IT'S BETTER THAN DRINKIN' ALONE: The Official ILM Track-by-Track BILLY JOEL Listening Thread

I’ve seen a couple women wearing BJ shirts in the last week, what is it

Went to the MSG show with my 16-year-old daughter earlier this month. I was a mess for the first few songs, but emotionally recovered by the time he brought out his 9- and 7-year-old daughters out to sing "Jingle Bells".

It was a lot to take in, but the man still exceeded my somewhat-handicapped expectations. High points were "Zanzibar" and "Sometimes a Fantasy". Low points were the Christmas songs. Biggest WTF point was bringing out Elvis Costello and playing "Pump It Up" and duetting on "Allentown".

He can't sing [''An Innocent Man''] now.

he hasn't been able to sing this for at least 25 years! crystal taliefero started singing the high note for him when she joined his touring band, which was circa 1990.

― fact checking cuz, Sunday, October 22, 2017 2:14 PM

He hit 'em on this night! He even did this big self-depreciating intro of saying how he wrote the song in 1982 because he knew it was only a matter of time before his voice would stop going so high. But he was going to give it a shot anyway, and he nailed it! Taliefero had her mouth closed the whole time!

(Now, was there some Billy Vanilli happening? "Innocent Man Until Proven Guilty" will be my conceit here.)

"Vienna" was one of the album cuts I didn't recognize that most people could sing along to. I guess that one has risen in popularity. It's not on my Greatest Hits CD.

― o. nate, Friday, April 28, 2023 8:35 AM

There were two 13- or 14-year-olds in front of us who went NUTS when the opening chords started, launching into each others' arms like they had just heard John play the opening chord to "A Hard Day's Night" from the Shea Stadium pitcher's mound. I looked over at my daughter, who just shrugged her shoulders.

Innocent Man Until Proven Guilty

lol. but also kol. kvelling out loud. go get those high notes, billy!

love everything about your post, pplains, except i can't believe billy didn't make elvis sing "sleeping
with the television on." or "sometimes a fantasy."

HUWUNN
TWOOOO
HWUN TWOO THREEE FAWW

― Squeaky Fromage (VegemiteGrrl),

i can't believe billy didn't make elvis sing "sleeping with the television on." or "sometimes a fantasy."

I know, right? At one point, I was all He doesn't have Elvis confused with Billy Bragg or somebody, does he?

hahaha

at least some PA miner types hated this song, iirc. Elvis Costello has an anecdote about being insulted in an elevator by someone who thought he was Billy Joel.

― P as in pterodactyl (Ye Mad Puffin), Monday, October 9, 2017 4:24 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4x3hH-B4pI

as documented itt, liberty devitto rocks

There were two 13- or 14-year-olds in front of us who went NUTS when the opening chords started, launching into each others' arms like they had just heard John play the opening chord to "A Hard Day's Night" from the Shea Stadium pitcher's mound. I looked over at my daughter, who just shrugged her shoulders.

― pplains, Thursday, December 28, 2023 11:47 AM (two weeks ago) bookmarkflaglink

my theory is "vienna" is crucially placed in eternal teen classic 13 going on 30

If I could I'd post last night's karaoke performance of "A Matter of Trust."

DeVitto is good, sure. But he seemed decidedly bitter in the hired gun documentary. Like, dude, you got to be famous and globally admired for decades

I really think "Vienna" will be his "This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)," if it's not already.

One takeaway from that Liberty video is how his left hand and right foot work together in the Prelude.

I strugggle to describe this to non-drumming people - the way one must start by thinking diagonally, and then develop limb independence over time.

But one essential thing is that your body can be thought of as an X. If you drum right-handed in the American style (as I do, even though I am left-handed), you connect your left hand to your right foot, and your right hand to your left foot. Liberty understands this.

In golf there is a saying: drive for show, putt for dough. Liberty does all those showy crashes with his right hand, but the real meat of what he's doing is on the left.

my theory is "vienna" is crucially placed in eternal teen classic 13 going on 30

I think you're right, according to TikTok.

love that liberty vid!

(i wouldn't have minded a slightly more inquisitive host, though)

FCC: Liberty has not been quiet about his level of hurt about being let go. But he's clearly still trading on his Joel-related work, which is his right (because he actually played those parts).

It's nuanced.

oh i get that. i wanted the host to be more inquisitive about his drum parts! like when they're talking about "angry young man" (around 10:50 in the video), liberty says "in the middle there’s that clopping part. i did it on billy’s chest. we laid him on a chair." the interviewer weirdly neglects to say "wait, wut???"

also i would've loved to hear about that left/right diagonal drumming concept from them in the video, rather than from you in this thread, though i'm very glad you did bring it up. really interesting! what's the point of doing a 46-minute one-on-one video with a great drummer if you're not going to geek out like that with him?

Yeah it was a pretty dull video in some ways, the level of analysis was basically “so you did that, huh? awesome!” and I don’t need to see a literally identical pattern played for the entirety of JTWYA, or any part of AMOT whatsoever. Wish they’d gone for songs with more interesting parts.
Also, and it’s awkward to ask, but wasn’t his timing off in several places? I was wondering if he may have begun to waver and that led to his ouster.

i couldn’t tell! but i was watching it at a very low volume so no one in my household could roast me for listening to billy joel

i had no idea “just the way you are” was one part over and over again until i saw it in the video, hilarious, but soo tasteful and perfect for the song

drumeo guy is consistently one of the most awkward interviewers i’ve ever seen. earnest drum nerds from canada don’t always ask the most interesting questions in the moment on camera i guess

Mattt, to be fair, Prelude is probably the most challenging/weird/spiky drum part in the Joelian pop catalog.

Quite true. I guess I would have liked to see some Stranger or even “Rosalinda’s Eyes”.

STOP THE PRESSES

DRUDGE SIREN

It's time to TURN THE LIGHTS BACK ON. Brand new single coming February 1st. Pre-order here: https://t.co/Wtiyj8qJe3! pic.twitter.com/cN6BUh7gt5

— Billy Joel (@billyjoel) January 22, 2024

!!!

And: good use of a personal fave NYC landmark! That's the Loew's 175th Street / United Palace of Cultural Arts.

!!!

No, this sounds like it's Billy Joel song. I hear no traces of dance-punk on this at all from that snippet.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hear no traces of dance-punk on this at all from that snippet

it's still rock and roll to me

Should I get a Target Stanley Cup
And some wide-flared J. Crew pants?

If this new single begins with him taking a really deep breath before launching into EARTHQUAKE SERIES, NO MORE WALL, GEORGE BUSH, PANAMA...

The new single should begin with...

HUWUNN
TWOOOO
HWUN TWOO THREEE FAWW

and then break into a very slow ballad, Monty Python style

So, on a BJ interview with Howard Stern this week, he says that “Big Shot” is basically written from Mick Jagger’s point of view. Suddenly all the vocal exaggerations make sense — he’s a Brill Building guy writing something Jagger could sing, and acts out the part doing it.

Another "Mick" song is "You May Be Right"

I saw her today at the reception
Dom Perignon in her hand and a spoon up her nose

^ shit, wow, that's the first time I have noticed the intersection between those lyrics. I might need to lie down for a bit and process this information

is it time to turn the lights back on in this thread?

did i wait too long?

It kinda works for me except that the vocal doesn't sound like Billy at all somehow. If you told me it was an AI synthesis I would probably believe it and think it was mildly impressive.
I like that it's somewhat different to his previous stuff, and frankly it must have been pretty hard to break that long a silence (oddities notwithstanding).

yeah i wonder about that vocal too. it sounds like billy to me, but not 2024 billy

i don't hate it, but i think the arrangement sounds like AI too (i wouldn't have minded just piano, and i definitely wouldn't have minded billy's live band), and it really really could have used an actual chorus.

I like it, but man, it really reminds me of another song that I can't put my finger on.

Could have used an actual melody. I figure his voice must be Auto-Tuned to hell(?)

I like it, but man, it really reminds me of another song that I can't put my finger on.

End of the Road by Boyz II Men? Because that's what is somehow getting mixed up in my head.

I think his voice sounds like 2024 Billy, he sounds older here and of course the studio sands away the rough edges from live performances. did detect auto-tune as well which tends to 'youngify' voices.

The orchestra feels unnecessary, but then I realize we're talking about one of the last of the stadium acts. The piano dynamics would really stand out without all the backing.

Feels pre-Glass Houses in a good way. Maybe his first song without a "rock" band arrangement since then (though I'm not going back to the last few albums to check)?

since when did he use co-writers? I don't care, but it's striking.

I missed that there were co-writers (hadn't read about it until just now). Interesting that it involves the same guy who wrote Pussycat Dolls' legit-good "I Hate This Part." Guessing we'll hear at some point how this song was built.

my guess is the older you get, more time you spend on the toilet and sleeping, less time to write

I like it, but man, it really reminds me of another song that I can't put my finger on.

The changes and orchestration remind me of Chicago's "Hard to Say I'm Sorry"...

Which of the four of them wrote the line, "I see you now / As we're laying in the darkness"? Is the narrator wearing night-vision goggles(?)