Billy Joel’s classic and popular songs
Let me introduce a song by Billy Joel, the American pianist and singer-songwriter.
Influenced by his parents, he began playing the piano and worked as a pianist in a bar during high school, but he ended up failing his credits and dropping out.
At the time, he reportedly said, “I’m not going to Columbia University—I’m going to Columbia Records, so I don’t need a high school diploma.”
It shows his determination and strength of spirit—so cool, right?
One of his great charms is his powerful yet warm singing voice.
Watching him sing while playing the piano is absolutely captivating.
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Billy Joel’s Classic and Popular Songs (11–20)
Big ShotBilly Joel
It was released in 1979 as a track on the album 52nd Street.
It features a lively, upbeat melody, and the phrase “big shot” in the lyrics means a celebrity or a bigwig.
The wording in the lyrics is often rough, and it seems to be a song that satirizes celebrities and public figures.
Just the Way You AreBilly Joel
This is one of Billy Joel’s signature love songs in Japan, known by the Japanese title “Sugao no Mama de.” Dedicated to his then-wife Elizabeth, it features a bossa nova–tinged melody and a pleasantly relaxed slow tempo.
It was released in 1977 as the first single from the album The Stranger.
It’s Still Rock & Roll to MeBilly Joel
1980 was a landmark year that saw a new wave sweep through the music world, and this track—Billy Joel’s first-ever No.
1 on the U.S.
charts—is a thrilling rock number packed with a scathing critique of the scene at the time.
Written from a sharp perspective that even so-called “new” movements like New Wave were ultimately just rehashes of past styles, and featuring a distinctive sax solo, the song became a signature single from the album Glass Houses, spending six consecutive weeks at No.
1.
Crank it up for a midsummer drive or any event and let the good times roll.
Uptown GirlBilly Joel
Released in 1983 as the second single from the album An Innocent Man, it’s characterized by a pleasantly rhythmic sound.
It reached a peak of No.
3 on Billboard’s weekly chart in November 1983 and ranked No.
18 on the year-end chart for 1983.
It also hit No.
1 on the UK weekly chart.
We Didn’t Start the FireBilly Joel
This song was released in 1989 as the lead single from the album Storm Front.
With its up-tempo, flowing melody, it’s an unforgettable number after just one listen, and it sings about various world events from 1949, the year Billy Joel was born, through 1989.