Embittered by legal disputes with his label and an endless tour to support a debut that was dead in the water, Billy Joel hunkered down in his adopted hometown of Los Angeles, spending six months as a lounge singer at a club. He didn't abandon his dreams -- he continued to write songs, including "Piano Man," a fictionalized account of his weeks as a lounge singer. Through a combination of touring and constant hustling, he landed a contract with Columbia and recorded his second album in 1973. Clearly inspired by Elton John's Tumbleweed Connection, not only musically but lyrically, as well as James Taylor, Joel expands the vision and sound of Cold Spring Harbor, abandoning introspective numbers (apart from "You're My Home," a love letter to his wife) for character sketches and epics. Even the title track, a breakthrough hit based on his weeks as a saloon singer, focuses on the colorful patrons, not the singer. If his narratives are occasionally awkward or incomplete, he compensates with music that gives the songs a sweeping sense of purpose -- they feel complete, thanks to his indelible melodies and savvy stylistic repurposing. He may have borrowed his basic blueprint from Tumbleweed Connection, particularly with its Western imagery and bluesy gospel flourishes, but he makes it his own, largely due to his melodic flair, which is in greater evidence than on Cold Spring Harbor. Piano Man is where he suggests his potential as a musical craftsman. He may have weaknesses as a lyricist -- such mishaps as the "instant pleasuredome" line in "You're My Home" illustrate that he doesn't have an ear for words -- but Piano Man makes it clear that his skills as a melodicist can dazzle.
My highschool sweetheart recently contacted me after a number of years without any communication. I won't go into that though, since I'm trying to keep this musically related. However, it has given me an idea for a new series. Since I have always really been into music, I've taken notice of the musical preferences of my significant others. In retrospect, I'm noticing that there is no solid ...
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Writing papers is the bane of my existence. Seriously. I mean, at least this is an intersting topic and something that I am writing more for fun than for serious, academic knowledge. In fact, it's something that, once finished, I would even share here, and that you might even be interested in.Anyway, at least I have lots of things to distract me (like the cutest kitty in the world, Marlowe), MO...
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No --- that's not the right album cover. Just to keep you on your toes. Anyway, it's all I had handy and an interesting photograph.It's sweetly scratchy and sentimental to hear Piano Man this way, on a phonograph in my studio at the college, with one light dimmed and some multi-colored candles lit. "It's 9 o'clock on a Saturday, and the regular crowd shuffles inThere's an old man sittin next...
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It doesn't have to be a Tuesday for things to get toxic in 2009. I don't ever recall so many notable deaths in one year, and the year isn't over yet. The list of the celebrated, talented dead increased again in the past couple of days with poet/author/singer-songwriter Jim Carroll meeting his demise by a sudden heart attack and actor/dancer Patrick Swayze expiring after a long hard-fought battl...
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No --- that's not the right album cover. Just to keep you on your toes. Anyway, it's all I had handy and an interesting photograph.It's sweetly scratchy and sentimental to hear Piano Man this way, on a phonograph in my studio at the college, with one light dimmed and some multi-colored candles lit. "It's 9 o'clock on a Saturday, and the regular crowd shuffles inThere's an old man sittin next...
More >
My highschool sweetheart recently contacted me after a number of years without any communication. I won't go into that though, since I'm trying to keep this musically related. However, it has given me an idea for a new series. Since I have always really been into music, I've taken notice of the musical preferences of my significant others. In retrospect, I'm noticing that there is no solid ...
More >
Writing papers is the bane of my existence. Seriously. I mean, at least this is an intersting topic and something that I am writing more for fun than for serious, academic knowledge. In fact, it's something that, once finished, I would even share here, and that you might even be interested in.Anyway, at least I have lots of things to distract me (like the cutest kitty in the world, Marlowe), MO...
More >
The incredibly great Literary Quarterly McSweeney's has this great piece by John Moe on it's website:JOHN MOE'S POP-SONGCORRESPONDENCES,VOLUME XVII.BY JOHN MOE- - - -A NOTE PLACED INTHE PAY ENVELOPE OFBILLY "THE PIANO MAN" JOEL.- - - -Hi, Billy,It's hard to find time to talk at the club since I'm busy managing the place and you're at the piano. And we need to talk. I've occasionally given you a...
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I generally like all music and am trying to find some more information about song with piano accompaniment in them including Billy Joel
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Travelin' Prayer |
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| 2 Piano Man |
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| 3 Ain't No Crime |
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| 4 You're My Home |
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| 5 The Ballad of Billy the Kid |
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| 6 Worse Comes to Worst |
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| 7 Stop in Nevada |
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| 8 If I Only Had the Words (To Tell You) |
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| 9 Somewhere Along the Line |
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| 10 Captain Jack |
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 "Piano Man")
