I think Billy Joel is a fantastic songwriter and I'm proud to say so. I've always enjoyed his songs and I can sing them long after I've heard them - they've got real staying power, well, because I think, they're real - Billy Joel is (or appears to be, mind you, as I've never personally met him) a genuine guy who writes about what he knows/experiences/feels...So I enjoyed coming across this online article from Courant. Catch the whole article in the link above, but here is a sample from staff writer William Weir:
One thing you can't deny: The guy can pack a house. Tonight, Joel plays the first of 10 shows at the Mohegan Sun Arena. In honor of the occasion, let us argue on behalf of Long Island's favorite son, one William Joseph Martin Joel.I like that imagery... the slick and the rough... Billy's certainly done both, but I think of him as more rough than slick... but I guess I identify that with myself as well and with the same stocky, slightly chubby, balding frame that we share... Doesn't mean we don't have anything valuable to say...
You wouldn't think he would need any defending, what with his selling some 100 million records. Dozens of his songs have been radio mainstays for decades. Yet Joel still gets tagged as a musical lightweight and remains a critics' punching bag.
It's curious that the Piano Man has remained such a divisive figure; his last pop album was in 1993. But to consider Billy Joel means more than to simply ponder the enduring appeal of "Just the Way You Are." It's to consider two very divergent traditions in popular song and the history of American songwriting. It's a debate that goes back to the slick tunes of Tin Pan Alley and the rough-hewn American folk songs.
May the Muse stay with you Billy...
3 comments:
Bravo! Billy Joel is the greatest songwriter of his time. He needs no defense. Time itself has proven his substance and durability. His music will resonate long beyond the feeble scribble of his detractors.
Thanks for taking the time to comment! Yes, he certainly needs no defence... but if he did, he could surely use your eloquence in answering his critics (love the line - "his music will resonate long beyond the feeble scribble of his detractors).
That's pretty funny that Billy's defender is anonymous!
Billy's great, I'm guessing he just ain't "rock" enough for the guys?
...and he did divorce his wife shortly after writing "I love you just the way you are"...
But other than that...
Post a Comment