an innocent man, Oh yes I am, An innocent man"



 


 

Storm Front (1989)


12. Leningrad - A Beautiful piece written by Joel about a Russian circus clown named Viktor Razinov. Joel met Razinov in '88 when he was touring St. Petersburg with his daughter Alexa Ray. They entered a Circus tent, and Victor made Alexa laugh. Billy wanted to meet the man, so they talked for a while and Viktor told him his life story. It resonated with Billy so much that he just had to write a song about it. He wanted to tell the world that all of Russia was not the enemy. During the events of the Cold War people often forgot about the innocent citizens who did nothing to start it. So "Leningrad" Became the voice of reason for many people.


"Victor was born, The spring of '44, And never saw, His father anymore, The child of sacrifice, Child of war, Another son who never had, A father after Leningrad, Went off to school, And learned to serve his state, Follow the rules, And drank his vodka straight, The only way to live, Was drown the hate, The Russian life was very sad, And such was life in Leningrad, I was born in '49, A cold war kid in the McCarthy times, Stop 'em at the 38th parallel, Blast those yellow reds to hell, Cold war kids were hard to kill, Under their desks in an air raid drill, Haven't they heard we won the war, What do they keep on fighting for?, Victor was sent, To some red army town,Served out his time, Become a circus clown, The greatest happiness, He'd ever found, Was making Russian children glad, When children lived in Leningrad, The children lived in Levittown, Hid in the shelters underground, Til the soviets turned their ships around, Torn the Cuban missiles down, And in that bright October sun, We knew our childhood days were done, I watched my friends go off to war, What do they keep on fighting for?, So my child and I came to this place, To meet him , eye to eye and face to face, He made my daughter laugh, Then we embraced, We never knew what friends we had, Until we came to Leningrad."



 

13. We Didn't Start The Fire - Quite a short story, but a sweet one nonetheless. Billy was having a conversation with Sean Lennon, his father being the late John Lennon of 'The Beatles'. Sean in passing mentioned he wished he was born in the 50's when "nothing happened". Billy, surprised by Sean's naïveté, jokingly set out to create a lyrical masterpiece only comprised of actual factual events in chronological order.


"Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray, South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio, Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television, North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe

Rosenbergs, H-bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom, Brando, "The King and I", and "The Catcher in the Rye",Eisenhower, Vaccine, England's got a new queen, Marciano, Liberace, Santayana, goodbye, We didn't start the fire, It was always burning, since the world's been turning, We didn't start the fire, No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it, Joseph Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and Prokofiev, Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc, Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dacron, Dien Bien Phu falls, "Rock Around the Clock" Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn's got a winning team, Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland, Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Krushchev, Princess Grace, Peyton Place, Trouble in the Suez, We didn't start the fire, It was always burning, since the world's been turning, We didn't start the fire, No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it, Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac, Sputnik, Chou En-Lai, "Bridge on the River Kwai", Lebanon, Charles de Gaulle, California baseball, Starkweather homicide, children of thalidomide, Buddy Holly, Ben Hur, space monkey, mafia, Hula hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-go, U2, Syngman Rhee, Payola and Kennedy, Chubby Checker, Psycho, Belgians in the Congo, We didn't start the fire, It was always burning, since the world's been turning, We didn't start the fire, No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it, Hemingway, Eichmann, "Stranger in a Strange Land", Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasion, "Lawrence of Arabia", British Beatlemania, Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson, Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British politician sex, JFK – blown away, what else do I have to say?, We didn't start the fire, It was always burning, since the world's been turning, We didn't start the fire, No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it, Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back again, Moonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock, Begin, Reagan, Palestine, terror on the airline, Ayatollah's in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan, "Wheel of Fortune", Sally Ride, heavy metal suicide, Foreign debts, homeless vets, AIDS, crack, Bernie Goetz, Hypodermics on the shore, China's under martial law, Rock and roller, cola wars, I can't take it anymore, We didn't start the fire, It was always burning, since the world's been turning, We didn't start the fire, But when we are gone, It will still burn on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, We didn't start the fire, It was always burning, since the world's been turning, We didn't start the fire, No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it, We didn't start the fire, It was always burning, since the world's been turning, We didn't start the fire, No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it, We didn't start the fire, It was always burning, since the world's been turning, We didn't start the fire, No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it"



 


 

The River Of Dreams (1993)


14. Lullaby ( Goodnight My Angel) - This song is an ethereal representation of a father's love for his daughter. In 1993, Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley, decided that their marriage was coming to an end, while they hadn't told her yet, their daughter Alexa Ray, 7 at the time, asked him "What Happens When You Die?". A question that, at some point, all parents get- but it breaks their hearts to explain nonetheless. Therefore, if explaining it wouldn't get them anywhere, then why wouldn't he just put it into song? Lullaby (Goodnight My Angel) is a heartwarming display of love and affection that gives you the strong urge to hug someone you love.


"Goodnight my angel, time to close your eyes, And save these questions for another day, I think I know what you've been asking me, I think you know what I've been trying to say, I promised I would never leave you, Then you should always know, Wherever you may go, no matter where you are, I never will be far away, Goodnight my angel, now it's time to sleep, And still so many things I want to say, Remember all the songs you sang for me, When we went sailing on an emerald bay, And like a boat out on the ocean, I'm rocking you to sleep, The water's dark and deep, inside this ancient heart, You'll always be a part of me, Goodnight my angel, now it's time to dream, And dream how wonderful your life will be, Someday your child may cry, and if you sing this lullaby, Then in your heart there will always be a part of me, Someday we'll all be gone, But lullabies go on and on, They never die, That's how you and I will be"



15. The River Of Dreams - In 1993, Billy Joel was going through a rough time in his life, he had lost his faith completely. This song is a recollection of his faith, a reclaiming of some sort. Joel references many biblical terms in this song, and considers it a "start back on the right path". The lyric "I must be searching for something, something sacred I lost" refers to religion at the time, and how he's looking to reclaim it after his rough patch. The rough patch was the depression he fell into around the time of his divorce from supermodel Christie Brinkley.


"In the middle of the night, I go walking in my sleep, From the mountains of faith, To the river so deep, I must be looking for something, Something sacred I lost, But the river is wide, And it's too hard to cross, Even though I know the river is wide, I walk down every evening and I stand on the shore, I try to cross to the opposite side, So I can finally find out what I've been looking for, In the middle of the night, I go walking in my sleep, Through the valley of fear, To a river so deep, I've been searching for something, Taken out of my soul, Something I'd never lose, Something somebody stole, I don't know why I go walking at night, But now I'm tired and I don't want to walk anymore, I hope it doesn't take the rest of my life, Until I find what it is that I've been looking for, In the middle of the night, I go walking in my sleep, Through the jungle of doubt, To a river so deep, I know I'm searching for something, Something so undefined, That it can only be seen, By the eyes of the blind, In the middle of the night, I'm not sure about a life after this, God knows I've never been a spiritual man, Baptized by the fire, I wade into the river, That runs to the promised land, In the middle of the night, I go walking in my sleep, Through the desert of truth, To the river so deep, We all end in the ocean, We all start in the streams, We're all carried along, By the river of dreams, In the middle of the night"



 


 

Once Again, I remind you that this is NOT an ordered list, it's simply just a list, of great songs. If you feel that you MUST listen to more than just these 'fantastic fifteen', I would hope you will check out this Spotify playlist I've created: https://spotify.link/nVxAxWuZ8Db


Billy Joel is a visionary, I would only hope that his music lives on through the younger generation for years to come, because music will never die if it lives on in the hearts of the people.


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