Was there ever a debate about whether or not Billy Joel was cool? It seems like there was one back in the day. It was probably the late 1970s. I can remember the cool bands like Boston, Kansas, Foreigner, Journey, and Styx on a lot of t-shirts with their detailed list of city appearances on the backs. Besides making great music, each of these bands had an air of mystery behind them, just like their psychedelic, bad-ass album covers.
Joel was viewed more as a songwriter, or a solo artist who had a niche. I don’t remember a lot of Billy Joel concert t-shirts.
It seems like there was also a debate about whether or not Billy Joel was rock music or not. He was given the eponymous moniker of The Piano Man from his sing-along, story-filled song released in 1973, and so his music was maybe recognized differently than rock. Some people may have classified it as soft rock or pop rock.
Billy Joel goes to the front of the line of mainstream pop/rock
But, that all changed when Billy Joel’s album, Glass Houses, came out in 1980. This would be a turning point for his reputation for sure. It was an album that Joel had purposely changed style with by adding more electric guitar. It came to be respected as more guitar-centric rock music accompanied by expertly added piano melodies, harmonies, and rhythms.
“It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” and “You May Be Right” were the chart toppers and these songs had riffs and then some. Joel had made plenty of new fans by the time the album’s novelty had worn out.
Of course, he is still playing shows, despite admitting he never liked his own voice. He has also publicly proclaimed he is done making new albums.
Prior to Glass Houses, Joel had an excellent run of success in the 70s. He made six albums, with his breakout album coming with 1977’s The Stranger. The album sat at number 2 on Billboard’s top albums list for six weeks. There were plenty of Singles from the album, ranging from slow and melodic “She’s Always a Woman” and "Just the Way You Are" to more upbeat and emotional “Movin’ Out” and “Only the Good Die Young.”
For sure, Joel had gone mainstream in the 1970s. His albums could be counted on to generate festive, easy-to-recognize songs. He was a proven commodity, and he wasn’t afraid to show plenty of variety in his songwriting.
On the album 52nd Street, released in 1978, Joel went out of his way to get a different sound. He hired horn instrument musicians, and the result was a jazzier-bluesier, ballsier album. It ended up topping the album chart. Besides hitting number one, it won Grammys, including Album of the Year. The big hits were “Big Shot,” “My Life,” and “Honesty.”
Joel continued his rock album trend with the release of The Nylon Curtain in 1982. “Pressure” and “Allentown'' were big hits. Then, Joel did a complete 180 for his follow-up album, The Innocent Man, released in 1983. He dedicated himself to original tribute songs to great artists from American music history of the 1950s and '60s. It was a great listen, but it took some getting used to after The Nylon Curtain and Glass Houses. Just like he had done with 52nd Street, Joel went out of his way to create a completely different sound.
I distinctly remember as a 16-year-old listening many times over to An Innocent Man on my Walkman for my family’s 1984 summer road trip from Dodge City through the Rocky Mountains to Yellowstone Park and the Grand Canyon. What a trip with Billy’s music as my background music memory.
Joel has a prolific catalog. So, for this deep dive through his more obscure cuts, we will be looking at albums from when he really caught fire through his heyday, from The Stranger to An Innocent Man.
12. "C’etait Toi (You Were the One)"
So much has been mentioned about Glass Houses, we might as well start with a deep cut from that album. Leave it to Billy to give us some of the best French lyrics since “Michelle” by the Beatles. There’s no avoiding a lesson in speaking French with this one. It was featured in an episode of the TV show Freaks and Geeks.
11. "Rosalinda’s Eyes"
With a flute dominating one part of the song, it seems we are metaphorically placed in Latin America. Whistles, bongo drums, and a colorful, flowing tune remind us of a beautiful woman’s eyes. This is our first song on the list from the amazing 52nd Street album.
10. "A Room of Our Own"
This is an upbeat special from The Nylon Curtain. It’s a kind of Swing song. It could almost belong on his An Innocent Man album. The difference is that Joel goes way deep with his voice, and he demands some modern shake, rattle, and roll from himself and his musicians. The piano is featured like a Jerry Lee Lewis solo. Again, he allows the music to be the art, and for Joel, each song has its own niche of art.
9. "Get It Right the First Time"
With a deep bass guitar rhythm and some flute iterations, Joel takes this song from The Stranger album to deep-cut status with its flow of toughness to softness. Somehow, his voice and attitude transcend all the symmetry of the music with an affable “La La La La…La La La Lo," and bring the song to a higher level of fluidity and joy. This is the only song on our list from a tremendous album, The Stranger.
8-. "All for Leyna"
Why do songs get released as Singles in some parts of the world, and not others? This is a full-throated rocker from Joel off of the Glass Houses album. The piano fingering is on constant notice with some driving guitars and drums to push us to get used to the name Leyna. It was released as a single in Europe and Australia.
7. "Zanzibar"
If any artist has recognizable deep cuts...it's Billy Joel. "Zanzibar" from 52nd Street definitely has a following among Billy Joel fans. As usual, his storytelling is some of the best of any artist ever. That's what he does. He leads us with music to tell us stories. I remember a bar/club in the town I grew up in named Zanzibar. I really wanted to know this place, but I would have to wait to turn 21 years old. There was an air of mystery to it. It was at the end of a strip mall...a seedy type with a neon sign.
6. "Easy Money"
This is the first song off The Innocent Man album. It’s no wonder because it sets the tone for the rest of the album. It has some steady drums and a whole lot of nostalgic lyrics. With some horns and a chorus of women, this song is a fun listen as an homage to James Brown and Wilson Pickett. It was the theme song for an underrated comedy movie called Easy Money starring Rodney Dangerfield. The song trails off and brings itself back to classic form.
5. "She’s Right On Time"
A Christmas song? Maybe. Not Really. This is an energetic rock song from The Nylon Curtain. There’s so much right about this song. The song is in time with all of Joel's legendary aspects of verses, chorus, late comeback verse, a variety of instruments, and his voice in perfect tune. The singer in Joel is not mentioned enough. He is excellent. He carries all his songs in his own way. Great video to check out, too.
4. "Sleeping with the Television On"
Wow…what a range on this song from Glass Houses. First a clip of the national anthem, then the buzz of an emergency check before a steady drum beat accompanied by multi-guitar rhythms. Joel comes in quick with his best quips about sleeping with the television on. Two verses later, the pace changes before he goes back to a third verse and a dynamic synth. All this in three minutes.
3. "Sometimes a Fantasy"
This is a dark horse of a song. It only hit at number 36 on Billboard, but that feels wrong after every new listen. Joel rocks it with some microphone breathing techniques, well-placed synths, unforgettable drum beats, splendid lyrics, and lively guitars. From a completely solid no-blunders Glass Houses, it starts with a push button phone call and ring.
2. "Stiletto"
Awww…the beat, then, snaps of the fingers, the pinging of the piano, and here comes Billy with plenty to say. Joel’s lyrics are tough, versatile, and poetic of course. He reminds us of what true artistry is by combining so many strengths into one piece of music at a time. This is a song with blues, jazz, and lively nightlife memories. There’s a reason 52nd Street won the Grammy for Album of the Year. Our last two songs come from the album. I think it’s the jazz influence on this album that just puts it in an all-time status type of album.
1. "Half A Mile Away"
Right from the start, we can hear the possibilities with this gem. A booming jazz orchestra starts it out, with some story-telling from Joel. The harmonies are all together from Joel’s band. As backup singers, they prove themselves as more than worthy. This band plays tight.
In the middle of the song, they come together to push themselves to a higher plane of musicality while keeping the same beats. The jazz orchestra reunites throughout. This song should be legendary, but it’s only recognized as a deep cut. I wanna hear this song live.