These are just 10 songs that I believe best represent Joel as a versatile songwriter and as a legendary hit-maker.
WHO ORIGINALLY SUNG UPTOWN GIRL BILLY JOEL FULL
If “Uptown Girl” comes on the radio or up on my queue, you better believe I’m singing along at full volume. I’m not saying these are the best Billy Joel songs, or even all of my favorites. So, I’ve chosen five of Billy’s biggest and most well-known hits, along with five lesser-known gems that hopefully give an idea of his flexibility as a songwriter and a pop star. With all of that said, I asked myself a serious question: If I had to pick 10 songs that could convince a Joel-hater to think differently or turn a new listener into a fan, what would those songs be? He is a musical chameleon who has written hundreds of songs across the genre spectrum, many of them commercial hits. He has no definitive style yet many at the same time. So, why do so many critics and listeners continue to hurl insults at him? Maybe some are jealous that he married supermodel Christie Brinkley? Maybe a lot don’t know much of his material outside of “Piano Man” or “Uptown Girl”? Perhaps some people just prefer Joel’s contemporaries, like blue-collar rocker Bruce Springsteen or the glitzy and glamorous Elton John?Īlthough he has stopped writing pop songs, Joel is, and forever will be, a songwriter. He’s no slouch.Ī lot of people love Billy Joel. He has a fanbase that spans multiple generations.
WHO ORIGINALLY SUNG UPTOWN GIRL BILLY JOEL SERIES
As he nears his 71st birthday, he continues to sell out stadiums, with his Madison Square Garden residency concerts being one of the top 10 highest grossing concert series of the past four years. He is the 6th best-selling recording artist of all time. He’s won Grammy Awards, has 20 Platinum Record awards and his music has been streamed more than 1 billion times. Joel has sold over 150 million albums and has had multiple Top 40 hits in the 70s, 80s and 90s. I love the guy, and I love his music.Īnd I’m far from the only one. I’ve seen him live six times in five separate cities. His songwriting and stage personality is unmatched by very few - in my book.īeing a musician myself, I constantly cover his songs at gigs and insist on playing at least one tune of his when I work with other musicians. He’s my all-time favorite singer-songwriter. “Oh my god, does he do ‘Tiny Dancer’? I love that song!” “Ugh, the ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ guy?” I bet some of you reading this made that exact same face of disgust or confusion.
That artist is Billy Joel, The Piano Man. The Beatles, Michael Jackson and Tom Petty are usually mentioned first, along with a few contemporary artists like Adele or Post Malone for good measure.īut there’s one artist that’s almost always met with either a sour frown of disapproval or a derisive exclamation of “Why?” I tell them how much I relish music from the 60s through the 90s. When I share my musical tastes, it’s usually greeted with respect and mutual interest. Whether it’s on a date or just talking to an acquaintance, the question “What music do you listen to?” will always arise.
0 kommentar(er)
