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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: KevShmev on January 13, 2023, 06:02:17 AM
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Okay, I have wanted to do this one for a while, and there seemed to be some interest in the appreciation thread for him a while back, so let's tackle a top 25 for Billy Joel.
I will count down the top 25 songs songs in order, and they will be taken from lists of anyone who wants to send me theirs via PM. Do not post them on the forum here. Send them to me via PM. I will take all of the lists and come up with a top 25 based off all lists cumulatively and count the songs down from 25 to 1.
The rules:
-Songs must be listed from 25 to 1 in order (in reverse order), with no ties. No having three songs at number 1 or anything like that. 25 songs, listed from 50 to 1. DO NOT list your songs with the points total. List them in your order (I will figure out the points on my end). Any list submitted with the songs not numbered will be ignored.
-Anyone wanting to submit a list must do so by the end of day, Saturday, February 4th. I will then begin the countdown shortly thereafter.
-The list will be tallied numerically in a simple way. On each list, whatever song is at number 1 gets 25 points, number 2 gets 24 points, number 3 gets 23 points, etc.
-PROOFREAD YOUR LISTS BEFORE SENDING THEM. Any list with the same song mentioned twice will be not be counted.
Feel free to post in this thread as well that you have PM'd me, if for no other reason than to bump this back up for others who may want to participate who may not have seen the thread yet.
This ranking engine link below works great. You can input all of the songs, and then you pick your favorite of every 1 on 1 matchup and then it spits out your list. If I forgot any song, feel free to point it out and I will add it.
https://rankingengine.pubmeeple.com/
25 An Innocent Man
24 A Matter of Trust
23 The Downeaster ‘Alexa’
21 (t) Uptown Girl
21 (t) It's Still Rock and Roll to Me
20 Captain Jack
19 Just the Way You Are
18 My Life
17 She's Got A Way
16 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)
15 Big Shot
14 You May Be Right
12 (t) Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)
12 (t) Honesty
11 Goodnight Saigon
10 Vienna
09 Pressure
08 Prelude/Angry Young Man
07 She's Always a Woman
06 The Stranger
05 Only the Good Die Young
04 Piano Man
03 New York State of Mind
02 Allentown
01 Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
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This one will be a lot of fun. I already know what the top song will most likely be, but I'm curious to see how the rest of the top 10 plays out.
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PT gets a top 50 but Billy only gets a top 25? :o ::) :P :-[ :laugh: :huh: :sad:
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I couldn't do a Top 5 for either.
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I couldn't do a Top 5 for either.
WUT?
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I couldn't do a Top 5 for either.
It's just really hard to rank songs for me. Much easier to do albums. But I told you I'd participate in this one Kev so I'll make a list.
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I couldn't do a Top 5 for either.
Looking at the song list, I think I recognized 13-15 of them (and one I absolutely despise), and I've never heard a Porcupine Tree song (AFAIK).
I'll follow along with this one because I'm curious where my overwhelming favorite song will rank, but I shan't participate.
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First pass through brought me to 63 songs. THIS is going to be VERY TOUGH getting to just 25! :omg:
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YES!
Thank you! I can't wait for this!!!
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Done and done. List sent. THIS should be very cool. Love Billy! :hefdaddy
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List sent. Looking it over, any of my top-50 can be in my top-25. So cool.
When I was in law school, I used to sing Billy Joel with some cover bands during the week. I needed a break from my studies, and particularly first year, we were not permitted to work. So I'd go out late, 11, midnight, just myself, kick back with a beer or two and sit in with a few bands and sing A Matter of Trust, Piano Man, I Go to Extremes, New York State of Mind (which made me wistful for home), etc. Good, good times. A dozen times or so those three years of law school. In some ways, I miss those times. Although I don't miss being piss poor. :lol
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List sent. Looking it over, any of my top-50 can be in my top-25. So cool.
When I was in law school, I used to sing Billy Joel with some cover bands during the week. I needed a break from my studies, and particularly first year, we were not permitted to work. So I'd go out late, 11, midnight, just myself, kick back with a beer or two and sit in with a few bands and sing A Matter of Trust, Piano Man, I Go to Extremes, New York State of Mind (which made me wistful for home), etc. Good, good times. A dozen times or so those three years of law school. In some ways, I miss those times. Although I don't miss being piss poor. :lol
:tup
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Glad to see some good interest already. This one will be fun.
25 sounded right since Billy isn't by any means one of the most popular artists here, but I think those who are fans will really enjoy this one.
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I never expected to see a Billy Joel countdown here, but I think I have to participate in this one. :metal
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Looking at the song list, I think I recognized 13-15 of them...
That's about where I am at.
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Don’t know any more than the radio hits for Billy Joel, but I’ll try to listen along like I did as LZ was revealed.
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Don’t know any more than the radio hits for Billy Joel, but I’ll try to listen along like I did as LZ was revealed.
That's a lot of songs, though. What songs classic rock and/or 80s radio stations play will obviously vary, but over the years, I count about 20-25 songs of his that still to this day get played regularly. I always say that he and Tom Petty are similar in that they both have more classic rock mainstays than you can shake a stick at.
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I've narrowed mine down to 45. This is not easy.
For those unfamiliar with the 'deeper cuts', wiki his discography, and some of the somewhat unfamiliar songs are also highlighted. Might be useful.
In this area, it was just announced that he would be returning to Baltimore in October (with Stevie Nicks opening!). Lower bowl tickets are over $300 a piece, upper deck $140 plus. Just can't pull the trigger at those prices. :sad:
Saw him at Madison Square Garden a handful of years ago as that venue's monthly 'house band' ;) :tup Easily a Top Ten concert experience.
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YES!
Thank you! I can't wait for this!!!
I literally wrote out the exact same post, almost word for word.
:)
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Okay, since I will (almost) three weeks to do the PT countdown instead of two, I am pushing the deadline on this back a week to February 4th.
Remember, fans, it's still only rock and roll, so don't feel any pressure to get it right the first time. If you want to play with your lists a few times before submitting, so it goes. :biggrin: :biggrin:
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Alright so I actively despise Billy Joel but I never gave him a fair shake so I'm going to follow along to this thread and see if I can get turned on to some new tunes.
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Alright so I actively despise Billy Joel but I never gave him a fair shake so I'm going to follow along to this thread and see if I can get turned on to some new tunes.
Hmm. Taste is taste, and I don't know what it is that you don't like, but if it matters, I've been a fan since forever (The Stranger - which will probably make my list in it's entirety - was pretty sure the first record I ever bought with my own money; that or Kiss Alive II) and I really don't care for too many of his hits. I'm a deep cut guy; but something like "Scandinavian Skies" is sublime. He's also a closet prog guy, IMO; he's got at least one, maybe two, concept albums (An Innocent Man and The Nylon Curtain), and perhaps more.
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Alright so I actively despise Billy Joel but I never gave him a fair shake so I'm going to follow along to this thread and see if I can get turned on to some new tunes.
Hmm. Taste is taste, and I don't know what it is that you don't like, but if it matters, I've been a fan since forever (The Stranger - which will probably make my list in it's entirety - was pretty sure the first record I ever bought with my own money; that or Kiss Alive II) and I really don't care for too many of his hits. I'm a deep cut guy; but something like "Scandinavian Skies" is sublime. He's also a closet prog guy, IMO; he's got at least one, maybe two, concept albums (An Innocent Man and The Nylon Curtain), and perhaps more.
I had Glass Houses on 8 track in a Columbia House haul when I was a kid. Billy Joel is just not my thing. I don't hate him or even dislike him. The radio hits are fine enough, but I have never had the urge to explore anymore. I actually heard Piano Man on my work intercom a couple of weeks ago and found it kind of cringey.
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YES!
Thank you! I can't wait for this!!!
I literally wrote out the exact same post, almost word for word.
:)
:biggrin:
I've been a fan since forever (The Stranger - which will probably make my list in it's entirety - was pretty sure the first record I ever bought with my own money; that or Kiss Alive II) and I really don't care for too many of his hits. I'm a deep cut guy; but something like "Scandinavian Skies" is sublime. He's also a closet prog guy, IMO; he's got at least one, maybe two, concept albums (An Innocent Man and The Nylon Curtain), and perhaps more.
I've been a fan ever since I heard my parents play 52nd Street on the turntable when I was...man, I remember it being in the late-70s. It came out in late 78, so it must have been around there. Some of my earliest memories was being in the living room and hearing that record.
And you nailed it with The Nylon Curtain. An Innocent Man is a unique concept for sure...songs done in the styles of those who influenced Billy. I know it IS a concept, but I never really view it as such. I just think it's a great album, and An Innocent Man is such a wonderful song. He sings that chorus so powerfully. I'm not as big on Scandinavian Skies as you are, but I completely agree that Billy is a huge prog guy. He's admitted as such over the years. I love the influence The Beatles had on Billy throughout his career too, particularly their latter era, which was more experimental.
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He always described the vocal melody of Movin' Out's verse as him doing his best Jon Anderson impression.
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List sent. I gotta say this was pretty difficult for me he has so many great songs and on any given day my list probably could look significantly different.
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I had Glass Houses on 8 track in a Columbia House haul when I was a kid. Billy Joel is just not my thing. I don't hate him or even dislike him. The radio hits are fine enough, but I have never had the urge to explore anymore. I actually heard Piano Man on my work intercom a couple of weeks ago and found it kind of cringey.
Honestly, I find his deep cuts to be more miss than hit (in the grand scheme; there are a few albums where that is not the case), but most of his hits are so damn good except for a couple (The River of Dreams should have been taken out back and shot), and when you factor those in with the many deeper cuts that I do in fact like or love, it's still a lot of songs I like by the man.
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Alright so I actively despise Billy Joel but I never gave him a fair shake so I'm going to follow along to this thread and see if I can get turned on to some new tunes.
Hmm. Taste is taste, and I don't know what it is that you don't like, but if it matters, I've been a fan since forever (The Stranger - which will probably make my list in it's entirety - was pretty sure the first record I ever bought with my own money; that or Kiss Alive II) and I really don't care for too many of his hits. I'm a deep cut guy; but something like "Scandinavian Skies" is sublime. He's also a closet prog guy, IMO; he's got at least one, maybe two, concept albums (An Innocent Man and The Nylon Curtain), and perhaps more.
I'm anything but a big Billy Joel guy, but it seems to me he is a bit of a chameleon. He's got that lounge lizard side (Piano Man and New York State of Mind), a rocking side (Pressure), a doo wop side (Longest Time and Uptown Girl), and whatever We Didn't Start the Fire is (and probably a couple others I don't know). I think WDSTF is on a short list of worst popular songs ever, and I can see not liking some of the other stuff (particularly the doo wop stuff), but he seems to have at least a little something for everyone.
BY THE WAY...I encourage anyone who hasn't listened to it already to check out Jim Gaffigan's Billy Joel bit. It's friggin' hilarious.
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List sent. Pretty curious to see how this one turns out. Other than KISS, Billy Joel is probably the artist I've been a fan of the longest. I sill have my 52nd Street vinyl from when I was 5 back in '78. For anyone looking for a great live collection, look no further than Songs In The Attic. The versions on this album have a lot more life than the studio versions and, in my opinion, are far superior to the originals.
As far as pg1067's comment about his doo wop side, each song on 'An Innocent Man' pays tribute to a Doo Wop or Motown legend. While it's definitely not for everyone, listening to the album knowing that kinda paints it in a different light.
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As far as pg1067's comment about his doo wop side, each song on 'An Innocent Man' pays tribute to a Doo Wop or Motown legend. While it's definitely not for everyone, listening to the album knowing that kinda paints it in a different light.
Stadlerian comment of the day!
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Stads has a way about him. I don't know what it is...
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I couldn't do a Top 5 for either.
Looking at the song list, I think I recognized 13-15 of them (and one I absolutely despise), and I've never heard a Porcupine Tree song (AFAIK).
I'll follow along with this one because I'm curious where my overwhelming favorite song will rank, but I shan't participate.
Just pull up his Greatest Hits on YouTube or your favorite streaming service and play that in the background while you are working, and you should easily be able to do a top 25.
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Stads has a way about him. I don't know what it is...
I'm always a woman.
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Stads has a way about him. I don't know what it is...
I'm always a woman.
There’s honesty for ya… :D
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Or some times a fantasy…. :D
I made sure I had a couple of his LPs in college, because the rockers were OK with him, the girls loved him, and one was always ‘good’ with those ladies (or maybe better ;)) when putting one of his vinyls on at house party 👍
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Concerts in general aren't a great date, but given that, Billy Joel is about as good as it gets. It's sort of a tradition that there are frequently "proposals" at his shows.
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oh......this is a serious thread.
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oh......this is a serious thread.
*smack*
:P :P
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With a week and a half to go, we are stuck on six submitters so far. Who else plans to submit one?
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With a week and a half to go, we are stuck on six submitters so far.
:facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm:
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Add me to the list
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Add me to the list
:tup Queen fans rock! ;)
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(https://i.imgflip.com/78tjlp.jpg)
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Nice reference :lol
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With a week and a half to go, we are stuck on six submitters so far. Who else plans to submit one?
I'm 100% in. It might not be until next week.
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DragonAttack and Stadler will get us to 8. Where are all the other Billy Joel fans? I know there are more here, damn it. :censored :censored
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Ok Kev. I’m game.
I only had about 30 songs I really knew well enough to plug into the ranker, but it was enough.
I don’t even believe people who claim they’ve never heard a Billy Joel song. That’s just ludicrous.
Just put on the greatest hits disc and you’ll go, “Oh, THAT’S who does that song” 10 or 15 times.
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I probably need to do a deeper dive into Billy Joel.
I just now realized that with the exception of Turnstiles (which I have on vinyl) I’ve never actually heard a Billy Joel album front to back. Not even The Stranger. It’s just that there’s about 25 songs of his that you would have to be actively working to avoid because they are EVERYWHERE and then it’s mostly just a matter of ranking those.
Even though I’ve never heard The Stranger all the way through, I’ve heard most of it just because those songs are everywhere. And then my sister owned Glass Houses and I played side 1 to death, but I never flipped the album over. So…ya. I should probably at least pick up The Stranger and 52nd Street and see where things go from there.
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With a week and a half to go, we are stuck on six submitters so far. Who else plans to submit one?
(https://c4.wallpaperflare.com/wallpaper/979/514/345/joker-messenjahmatt-the-dark-knight-batman-wallpaper-preview.jpg)
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List sent. I consider myself a moderate fan of Joel. And 25 was pretty much all I needed to rank what I've heard in my 47 years.
Hopefully I discover some new favorites after the lists are compiled.
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List sent.
I was initially around 35-40 songs in no time. First round of cutting down to 30 was fairly easy, .....the next cut was difficult.
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I'm doing my list; anyone else love the Jack Black homage in "Tomorrow Is Today"? :) :) :)
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Sorry, slipped through the cracks. I will definitely get mine in.
Fair warning: Glass Houses is far and away my favorite Billy album, followed by An Innocent Man, and I am VERY partial to the hits from '73 to '85. So my list is very much going to resemble a shuffling around of most of the tracks from Billy Joel Greatest Hits Volume 1 & Volume 2, substituting in some deep tracks from Glass Houses and AIM.
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Sorry, slipped through the cracks. I will definitely get mine in.
Fair warning: Glass Houses is far and away my favorite Billy album, followed by An Innocent Man, and I am VERY partial to the hits from '73 to '85. So my list is very much going to resemble a shuffling around of most of the tracks from Billy Joel Greatest Hits Volume 1 & Volume 2, substituting in some deep tracks from Glass Houses and AIM.
I'm not that different; The Nylon Curtain is going to figure HEAVILY in my list.
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Alright! At least two more still to come!
There won't be a lot of lists on this one, but I am still looking forward to it.
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Alright! At least two more still to come!
There won't be a lot of lists on this one, but I am still looking forward to it.
Thanks for running it!
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Submitted mine. I've never really ranked Billy Joel's songs before, so it was interesting to see how mine shook out once I was done with the ranker. But I didn't feel I needed to tweak it at all once it was done. Honestly, I feel like my top 20 is pretty solid, and then I was scraping the bottom to find songs I didn't mind including to round out the list.
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Submitted.
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Alright, up to 12 lists now, and at least one more (Stadler) still to come!
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In. Surprised to sort of have it sink in how thematic and "of a kind" each of his albums are. I don't think he's necessarily put out a "bad" album, but certainly it's clear I like some more than others.
Cold Spring Harbor 1
Piano Man 2
Streetlife Serenade. 0
Turnstiles 3
The Stranger 7
52nd Street 3
Glass Houses 0
The Nylon Curtain 4
An Innocent Man 1
The Bridge 0
Storm Front 3
River of Dreams. 0
Fantasies & Delusions. 0 (But I love this album; nothing made the top 25 though)
Greatest Hits 1
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In. Surprised to sort of have it sink in how thematic and "of a kind" each of his albums are. I don't think he's necessarily put out a "bad" album, but certainly it's clear I like some more than others.
Cold Spring Harbor 1
Piano Man 2
Streetlife Serenade. 0
Turnstiles 3
The Stranger 7
52nd Street 3
Glass Houses 0
The Nylon Curtain 4
An Innocent Man 1
The Bridge 0
Storm Front 3
River of Dreams. 0
Fantasies & Delusions. 0 (But I love this album; nothing made the top 25 though)
Greatest Hits 1
I had 0 from Glass Houses as well, but there's a lot of good songs on that album.
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Don't Ask Me Why is a big favorite of mine, always has been. I cannot recall where I ranked it, as my list is at home, but I know it wasn't near the bottom. Nothing else from that album made the cut for me.
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Don't Ask Me Why always sounded like it could have been a Paul Simon song to me.
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Don't Ask Me Why always sounded like it could have been a Paul Simon song to me.
You typed Paul Simon, and my eyes saw Paul Simon, but my brain interpreted as Paul Stanley, and I got really confused for a second there.
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:lol That's kinda how I felt the first time trying to read through your post. Don't ask me why.
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:lol That's kinda how I felt the first time trying to read through your post. Don't ask me why.
:tup
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13 lists now! And I think we'll get a 14th once Joe sends his. ;)
I can't complain about this turnout. I was worried about even getting to 10 there for a while. :lol :lol
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I'm doing one! Billy Joel is an all-time favorite artist of mine. Quick story - my mom is a pianist and mostly listened to classical, but I introduced her to Billy Joel's music sometime in my teens and she became a fan. It's something we've bonded over for a long time. His Greatest Hits 1&2 was one of the first CDs I owned, and I have distinct memories of playing a dubbed cassette of it on my Walkman while sitting in the back seat on road trips through NY to New England. Wonderful. I started writing my own songs around that time as well, and he was a major inspiration. I eventually got all his albums and I know most of them quite well. I don't listen to him too often anymore, but he will always be a favorite.
The ranking engine thing was fun. I started with about 35 songs from your list and plugged them in. It came out mostly right; I'm trying to decide if I'm tweaking anything before submitting or keeping it as-is (I'm second-guessing one or two placements, and I forgot a song that might rank). I'll get something in though.
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Years ago, I met Billy on the street in...I want to say it was Southampton. A friend of mine managed a liquor store. I used to head down there on Saturdays to hang out and help him with deliveries. Anyway, we make this one delivery, start walking back to his SUV, and there was Billy Joel and his daughter, Alexa, getting ice cream. We said hello as we passed, as he did. Just casual. I am sure the Island is probably pretty different now (I grew up there, but I haven't lived there in 20 years), but that was one thing I loved. It was no big deal to see and say hello to local celebs. You just said hey, they said hi, no pictures or any of that. Just shoot the breeze and wish you well. I miss those times.
My mom, back in the early-70s, before I was born, hung out with Billy with various friends at parties in Huntington, she said. Just a regular dude...
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I'm doing one! Billy Joel is an all-time favorite artist of mine. Quick story - my mom is a pianist and mostly listened to classical, but I introduced her to Billy Joel's music sometime in my teens and she became a fan. It's something we've bonded over for a long time. His Greatest Hits 1&2 was one of the first CDs I owned, and I have distinct memories of playing a dubbed cassette of it on my Walkman while sitting in the back seat on road trips through NY to New England. Wonderful. I started writing my own songs around that time as well, and he was a major inspiration. I eventually got all his albums and I know most of them quite well. I don't listen to him too often anymore, but he will always be a favorite.
The ranking engine thing was fun. I started with about 35 songs from your list and plugged them in. It came out mostly right; I'm trying to decide if I'm tweaking anything before submitting or keeping it as-is (I'm second-guessing one or two placements, and I forgot a song that might rank). I'll get something in though.
Today is the last day to submit, so be sure to submit your list in the next 17+ hours! :biggrin:
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There's no 'like' buttons here, so I'll comment here that I enjoyed TheSoylentMan's and Samsara's stories
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Aaaa can I submit tomorrow? I’m sorry! I have it ready to go, but was doing a lot of family stuff today.
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Aaaa can I submit tomorrow? I’m sorry! I have it ready to go, but was doing a lot of family stuff today.
Get it to me in the next hour or so, and that is fine, otherwise, no can do, as I need time to sort through the lists and do the write-ups today, since I am starting the countdown tomorrow.
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List sent, but don't worry about it if it's going to give you a lot of extra work. Should be fun either way. Sorry to complicate things.
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Okay, the submissions period is over.
We ended up getting 14 lists total.
Countdown begins tomorrow. :hat :hat
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Thanks again to everyone who submitted a list. The countdown will be taken from the lists from these 14:
DTA
DTwwbwMP
Samsara
Kram
cfmoran13
jammindude
coz
DragonAttack
bosk1
hefdaddy42
The Realm
Stadler
The SoylentMan
KevShmev
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(https://y.yarn.co/08694dd3-209e-4366-b5b0-edb80c958d7e_text.gif)
And away we go...
25 An Innocent Man
Appeared on 8 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 5 (Samsara)
3 Top 10 Finishes
For some reason, this song has never sat well with me. Not entirely sure why, as the music is great and his vocal performance is tremendous, but I think I just don't care for the chorus that much, and that is an obstacle I can never get past. Unranked for me.
24 A Matter of Trust
Appeared on 7 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 4 (DragonAttack)
2 Top 10 Finishes
Joel rarely did straight guitar rock songs, but this is one, and it's a good one. I went away from this song for many years, but it's become one I revisit quite a bit again these last few years. It helps that my dad loves it as well, so whenever we get together to watch some old 80s videos, this is one we always watch (he loves the woman telling them to "SHUT UP!" :lol :lol). I ranked this 22nd.
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Two good ones to start off!
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I think An Innocent Man was #6 on my list and A Matter Of Trust was not ranked in the top 25 (it was #60).
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An Innocent Man just squeezed in at #23, A Matter of Trust just slipped under my radar. An oversight on my part. It’s a great song that I should have found room for
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I guess with so many great songs, I shouldn't be surprised that it "only" got to #25, but "An Innocent Man" is just a vocal masterclass to me. I've always had this up there as high on my list. Billy can't quite do this song justice any longer. But man, what a performance. So epic and powerful.
A Matter of Trust was #8 for me. I absolutely dig this track a ton. Straight up rocker. Has a nice swagger and emotion to it. And for those that sing, I absolutely LOVE singing this song. I've done it karaoke a ton of times, and sung it with a band a few times at bars back when I was in my 20s. Just so much fun.
Great starter!
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I guess with so many great songs, I shouldn't be surprised that it "only" got to #25, but "An Innocent Man" is just a vocal masterclass to me. I've always had this up there as high on my list. Billy can't quite do this song justice any longer. But man, what a performance. So epic and powerful.
That's why it's so high for me (that and my Dad loved that song; we used to listen to it on our way to my hockey games. I still think of him every time I hear it). He's got help live now - what's that guy, Mike Del Guidace? - but I'm okay with that. Billy's voice has still lasted longer than most of his genre.
A Matter of Trust was #8 for me. I absolutely dig this track a ton. Straight up rocker. Has a nice swagger and emotion to it. And for those that sing, I absolutely LOVE singing this song. I've done it karaoke a ton of times, and sung it with a band a few times at bars back when I was in my 20s. Just so much fun.
Great starter!
I like this song, there were just too many that I liked better. The Bridge record hasn't aged well for me in terms of how often I go to it.
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And away we go...
25 An Innocent Man
Appeared on 8 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 5 (Samsara)
3 Top 10 Finishes
For some reason, this song has never sat well with me. Not entirely sure why, as the music is great and his vocal performance is tremendous, but I think I just don't care for the chorus that much, and that is an obstacle I can never get past. Unranked for me.
24 A Matter of Trust
Appeared on 7 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 4 (DragonAttack)
2 Top 10 Finishes
Joel rarely did straight guitar rock songs, but this is one, and it's a good one. I went away from this song for many years, but it's become one I revisit quite a bit again these last few years. It helps that my dad loves it as well, so whenever we get together to watch some old 80s videos, this is one we always watch (he loves the woman telling them to "SHUT UP!" :lol :lol). I ranked this 22nd.
First time hearing either track. His voice is more boisterous than I feel like I’ve heard before. Kind of reminds me of Meatloaf. I think I slightly preferred An Innocent Man, especially when the arrangement sort of crescendoes. It did seem a little overlong for what it was though. A Matter of Trust was ok as more of a straight rock song. I think a lot of this comes down to how you feel about his voice, which I’m not really sure. It’s a very good voice, just never one I’ve been drawn to in the past.
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25 An Innocent Man unranked great song and vocal performance. Just didn't crack my top 25
24 A Matter of Trust 15 LOVE this one.
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I guess with so many great songs, I shouldn't be surprised that it "only" got to #25, but "An Innocent Man" is just a vocal masterclass to me. I've always had this up there as high on my list. Billy can't quite do this song justice any longer. But man, what a performance. So epic and powerful.
That's why it's so high for me (that and my Dad loved that song; we used to listen to it on our way to my hockey games. I still think of him every time I hear it). He's got help live now - what's that guy, Mike Del Guidace? - but I'm okay with that. Billy's voice has still lasted longer than most of his genre.
A Matter of Trust was #8 for me. I absolutely dig this track a ton. Straight up rocker. Has a nice swagger and emotion to it. And for those that sing, I absolutely LOVE singing this song. I've done it karaoke a ton of times, and sung it with a band a few times at bars back when I was in my 20s. Just so much fun.
Great starter!
I like this song, there were just too many that I liked better. The Bridge record hasn't aged well for me in terms of how often I go to it.
Stads,
Yeah, from what I've heard on YouTube, Mike does a great job propping Billy up when needed. Billy was never rangy, but An Innocent Man is the absolute tip top of his prime range which has been long, long gone. I haven't seen Billy in...15 years. Last time was out here in NorCal. All other times was MSG, Nassau Coliseum, or...a high school back east on Long Island (I went to an environmental benefit performance back in the late 90s. Saw Billy in a high school auditorium do a Q&A and perform a bit.
re: The Bridge - agreed. It hasn't aged well for me either. But A Matter of Trust, for me, is the high point.
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I had An Innocent Man at #10. Really solid song.
I didn't rank A Matter of Trust. Not a bad song by any stretch. But few of the songs this late in the game jump out at me as being anything special, and this one fits that description for me.
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Both unranked for me. The title track is probably my least favorite on An Innocent Man and while I like A Matter of Trust, it just doesn’t match up to a lot of his other songs.
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I completely forgot about this countdown. I've just had too much stuff going on lately... Will be following with interest though. :corn
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25 An Innocent Man
Appeared on 8 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 5 (Samsara)
3 Top 10 Finishes
24 A Matter of Trust
Appeared on 7 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 4 (DragonAttack)
2 Top 10 Finishes
An Innocent Man - my rank 22. Yes, this is a tremendous vocal performance and this song just has a really great laid back feel behind the vocals that appeals to me.
A Matter of Trust - my rank 20. Just always liked this one.
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(https://y.yarn.co/08694dd3-209e-4366-b5b0-edb80c958d7e_text.gif)
And away we go...
25 An Innocent Man
Appeared on 8 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 5 (Samsara)
3 Top 10 Finishes
For some reason, this song has never sat well with me. Not entirely sure why, as the music is great and his vocal performance is tremendous, but I think I just don't care for the chorus that much, and that is an obstacle I can never get past. Unranked for me.
24 A Matter of Trust
Appeared on 7 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 4 (DragonAttack)
2 Top 10 Finishes
Joel rarely did straight guitar rock songs, but this is one, and it's a good one. I went away from this song for many years, but it's become one I revisit quite a bit again these last few years. It helps that my dad loves it as well, so whenever we get together to watch some old 80s videos, this is one we always watch (he loves the woman telling them to "SHUT UP!" :lol :lol). I ranked this 22nd.
I'm with you Kev, An Innocent Man never sat well with me either for some reason, despite his excellent vocal performance.
A Matter of Trust I always really liked but did not make my list. He just has too many other strong songs that I like better. My list features quite a few "deep cuts" that I gravitate more towards now some 30-40 years later (man it's scary realizing how old I'm getting as I type that) lol.
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A Matter Of Trust was 46 on my list. An Innocent Man was 65. I had actually ranked my top 74 (just worked out that way and not 75). I like both songs fine. There are just plenty of others I like more.
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I didn't intend to do three today, but as the songs at 21 and 22 tied, I had no choice. :)
23 The Downeaster ‘Alexa’
Appeared on 6 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 3 (Kram)
4 Top 10 Finishes
Love this song and was a bit surprised it only finished 16th for me in the ranker, but I guess it just shows how many songs of his I love. Huge fan of this one. Incredible vocal performance.
21 (t) Uptown Girl
Appeared on 8 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 2 (DragonAttack)
3 Top 10 Finishes
I was saddened to see this left off nearly half the lists, but it is what it is. I have always thought this song was awesome and still do. I ranked it 6th. One of his best videos as well.
21 (t) It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me
Appeared on 7 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 5 (The Realm)
3 Top 10 Finishes
Never been overly wild about this one, but I get why many are. For some reason, it just never hit me right.
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Huge fan of It’s Still Rock & Roll To Me. I love the vibe, lyrics, and production on it. Number 8 on my list. Uptown Girl is a fun song but Alexa does nothing for me. Neither of them ranked.
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Taking my first Billy Joel journey following along this thread:
25 An Innocent Man: This was a pretty good song
24 A Matter Of Trust: I know this song pretty well and I actually really like it. The pre-chorus makes me think of something that queen would've written
23 The Downeaster 'Alexa': This is another great song. I love the slow grove of it, vocals are great as well as the instrumentation.
21 (t) Uptown Girl: I don't ever need to hear this song again, I've heard it enough when I worked at Walgreens
21 (t) It's Still Rock and Roll to Me: I think this song would be better if I hadn't heard it a million times.
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I love Uptown Girl, pure pop perfection IMHO.
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6. An Innocent Man
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9. The Downeaster 'Alexa'
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60. A Matter Of Trust
80. It's Still Rock and Roll To Me
89. Uptown Girl
So... first, The Downeaster 'Alexa'; I'm from CT and I spent a lot of time boating in the sound, and even lived on Block Island for a summer. So I KNOW those places, even though I'm not a fisherman myself. I just love the vibe and how he captured that environment. One of his best songs.
Second, I learned some things about myself doing this list. One, I didn't really care for that overtly autobiographical stuff about Christie Brinkley (maybe because I don't really like HER) and so most of the songs that are "about her" I don't care for. Although I like "That's Not Her Style" a little bit, none of the songs I know to be "Christie" songs made my list. And NONE of the songs from what I consider the "Christie" album - A River Of Dreams - made it (that was not on purpose, but how it worked out; thus my self-discovery). Two, I don't really care for his "hits" as much as others. In almost every case I go for the third or fourth single, or the album cut that took on a life of it's own live. There are exceptions, as we will see, but stuff like "It's Still Rock and Roll...", eh; there are three or four way better songs on that record (a record I grew up with).
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The Downeaster 'Alexa' - I had this at 23. I loved this song the moment I heard it in 1989. A friend's mom had just gotten the first CD player for their house, and this was the first new album purchase on CD for them. Such a great tune all the way around, and if you're from Long Island and spent time out east in the 80s, you know.
It's Still Rock and Roll to Me - This came in at 27 for me. Just out of the top-25. Fun tune.
Uptown Girl - This clocked in at 46. Well off the top-25. It is fine. Not a huge song for me, but still certainly not one I skip when it is on.
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I didn't intend to do three today, but as the songs at 21 and 22 tied, I had no choice. :)
23 The Downeaster ‘Alexa’
Appeared on 6 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 3 (Kram)
4 Top 10 Finishes
Love this song and was a bit surprised it only finished 16th for me in the ranker, but I guess it just shows how many songs of his I love. Huge fan of this one. Incredible vocal performance.
21 (t) Uptown Girl
Appeared on 8 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 2 (DragonAttack)
3 Top 10 Finishes
I was saddened to see this left off nearly half the lists, but it is what it is. I have always thought this song was awesome and still do. I ranked it 6th. One of his best videos as well.
21 (t) It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me
Appeared on 7 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 5 (The Realm)
3 Top 10 Finishes
Never been overly wild about this one, but I get why many are. For some reason, it just never hit me right.
Downeaster Alexa didn’t make a big impression hearing it just now. Maybe one where you have to get the lyrics.
Uptown Girl I is one I always thought I liked, but listening to it again the vocal is kind of annoying. It’s a good tune though. Just don’t think I’d want to hear it too often.
Still Rock and Roll is one I used to like growing up. Something about the way the words spill out that I liked. Been a long time since I heard it, and it didn’t have much effect on me now. But it’s another one that I think of positively.
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I love Downeaster Alexa. I'm shocked that it's this low.
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Sidebar (sort of, since the version of TD'A' on it is superb) but I'm watching the Yankee Stadium DVD in between calls, and man does it suck. Quintessential '90s crapola, in the sense that the DVD is 12 songs from what was I think like 26 songs, two nights. It's directed by Jon Small, whose relationship with Joel goes way back (he was both in Joel's early bands The Hassles and Attila and the husband of Elizabeth Weber, who Joel "stole", married, and later wrote "She's Always A Woman" about). Small did a great job on Kolept, and the Shea Stadium shows, but this is crap. A lot of mugging by the band members; Crystal Taliafero and Lisa Germano look like they're in a Jane Fonda exercise video; every shot of Liberty DeVito makes it out like he's drumming to Led Zeppelin; they keep showing shots of Billy looking around like he's lost in the subway...
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Sidebar (sort of, since the version of TD'A' on it is superb) but I'm watching the Yankee Stadium DVD in between calls, and man does it suck. Quintessential '90s crapola, in the sense that the DVD is 12 songs from what was I think like 26 songs, two nights. It's directed by Jon Small, whose relationship with Joel goes way back (he was both in Joel's early bands The Hassles and Attila and the husband of Elizabeth Weber, who Joel "stole", married, and later wrote "She's Always A Woman" about). Small did a great job on Kolept, and the Shea Stadium shows, but this is crap. A lot of mugging by the band members; Crystal Taliafero and Lisa Germano look like they're in a Jane Fonda exercise video; every shot of Liberty DeVito makes it out like he's drumming to Led Zeppelin; they keep showing shots of Billy looking around like he's lost in the subway...
Haven't seen that, but your description made me chuckle. I haven't seen a full Billy Joel performance, live or recorded. Any recommendations? I LOVED his guest appearance on the Garth Brooks live show in Central Park in 1997 (but more on that later), but that's kind of a different animal since it wasn't even his show.
EDIT: Oh, and I didn't rank the #20 song. Both of the #20s did well on my list. Again, that period is the apex of Billy Joel for me, so no surprise. I have covered It's Still Rock and Rock To Me many, many times. It doesn't get a huge reaction, but it's fun to play. It's actually tricky to sing too, for reasons that are hard to explain. There's just a certain delivery the song needs that is hard to replicate.
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Sidebar (sort of, since the version of TD'A' on it is superb) but I'm watching the Yankee Stadium DVD in between calls, and man does it suck. Quintessential '90s crapola, in the sense that the DVD is 12 songs from what was I think like 26 songs, two nights. It's directed by Jon Small, whose relationship with Joel goes way back (he was both in Joel's early bands The Hassles and Attila and the husband of Elizabeth Weber, who Joel "stole", married, and later wrote "She's Always A Woman" about). Small did a great job on Kolept, and the Shea Stadium shows, but this is crap. A lot of mugging by the band members; Crystal Taliafero and Lisa Germano look like they're in a Jane Fonda exercise video; every shot of Liberty DeVito makes it out like he's drumming to Led Zeppelin; they keep showing shots of Billy looking around like he's lost in the subway...
Haven't seen that, but your description made me chuckle. I haven't seen a full Billy Joel performance, live or recorded. Any recommendations? I LOVED his guest appearance on the Garth Brooks live show in Central Park in 1997 (but more on that later), but that's kind of a different animal since it wasn't even his show.
EDIT: Oh, and I didn't rank the #20 song. Both of the #20s did well on my list. Again, that period is the apex of Billy Joel for me, so no surprise. I have covered It's Still Rock and Rock To Me many, many times. It doesn't get a huge reaction, but it's fun to play. It's actually tricky to sing too, for reasons that are hard to explain. There's just a certain delivery the song needs that is hard to replicate.
SHEA STADIUM.
Wonderful show, full of emotion, and the single best version of "Captain Jack" I've ever heard. You might be iffy on some of the guests - they run the gamut from Steven Tyler to Garth Brooks, but seeing Paul McCartney on the Shea Staidum stage is worth something.
I've seen him six times over the years (though none of the "MSG Residency", unfortunately) and maybe that's why the video bugs me so much. Every show I saw was such a good, energetic show, but done with class. They made it into something it's not, a cheesy MTV video. He's a graceful performer live, and we got very little of that on the DVD.
As for singing "It's Still Rock and Roll..." I'm not a technical singer, but he switches voices in there I think three times, right? Aren't the verses call and answer, sort of, and then you have the chorus. I think Billy is a VERY underrated singer, IMO.
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SHEA STADIUM.
Wonderful show, full of emotion, and the single best version of "Captain Jack" I've ever heard. You might be iffy on some of the guests - they run the gamut from Steven Tyler to Garth Brooks, but seeing Paul McCartney on the Shea Staidum stage is worth something.
I'll keep that in mind. Garth Brooks is such a rock star, and he and Billy have great chemistry, so I'm all over him guesting at a Billy Joel show. I'm not a Tyler fan at all, but he's a great showman, and I'm guessing him being a guest is a lot of fun as well.
I saw an interview/documentary on YouTube called "Extraordinary" (as a Billy Joel fan, I highly recommend it--just do a search and it'll come up) where Billy was interviewed about a LOT of songs, his songwriting, and other cool stuff, and it was very enlightening. When discussing Captain Jack, it was funny how much he put that song down as being "boring" and something he really dreads performing. Not sure how much of it was serious and how much was tongue in cheek, but I could see the point he was making. But at the same time, the simplicity of that song is part of its charm. Then again, one of the things that came through in that documentary, especially the parts where he is sitting down at the piano breaking down songs, is how complex some of his most simplistic sounding songs can be.
As for singing "It's Still Rock and Roll..." I'm not a technical singer, but he switches voices in there I think three times, right? Aren't the verses call and answer, sort of, and then you have the chorus. I think Billy is a VERY underrated singer, IMO.
The verses are interesting. It's not really a "call and response" mechanic. He is singing lead all the way through, but on the second half of some lines, backing vocals come in and harmonize, which kind of gives it that kind of feel. The main thing that makes it difficult to pull off live isn't really any "difficulty" factor. It's just a certain attitude in his delivery that you have to find in order to really sell the song, and that's hard to find and execute.
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I didn't intend to do three today, but as the songs at 21 and 22 tied, I had no choice. :)
23 The Downeaster ‘Alexa’
Appeared on 6 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 3 (Kram)
4 Top 10 Finishes
Love this song and was a bit surprised it only finished 16th for me in the ranker, but I guess it just shows how many songs of his I love. Huge fan of this one. Incredible vocal performance.
21 (t) Uptown Girl
Appeared on 8 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 2 (DragonAttack)
3 Top 10 Finishes
I was saddened to see this left off nearly half the lists, but it is what it is. I have always thought this song was awesome and still do. I ranked it 6th. One of his best videos as well.
21 (t) It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me
Appeared on 7 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 5 (The Realm)
3 Top 10 Finishes
Never been overly wild about this one, but I get why many are. For some reason, it just never hit me right.
Obviously I'm a huge fan of The Downeaster Alexa (I had it ranked #3). As someone else pointed out the whole vibe he captured with this song is extraordinary to me.
I did not have either Uptown Girl or It's Still Rock and Roll to Me ranked in my top 25 (although both are good songs IMO).
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23 The Downeaster ‘Alexa’
Appeared on 6 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 3 (Kram)
4 Top 10 Finishes
21 (t) Uptown Girl
Appeared on 8 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 2 (DragonAttack)
3 Top 10 Finishes
21 (t) It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me
Appeared on 7 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 5 (The Realm)
3 Top 10 Finishes
The Downeaster "Alexa" - unranked. This isn't a song I am overly familiar with so couldn't really rank this one. Just gave it a listen and it is a really good track.
Uptown Girl - this is a classic and yes an all time great video from the days when I used to watch music videos. Probably has lost some appeal for me over the years though, I ranked this 18.
It's Still Rock and Roll to Me - another classic that I still love to this day.
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An Innocent Man is a great song. #21 for me, but could easily have been higher.
A Matter of Trust didn't rank. I like it, but I like other songs more.
The Downeaster Alexa is my #10, and I was pleased to see it land in the top 10 when I did my ranking. It's a beautiful song. The Itzak Perlman violin is great too.
Uptown Girl just barely made it. Fun song.
It's Still Rock and Roll to Me didn't rank. I left off a few of his big 70's hits when I did my ranking, as I've heard them so many times and I have more emotional connection with some of his deeper cuts. There's a few I regret leaving off and would have included if I'd spent more time with this. But this song probably wouldn't have made it either way. I like it okay; just not his best
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10 The Downeaster 'Alexa'
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21 An Innocent Man
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24 Uptown Girl
25
There's no 'like' buttons here, so I'll comment here that I enjoyed TheSoylentMan's and Samsara's stories
:tup
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25 An Innocent Man unranked great song and vocal performance. Just didn't crack my top 25
24 A Matter of Trust 15 LOVE this one.
23 The Downeaster ‘Alexa’ unranked never a fan of this one
21 (t) Uptown Girl unranked good song. Cracked my top 40
21 (t) It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me unranked good song. Cracked my top 40
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I love Uptown Girl, pure pop perfection IMHO.
Absolutely. I love the Four Seasons-inspired harmonies in it as well. Definitely one of those songs where I usually sing along to the background vocals, not the lead.
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21 (t) Uptown Girl
Appeared on 8 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 2 (DragonAttack)
3 Top 10 Finishes
I was saddened to see this left off nearly half the lists, but it is what it is. I have always thought this song was awesome and still do. I ranked it 6th. One of his best videos as well.
21 (t) It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me
Appeared on 7 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 5 (The Realm)
3 Top 10 Finishes
Never been overly wild about this one, but I get why many are. For some reason, it just never hit me right.
Really don't care for It's Still Rock and Roll to Me. When Uptown Girl first showed up on MTV, I couldn't stand it (but suffered through it to watch Christie Brinkley strut her stuff). It's grown on me quite a bit. It's fun.
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21. It's Still Rock And Roll To Me - Is it overplayed? Yes. But, this was the 2nd album of his I ever heard. I killed my mom's vinyl as a kid.
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24.
25.
46. A Matter Of Trust
65. An Innocent Man
69. The Downeaster 'Alexa'
So, Shea Stadium. The Last Play At Shea. My wife and I had tickets to what was SUPPOSED to be The Last Play At Shea. Until they decided to book a 2nd show and make that one the last one. Our show was absolutely fantastic. But, to see that the add-on show got Sir Paul McCartney, I was a little ticked. Still am, if I'm being perfectly honest. I've seen him 5 times live. I just wish I could've seen him back in the day with the mighty Liberty Devitto on drums.
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Tomorrow's update will feature the first song from the most featured album in this countdown (which likely won't surprise anyone).
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First, I'll guarantee that everything posted in this countdown will have ended up in my top 40 (which would have been so much easier to do.)
(https://media4.giphy.com/media/pEP4CwhG1f1uw/200w.gif?cid=6c09b952uaoe5xeeuvt937u4209sb6emh0zvajwjo85lr9j9&rid=200w.gif&ct=g)
Damn you, KevShmev!
25 An Innocent Man NR my best friend for decades, roommate for four, 10x more of a rock n roller than me, bought this LP and played it often. A good song, just not rated.
24 A Matter of Trust #4 This is my wife's favorite Billy song. It does not suffer from overplaying, as I didn't hear it until this century. And then, I ended up just not liking to please her, but liking because it is a damn fine song. A damn good, guitar driven rocker of his (for a change). :tup
Kev....I saw the video for the first time ever this week, and stopped it at the 'shut up' moment. :biggrin:
23 The Downeaster ‘Alexa’ NR My ex had a late 70s Buick Grand Prix that a coworker bought from her for a couple of hundred bucks in the late 80s. It was a 'land whale' as he described it. Anyhoo.....he called it 'Alexa' after this song. He busted his axe at work getting out of debt from mistakes and a bad marriage, so this song has that hardworking, blue collar tug that Billy was driving home on.
21 (t) Uptown Girl #2 I still have a female friend from decades ago where this song hits home, all in a good way. And it applies to my smarter and more upscale wife, all in a good way. Just an absolute perfect pop song, which simply makes me feel happy when hearing, and that I love to do air drums to during that final chorus. :tup :tup
21 (t) It's Still Rock and Roll to Me #11 Wasn't all that crazy about it in college, but bosk talked about the 'changes' in it that resonate the complexities of a simple, but not so simple song.
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We now kick off the top 20!
20 Captain Jack
Appeared on 9 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 6 (DTwwbwMP)
1 Top 10 Finish
This quickly became a favorite way back when I heard his greatest hits volumes 1 and 2, and I was always a bit surprised my mom, who was a staunch conservative, liked this one a lot as well, considering it was about getting high and had the line about masturbation, but that just shows you the power of a great song. I ranked this 13th.
19 Just the Way You Are
Appeared on 9 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 3 (coz)
3 Top 10 Finishes
This is from The Stranger AND it features the saxophone, so you know it has to be good, right? I didn't rank it, as it never been one of my favorites, but it's a good song for sure, just not one I gravitate towards on its own.
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20 Captain Jack
This quickly became a favorite way back when I heard his greatest hits volumes 1 and 2, and I was always a bit surprised my mom, who was a staunch conservative, liked this one a lot as well, considering it was about getting high and had the line about masturbation, but that just shows you the power of a great song. I ranked this 13th.
Our moms sound similar! My mom has loosened up a lot now that all her kids are adults, and she cuts Billy Joel a lot of slack. But she's never warmed up to this song. I think that one line kills it for her.
Kev, your thoughts on these songs pretty much match mine - Captain Jack is #17 for me. I'm partial to the Songs in the Attic version, which IMO elevates a lot of those old songs. Just The Way You Are didn't rank.
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The order almost doesn't matter when you are dealing with songs this good.
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The order almost doesn't matter when you are dealing with songs this good.
Agreed. I have my 10-or-so favorites that I love the most for personal reasons, but after that it's just a huge deep catalog of fantastic songs. He does have some clunkers, but I'll bet we'd have to do at least a top 50 for any of them to show up in the discussion.
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6. An Innocent Man
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9. The Downeaster 'Alexa'
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15. Just The Way You Are
16. Captain Jack
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60. A Matter Of Trust
80. It's Still Rock and Roll To Me
89. Uptown Girl
Two that made the list! I love both; as I noted to Bosk above, the Shea Stadium version of "Captain Jack" is killer; it seems like in the latter years, live, he - his band - has emphasized the swing of the verses, and contrasted it with a more powerful emphasis on that riff under the chorus. Just such a powerful song that really doesn't get played that much anymore.
I have a strange affinity for "Just The Way You Are". I had insomnia as a kid, and I can remember lying in bed, under the covers with a flashlight reading comic books and listening to WICC 600 AM radio through a single ear bud. Those songs still resonate with me: December, 1963 (Frankie Valli), Baker Street (Gerry Rafferty), Reminiscing (Little River Band) and Just The Way You Are is one of those. That Fender Rhodes sound I just love.
(Sidebar; he wrote the song about his then-wife, Elizabeth Weber, who I mentioned he "stole" from his friend Jon Small. He rarely played it after his divorce from her. Howard Stern, though, brought it up during one of their town hall-style interviews - he's done I think three of them with Billy - and given his latter years struggles with substances and mental health, Stern asked him "didn't you really write that about yourself?" Billy was visibly (well, it's the radio) taken aback and said that had never actually occurred to him, but that there was a lot of truth to that in hindsight.)
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Captain Jack - This one came in at #20 for me. Greatest bar song ever? Perhaps. For me, an all time classic bar rock tune, along with Piano Man, which I am sure will be very high on this list by folks here at DTF.
Just the Way You Are - I had this at #9. One of Billy's most tender and gut-wrenching ballads. Just a beautiful song.
All these songs are just classic hits. Whoever said above that the order doesn't matter - spot-on comment.
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Yup, both classics. I rank 'em both. I don't even feel compelled to look up where they fell on my lists.
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Captain Jack. Never heard this song before, but it is truly gross. Also kind of sounded like Bowie.
Just The Way You Are I didn’t recognize until it got to the chorus. I do like the sax. Decent pop tune with a nice arrangement.
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The order almost doesn't matter when you are dealing with songs this good.
100% agree, it really doesn't matter. But for the record both cracked my top 25. Just The Way You Are at #24 and Captain Jack at #17.
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25 An Innocent Man unranked great song and vocal performance. Just didn't crack my top 25
24 A Matter of Trust 15 LOVE this one.
23 The Downeaster ‘Alexa’ unranked never a fan of this one
21 (t) Uptown Girl unranked good song. Cracked my top 40
21 (t) It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me unranked good song. Cracked my top 40
20 Captain Jack 6 Simply, A CLASSIC!
19 Just the Way You Are 25 Very pretty song
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I'll also just add that I never paid attention to the lyrics in Captain Jack. Maybe that's for the better.
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I'll also just add that I never paid attention to the lyrics in Captain Jack. Maybe that's for the better.
LOL, they are not subtle!
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20 Captain Jack
Appeared on 9 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 6 (DTwwbwMP)
1 Top 10 Finish
19 Just the Way You Are
Appeared on 9 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 3 (coz)
3 Top 10 Finishes
Captain Jack? Well ok. totally agree with HOF, sounds like Bowie. Don't at all see the appeal of this song and also don't like the lyrics. Unranked.
Just The Way You Are - On the other hand, this is a classic and amazing song. My rank 10.
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I'm just curious; what is it about the lyrics that grate on people so much? He's a storyteller, and he's telling a story. It's not pretty, I'll give you that, but he came out of Long Island - the suburbs - in the Vietnam era, and as he says (I think it's in the liner notes to Songs From The Attic) about people he knew at that time "the miracle of modern chemistry (heroin) killed them if Vietnam didn't".
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I'm just curious; what is it about the lyrics that grate on people so much? He's a storyteller, and he's telling a story. It's not pretty, I'll give you that, but he came out of Long Island - the suburbs - in the Vietnam era, and as he says (I think it's in the liner notes to Songs From The Attic) about people he knew at that time "the miracle of modern chemistry (heroin) killed them if Vietnam didn't".
For me, sometime really direct lyrical storytelling works in songs and sometimes it doesn't. In this song it doesn't.
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14. Captain Jack
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21. It's Still Rock And Roll To Me - Is it overplayed? Yes. But, this was the 2nd album of his I ever heard. I killed my mom's vinyl as a kid.
22.
23.
24.
25.
45. Just The Way You Are
46. A Matter Of Trust
65. An Innocent Man
69. The Downeaster 'Alexa'
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I don't see how the lyrics to Captain Jack are gross or weird or anything. Talking about getting high is gross? A single line about self-gratification is gross?
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I don't see how the lyrics to Captain Jack are gross or weird or anything. Talking about getting high is gross? A single line about self-gratification is gross?
I guess I interpreted Captain Jack itself to have a certain meaning…
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I'm just curious; what is it about the lyrics that grate on people so much? He's a storyteller, and he's telling a story. It's not pretty, I'll give you that, but he came out of Long Island - the suburbs - in the Vietnam era, and as he says (I think it's in the liner notes to Songs From The Attic) about people he knew at that time "the miracle of modern chemistry (heroin) killed them if Vietnam didn't".
I agree with you they never bothered me.
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Apologies, no update this morning. Power was knocked out at home by a tree, so I had no access to get my write-up before leaving for work. We will resume tomorrow with three songs for Friday!
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Apologies, no update this morning. Power was knocked out at home by a tree, so I had no access to get my write-up before leaving for work. We will resume tomorrow with three songs for Friday!
Well, this is completely unacceptable!
J/K, take care of yourself.
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That's totally fine, Kev. It's still rock and roll to me.
:neverusethis:
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J/K, take care of yourself.
Thanks! All good, though. The tree was down the street and didn't look to have hit anyone or any house (they were working on it when I was leaving for work), and I got the text a bit ago that the power is back on, so all is well!
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Power was knocked out at home by a tree
So there was a Storm Front coming? :D
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They turned Kev's power down
And drove him underground
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J/K, take care of yourself.
Thanks! All good, though. The tree was down the street and didn't look to have hit anyone or any house (they were working on it when I was leaving for work), and I got the text a bit ago that the power is back on, so all is well!
Bummer, but glad it wasn’t your tree/house!
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J/K, take care of yourself.
Thanks! All good, though. The tree was down the street and didn't look to have hit anyone or any house (they were working on it when I was leaving for work), and I got the text a bit ago that the power is back on, so all is well!
Bummer, but glad it wasn’t your tree/house!
Kev has a tree house? I always wanted an adult tree house. I think that'd be cool.
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J/K, take care of yourself.
Thanks! All good, though. The tree was down the street and didn't look to have hit anyone or any house (they were working on it when I was leaving for work), and I got the text a bit ago that the power is back on, so all is well!
Bummer, but glad it wasn’t your tree/house!
Kev has a tree house? I always wanted an adult tree house. I think that'd be cool.
Where do you think he goes to tabulate all the votes and writeup these top 25/50/75/100 countdowns!
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I see my secret is out!
Don't ask me why I do it, but this is my life, and sometimes I feel the need to go to extremes.
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Okay, I am going to put up tomorrow's three songs tonight. :)
18 My Life
Appeared on 8 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (bosk1)
3 Top 10 Finishes
I didn't rank this, as it never been a song that did a lot for me, but I listened to earlier this week on the way home from work and was like, "hot damn, this really is a great song." So yeah, it would certainly rank for me now if I did my list again. Not sure why it took me 40 years to come around on it, but I finally got there this week.
17 She’s Got A Way
Appeared on 9 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 2 (hefdaddy42)
3 Top 10 Finishes
This is another I kept seeing on lists and wondered if I was overlooking it, so I gave it a few fresh spins. Nice song for sure, but I'd never think of it as one of my favorites. Some did, and that's cool.
16 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)
Appeared on 6 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (cfmoran13, Samsara)
3 Top 10 Finishes
This one just missed the cut for me, finishing at 26 when I did the ranker. Great climax, and I love the solo piano that closes out the song.
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25 An Innocent Man unranked great song and vocal performance. Just didn't crack my top 25
24 A Matter of Trust 15 LOVE this one.
23 The Downeaster ‘Alexa’ unranked never a fan of this one
21 (t) Uptown Girl unranked good song. Cracked my top 40
21 (t) It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me unranked good song. Cracked my top 40
20 Captain Jack 6 Simply, A CLASSIC!
19 Just the Way You Are 25 Very pretty song
18 My Life 7 fun, great song!
17 She’s Got a Way unranked just missed at #26 for me
16 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) 4 Another TRUE Billy classic
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18 My Life
Appeared on 8 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (bosk1)
3 Top 10 Finishes
17 She’s Got A Way
Appeared on 9 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 2 (hefdaddy42)
3 Top 10 Finishes
16 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)
Appeared on 6 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (cfmoran13, Samsara)
3 Top 10 Finishes
My Life - a really great up beat song, always really liked this one. My ranking 13.
She's Got a Way - this is a really beautiful song but not one I seriously considered for my top 25, so unranked but kind of cool to see it get lots of love. To be honest though it does really sound like a ballad from a musical (not that there is anything wrong with that,..)
Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) - not really familiar with this song so couldn't rank it. However, just gave it a listen and it is really great.
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. An Innocent Man
7.
8.
9. The Downeaster 'Alexa'
10.
11.
12.
13. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)
14.
15. Just The Way You Are
16. Captain Jack
17. She's Got A Way
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26. My Life
60. A Matter Of Trust
80. It's Still Rock and Roll To Me
89. Uptown Girl
Two made the list, one did not, but just barely. "My Life" is a great song, and I dig it, I just don't think it's a song I would seek out to listen to, and for the most part the top 25 are songs I would actively go listen to. "Miami..." is an interesting song; while I think there are overlaps, in his early career his lyrics were a lot more... vague for lack of a better word and Miami is one of those. I know what he was going for, but that song seems a lot more of Joel as the observer, than Joel as the participant (like a lot of his later work).
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18 My Life
Appeared on 8 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (bosk1)
3 Top 10 Finishes
I didn't rank this, as it never been a song that did a lot for me, but I listened to earlier this week on the way home from work and was like, "hot damn, this really is a great song." So yeah, it would certainly rank for me now if I did my list again. Not sure why it took me 40 years to come around on it, but I finally got there this week.
I really only know this one in this context: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UI_JwF3cnA
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My Life - I had this at 18. So dead on with the forum. Great tune.
She's Got a Way - this came in at 22 for me. Again, just not much to say about great songs. It's wonderfully written and a beautiful chorus
Miami 2017 - I'm actually really shocked this is at #16 for the forum. Yes, it's my #1, but I figured it would make the top-5 here. Just that epic feel, figured DT fans would put it higher.
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Okay, I am going to put up tomorrow's three songs tonight. :)
18 My Life
Appeared on 8 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (bosk1)
3 Top 10 Finishes
I didn't rank this, as it never been a song that did a lot for me, but I listened to earlier this week on the way home from work and was like, "hot damn, this really is a great song." So yeah, it would certainly rank for me now if I did my list again. Not sure why it took me 40 years to come around on it, but I finally got there this week.
17 She’s Got A Way
Appeared on 9 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 2 (hefdaddy42)
3 Top 10 Finishes
This is another I kept seeing on lists and wondered if I was overlooking it, so I gave it a few fresh spins. Nice song for sure, but I'd never think of it as one of my favorites. Some did, and that's cool.
16 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)
Appeared on 6 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (cfmoran13, Samsara)
3 Top 10 Finishes
This one just missed the cut for me, finishing at 26 when I did the ranker. Great climax, and I love the solo piano that closes out the song.
Miami just missed my list as well.
I had My Life at 23 (yes, I'm old enough to remeber Bosom Buddies). I've always loved She's Got a Way and had it ranked quite high at #6 (I based this on the incredible live version from Songs in the Attic)
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1. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14. Captain Jack
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21. It's Still Rock And Roll To Me
22.
23.
24. She's Got A Way
25.
36. My Life
45. Just The Way You Are
46. A Matter Of Trust
65. An Innocent Man
69. The Downeaster 'Alexa'
Miami 2017 - This has been my favorite Billy Joel song for decades. Of course, in my head, the version I hear is from 'Songs In The Attic'. This is a sentiment that will be expressed multiple times on this list. That live version absolutely obliterates the original version.
My Life - Good song. Whenever I hear this, I can't help but think of Busom Buddies.
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Miami 2017 - This has been my favorite Billy Joel song for decades. Of course, in my head, the version I hear is from 'Songs In The Attic'. This is a sentiment that will be expressed multiple times on this list. That live version absolutely obliterates the original version.[/quote}
Absofreakinloutely. :metal
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20 Captain Jack NR for years I thought this was about Jack Daniels :D :facepalm:
19 Just the Way You Are #19
18 My Life #14 Hanks and Scoleri were oddly good in this offbeat show :D
17 She’s Got A Way #12
16 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) NR this never grabbed my state of mind as another Big Apple song....
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16 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) NR this never grabbed my state of mind as another Big Apple song....
Not so much a Big Apple song as a post-apocalyptic story. Kind of took on a new meaning after 9/11.
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Miami was my #14. Brilliant song and my favorite of his pre-Stranger tracks (and the only one I included actually).
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We carry on...
15 Big Shot
Appeared on 10 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 6 (The Realm)
3 Top 10 Finishes
Good song, but never one I went out of my way to hear, thus it was unranked for me.
14 You May Be Right
Appeared on 9 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 3 (bosk1, DTwwbwMP)
4 Top 10 Finishes
This is another that just missed making my list. Good song, and I do really like the solo section, as we first get a guitar solo in a style we rarely got in one of his songs and then that glorious saxophone solo.
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25 An Innocent Man unranked great song and vocal performance. Just didn't crack my top 25
24 A Matter of Trust 15 LOVE this one.
23 The Downeaster ‘Alexa’ unranked never a fan of this one
21 (t) Uptown Girl unranked good song. Cracked my top 40
21 (t) It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me unranked good song. Cracked my top 40
20 Captain Jack 6 Simply, A CLASSIC!
19 Just the Way You Are 25 Very pretty song
18 My Life 7 fun, great song!
17 She’s Got a Way unranked just missed at #26 for me
16 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) 4 Another TRUE Billy classic
15 Big Shot unranked Liked it a lot when it came out, but quickly lost its luster
14 You May Be Right 3 GREAT Billy rocker!
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1. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. Big Shot
11.
12.
13.
14. Captain Jack
15.
16.
17.
18.
19. You May Be Right
20.
21. It's Still Rock And Roll To Me
22.
23.
24. She's Got A Way
25.
36. My Life
45. Just The Way You Are
46. A Matter Of Trust
65. An Innocent Man
69. The Downeaster 'Alexa'
Big Shot and You May Be Right - 2 songs from that era of me first hearing Billy Joel. And, both are "rockers". There's a reason why they each opened their respective albums.
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We carry on...
15 Big Shot
Appeared on 10 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 6 (The Realm)
3 Top 10 Finishes
Good song, but never one I went out of my way to hear, thus it was unranked for me.
14 You May Be Right
Appeared on 9 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 3 (bosk1, DTwwbwMP)
4 Top 10 Finishes
This is another that just missed making my list. Good song, and I do really like the solo section, as we first get a guitar solo in a style we rarely got in one of his songs and then that glorious saxophone solo.
I had Big Shot at #18 and You May Be Right just missed my list. Both good songs and staples of my childhood.
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I expect at least 7 of my top 25 NOT to make the final list.
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15 Big Shot
Appeared on 10 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 6 (The Realm)
3 Top 10 Finishes
14 You May Be Right
Appeared on 9 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 3 (bosk1, DTwwbwMP)
4 Top 10 Finishes
Big Shot - surprised I am the high ranker. This a great song, love the rhythm, just a really cool vibe.
You May Be Right - my rank 12. Just a classic song, lots of fun memories hearing this song in my youth. Always loved that guitar riff.
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Today is the second and last time two songs tied for a spot.
12 (t) Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)
Appeared on 11 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 6 (jammindude)
3 Top 10 Finishes
Damn good song, but I have to admit that it is a bit overplayed for me, as classic rock radio still plays it to death. I still ranked it 25th, however.
12 (t) Honesty
Appeared on 8 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 2 (The Realm, Kram)
4 Top 10 Finishes
I like this song, but didn't rank it. I was caught a bit off guard by how much support this one got, to be honest, pun intended.
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Movin' Out is what started my intense dislike of Billy Joel (however listening through the songs in this thread my opinion is changing). Working retail that fucking song was played every hour, listening to that heart attack ack ack line was my personal hell.
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25 An Innocent Man unranked great song and vocal performance. Just didn't crack my top 25
24 A Matter of Trust 15 LOVE this one.
23 The Downeaster ‘Alexa’ unranked never a fan of this one
21 (t) Uptown Girl unranked good song. Cracked my top 40
21 (t) It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me unranked good song. Cracked my top 40
20 Captain Jack 6 Simply, A CLASSIC!
19 Just the Way You Are 25 Very pretty song
18 My Life 7 fun, great song!
17 She’s Got a Way unranked just missed at #26 for me
16 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) 4 Another TRUE Billy classic
15 Big Shot unranked Liked it a lot when it came out, but quickly lost its luster
14 You May Be Right 3 GREAT Billy rocker!
12 (t) Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) 19 Another fun mid-tempo rocker
12 (t) Honesty 5 Definitely my favorite Billy ballad
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Movin' Out is what started my intense dislike of Billy Joel (however listening through the songs in this thread my opinion is changing). Working retail that fucking song was played every hour, listening to that heart attack ack ack line was my personal hell.
:lol :rollin
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Today is the second and last time two songs tied for a spot.
12 (t) Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)
Appeared on 11 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 6 (jammindude)
3 Top 10 Finishes
Damn good song, but I have to admit that it is a bit overplayed for me, as classic rock radio still plays it to death. I still ranked it 25th, however.
12 (t) Honesty
Appeared on 8 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 2 (The Realm, Kram)
4 Top 10 Finishes
I like this song, but didn't rank it. I was caught a bit off guard by how much support this one got, to be honest, pun intended.
I had Movin' Out at #13. Classic solid Billy Joel song that I've always enjoyed despite that somewhat annoying heart attack line lol
Huge fan of Honesty (had it at #2). The lyrics always hit home on a personal level for me. Check out the awesome live version from KOHUEPT (Live in Lenningrad) if you haven't already.
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1. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)
10. Big Shot
14. Captain Jack
17. Honesty
19. You May Be Right
21. It's Still Rock And Roll To Me
24. She's Got A Way
36. My Life
45. Just The Way You Are
46. A Matter Of Trust
57. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
65. An Innocent Man
69. The Downeaster 'Alexa'
I really like "Honesty". I was surprised to see it come out as low as it did on my list. I like the studio version. However, I prefer the version off Концерт much more.
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I fell behind on this so I’m trying to dig out.
My Life - Didn’t realize what song this was until I started playing it, and then it was like “oh yeah, this one.” I do like this one quite a bit. That main piano hook is great. Kind of reminds me of Stepping Out.
She’s Got A Way - I didn’t know this one, but is very nice. Once again I feel like his voice has a different quality on this one than what I’m used to. Kind of reminds me of how Paul McCartney could kind of be different singers on different songs.
Miami 2017 - Also new to me but I enjoyed it quite a bit. Can see how that would have played well after 9/11.
Big Shot - This one I know, and I have always liked it. It has a nice edge that I always thought could have played well as a heavier rock track. He does a good job of making it sort of heavy just with the vocal.
You May Be Right - Another that I know well, though I’ll always think of it mostly as the theme song to Dave’s World (which I have no memory of other than the theme song, and that version was apparently recorded by Southside Johnny). A pretty fun tune though.
Movin’ Out - New to me, didn’t like this one so much.
Honesty - same with this one, just didn’t care for the melodies I think.
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12 (t) Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)
Appeared on 11 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 6 (jammindude)
3 Top 10 Finishes
12 (t) Honesty
Appeared on 8 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 2 (The Realm, Kram)
4 Top 10 Finishes
Movin Out - my rank 14. Not sure what isn't to love about this one, just a great catchy fun song.
Honesty - just a beautiful, heartfelt song. Nice work Kram on the number 2 ranking.
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Today's featured songs are ones that were number 1 on at least one list!
11 Goodnight Saigon
Appeared on 8 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (hefdaddy42, Kram)
4 Top 10 Finishes
I had this at 11, so I was spot on! Great song, and one I likely would have put higher if the chorus had been as good as the rest of the song. The chorus isn't bad by any means, but considering how great the rest of the song is, it's not overly special. Still, it's still a great song in my estimation.
10 Vienna
Appeared on 9of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (Stadler)
4 Top 10 Finishes
This is one of those songs with a melody that just sticks to landing perfectly and hits that sweet spot. That accordion solo is just glorious, and the amazing thing about it is that it almost sounds like something you'd hear in a film about someone traveling across Europe and landing in Vienna. Talk about nailing a vibe perfectly! Great song; I ranked it 8th.
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15. Big Shot #8
14. You May Be Right #6 ‘bumped’ way up after seeing the MSG ‘house band’ perform this during the encores, and hip bumping with the wife during it.
12 (t). Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) #13 another that I (semi) nailed. Glad, though, that I didn't have to hear it 8x a day while working.....
12 (t). Honesty #17
11. Goodnight Saigon #21
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25 An Innocent Man unranked great song and vocal performance. Just didn't crack my top 25
24 A Matter of Trust 15 LOVE this one.
23 The Downeaster ‘Alexa’ unranked never a fan of this one
21 (t) Uptown Girl unranked good song. Cracked my top 40
21 (t) It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me unranked good song. Cracked my top 40
20 Captain Jack 6 Simply, A CLASSIC!
19 Just the Way You Are 25 Very pretty song
18 My Life 7 fun, great song!
17 She’s Got a Way unranked just missed at #26 for me
16 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) 4 Another TRUE Billy classic
15 Big Shot unranked Liked it a lot when it came out, but quickly lost its luster
14 You May Be Right 3 GREAT Billy rocker!
12 (t) Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) 19 Another fun mid-tempo rocker
12 (t) Honesty 5 Definitely my favorite Billy ballad
11 Goodnight Saigon unranked Good song, just not in my top 40
10 Vienna unranked Really nice song. A top 40 for me
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1. Vienna
2.
3.
4.
5. Goodnight Saigon
6. An Innocent Man
7.
8.
9. The Downeaster 'Alexa'
10.
11.
12.
13. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)
14. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
15. Just The Way You Are
16. Captain Jack
17. She's Got A Way
18.
19. Big Shot
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26. My Life
28. Honesty
39. You May Be Right
60. A Matter Of Trust
80. It's Still Rock and Roll To Me
89. Uptown Girl
All good songs; Honesty and You May Be Right would be top 20 for virtually any artist. Here, I just like other songs better. Though I will say; Billy has a very very diverse catalogue, but his mid-80's singles seem to all be of a type; Movin' Out and My Life and You May Be Right and Only The Good Die Young are all sort of interchangeable; I have those on my list that fit on their album better (which is generally "The Stranger", my favorite Billy Joel record). Big Shot made it because I just love the attitude of that song.
Goodnight Saigon made it because of the epic live versions over the years. it's one of those songs you have to see live to really appreciate it, IMO. I've seen Billy I think seven times and each time it was a - if not THE - highlight of the show.
Vienna. I struggle for the words to cover what this song means to me. It's a perfect song, IMO. It's Billy writing about his father, with whom he's had a troubled relationship (he left the family when Joel was young) and expressing a respect and admiration for "old age" and the wisdom it brings. It really resonated with me in the latter years of my father's life. I love this song beyond words, and it would certainly be in any top five list of my favorite songs by any artist.
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Today's featured songs are ones that were number 1 on at least one list!
11 Goodnight Saigon
Appeared on 8 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (hefdaddy42, Kram)
4 Top 10 Finishes
I had this at 11, so I was spot on! Great song, and one I likely would have put higher if the chorus had been as good as the rest of the song. The chorus isn't bad by any means, but considering how great the rest of the song is, it's not overly special. Still, it's still a great song in my estimation.
10 Vienna
Appeared on 9of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (Stadler)
4 Top 10 Finishes
This is one of those songs with a melody that just sticks to landing perfectly and hits that sweet spot. That accordion solo is just glorious, and the amazing thing about it is that it almost sounds like something you'd hear in a film about someone traveling across Europe and landing in Vienna. Talk about nailing a vibe perfectly! Great song; I ranked it 8th.
Two of my all-time favorite songs by anyone really. Had Goodnight Saigon at #1 and Vienna at #5. As Stadler just pointed out, the live versions of Goodnight Saigon put it over the top for me. Again, checkout the awesome live version from KOHUEPT (Live in Lenningrad).
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Today's featured songs are ones that were number 1 on at least one list!
11 Goodnight Saigon
Appeared on 8 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (hefdaddy42, Kram)
4 Top 10 Finishes
I had this at 11, so I was spot on! Great song, and one I likely would have put higher if the chorus had been as good as the rest of the song. The chorus isn't bad by any means, but considering how great the rest of the song is, it's not overly special. Still, it's still a great song in my estimation.
10 Vienna
Appeared on 9of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (Stadler)
4 Top 10 Finishes
This is one of those songs with a melody that just sticks to landing perfectly and hits that sweet spot. That accordion solo is just glorious, and the amazing thing about it is that it almost sounds like something you'd hear in a film about someone traveling across Europe and landing in Vienna. Talk about nailing a vibe perfectly! Great song; I ranked it 8th.
If I had voted, Goodnight Saigon would have been my #1 song. So emotional.
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11 Goodnight Saigon
Appeared on 8 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (hefdaddy42, Kram)
4 Top 10 Finishes
10 Vienna
Appeared on 9of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (Stadler)
4 Top 10 Finishes
Goodnight Saigon - no doubt I can see how this song can really resonate with someone. The verses especially are really fantastic but I am not really a fan of the chorus. I didn't rank this one but no issue at all with it finishing this high.
Vienna - I ranked this 19, easily could have been higher. Really love this song, has a real magical quality to it.
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1. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)
10. Big Shot
12. Vienna
14. Captain Jack
17. Honesty
19. You May Be Right
21. It's Still Rock And Roll To Me
24. She's Got A Way
36. My Life
45. Just The Way You Are
46. A Matter Of Trust
48. Goodnight Saigon
57. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
65. An Innocent Man
69. The Downeaster 'Alexa'
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Two of my favorites are featured today!
09 Pressure
Appeared on 10 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 3 (KevShmev)
5 Top 10 Finishes
This song definitely gets a bit of a "it was played a lot when we first had MTV" bump, but I think it's held up as a killer song, either way. Love the lyrics in this one as well. My mom, who was a big Billy Joel fan, never liked this song due to the lead keyboard line, which she didn't like at all, but I love it. I ranked this 3rd.
08 Prelude/Angry Young Man
Appeared on 8 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 3 (cfmoran13)
6 Top 10 Finishes
Billy shows off a bit of his proggy side in this one. I ranked this 5th and almost feel like I undersold it! I caught the Shea Stadium version a month or so ago on YT, which is pretty damn great. His piano work is always great, but it's almost a different level in this one, and the synth solo later in the song is one of the best by anyone ever in a rock song.
-
1. Vienna
2.
3.
4.
5. Goodnight Saigon
6. An Innocent Man
7.
8.
9. The Downeaster 'Alexa'
10.
11.
12.
13. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)
14. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
15. Just The Way You Are
16. Captain Jack
17. She's Got A Way
18.
19. Big Shot
20.
21.
22.
23. Prelude/Angry Young Man
24.
25.
26. My Life
28. Honesty
36. Pressure
39. You May Be Right
60. A Matter Of Trust
80. It's Still Rock and Roll To Me
89. Uptown Girl
Two good songs; Pressure is one of those that could have been anywhere from 20, or maybe even in the high teens, to 40. It's great live, too. I like Angry Young Man, even if in my head it's sort of a Ballad of Billy The Kid rewrite.
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09 Pressure
Appeared on 10 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 3 (KevShmev)
5 Top 10 Finishes
This song definitely gets a bit of a "it was played a lot when we first had MTV" bump, but I think it's held up as a killer song, either way. Love the lyrics in this one as well. My mom, who was a big Billy Joel fan, never liked this song due to the lead keyboard line, which she didn't like at all, but I love it. I ranked this 3rd.
This is the one I was waiting for. My favorite Billy Joel song by a good margin. Kinda bummed not to see it higher, but I'm not exactly tuned in to the entire catalog.
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25 An Innocent Man unranked great song and vocal performance. Just didn't crack my top 25
24 A Matter of Trust 15 LOVE this one.
23 The Downeaster ‘Alexa’ unranked never a fan of this one
21 (t) Uptown Girl unranked good song. Cracked my top 40
21 (t) It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me unranked good song. Cracked my top 40
20 Captain Jack 6 Simply, A CLASSIC!
19 Just the Way You Are 25 Very pretty song
18 My Life 7 fun, great song!
17 She’s Got a Way unranked just missed at #26 for me
16 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) 4 Another TRUE Billy classic
15 Big Shot unranked Liked it a lot when it came out, but quickly lost its luster
14 You May Be Right 3 GREAT Billy rocker!
12 (t) Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) 19 Another fun mid-tempo rocker
12 (t) Honesty 5 Definitely my favorite Billy ballad
11 Goodnight Saigon unranked Good song, just not in my top 40
10 Vienna unranked Really nice song. A top 40 for me
09 Pressure unranked never a fan
08 Prelude/Angry Young Man 10 One of Billy' best written compositions
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09 Pressure
Appeared on 10 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 3 (KevShmev)
5 Top 10 Finishes
08 Prelude/Angry Young Man
Appeared on 8 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 3 (cfmoran13)
6 Top 10 Finishes
Pressure - my rank 7. This is a classic, always loved it and love that keyboard line.
Prelude/Angry Young Man - unranked. I don't have a huge love for this one like others do.
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Two of my favorites are featured today!
09 Pressure
Appeared on 10 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 3 (KevShmev)
5 Top 10 Finishes
This song definitely gets a bit of a "it was played a lot when we first had MTV" bump, but I think it's held up as a killer song, either way. Love the lyrics in this one as well. My mom, who was a big Billy Joel fan, never liked this song due to the lead keyboard line, which she didn't like at all, but I love it. I ranked this 3rd.
08 Prelude/Angry Young Man
Appeared on 8 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 3 (cfmoran13)
6 Top 10 Finishes
Billy shows off a bit of his proggy side in this one. I ranked this 5th and almost feel like I undersold it! I caught the Shea Stadium version a month or so ago on YT, which is pretty damn great. His piano work is always great, but it's almost a different level in this one, and the synth solo later in the song is one of the best by anyone ever in a rock song.
I had Pressure at #14. Another classic Billy Joel song and I too love the keyboard riff.
I had Prelude/Angry Young Man at #8. A great, great song that I easily could have ranked higher on any given day. Every one of these 25 songs are "classic" to me and could almost be interchangeable on this list given the mood I'm in on that particular day.
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1. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)
3. Prelude/ Angry Young Man
10. Big Shot
12. Vienna
14. Captain Jack
17. Honesty
18. Pressure
19. You May Be Right
21. It's Still Rock And Roll To Me
24. She's Got A Way
36. My Life
45. Just The Way You Are
46. A Matter Of Trust
48. Goodnight Saigon
57. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
65. An Innocent Man
69. The Downeaster 'Alexa'
Prelude/ Angry Young Man - I've always loved this song. Once again, a live version (from Концерт) is the one I hear in my head whenever I think of this song. Such a great version of the song. I especially like it because he keeps in the wrong note "doink" at 1:20. Nice to know he's not a perfect player.
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Two from The Stranger today!
07 She’s Always a Woman
Appeared on 11 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 2 (coz)
5 Top 10 Finishes
I don't always reach for this on its own, but it's a tremendous song, one I ranked 24th. I love the use of acoustic guitar, and the arrangement itself is just perfect.
06 The Stranger
Appeared on 10 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 3 (Stadler)
4 Top 10 Finishes
I used to be able to play some of the intro to this song on piano; love that melody. Great, great song! I ranked it 9th. I love the contrast in his vocals, with the swagger in the verses and the falsetto in the choruses. And the reprise of the original piano melody at the end is the perfect way to end it.
-
1. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)
3. Prelude/ Angry Young Man
10. Big Shot
12. Vienna
13. The Stranger
14. Captain Jack
17. Honesty
18. Pressure
19. You May Be Right
21. It's Still Rock And Roll To Me
24. She's Got A Way
25. She's Always A Woman
36. My Life
45. Just The Way You Are
46. A Matter Of Trust
48. Goodnight Saigon
57. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
65. An Innocent Man
69. The Downeaster 'Alexa'
She's Always A Woman - A beautiful song. One of the first songs of his I'd heard. I had it on a K-Tel compilation tape. Anyone remember those?!?
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I've been checking in from time to time, and I recognize most songs. But I did not recognize The Stranger by name. I figured for sure, perhaps I heard it on the radio. But I just checked it and it does not sound familiar at all. Is this a deep track? It doesn't have relatively speaking the same amount of spotify streams as most of the rest of the album.
-
^
It is included on his GH Volume I & II. Per wiki, it wasn't a single in the States, but #2 in Japan and #8 in New Zealand. Because of its style, I remember it getting quite a bit of AOR air play as opposed to the hits from that LP.
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Because of its style, I remember it getting quite a bit of AOR air play as opposed to the hits from that LP.
The radio station I grew up listening to never played it. I'm not sure they played hardly any Billy Joel, actually.
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I've been checking in from time to time, and I recognize most songs. But I did not recognize The Stranger by name. I figured for sure, perhaps I heard it on the radio. But I just checked it and it does not sound familiar at all. Is this a deep track? It doesn't have relatively speaking the same amount of spotify streams as most of the rest of the album.
Well, it's the title track to what is arguably his most popular album (his only Diamond certified album), and that song is largely overshadowed by the hits - Movin' Out (Anthony's Song), Just the Way You Are, Only the Good Die Young, and She's Always a Woman - as well as what many consider to be his epic, Scenes From An Italian Restaurant.
The Stranger was released as a single in Japan, though. :)
-
1. Vienna
2.
3. The Stranger
4.
5. Goodnight Saigon
6. An Innocent Man
7.
8. She's Always A Woman
9. The Downeaster 'Alexa'
10.
11.
12.
13. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)
14. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
15. Just The Way You Are
16. Captain Jack
17. She's Got A Way
18.
19. Big Shot
20.
21.
22.
23. Prelude/Angry Young Man
24.
25.
26. My Life
28. Honesty
36. Pressure
39. You May Be Right
60. A Matter Of Trust
80. It's Still Rock and Roll To Me
89. Uptown Girl
Two great songs from what is clearly my favorite Billy Joel album. I loved the title track as a kid because it was really something to think about and reflected a good bit of the things I was thinking about (maybe struggling a little bit with) as I went through school. She's Always A Woman was my ex-wife to a t, let's leave it at that. :)
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I've been checking in from time to time, and I recognize most songs. But I did not recognize The Stranger by name. I figured for sure, perhaps I heard it on the radio. But I just checked it and it does not sound familiar at all. Is this a deep track? It doesn't have relatively speaking the same amount of spotify streams as most of the rest of the album.
Well, it's the title track to what is arguably his most popular album (his only Diamond certified album), and that song is largely overshadowed by the hits - Movin' Out (Anthony's Song), Just the Way You Are, Only the Good Die Young, and She's Always a Woman - as well as what many consider to be his epic, Scenes From An Italian Restaurant.
The Stranger was released as a single in Japan, though. :)
That wasn't familiar to me either.
And to be clear, I'm not dogging any of it.
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Catching up:
09 Pressure
I had this one at #40. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy it a ton. I just enjoy a lot of others more. Again, Billy's 40th ranked song by me is still tremendous, given the catalog.
08 Prelude/Angry Young Man
I was almost spot on. I have this at #7. Simply one of the best, a bit proggy, etc.
07 She’s Always a Woman
I had this at #26. Great song and ballad. A little surprised the forum at this in the top-10, but hey, it deserves it. Anything in the top-40 can arguably be in the top-10.
06 The Stranger
I had this at #45, and I'm pretty surprised it was so high for the forum. It's a really good album track, and I love it. But one of Billy's top-10? I have to disagree with that a little.
-
^
We have such a small sample size, and could only vote on 25. My favorite might not make the cut. Such is the way things work with Kev's devilish mind. ;)
10. Vienna #19
9. Pressure #10
8. Prelude / Angry Young Man NR Great intro and song. It's just that the synth in the instrumental break keeps it out of my upper echelon. I hear some Kansas at the end with the organ. Just my ‘pointless point of view…..’ ;)
7. She’s Always A Woman #20
6. The Stranger #15
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Vienna - hadn’t heard, I liked it well enough.
Pressure - Never heard this before. Another one that sounds like Bowie. Interesting to hear this different sides of Joel. Kind of proggy even.
Prelude/Angry Young Man - Prelude was fun, very proggy. Don’t really care for the Angry Young Man part, though the synth solo is nice. Should have just made it an instrumental.
She’s Always A Woman - it’s ok, never been something I’ve loved. I think like a lot of his songs, you have the best part is the word play.
I messed up my listening order. Still need to hear Goodnight Saigon and The Stranger.
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Two from The Stranger today!
07 She’s Always a Woman
Appeared on 11 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 2 (coz)
5 Top 10 Finishes
I don't always reach for this on its own, but it's a tremendous song, one I ranked 24th. I love the use of acoustic guitar, and the arrangement itself is just perfect.
06 The Stranger
Appeared on 10 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 3 (Stadler)
4 Top 10 Finishes
I used to be able to play some of the intro to this song on piano; love that melody. Great, great song! I ranked it 9th. I love the contrast in his vocals, with the swagger in the verses and the falsetto in the choruses. And the reprise of the original piano melody at the end is the perfect way to end it.
I had The Stranger at #21 and She's Always a Woman at #10. What can I say. Two incredible songs. The Stranger is his best album IMO (although always had a soft spot for 52nd St and Nylon Curtain as well).
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07 She’s Always a Woman
Appeared on 11 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 2 (coz)
5 Top 10 Finishes
06 The Stranger
Appeared on 10 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 3 (Stadler)
4 Top 10 Finishes
She's Always a Woman - my rank 3. Just a beautiful song.
The Stranger - This is a great song, I ranked it 15 but still a bit surprised to see it this high.
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25 An Innocent Man unranked great song and vocal performance. Just didn't crack my top 25
24 A Matter of Trust 15 LOVE this one.
23 The Downeaster ‘Alexa’ unranked never a fan of this one
21 (t) Uptown Girl unranked good song. Cracked my top 40
21 (t) It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me unranked good song. Cracked my top 40
20 Captain Jack 6 Simply, A CLASSIC!
19 Just the Way You Are 25 Very pretty song
18 My Life 7 fun, great song!
17 She’s Got a Way unranked just missed at #26 for me
16 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) 4 Another TRUE Billy classic
15 Big Shot unranked Liked it a lot when it came out, but quickly lost its luster
14 You May Be Right 3 GREAT Billy rocker!
12 (t) Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) 19 Another fun mid-tempo rocker
12 (t) Honesty 5 Definitely my favorite Billy ballad
11 Goodnight Saigon unranked Good song, just not in my top 40
10 Vienna unranked Really nice song. A top 40 for me
09 Pressure unranked never a fan
08 Prelude/Angry Young Man 10 One of Billy' best written compositions
07 She’s Always a Woman 24 BEAutiful ballad
06 The Stranger unranked Decent song, nothing more. Didn't even crack my top 50
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Five songs to go. What is everyone's non-spotlight/spoiler thoughts? Are they obvious and it is just the order or is there a surprise or two to come?
Looking at my own list, I feel the 5 to come are fairly obvious but I am not a huge fan as others are.
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Think it's pretty obvious :facepalm: I think (KNOW) my top 2 will be in the top 5 and the other 3 are obvious :facepalm:
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Four of my top 5 have not been mentioned yet. Of those, I’m positive that 3 of them are a slam dunk. The 4th is a deep cut that I thought we would’ve seen by now. I would be shocked if it made the aggregate top five, which means I’ve given up hope it made the list at all, which makes me sad.
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Having only a cursory, radio based knowledge of Billy Joel’s catalog, there are still 4 hits that I can think of that haven’t been revealed. One I think is hated and won’t make it, one I think is overrated and might be number 1, and two that I would probably call my favorite of his songs but probably didn’t make the list.
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Yeah, I am not sure there are any deep cuts remaining.
I have 2 of my top 5 to come and another 2 in my top 10. I am pretty sure they are all making it. The 5th one I think is still to come I ranked 17. All great songs but I guess you never know...
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My list is full of deep cuts that I'm guessing will not make it (Stiletto, And So It Goes, All About Soul, Leningrad, Zanzibar etc.)
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Vienna - hadn’t heard, I liked it well enough.
Pressure - Never heard this before. Another one that sounds like Bowie. Interesting to hear this different sides of Joel. Kind of proggy even.
Prelude/Angry Young Man - Prelude was fun, very proggy. Don’t really care for the Angry Young Man part, though the synth solo is nice. Should have just made it an instrumental.
She’s Always A Woman - it’s ok, never been something I’ve loved. I think like a lot of his songs, you have the best part is the word play.
I messed up my listening order. Still need to hear Goodnight Saigon and The Stranger.
Goodnight Saigon was good. Probably need to give it a couple listens.
The Stranger was also pretty good.
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Having only a cursory, radio based knowledge of Billy Joel’s catalog, there are still 4 hits that I can think of that haven’t been revealed. One I think is hated and won’t make it, one I think is overrated and might be number 1, and two that I would probably call my favorite of his songs but probably didn’t make the list.
This is me, too, and from my perspective of ignorance, there are six songs remaining that I expected to see, so I'll be interested to see which one (or more) of them doesn't make it (if I'm right about the one you think is hated, I really hope it doesn't make it).
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As far as 'hits' remaining, from my count there are easily more than 5 so some are not making it. I am thinking a couple of the more pop/upbeat hits remaining don't make it, along with the one hit that is hated (in HOFs words). But I really don't know..
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There are a couple hits that I was bummed about not making it, both of which ranked pretty high for me. I've been wanting to vent about it for the longest time, but I'll tell you all about it on Friday after we see the top songs.
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There are a couple hits that I was bummed about not making it, both of which ranked pretty high for me. I've been wanting to vent about it for the longest time, but I'll tell you all about it on Friday after we see the top songs.
Very well done Kev, we share similar thoughts.
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My list is full of deep cuts that I'm guessing will not make it (Stiletto, And So It Goes, All About Soul, Leningrad, Zanzibar etc.)
Same. I knew the hits were gonna dominate but I was hoping to see at least a few deeper songs (Laura, Sleeping With The Television On, Stiletto, Half A Mile Away, etc)
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We kick off the top 5!
05 Only the Good Die Young
Appeared on 12 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (DTwwbwMP)
4 Top 10 Finishes
I sure did not plan it this way, but this song being featured today is a bit eerie given that it was one year ago today that my mom passed, and this was always her favorite Billy Joel song, which always surprised me a little given the subject matter. That just shows the power of a great song. I ranked this 17th.
04 Piano Man
Appeared on 11 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (The Realm)
6 Top 10 Finishes
Ah yes, the monster classic, and the most defining song of his career. I reckon that some are sick of it given that it was left off three lists and barely made a couple others, but this song is a monster classic for a reason. An awesome song that has held up extremely well, IMO. I ranked it 7th.
-
Both are really good songs, but honestly, I could go a long, long time without hearing Piano Man again.
-
OTGDY barely made the list at #25 for me. It’s a good song, but I’m a little tired of it and I never cared for the horns on the chorus all that much.
Piano Man was #4 for me, so pretty close to the aggregate. Even though it’s a very simple song, I love the way that it instantly transports you into the bar he’s singing about. He paints such a vivid picture both sonically and lyrically, that you feel like you’re there. Its classic status is well earned.
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Both are really good songs, but honestly, I could go a long, long time without hearing Piano Man again.
I think it's one of the most pretentious and overblown songs ever.
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Only The Good Die Young was not one of the hits I was thinking of. Clearly he has a lot of hits that even I’ve forgotten.
Piano Man is the one I thought would finish number one, and I have come to dread hearing it over the years. I called it overrated yesterday, and I don’t know if that’s really fair. But I definitely wince a bit when it comes on somewhere.
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Both are really good songs, but honestly, I could go a long, long time without hearing Piano Man again.
I think it's one of the most pretentious and overblown songs ever.
That's a really strange take.
I don't think there's anything wrong with the song itself. It's just been overplayed as hell by classic radio stations.
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Both great songs. I never get tired of Piano Man and much like the often maligned We Didn’t Start The Fire, every single person starts singing along to it whenever it’s played in public.
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We kick off the top 5!
05 Only the Good Die Young
Appeared on 12 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (DTwwbwMP)
4 Top 10 Finishes
I sure did not plan it this way, but this song being featured today is a bit eerie given that it was one year ago today that my mom passed, and this was always her favorite Billy Joel song, which always surprised me a little given the subject matter. That just shows the power of a great song. I ranked this 17th.
04 Piano Man
Appeared on 11 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (The Realm)
6 Top 10 Finishes
Ah yes, the monster classic, and the most defining song of his career. I reckon that some are sick of it given that it was left off three lists and barely made a couple others, but this song is a monster classic for a reason. An awesome song that has held up extremely well, IMO. I ranked it 7th.
I had "Only the Good Die Young" at #19, and "Piano Man" at #6.
Obviously, not at all surprised that "Piano Man" is in the top-5 for DTF.
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There are a couple hits that I was bummed about not making it, both of which ranked pretty high for me. I've been wanting to vent about it for the longest time, but I'll tell you all about it on Friday after we see the top songs.
Both were in my Top 40, but you limited our selections to 25, so....who's fault is that? ;)
05 Only the Good Die Young
I sure did not plan it this way, but this song being featured today is a bit eerie given that it was one year ago today that my mom passed, and this was always her favorite Billy Joel song, which always surprised me a little given the subject matter. That just shows the power of a great song. I ranked this 17th.
Sidetracking a bit....the first anniversary is by far the toughest. Queen's 'Teo Torriatte', 'Father To Son', and, of course, BoRhap, bring back the same feelings all these decades later (and some Beatle songs). Hang on in there today.....
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25 An Innocent Man unranked great song and vocal performance. Just didn't crack my top 25
24 A Matter of Trust 15 LOVE this one.
23 The Downeaster ‘Alexa’ unranked never a fan of this one
21 (t) Uptown Girl unranked good song. Cracked my top 40
21 (t) It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me unranked good song. Cracked my top 40
20 Captain Jack 6 Simply, A CLASSIC!
19 Just the Way You Are 25 Very pretty song
18 My Life 7 fun, great song!
17 She’s Got a Way unranked just missed at #26 for me
16 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) 4 Another TRUE Billy classic
15 Big Shot unranked Liked it a lot when it came out, but quickly lost its luster
14 You May Be Right 3 GREAT Billy rocker!
12 (t) Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) 19 Another fun mid-tempo rocker
12 (t) Honesty 5 Definitely my favorite Billy ballad
11 Goodnight Saigon unranked Good song, just not in my top 40
10 Vienna unranked Really nice song. A top 40 for me
09 Pressure unranked never a fan
08 Prelude/Angry Young Man 10 One of Billy' best written compositions
07 She’s Always a Woman 24 BEAutiful ballad
06 The Stranger unranked Decent song, nothing more. Didn't even crack my top 50
05 Only the Good Die Young 1 :hefdaddy
04 Piano Man 21 Love this one LESS and LESS "every time" I hear it! :lol
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Having only a cursory, radio based knowledge of Billy Joel’s catalog, there are still 4 hits that I can think of that haven’t been revealed. One I think is hated and won’t make it, one I think is overrated and might be number 1, and two that I would probably call my favorite of his songs but probably didn’t make the list.
This is me, too, and from my perspective of ignorance, there are six songs remaining that I expected to see, so I'll be interested to see which one (or more) of them doesn't make it (if I'm right about the one you think is hated, I really hope it doesn't make it).
I'm curious which one is the "hated" track? I can actually think of TWO - maybe three - that fit that bill, though one of them is a favorite of mine.
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1. Vienna
2.
3. The Stranger
4.
5. Goodnight Saigon
6. An Innocent Man
7. Only The Good Die Young
8. She's Always A Woman
9. The Downeaster 'Alexa'
10.
11.
12.
13. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)
14. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
15. Just The Way You Are
16. Captain Jack
17. She's Got A Way
18.
19. Big Shot
20.
21.
22.
23. Prelude/Angry Young Man
24.
25.
26. My Life
28. Honesty
31. Piano Man
36. Pressure
39. You May Be Right
60. A Matter Of Trust
80. It's Still Rock and Roll To Me
89. Uptown Girl
So, yeah, I left off Piano Man. It's a good song, it's a signature song, but it's not one of my favorites. OTGDY, on the other hand, is a great song, and could have been higher than even seven, if there weren't six other monsters in his catalogue.
I can realistically only see two of my remaining songs hitting the big time here. I think I've already called number one in a side note to TAC, but we'll see.
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We kick off the top 5!
05 Only the Good Die Young
Appeared on 12 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (DTwwbwMP)
4 Top 10 Finishes
I sure did not plan it this way, but this song being featured today is a bit eerie given that it was one year ago today that my mom passed, and this was always her favorite Billy Joel song, which always surprised me a little given the subject matter. That just shows the power of a great song. I ranked this 17th.
04 Piano Man
Appeared on 11 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (The Realm)
6 Top 10 Finishes
Ah yes, the monster classic, and the most defining song of his career. I reckon that some are sick of it given that it was left off three lists and barely made a couple others, but this song is a monster classic for a reason. An awesome song that has held up extremely well, IMO. I ranked it 7th.
Sorry about your mom Kev I know that is tough. I had Only The Good Die Young at #16 and Piano Man at #15. Both great classic songs, but both overplayed for me. I prefer the deeper cuts lol
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Having only a cursory, radio based knowledge of Billy Joel’s catalog, there are still 4 hits that I can think of that haven’t been revealed. One I think is hated and won’t make it, one I think is overrated and might be number 1, and two that I would probably call my favorite of his songs but probably didn’t make the list.
This is me, too, and from my perspective of ignorance, there are six songs remaining that I expected to see, so I'll be interested to see which one (or more) of them doesn't make it (if I'm right about the one you think is hated, I really hope it doesn't make it).
I'm curious which one is the "hated" track? I can actually think of TWO - maybe three - that fit that bill, though one of them is a favorite of mine.
Pretty sure the hated track being referred to includes the word fire in the title.
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05 Only the Good Die Young
Appeared on 12 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (DTwwbwMP)
4 Top 10 Finishes
04 Piano Man
Appeared on 11 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (The Realm)
6 Top 10 Finishes
I actually kind of expected these two songs to be 1 and 2 if I had to guess..
Only the Good Die Young - my rank 4. Just a classic.
Piano Man - I think it is very unfair to call this song overrated, I actually think that is unfair on any much loved song. Overplayed, yeah sure. I think this is a really special song which just has a magical quality to it. Sure, it wears off after you have heard it hundreds of times but there is always a reason why, because it is great. I probably don't need to hear it again in my life but that doesn't diminish how great it is.
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Having only a cursory, radio based knowledge of Billy Joel’s catalog, there are still 4 hits that I can think of that haven’t been revealed. One I think is hated and won’t make it, one I think is overrated and might be number 1, and two that I would probably call my favorite of his songs but probably didn’t make the list.
This is me, too, and from my perspective of ignorance, there are six songs remaining that I expected to see, so I'll be interested to see which one (or more) of them doesn't make it (if I'm right about the one you think is hated, I really hope it doesn't make it).
I'm curious which one is the "hated" track? I can actually think of TWO - maybe three - that fit that bill, though one of them is a favorite of mine.
Pretty sure the hated track being referred to includes the word fire in the title.
That was not the one I was thinking of actually. Also, I don’t personally hate the song I was referring to (though I wouldn’t say I love it either).
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Having only a cursory, radio based knowledge of Billy Joel’s catalog, there are still 4 hits that I can think of that haven’t been revealed. One I think is hated and won’t make it, one I think is overrated and might be number 1, and two that I would probably call my favorite of his songs but probably didn’t make the list.
This is me, too, and from my perspective of ignorance, there are six songs remaining that I expected to see, so I'll be interested to see which one (or more) of them doesn't make it (if I'm right about the one you think is hated, I really hope it doesn't make it).
I'm curious which one is the "hated" track? I can actually think of TWO - maybe three - that fit that bill, though one of them is a favorite of mine.
Pretty sure the hated track being referred to includes the word fire in the title.
(https://thumbs.gfycat.com/VictoriousThornyDowitcher-size_restricted.gif)
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Having only a cursory, radio based knowledge of Billy Joel’s catalog, there are still 4 hits that I can think of that haven’t been revealed. One I think is hated and won’t make it, one I think is overrated and might be number 1, and two that I would probably call my favorite of his songs but probably didn’t make the list.
This is me, too, and from my perspective of ignorance, there are six songs remaining that I expected to see, so I'll be interested to see which one (or more) of them doesn't make it (if I'm right about the one you think is hated, I really hope it doesn't make it).
I'm curious which one is the "hated" track? I can actually think of TWO - maybe three - that fit that bill, though one of them is a favorite of mine.
Pretty sure the hated track being referred to includes the word fire in the title.
That was not the one I was thinking of actually. Also, I don’t personally hate the song I was referring to (though I wouldn’t say I love it either).
OK! Well that is a surprise. I don't know of any song by Billy that is 'generally hated' but I was guessing if there was one that would be it. My bad, carry on.
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1. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)
2.
3. Prelude/ Angry Young Man
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. Big Shot
11.
12. Vienna
13. The Stranger
14. Captain Jack
15.
16.
17. Honesty
18. Pressure
19. You May Be Right
20.
21. It's Still Rock And Roll To Me
22.
23.
24. She's Got A Way
25. She's Always A Woman
36. My Life
45. Just The Way You Are
46. A Matter Of Trust
48. Goodnight Saigon
57. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
60. Only The Good Die Young
65. An Innocent Man
66. Piano Man
69. The Downeaster 'Alexa'
Both of these songs (OTGDY and PM) suffer severely from fatigue. I may possibly HATE "Piano Man". I can't see "We Didn't Start The Fire" being in the Top 3. I'm praying it's not there because it definitely shouldn't be. 2 of the 3 remaining songs I can pretty much figure out. The 3rd one has me intrigued. I'm hoping it's my #2. But, I'll have to wait and see.
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At this point I’m 99% sure that the top 2 will be the same as mine (though possibly switched). #3 has me a bit perplexed. I’m thinking my #3 didn’t make it, but my 8 and 18 are possibilities.
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I'm thinking a certain location is number 3, but numbers 2/1 are pretty obvious at this point.
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I'm thinking an eatery, a body of water and a rhyme! :corn
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So many fun guesses! :tup :tup
At this point I’m 99% sure that the top 2 will be the same as mine (though possibly switched). #3 has me a bit perplexed. I’m thinking my #3 didn’t make it, but my 8 and 18 are possibilities.
Your number 8 is another that I was bummed to see miss the cut. I didn't have that one quite as high as you, but it was top 15 for me.
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I'm thinking an eatery, a body of water and a rhyme! :corn
Well guessing the top 3 is fun but trying to guess these 3 songs is just as fun and perplexing for me. I can only get one of these 3 and I wasn't sure if that song would make it this high? So right now I am really unsure what the top 3 are going to be. The songs I was thinking of for top 3 all have a place in their title but I think I am wrong now.
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:facepalm: :facepalm:
I just figured out what 3 is going to be. I just didn’t think of it because I thought it had come up already. Now I’m looking at what has been revealed and it’s not there.
Yup. I’m totally locked in on the top 3 now.
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Just a thought about Piano Man: Where I live (Central Europe), this song is relatively unknown - I just listened to it and I don't recall hearing it ever before. Which is quite surprising as it is supposed to be the biggest BJ hit. And some lesser Billy Joel's hits - She's Always a Woman or Uptown Girl - are quite well known even in my country (these were the only Billy Joel's songs I was familiar with before this thread started).
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Thanks again to everyone who submitted a list and/or participated in this thread. This one got more support than I expected and was a good bit of fun!
And without further ado, here are the top 3:
03 New York State of Mind
Appeared on 9 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (DragonAttack)
8 Top 10 Finishes
Amazing song. The atmosphere is just off the charts, and Joel's vocals and piano work are both at their absolute peak. I ranked this 4th, and I cannot argue with DragonAttack or anyone else in the world who considers it his best.
02 Allentown
Appeared on 11 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (KevShmev)
7 Top 10 Finishes
This is not only my favorite Billy Joel song, but one of my favorite songs of all-time by anyone. It definitely gets the bump of being one of my first favorite songs when I got into music in 1982, but even without the nostalgia factor, it's a staggeringly great piece of art. There are not enough words for how great this song is.
01 Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
Appeared on 14 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (jammindude)
9 Top 10 Finishes
This was my number 2 song by the man, and I was a bit surprised to see only one ranker have it number 1, but 9 top 10 finishes is pretty telling. I sometimes say that Allentown is my favorite song by the man, but that Scenes from an Italian Restaurant is his best song, and I still think that might be the case. The journey this song takes is something else, and it's so fitting that we wave goodbye to this countdown at the same time we are waving goodbye to Brenda and Eddie!
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Songs I ranked that didn't make the countdown:
23 Everybody Loves You Now - the live version from Songs from the Attic is my go-to for this, and I just love this kind of acoustic rock done well.
21 She's Right On Time - something about that vocal melody is so darn infectious.
20 Zanzibar - this was never a favorite of mine until the last few years, but I love it now.
19 I Go to Extremes - great melody, fantastic piano work throughout. Just a fun song.
18 Say Goodbye to Hollywood - always been a big fan of this one.
15 The Entertainer - this has long been one of my favorites, and some of his best lyrics ever are in this one.
14 Don't Ask Me Way - huge fan of this song. I wasn't sure how much support it would get, but I was a bit disappointed at its final finish.
12 The Longest Time - this is the first of two (the second is below) that I was bummed to see not make the top 25. The vocal arrangement of this song is incredible.
08 Tell Her About It - this is the second. Another major favorite of my early MTV days.
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No Belgians in the Congo? Crazy.
Reading through the list my only gripe is not seeing “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” make the list.
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It's been an interesting thread, following along. I'll make a playlist of these 25, I'm not familiar with all of them.
And I agree with Kev about The Longest Time - the vocal arrangements are stunning.
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Full list below. Any song that didn't make any list is not listed.
01 Scenes from an Italian Restaurant 244
02 Allentown 177
03 New York State of Mind 175
04 Piano Man 162
05 Only the Good Die Young 144
06 The Stranger 139
07 She's Always a Woman 135
08 Prelude/Angry Young Man 134
09 Pressure 133
10 Vienna 130
11 Goodnight Siagon 129
12 (t) Honesty 125
12 (t) Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) 125
14 You May Be Right 124
15 Big Shot 113
16 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) 111
17 She's Got a Way 109
18 My Life 107
19 Just the Way You Are 106
20 Captain Jack 99
21 (t) It's Still Rock and Roll to Me 92
21 (t) Uptown Girl 92
23 The Downeaster 'Alexa' 87
24 A Matter of Trust 82
25 An Innocent Man 75
26 Say Goodbye to Hollywood 72
27 Tell Her About It 64
28 The Entertainer 63
29 The Longest Time 62
30 (t) Don't Ask Me Why 61
30 (t) Summer, Highland Falls 61
32 I Go to Extremes 58
33 Keeping the Faith 57
34 The Ballad of Billy the Kid 55
35 And So It Goes 45
36 (t) All About Soul 42
36 (t) Sleeping with the Television On 42
38 Zanzibar 40
39 All for Leyna 38
40 (t) Easy Money 35
40 (t) Leningrad 35
42 (t) Until the Night 33
42 (t) We Didn't Start the Fire 33
44 Shameless 32
45 (t) Sometimes a Fantasy 28
45 (t) Stiletto 28
47 Big Man on Mulberry Street 27
48 Leave a Tender Moment Alone 25
49 (t) Famous Last Words 24
49 (t) Half a Mile Away 24
51 (t) I Don't Want to Be Alone 23
51 (t) The River of Dreams 23
53 The Night Is Still Young 22
54 (t) Opus 10. Air ("Dublinesque") 20
54 (t) You're My Home 20
56 (t) Get It Right the First Time 19
56 (t) Souvenir 19
58 (t) Modern Woman 16
58 (t) Surprises 16
58 (t) That's Not Her Style 16
61 Laura 15
62 Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) 12
63 Travelin' Prayer 11
64 Baby Grand 9
65 I've Loved These Days 8
66 (t) Blonde over Blue 7
66 (t) You're Only Human (Second Wind) 7
68 (t) A Room of Our Own 6
68 (t) If I Only Had the Words (To Tell You) 6
70 She's Right on Time 5
71 (t) Scandinavian Skies 4
71 (t) This Is the Time 4
71 (t) This Night 4
74 (t) Everybody Loves You Now 3
74 (t) State of Grace 3
76 Running on Ice 2
77 52nd Street 1
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So I really do like We Didn’t Start The Fire. That’s a shame it didn’t make the list at all. I also really like I Go To Extremes. The other hit that I assumed was hated is River of Dreams, which I recall liking as a kid but don’t think I’d be a huge fan of now.
I’ll have to pull up these last three as I don’t think I know them.
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Pretty good final 3.
Thanks for doing this, Kev!
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The gap between Scenes (the number 1 song) and Allentown (number 2) is wider than the gap was between the number 2 song and the number 16 song. :eek :eek
Moral of the story: Scenes from an Italian Restaurant was the runaway winner here.
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New York Story - don’t really like this one. Odd how much he sounds like Elton John on this track. Really hard for me to get a handle on his voice.
Allentown - hearing it, yeah I do know this one. I like this a lot. I didn’t realize we had songs about closing down the coal mines here in the US. Lots of English/UK bands write about this.
Scenes From An Italian Restaurant - can see why this is the favorite. It had some parts I didn’t care for so much but on the whole it was an interesting song.
I think my overall impression of Billy Joel’s music didn’t change all that much from this exercise. I didn’t get the sense that I’ve really been missing out, not sure I was excited enough by any of it to pick up an album or even a best of. But I can appreciate the artistry, songwriting, and piano work.
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I'd like to state for the record that Stads is a weird duck with his music. :lol But that's why we love ya, Stads. :rollin
KEV - Thanks for running this one.
New York State of Mind - I had this at #3. So right on with the forum consensus. Not much left to say. An all-time, classic song. It's funny, being a born and bred Long Island kid who has now lived out of New York for two decades, the song has really shifted in terms of what it makes me feel when I hear it.
Allentown - This came in at #15 for me. That's not a diss of the song at all. Just so many GREAT songs in Billy's catalog, and his is another of them. I absolutely love this track, and when I used to make my Billy Joel "mix tapes" back in the day (aka burned CDs, playlists, etc.) this was always on it.
Scenes From An Italian Restaurant - no argument as #1 from me. It was my #2. My love for the adventure that is Miami 2017 is the only reason this song isn't my #1. It, in many ways, is the pinnacle of Billy Joel's storytelling songwriting style. He had great tunes afterward for sure. But this song, to me, is his quintessential style staple. The catchy, but epic, personal storytelling song. Just a masterclass in storytelling.
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1. Vienna
2. Scenes From An Italian Restaurant
3. The Stranger
4. The Night Is Still Young
5. Goodnight Saigon
6. An Innocent Man
7. Only The Good Die Young
8. She's Always A Woman
9. The Downeaster 'Alexa'
10. Surprises
11. I Go To Extremes
12. The Ballad Of Billy The Kid
13. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)
14. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
15. Just The Way You Are
16. Captain Jack
17. She's Got A Way
18. Leningrad
19. Big Shot
20. Allentown
21. Until The Night
22. Scandinavian Skies
23. Prelude/Angry Young Man
24. Say Goodbye To Hollywood
25. Zanzibar
26. My Life
28. Honesty
31. Piano Man
35. New York State Of Mind
36. Pressure
39. You May Be Right
60. A Matter Of Trust
80. It's Still Rock and Roll To Me
89. Uptown Girl
NYSOM is iconic now, I get it, just not my kind of song. Scenes could have been my number one (I predicted to TAC it would win and with no doubt) but I wanted to give props to Vienna. I think Scenes is his "objectively best" song, if such a thing exists. Allentown is killer, great tune from a great album.
HOF, if you're in the mood please give Leningrad, Ballad of Billy The Kid and Zanzibar (maybe even The Night Is Still Young, too) a listen. I'm kind of surprised that the first two didn't make the list, generally. Ballad is almost as much a fan favorite as Piano Man, and he plays it a lot live. Zanzibar is a sleeper track that really showcases his band (there's a longer version out there that didn't make the album). TNISY is for me one of his greatest vocal performances.
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I'd like to state for the record that Stads is a weird duck with his music. :lol But that's why we love ya, Stads. :rollin
I take no offense at that at all. It's a running joke with TAC and me. We like almost all the same bands but his top 10 is usually my bottom 10 and vice versa.
I'm curious what in this thread triggered that (again, there's nothing negative here; I get it and I own it)?
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Stads - probably Vienna being your #1 and New York being so low at #35. I mean, I LOVE Vienna, and it was surprisingly a little low on my own list (37, which if I re-did the list, it'd be top-25), but #1? And I'm just thrown that you have NY so far down.
But again, that's the beauty of this thing called music that we all love.
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Surprised to see NY left off so many lists. And yet it still made it to #3. It was my #2. Very similar to what I mentioned about Piano Man, NYSOM has an ability to transport me to a moment. Somehow, even though I never set foot in NY until 2006, NYSOM has the ability to make me feel like I am that NY native and I’m on that Greyhound bus. How is it that a song can make you feel nostalgic over a place you’ve never been to? Just an amazing song.
Allentown was the one that I thought we had done already. It was my #14. I probably should’ve put it a bit higher. Great song, great subject matter.
I’m honestly shocked that I’m the ONLY one who put Scenes as #1. And then to have it take number one by such a wide margin. It really is BJs masterpiece, and I think I even read somewhere that he feels it is the funnest song in his catalog to still play live. (His criticisms of some of his other hits are well documented). But this song in particular is really Billy Joel at his peak. A near perfect song. I still get it stuck in my head all the time.
Thanks for doing this Kev! It was a blast!
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As a Billy Joel ignoramus, I'm a bit surprised that Longest Time didn't make it. Glad to see Allentown did (although I prefer Pressure)
Also, as far as I know sitting here, I've never heard or even heard of Scenes from an Italian Restaurant. I'm now going to listen to it and will report back in...checking...8-10 minutes.
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As a Billy Joel ignoramus, I'm a bit surprised that Longest Time didn't make it. Glad to see Allentown did (although I prefer Pressure)
Also, as far as I know sitting here, I've never heard or even heard of Scenes from an Italian Restaurant. I'm now going to listen to it and will report back in...checking...8-10 minutes.
I'd heard the title, but I'm fairly certain I never heard the song until now.
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I just listened to Scenes...and yeah...I've never heard this song before. Or, if I have, I imagine I'd have turned it off after the first 60 seconds. Billy Joe's wine ordering guide. It gets more interesting around the 1:45 mark, and has a solid build over the next couple minutes. I can see why this is prototypical Billy Joel, but it has lots of instrumentation I don't care for and reminds me a LOT of Bruce Springsteen (but with infinitely better vocals). Oh...and now we're back ordering wine. Not bad (and it didn't feel as long as the run time), and it certainly evokes an image, but not something I'd ever want to listen to again.
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25 An Innocent Man unranked great song and vocal performance. Just didn't crack my top 25
24 A Matter of Trust 15 LOVE this one.
23 The Downeaster ‘Alexa’ unranked never a fan of this one
21 (t) Uptown Girl unranked good song. Cracked my top 40
21 (t) It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me unranked good song. Cracked my top 40
20 Captain Jack 6 Simply, A CLASSIC!
19 Just the Way You Are 25 Very pretty song
18 My Life 7 fun, great song!
17 She’s Got a Way unranked just missed at #26 for me
16 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) 4 Another TRUE Billy classic
15 Big Shot unranked Liked it a lot when it came out, but quickly lost its luster
14 You May Be Right 3 GREAT Billy rocker!
12 (t) Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) 19 Another fun mid-tempo rocker
12 (t) Honesty 5 Definitely my favorite Billy ballad
11 Goodnight Saigon unranked Good song, just not in my top 40
10 Vienna unranked Really nice song. A top 40 for me
09 Pressure unranked never a fan
08 Prelude/Angry Young Man 10 One of Billy' best written compositions
07 She’s Always a Woman 24 BEAutiful ballad
06 The Stranger unranked Decent song, nothing more. Didn't even crack my top 50
05 Only the Good Die Young 1 :hefdaddy
04 Piano Man 21 Love this one LESS and LESS "every time" I hear it! :lol
03 New York State of Mind 23 Love this one, but another one that got played out for me
02 Allentown unranked Decent song, nothing more. Didn't even crack my top 40
01 Scenes from an Italian Restaurant 2 :hefdaddy
MY top 25:
25 Just the Way You Are
24 She's Always a Woman
23 New York State of Mind
22 This Night
21 Piano Man
20 If I Only Had the Words (To Tell You)
19 Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
18 I've Loved These Days
17 The Ballad of Billy the Kid
16 Summer, Highland Falls
15 A Matter of Trust
14 Say Goodbye to Hollywood
13 That's Not Her Style
12 We Didn't Start the Fire
11 The Entertainer
10 Prelude/Angry Young Man
09 I Go to Extremes
08 Until the Night
07 My Life
06 Captain Jack
05 Honesty
04 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)
03 You May Be Right
02 Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
01 Only the Good Die Young
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My List:
1 Sleeping with the Television On
2 Half a Mile Away
3 I Don't Want to Be Alone
4 Stiletto
5 Vienna
6 Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
7 The River of Dreams
8 It's Still Rock and Roll to Me
9 The Stranger
10 Leave a Tender Moment Alone
11 Laura
12 Keeping the Faith
13 Sometimes a Fantasy
14 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)
15 Zanzibar
16 Easy Money
17 Baby Grand
18 Only the Good Die Young
19 Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
20 A Room of Our Own
21 Allentown
22 You May Be Right
23 Famous Last Words
24 Running on Ice
25 We Didn't Start the Fire
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03 New York State of Mind
Appeared on 9 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (DragonAttack)
8 Top 10 Finishes
02 Allentown
Appeared on 11 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (KevShmev)
7 Top 10 Finishes
01 Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
Appeared on 14 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (jammindude)
9 Top 10 Finishes
I did guess the top 3 in the end but gotta say I am shocked Say Goodbye to Hollywood did not make top 25.
New York State of Mind - my number 9. Just a great song, beautiful piano work and vocal.
Allentown - my rank 8. Same as above.
Scenes From an Italian Restaurant - sorry I don't get it? Is it because it is a 'long' song and this is a prog forum? I ranked this 21, so yeah it is a good song but I would honestly put forward at least the 20 songs I ranked higher and even a couple I didn't rank before introducing a new listener to Billy Joel. This song has really never been one I consider a 'Billy Joel classic'.
I ended up with 6 unranked songs with the above mentioned Say Goodbye to Hollywood (my rank 17), along with Tell Her About it (11) and The Longest Time (24) ones I really thought would make top 25.
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Maybe it's a NY thing. It's got nothing to do with "prog": I heard Scenes when I was still into Kiss and Ozzy. I just liked the story. I had been to little Italian restaurants in my area, so I got that vibe (I wasn't a wine drinker at 12, though) and I just loved the story in the middle. It seemed authentic to my young ears.
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I just listened to Scenes...and yeah...I've never heard this song before. Or, if I have, I imagine I'd have turned it off after the first 60 seconds. Billy Joe's wine ordering guide. It gets more interesting around the 1:45 mark, and has a solid build over the next couple minutes. I can see why this is prototypical Billy Joel, but it has lots of instrumentation I don't care for and reminds me a LOT of Bruce Springsteen (but with infinitely better vocals). Oh...and now we're back ordering wine. Not bad (and it didn't feel as long as the run time), and it certainly evokes an image, but not something I'd ever want to listen to again.
You don't like piano? Saxophone? Strings?
If you're answer is no to any of those, you have failed at being a music fan. :biggrin: :biggrin:
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I just listened to Scenes...and yeah...I've never heard this song before. Or, if I have, I imagine I'd have turned it off after the first 60 seconds. Billy Joe's wine ordering guide. It gets more interesting around the 1:45 mark, and has a solid build over the next couple minutes. I can see why this is prototypical Billy Joel, but it has lots of instrumentation I don't care for and reminds me a LOT of Bruce Springsteen (but with infinitely better vocals). Oh...and now we're back ordering wine. Not bad (and it didn't feel as long as the run time), and it certainly evokes an image, but not something I'd ever want to listen to again.
You don't like piano? Saxophone? Strings?
If you're answer is no to any of those, you have failed at being a music fan. :biggrin: :biggrin:
I don't (generally) like saxophone in rock songs. Also not a fan of accordion (except for Weird Al) or clarinet in rock songs (not that either is particularly common). Piano and strings are fine. I guess as a former trumpet player and father of a flute player, I have some deep seated distaste for reed instruments. Don't tell Orbert! :lol
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Thanks again to everyone who submitted a list and/or participated in this thread. This one got more support than I expected and was a good bit of fun!
And without further ado, here are the top 3:
03 New York State of Mind
Appeared on 9 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (DragonAttack)
8 Top 10 Finishes
Amazing song. The atmosphere is just off the charts, and Joel's vocals and piano work are both at their absolute peak. I ranked this 4th, and I cannot argue with DragonAttack or anyone else in the world who considers it his best.
02 Allentown
Appeared on 11 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (KevShmev)
7 Top 10 Finishes
This is not only my favorite Billy Joel song, but one of my favorite songs of all-time by anyone. It definitely gets the bump of being one of my first favorite songs when I got into music in 1982, but even without the nostalgia factor, it's a staggeringly great piece of art. There are not enough words for how great this song is.
01 Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
Appeared on 14 of 14 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (jammindude)
9 Top 10 Finishes
This was my number 2 song by the man, and I was a bit surprised to see only one ranker have it number 1, but 9 top 10 finishes is pretty telling. I sometimes say that Allentown is my favorite song by the man, but that Scenes from an Italian Restaurant is his best song, and I still think that might be the case. The journey this song takes is something else, and it's so fitting that we wave goodbye to this countdown at the same time we are waving goodbye to Brenda and Eddie!
I did not have Allentown ranked and had New York State of Mind at #7 and Scenes from an Italian Restaurant at #11.
Here's my "deep cut" heavy list -
25. The Entertainer
24. Just the Way You Are
23. My Life
22. All About Soul
21. The Stranger
20. Stiletto
19. And So It Goes
18. Big Shot
17. Captain Jack
16. Only the Good Die Young
15. Piano Man
14. Pressure
13. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
12. Say Goodbye to Hollywood
11. Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
10. She's Always a Woman
9. Leningrad
8. Prelude/Angry Young Man
7. New York State of Mind
6. She's Got a Way
5. Vienna
4. Zanzibar
3. The Downeaster 'Alexa'
2. Honesty
1. Goodnight Siagon
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Re: “prog fans and long songs”
I disagree that just because we are prog fans we automatically think long songs are best.
What I think usually happens (with the occasional exception) is that artists tend to let their finest material “breathe” a bit more. It’s a natural extension of wanting your best ideas to stick around a bit longer.
Artists often talk of songs being their “children” of a sort. And the ones you get along with more tend to hang around for longer conversations.
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Here's my Top 25 along with where the other songs ranked deeper on my list...
1 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)
2 The Ballad of Billy the Kid
3 Prelude/Angry Young Man
4 Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
5 Famous Last Words
6 You're My Home
7 Souvenir
8 Summer, Highland Falls
9 All for Leyna
10 Big Shot
11 The Entertainer
12 Vienna
13 The Stranger
14 Captain Jack
15 Travelin' Prayer
16 Until the Night
17 Honesty
18 Pressure
19 You May Be Right
20 Say Goodbye to Hollywood
21 It's Still Rock and Roll to Me
22 Sometimes a Fantasy
23 That's Not Her Style
24 She's Got a Way
25 She's Always a Woman
36. My Life
43. New York State Of Mind
45. Just The Way You Are
46. A Matter Of Trust
48. Goodnight Saigon
57. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
60. Only The Good Die Young
65. An Innocent Man
66. Piano Man
69. The Downeaster 'Alexa'
74. Allentown
As A Billy Joel fan in the NJ/NY area, I might be a little more burned out on several of his biggest hits. A number of his songs fit into the "I don't ever need to hear that again" category. And, having been a fan of his since before most of these songs became classic rock staples, I was fortunate enough to have been exposed to much more of his music.
"Allentown" was a shock for me. It's a fine song. It's just never been a "go to" for me. The song itself is pretty basic. I just never expected it to be #2.
For anyone who isn't really familiar with a lot of Billy Joel's catalog, I can't recommend high enough checking out his 'Songs In The Attic' live album. Most of those songs take on such a new life with so much more energy than their studio counterparts. I first had it on cassette through the Columbia House music club. Then, CD. Then MFSL 12" 45 RPM vinyl. It might possibly be my favorite live album of all time.
Another recommendation would be "Famous Last Words". Such a great song to have as the final song on his final album. Not as poignant an end as Rush's "The Garden". But, still a nice way to put a bow on a career.
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5. Only the Good Die Young #3 this speaks to the kid who had to suffer through six years of Catholic school. Terrific lyrics.
4. Piano Man #9 what more is there to say about this one. The 'businessman slowly gets stoned' fit me and fellow office workers of the time to a tee. ;)
3. New York State of Mind #1 never paid much attention to this until meeting up with the wife, and visiting NYC 2-3 times a year since 2002, along with a few to spend some marvelous times with my half brother. Oh, and seeing it performed at MSG (love that late sax solo setting up that final verse :tup ) I get goosebumps and almost teary eyed at each listen because of the memories it invokes. As I've gotten older, I've even enjoyed the times when Tony Bennett joined in :)
2. Allentown #5 could have been called ‘Anytown’, for all the communities that see their factories shutdown to move South or overseas, and the devastating impact to the hard working men and women, their families, and surrounding businesses.
1. Scenes from an Italian Restaurant #22
I only missed five. The five of mine not picked were:
7. Big Man On Mulberry Street: never paid any attention to this until the MSG show, so it feels to me like a somewhat newly released song. The power, the superb lighting throughout....
16. Don't Ask Me Why: don't ask me why this wasn't included, other than the short list.
23 This Is The Time:
24 And So It Goes: and so it didn't. But such a beautiful song
25 Sometimes A Fantasy: could have put this ten places higher. Just a fun, quirky, not often heard song.
Thanks Kev, and all those who participated. :tup
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I just listened to Scenes...and yeah...I've never heard this song before. Or, if I have, I imagine I'd have turned it off after the first 60 seconds. Billy Joe's wine ordering guide. It gets more interesting around the 1:45 mark, and has a solid build over the next couple minutes. I can see why this is prototypical Billy Joel, but it has lots of instrumentation I don't care for and reminds me a LOT of Bruce Springsteen (but with infinitely better vocals). Oh...and now we're back ordering wine. Not bad (and it didn't feel as long as the run time), and it certainly evokes an image, but not something I'd ever want to listen to again.
You don't like piano? Saxophone? Strings?
If you're answer is no to any of those, you have failed at being a music fan. :biggrin: :biggrin:
I don't (generally) like saxophone in rock songs. Also not a fan of accordion (except for Weird Al) or clarinet in rock songs (not that either is particularly common). Piano and strings are fine. I guess as a former trumpet player and father of a flute player, I have some deep seated distaste for reed instruments. Don't tell Orbert! :lol
Why do you hurt me like this? ;)
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Also, thanks again to the sentiments about running this (already or still to come, that way I don't have to say it again :lol). I was glad we had enough interest to do it!
I have a request to do Barbara Streisand next. Who's in??
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Re: “prog fans and long songs”
I disagree that just because we are prog fans we automatically think long songs are best.
What I think usually happens (with the occasional exception) is that artists tend to let their finest material “breathe” a bit more. It’s a natural extension of wanting your best ideas to stick around a bit longer.
Artists often talk of songs being their “children” of a sort. And the ones you get along with more tend to hang around for longer conversations.
That was a joke on my part if that is what you are referring to.
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Maybe it's a NY thing. It's got nothing to do with "prog": I heard Scenes when I was still into Kiss and Ozzy. I just liked the story. I had been to little Italian restaurants in my area, so I got that vibe (I wasn't a wine drinker at 12, though) and I just loved the story in the middle. It seemed authentic to my young ears.
That is all fair enough. Maybe I need to be in a 'New York State of Mind" to get it. I did ask my wife today what her thoughts are in Scenes (who I have never really spoken to about Billy Joel before) and she said she loves it and loves the storytelling and wasn't surprised it was number 1.
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I have never been anywhere close to New York, and New York State of Mind finished 4th on my list, so you definitely don't have to be a NY person, or even visit there, to love the song.
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Also, thanks again to the sentiments about running this (already or still to come, that way I don't have to say it again :lol). I was glad we had enough interest to do it!
I have a request to do Barbara Streisand next. Who's in??
Yes, thanks again Kev. Well done as always, really looking forward to Metallica. As for Barbara....hmm
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I have never been anywhere close to New York, and New York State of Mind finished 4th on my list, so you definitely don't have to be a NY person, or even visit there, to love the song.
I love that song too, I was referring to Stadlers comment about maybe needing to be a New Yorker to truly appreciate Scenes From an Italian Restaurant.
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Re: “prog fans and long songs”
I disagree that just because we are prog fans we automatically think long songs are best.
What I think usually happens (with the occasional exception) is that artists tend to let their finest material “breathe” a bit more. It’s a natural extension of wanting your best ideas to stick around a bit longer.
Artists often talk of songs being their “children” of a sort. And the ones you get along with more tend to hang around for longer conversations.
That was a joke on my part if that is what you are referring to.
I didn’t take it as a serious jab, but I do hear it often as a common complaint across the board. Just seemed like a convenient time to briefly address it.
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Re: “prog fans and long songs”
I disagree that just because we are prog fans we automatically think long songs are best.
What I think usually happens (with the occasional exception) is that artists tend to let their finest material “breathe” a bit more. It’s a natural extension of wanting your best ideas to stick around a bit longer.
Artists often talk of songs being their “children” of a sort. And the ones you get along with more tend to hang around for longer conversations.
That was a joke on my part if that is what you are referring to.
It's not a joke, though. I remember when the first Flying Colors came out and there were plenty of people over at Portnoy's site that saw "song titles" and "durations" and immediately claimed Blue Ocean and Infinite Fire were the "best songs" because they were the two longest, despite not having heard a note of the record. (For the record, I LOVE that record, it's one of my favorite Portnoy post-DT records, and neither of those songs are in the top five of my favorites. MAYBE one is number five.)
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This was fun. Looking back at my list and the final rankings, it's interesting how certain songs rated. Some ranked very highly for me based on the strength of the song itself. Others ranked very highly that kind of feel like "average" songs, but are packed with nostalgia and sentimentality for me. Funny how that works.
A couple of notes: I like New York State of Mind a lot. Glad to see it rank so highly. One of mine that didn't rank that I feel similarly about is Shameless. Sad it didn't rank at all. But what is true of both songs is that, while I like the traditional arrangements a lot, I absolutely adore the versions with Garth Brooks from the '97 live in central park show, and I feel like both of those blow the originals out of the water by a huge margin. I'm probably alone in that, but I don't care.
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I've enjoyed this countdown way more than I thought I would. Now that it's over, I've developed a much greater enjoyment for BJ's work. So many great tunes I either wasn't familiar with or had forgotten about! I'm watching old live videos and I never knew how energetic he and his band were. Wish I could go back in time to when he had fluffy hair and catch a show. If I had to redo my list, it'd be quite different from the one I submitted.
Thanks for putting it on Kev and everyone else for sharing.
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I've enjoyed this countdown way more than I thought I would. Now that it's over, I've developed a much greater enjoyment for BJ's work. So many great tunes I either wasn't familiar with or had forgotten about! I'm watching old live videos and I never knew how energetic he and his band were. Wish I could go back in time to when he had fluffy hair and catch a show. If I had to redo my list, it'd be quite different from the one I submitted.
Thanks for putting it on Kev and everyone else for sharing.
That's what I love about these countdown threads. If they get just a few people to become more of a fan or a new fan in general, I consider it a big success. :tup :tup
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Okay, for fun, here is the list of how many songs each ranker had make the top 25.
DragonAttack 21
Samsara 19
jammindude 19
The Realm 19
Kram 18
coz 17
bosk1 17
hefdaddy42 16
Stadler 16
KevShmev 16
The SoylentMan 15
DTwwbwMP 14
cfmoran13 13
DTA 9
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DTA's list did have a lot of deep cuts.
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He’s got so many great songs, both popular and obscure, but once something becomes massively overplayed, it’s hard for me to enjoy it the same way anymore.
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I just listened to Scenes...and yeah...I've never heard this song before. Or, if I have, I imagine I'd have turned it off after the first 60 seconds. Billy Joe's wine ordering guide. It gets more interesting around the 1:45 mark, and has a solid build over the next couple minutes. I can see why this is prototypical Billy Joel, but it has lots of instrumentation I don't care for and reminds me a LOT of Bruce Springsteen (but with infinitely better vocals). Oh...and now we're back ordering wine. Not bad (and it didn't feel as long as the run time), and it certainly evokes an image, but not something I'd ever want to listen to again.
You don't like piano? Saxophone? Strings?
If you're answer is no to any of those, you have failed at being a music fan. :biggrin: :biggrin:
I don't (generally) like saxophone in rock songs. Also not a fan of accordion (except for Weird Al) or clarinet in rock songs (not that either is particularly common). Piano and strings are fine. I guess as a former trumpet player and father of a flute player, I have some deep seated distaste for reed instruments. Don't tell Orbert! :lol
Why do you hurt me like this? ;)
:lol :lol
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Here's my Top 25 along with where the other songs ranked deeper on my list...
1 Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)
2 The Ballad of Billy the Kid
3 Prelude/Angry Young Man
4 Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
5 Famous Last Words
6 You're My Home
7 Souvenir
8 Summer, Highland Falls
9 All for Leyna
10 Big Shot
11 The Entertainer
12 Vienna
13 The Stranger
14 Captain Jack
15 Travelin' Prayer
16 Until the Night
17 Honesty
18 Pressure
19 You May Be Right
20 Say Goodbye to Hollywood
21 It's Still Rock and Roll to Me
22 Sometimes a Fantasy
23 That's Not Her Style
24 She's Got a Way
25 She's Always a Woman
36. My Life
43. New York State Of Mind
45. Just The Way You Are
46. A Matter Of Trust
48. Goodnight Saigon
57. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
60. Only The Good Die Young
65. An Innocent Man
66. Piano Man
69. The Downeaster 'Alexa'
74. Allentown
As A Billy Joel fan in the NJ/NY area, I might be a little more burned out on several of his biggest hits. A number of his songs fit into the "I don't ever need to hear that again" category. And, having been a fan of his since before most of these songs became classic rock staples, I was fortunate enough to have been exposed to much more of his music.
"Allentown" was a shock for me. It's a fine song. It's just never been a "go to" for me. The song itself is pretty basic. I just never expected it to be #2.
For anyone who isn't really familiar with a lot of Billy Joel's catalog, I can't recommend high enough checking out his 'Songs In The Attic' live album. Most of those songs take on such a new life with so much more energy than their studio counterparts. I first had it on cassette through the Columbia House music club. Then, CD. Then MFSL 12" 45 RPM vinyl. It might possibly be my favorite live album of all time.
Another recommendation would be "Famous Last Words". Such a great song to have as the final song on his final album. Not as poignant an end as Rush's "The Garden". But, still a nice way to put a bow on a career.
I too was shocked at how high Allentown ranked (I didn't have it in my top 25). For me it's a decent song but nothing special. I also grew up in NY, so maybe it's just overplayed for me (although I'm not sure where I grew up has anything to do with it). And I'll second your recommendation for 'Songs in The Attic'. Essential Billy Joel IMO
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Popping into this thread because my iTunes shuffled through on BJ's The Stranger. I probably hadn't heard it in a decade or more.
It holds up. He is such a damn good writer.
But I guess I don't have to tell you guys that. :laugh:
And there just aren't enough songs out there with great whistling....
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And there just aren't enough songs out there with great whistling....
Not to go off topic, but The Lady Wore Black is one that comes to mind. No idea how Tate is able to get the whistle notes that high.
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Popping into this thread because my iTunes shuffled through on BJ's The Stranger. I probably hadn't heard it in a decade or more.
It holds up. He is such a damn good writer.
But I guess I don't have to tell you guys that. :laugh:
And there just aren't enough songs out there with great whistling....
Do you have any feel for what your top 5 or 10 would look like? It's harder than it looks! :)
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And there just aren't enough songs out there with great whistling....
Not to go off topic, but The Lady Wore Black is one that comes to mind. No idea how Tate is able to get the whistle notes that high.
Big Big Train - Master James of St. George.
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And there just aren't enough songs out there with great whistling....
Not to go off topic, but The Lady Wore Black is one that comes to mind. No idea how Tate is able to get the whistle notes that high.
Big Big Train - Master James of St. George.
YES. Not to turn this into a BBT thread, but.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_0TkCHqTA8
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Briefly, with such a small sample size, if I had not participated, Prelude /Angry Young Man would have jumped to #5, ‘Say Goodbye To Hollywood’ would have been #25, and ‘A Matter of Trust’ would not have made the cut. And, a few others would have bumped up or dropped a spot or two.
Before the thread fades from memory with the new countdown going on, I’m listing the wiki link for those who might check out his discography. Also….. because of hearing the versions listed below a gazillion times perhaps from the original hits package, it does feel odd to hear the full length versions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greatest_Hits_%E2%80%93_Volume_I_%26_Volume_II
"There are three versions of the CD available. The initial 1985 release has "Honesty" as the third track on disc 2, second pressings onward had "Don't Ask Me Why" as the third track, and the 1998 remaster has "Don't Ask Me Why" as the fifth track on disc 2. However, the disc with "Honesty" does not have "Don't Ask Me Why" and vice versa.
On the original 1985 releases, five songs are shorter than their original versions:
"Just the Way You Are" is only 3:34 long (1½ minute shorter), verse 2 is totally omitted (from "Don't go trying some new fashion" to "I want you just the way you are") and the sax solo at the end fades early;
"My Life" is 3:50 long (nearly 1 minute shorter), the intro is slightly shorter with piano notes at 0:25 omitted (before the first words), same notes are omitted between verses 1 and 2, then again after "You wake up with yourself", piano passage also missing after "But not on my time" and the piano notes omitted several times at the end;
"Big Shot" is 3:43 long (the ending with the "big shot… wow" is shortened by ½ minute approx.);
"Pressure" is only 3:13 long (1½ min shorter) with more than a verse omitted (from "I'll tell you what it means" to "I read it too, what does it mean?");
"Tell Her About It" is 3:33 long (the end fades approx. 20 seconds sooner, leaving some wording out).
In 1998, the two CD set was digitally remastered and packaged with two bonus videos ("You're Only Human (Second Wind)" and "The Night Is Still Young") on disc 1. All of the songs that were edited in the 1985 package ("Pressure", "My Life", "Big Shot", "Just the Way You Are" and "Tell Her About It") were restored to their original album lengths.
Also, the live version of "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" was removed and replaced with the studio version from Joel's 1976 album Turnstiles. Surprisingly, "Captain Jack" has been shortened instead, fading out about 20 seconds sooner (6:56 instead of 7:15)."
*****
FWIW, I had the original vinyl release, and own the first CD version, and those single versions are the ones I'm way more familiar with.
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I thought you said "Briefly".. :neverusethis:
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I am so thankful that the video for Pressure was always the full length version, not the single edit, that way I grew up hearing the proper album version regularly.
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Popping into this thread because my iTunes shuffled through on BJ's The Stranger. I probably hadn't heard it in a decade or more.
It holds up. He is such a damn good writer.
But I guess I don't have to tell you guys that. :laugh:
And there just aren't enough songs out there with great whistling....
Do you have any feel for what your top 5 or 10 would look like? It's harder than it looks! :)
Hmmm....ask me again tomorrow and I might say something different.
My favorite full record is 52nd Street. This was literally one of my first rock albums and I played every song about a million times. So this is full of nostalgia for me but it is also a damn fine record.
1. Vienna
2. Rosalinda's Eyes
3. Summer, Highland Falls
4. And So It Goes
5. Piano Man (it really is just perfection in the way it is written and the story it tells)
I'm sorry I missed this thread at the beginning. I've seen Billy Joel live twice - once with Elton John. Phenomenal. I think the only songwriter I would have more difficulty choosing favorite songs from is Paul Simon. From a writing perspective alone, not just performance. The sheer talent it takes to write songs like these alone takes my breath away, TBH.
And great call on Master James of St. George, guys. Love that band. Love that song. :heart
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1. Vienna
:heart :tup
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Rosalinda’s Eyes is such a great song. The run of songs from Zanzibar through Half A Mile Away might be my favorite 4-song stretch of his.
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I thought you said "Briefly".. :neverusethis:
That part was only two sentences. Guess I should have then said 'Moving on..'
(https://media.tenor.com/YVgjAGGCkYkAAAAC/tough-crowd-stand-up-comedian.gif)
;) :lol
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Love Rodney!
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Love Rodney!
He's IMMENSELY strong!
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Love Rodney!
He's IMMENSELY strong!
When he was a lad, he could lift up five Navvies on an end of a shovel.
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And do a flawless ‘Triple Lindy’ afterwards :tup
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Pride and ego, my lads! Pride and ego!
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Rosalinda’s Eyes is such a great song. The run of songs from Zanzibar through Half A Mile Away might be my favorite 4-song stretch of his.
I couldn't agree more.
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The thread has now tied in to my #1 ranked BJ song (lol)
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjA5MDE0MjE5Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjY3NjYzNA@@._V1_.jpg)
:rollin
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I have a hunch the peeps reading this thread who aren't Billy Joel fans have no idea that Rodney appeared in one of his videos in the 80s.