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Billy Joel

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Billy Joel

William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949, in Bronx, New York) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist.

Joel recorded many popular hits from 1973 (beginning with the single "Piano Man") to his retirement from recording pop music in 1993. He is one of the very few rock or even pop artists to have Top Ten hits in the '70s, '80s, and '90s. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he has sold in excess of 100 million records worldwide [1] and is the sixth best selling artist in the United States, according to the RIAA. Joel's induction into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame (Class of 1992), and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Class of 1999) has further solidified his status as one of America's leading music icons. He has continued to tour occasionally (sometimes with Elton John) in addition to writing and recording classical music.

Early years

Joel first lived in the modern-day South Bronx, in New York City, but his family soon moved to Long Island, specifically, the Levittown section of Hicksville [2] [3]. His father, Howard Joel, was a Jewish Holocaust survivor from Germany, whose father Karl Amson Joel owned the fourth largest mail order company in Germany before being dispossessed by the Nazis . His mother, Rosalind Nyman, was born in England, to an agnostic Jewish family. His parents later divorced, and his father moved back to Eastern Europe. His half-brother Alexander Joel is an acclaimed classical pianist and conductor in Europe now living in New York [4]

From an early age Joel had an intense interest in music; especially classical music. He began piano lessons at an early age, and his interest in music instead of sports was the source for much teasing and bullying in his early years. As a teenager, Joel took up boxing so that he would be able to defend himself. He boxed successfully on the amateur Golden Gloves circuit for a short time, but he abandoned the sport shortly after having his nose broken in a boxing match.

Joel attended Hicksville High School and was to have graduated in 1967. However, he was one English credit short to meet the graduation requirement; he overslept on the day of an important exam due to his late-night musician's lifestyle.[citation needed] Faced with a summer in school to complete this requirement, he decided not to continue. He left high school without a diploma to begin a career in music. In 1992, the English credit requirement was waived by the Hicksville School Board and he received his diploma at Hicksville High's graduation ceremony 25 years after he left the school.

Musical career

At the age of fourteen Joel joined his first band, The Echoes (which later would become The Lost Souls). In the late 60s, he performed with The Hassles, a Long Island band that had some local success ("Every Step I Take," "You Got Me Hummin'") and would release two albums with the group. He then formed the pop rock duo Attila with Hassles drummer Jon Small. Attila released an album which bombed, and disbanded.

Upon losing his record contract with Attila, Joel suffered severe depression, and he was admitted into Meadowbrook Hospital after ingesting furniture polish in a half-hearted suicide attempt. [5] The note he left eventually became the lyrics to his song "Tomorrow Is Today."

Early albums 1970–1976

Cold Spring Harbor (1971)

Joel signed his first solo record contract with Artie Ripp of Family Productions and subsequently recorded his first solo album. Cold Spring Harbor (a reference to the Long Island town of the same name), was released in 1971. However, the album was mastered at the wrong speed, and the album was initially released with this error, resulting in Joel sounding a half step too high. Combined with the onerous terms of the Family Productions contract that guaranteed him very little money from the sales of his albums. Joel fled to Los Angeles, California with Elizabeth Weber and married her in Los Angeles in May, 1971. In 1972 he played in the Executive Lounge piano bar under the name Bill Martin for six months. This experience is what gave him the material for "Piano Man." Also at this time, a Philadelphia radio station, WMMR-FM, started playing a tape of a new song, "Captain Jack", which was taken from a live concert broadcast which became an underground hit on the East Coast.[6] Hits such as "She's Got a Way" and "Everybody Loves You Now" were originally released on this album, though they did not gain much attention until being released as live performances in 1981 on Songs in the Attic. Since then they have become regular concert numbers.Cold Spring Harbor would be reissued by Columbia in 1983 in a remixed form and it reached #158 in the US and #95 in the UK nearly a year later.

Piano Man (1973)

His experiences in Los Angeles connected him with executives from Columbia Records, who bought out his contract with Ripp, with the condition that the "Family Productions" logo be displayed alongside the Columbia logo for the next five albums. Also in the contract was the agreement that Family Productions would receive a 25 cent royalty for every album Joel sold, which would come back to haunt him when he hit it big. His brief tenure in Los Angeles also inspired his signature song "Piano Man." The album Piano Man was released in late 1973 and was certified Gold. To this day it has sold over four million copies. However, due to the large sums of money involved in the legal tangles of the contract buyout, Joel netted less than $7,000 in profit from his certified Gold record. Although this album is best known for its title track, several other Billy Joel gems on this album include "Captain Jack" (mentioned above), "Ballad of Billy the Kid" and "You're My Home" (the b-side of the Piano Man single and would later be covered by Helen Reddy), all of which would become staples of Joel's live shows.

Streetlife Serenade (1974)

Joel remained in Los Angeles to write Streetlife Serenade, his second album under the Columbia label. References to both suburbia and the inner city pepper the album. The standout track on the album is "The Entertainer," which picks up thematically where "Piano Man" left off. Joel was upset that "Piano Man" had been significantly edited down in order to make it more radio-friendly, and in "The Entertainer," he refers to the edit with sarcastic lines such as, "If you're gonna have a hit, you gotta make it fit, so they cut it down to 3:05." This refers to the album version of this song which is 5:37 and the edited single which is 3:05. Although Streetlife Serenade is considered one of Joel's weaker albums, it still has some notable tracks including the title track, with its Debussy-like intro, "Los Angelenos" and the underrated instrumental "The Mexican Connection."

Turnstiles (1976)

Disenchanted with the LA music scene, Joel decided to return to his home state of New York in 1975. There he would record what many fans and critics consider one of his best albums, Turnstiles. On Turnstiles, Joel used his own hand-picked musicians in the studio for the first time, and he took a more hands-on role. Songs were initially recorded and produced by famed Chicago producer James William Guercio, who subsequently was fired. The songs were re-recorded and Joel took over, producing the album himself. Joel's "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" was a minor hit and echoed the Phil Spector sound and was even covered by Ronnie Spector. The album also featured the New York anthem, "New York State of Mind" a bluesy, jazzy epic that has become one of Joel's signature songs and would later be covered by fellow Columbia labelmate Barbra Streisand on her Streisand Superman album. Other top songs on the album include "Summer, Highland Falls," and "Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)." Songs such as "Angry Young Man" would become a mainstay of his concerts for years.

Becoming a superstar 1977–1981

The Stranger (1977)

For his album The Stranger, Columbia Records united Joel with producer Phil Ramone. The album yielded four Top 40 hits on the Billboard Charts in the US. Album sales exceeded Columbia's previous top album, Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water and was certified multi-platinum. It was Joel's first Top Ten album as it rose to #2 on the charts. Phil Ramone eventually produced every Billy Joel studio release until 1989's Storm Front.

The Stranger netted Joel Grammy nominations, for Album of the Year and Song of the Year, for "Just the Way You Are," which was written as a gift to his wife Elizabeth and became his highest charting song to date in the United States. Just The Way You Are won a Grammy for Song of the Year and The Stranger won for Record of the Year.

52nd Street (1978)

Joel faced high expectations on his next album. 52nd Street was conceived as a day in Manhattan, and was named after the block where Columbia Records' office was located. Fans purchased over seven million copies on the strength of the hits "My Life", "Big Shot" and "Honesty." This helped 52nd Street become Joel's first # 1 album. "My Life" eventually became the theme song for a new US television sitcom, "Bosom Buddies," which featured actor Tom Hanks in one of his earliest roles. 52nd Street was the first album to be released on Compact Disc in Japan (1982). 52nd Street won Grammys for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male & Album of the Year.

Glass Houses (1980)

File:Billy Joel Advertisement 1980.jpg
Billy Joel in a promotional picture for his 1980 album, Glass Houses.

This album yielded such classics as "You May Be Right," (#7, May 1980), "Close To The Borderline,"(flipside of the You May Be Right single) "It's Still Rock & Roll To Me", "Don't Ask Me Why," (#19, September 1980), "All For Leyna", and "Sometimes A Fantasy" (#36, November 1980). "It's Still Rock & Roll to Me" became Joel's first Billboard Number 1 song in July 1980. Glass Houses was Joel's biggest hit since The Stranger in terms of the number of records sold, as the album topped the charts at # 1. Glass Houses won the Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male. It would win the American Music Award for Favorite Album, Pop/Rock category.

Songs In The Attic (1981)

His next release, Songs In The Attic, was comprised of live performances of less well-known songs from the beginning of his career. Songs In The Attic was recorded during arena and club shows in June and July of 1980. This release introduced many fans, who just discovered Joel when The Stranger became a smash in 1977, to many of his earlier compositions.

Building on success 1982–1986

The Nylon Curtain (1982)

File:Billy Joel Harley.JPG

The Nylon Curtain was considered by many Joel's most ambitious album.

He had begun work on it in the spring of 1982 when he was involved in a serious motorcycle accident.

The driver ran a red light and collided with Billy, who was on his motorcycle. His left wrist was broken and his hand badly damaged. Due to surgery (which included the temporary insertion of five pins into his wrist) and a month in the hospital, production of the album was temporarily shut down while Joel recovered.

In the meantime, Joel's first video special, Live from Long Island, was recorded at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, on December 30, 1982.

The Nylon Curtain went to #7 on the charts, supported by the popular singles "Allentown", Goodnight Saigon, and Pressure.

Allentown rose to #17 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it one of the most-played radio songs of 1982 and the most successful song from The Nylon Curtain album.

On July 20, 1983, Joel's marriage to Elizabeth ended. In accordance with the divorce agreement, Joel's ex-wife took half of the singer's assets.

Following his tour supporting The Nylon Curtain, Joel retreated to the island of St. Bart's for rest and relaxation. At the hotel's bar, he met supermodel Christie Brinkley, who had been divorced from her husband Jean-François Allaux. They eventually became a couple and married on March 23, 1985.

An Innocent Man (1983)

The song "Uptown Girl" was one of the first songs written when Joel returned from vacation. "Uptown Girl" was conceived as Joel wondered aloud how the gorgeous Christie Brinkley could wind up with such a guy like himself. It became a worldwide hit upon its release, and Joel's sole #1 in the United Kingdom. The resulting album, An Innocent Man was compiled as a tribute to the doo-wop music of the 1950s, and also resulted in Joel's second Billboard #1 hit, "Tell Her About It." The album, which reached #4 on the charts, boasted six top-30 singles, the most of any album in Joel's catalog. The album would also be nominated for the Album of the Year Grammy, but it would lose to the inevitable winner Michael Jackson's Thriller.

Greatest Hits Vol. 1 and 2 (1985)

Following the success of An Innocent Man, Joel had been approached to release an album of his most successful singles. This was not the first time this topic had come up, but Joel had initially considered "Greatest Hits" albums as marking the end of one's career. This time, he agreed, and Greatest Hits Vol. 1 and 2 was released as a four-sided album and 2-CD set, with the songs in sequence of when they were released. The new songs "You're Only Human (Second Wind)" and "The Night Is Still Young" were recorded and released as singles to support the album.

Greatest Hits was highly successful, selling over twenty million copies worldwide and becoming the top selling double album of all time by a solo artist (and second overall after The Wall by Pink Floyd). It has since been certified diamond by the RIAA for 10.5 million albums sold (21 million disks). To date it is the 6th best selling album in American music history according to the RIAA.

Coinciding with the Greatest Hits album release, Joel released a two-volume Video Album that was a compilation of the promotional videos he had recorded from 1977 to the present time. Along with videos for the new singles off the Greatest Hits album, Joel also recorded a video for his first hit, "Piano Man" for this project.

Two versions of Greatest Hits were released on CD: the initial release on double CD in 1985, and a re-released Enhanced CD version in 1998. While both are the same basic album in general, there are a number of subtle differences between the two:

  • While all the longer hits ("Piano Man," "Captain Jack," "Goodnight Saigon") are fully intact, many other shorter songs ("Pressure," "Just The Way You Are," "My Life") were shortened significantly in the 1985 release. Oddly enough, the included booklet lists all of the lyrics, even the parts cut for time. These songs are fully restored in the re-release.
  • The 1985 release features the live version of "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" from Songs in the Attic. The version from Turnstiles was used for the 1998 re-release.
  • The 1998 re-release features enhanced content due to advancements in CD technology over the previous 13 years.

The Bridge (1986)

Joel had already scored a hit with "Modern Woman" from the 1985 movie, "Ruthless People," (starring Bette Midler, Danny DeVito and Judge Reinhold) when he began work on the album that would become The Bridge in early 1986. Ray Charles contributed vocals and music to the song "Baby Grand" with Joel, and Steve Winwood played Hammond organ on the song "Getting Closer." The final song recorded for the album was "Code Of Silence." Cyndi Lauper appears on the album, contributing backing vocals.

Though it broke into the Top Ten, The Bridge was not a success in relation to some of Joel's other albums, but it yielded the hit "A Matter Of Trust." In a departure from his "piano man" persona, Joel is shown in its video as playing a Les Paul-autographed Gibson guitar. The ballad "This Is The Time" also charted, and has been a favorite on the prom circuit ever since. "Modern Woman" was also released as a single and was quite successful, but Joel has since said in interviews he doesn't care for the song, and subsequently it has been left off most of his compilation sets (the exception appears to be My Lives).

It was also the last Billy Joel album to carry the "Family Productions" logo.

At around this time, Billy completed voice work on Disney's Oliver & Company, released in 1988. A loose adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist, Billy brought both his acting and musical talents to the film as Dodger. For the film, Billy recorded a song titled "Why Should I Worry?" Critics were generally positive towards the film and pointed to Billy's acting contribution as one of its highlights, despite it being his first acting job. In interviews, Billy explained that he took the job due to his love of Disney cartoons as a child.

The USSR period 1987–1989

Throughout his tour supporting The Bridge, Joel and his handlers started planning a trip to the Soviet Union over the summer of 1987. He would be the first American rock act to play there since the Berlin Wall went up, a fact not lost on history buff Joel. There would be six live performances, three each at indoor arenas in Moscow and Leningrad. Joel and his family (including young daughter Alexa) and his full touring band made the trip in June, 1987. The entourage was filmed for television and video to eventually offset the cost of the trip, and the concerts were simulcast on radio around the world.

The audience in at least the first Moscow shows was filled with members of the Communist Party, who received tickets from the government as a perk. Most of that audience took a long while to warm up to Joel's energetic show, something that never had happened in other countries he had performed in. As a result of that a minor international incident occurred when he famously flipped over an electric keyboard during the second Moscow show as a show of frustration that his lighting engineers would not turn down the house lights to calm the audience despite several requests. The lighting engineers were more concerned with the amount of light being adequate for filming. [7]

КОНЦЕРТ (1987)

The album КОНЦЕРТ, Russian for "Concert," was released in the fall of 1987. Singer Peter Hewlitt was brought in to hit the high notes on his most vocally challenging songs, like "An Innocent Man."

It has been estimated that Joel lost over US$1 million of his own money on the trip and concerts, but he has said the goodwill he was shown there was well worth it.

Later albums 1989–1994

Storm Front (1989)

The song "We Didn't Start the Fire," the first single from the album Storm Front, was released in September 1989. The song became Joel's third US Number 1 hit.

Storm Front was released in October, and it eventually became Joel's first Number 1 album since Glass Houses, nine years previously. Storm Front was Joel's first album since Turnstiles to have been recorded without Phil Ramone as producer. For this album, he wanted a new sound, and worked with Mick Jones of Foreigner fame. Joel also brought in some fresh faces to join the band, including talented multi-instrumentalist Crystal Taliefero, who would go on to become Joel's musical director and architect of his live sound. After "We Didn't Start The Fire," Storm Front also produced the hit "I Go To Extremes." The album was also notable for its song "Leningrad," written after Joel met a clown in the Soviet city during his tour in 1987, and "The Downeaster Alexa," written to underscore the plight of fishermen on Long Island who are barely able to make ends meet. Another well-known single from the album was the ballad "And So It Goes."

In 1992, Joel sued former manager and ex-brother-in-law Frank Weber (ex-wife Elizabeth's brother) for $95 million after accounting irregularities were discovered. The case was later settled out of court. [citation needed]

River Of Dreams (1993)

Joel started work on River Of Dreams in early 1993. Its cover art was a colorful painting by Christie Brinkley that was a series of scenes from each of the songs on the album. The eponymous first single was the last top 10 hit Joel has penned to date.

Semi-retirement 1994–present

In August 1995, Billy Joel's long-time bassist Doug Stegmeyer committed suicide in his Long Island home. Stegmeyer had played on every one of Joel's albums from Turnstiles through The Bridge.

In 1999, Joel performed at New York's Madison Square Garden on the eve of the new millennium which at the time was considered to be Joel's last solo concert, The concert (dubbed The Night Of The 2000 Years) ran on close to four hours and would later be released as 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert

In 2001, Joel released Fantasies & Delusions, a collection of classical piano pieces. All were written by Billy Joel and performed by Richard Joo. Joel often uses bits of these songs as interludes in live performances. The album topped the classical charts at # 1.

Joel has toured extensively with Elton John on a series of "Face to Face" tours. During these shows, the two have played each other's songs and performed duets.

In 2005, Columbia released a box set, My Lives, which is largely a compilation of demos, B-tracks, and live/alternate versions to hit songs. The compilation also includes the Umixit software, in which people can remix "Zanzibar", "Only The Good Die Young", "Keepin' The Faith", and live versions of "I Go To Extremes" and "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" with their PC. Also, a DVD of a show from the River of Dreams tour is included.

On January 7, 2006, Joel began a tour across the United States. Having not written any new songs, he featured a sampling of all his songs in his career, including his major hits. His tour includes an unprecedented twelve sold-out concerts over several months at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

On June 13, 2006, Joel released "12 Gardens: Live", a double album containing 32 live recordings from a collection of 12 different shows at Madison Square Garden during his 2006 tour. 2006 also saw Billy Joel visit the United Kingdom and Ireland (as part of the European leg of his 2006 tour) for the first time in many years, playing to capacity crowds in Birmingham, Sheffield, Southampton, Manchester, Glasgow, London and Dublin.

The singer's stint of twelve shows at Madison Square Garden broke a previous record set by New Jersey native, Bruce Springsteen when he played eleven sold-out shows at the same arena.

The record has consequently earned Joel the only retired number in the arena owned by a non-athlete. The retired number, which was 12, hangs in the rafters along with many others such as hockey great Mark Messier.

On July 31, 2006, Joel performed a free concert in Rome, Italy with the Colosseum as the backdrop, and performed classic hits for hundreds of thousands of fans. Joel performed favorites such as New York State of Mind, Honesty and Just the Way You Are.

While introducing one song, the 57-year-old singer joked in shaky Italian, "This song is as old as the Colosseum."

Organizers estimated 500,000 people turned out for the show. The concert was opened by Canadian pop-rocker and songwriter Bryan Adams.

Billy Joel will tour South Africa, Australia, Japan, and Hawaii in late 2006.

Songwriting

Joel's lyrics have made many references to locations in the New York City metropolitan area, particularly Long Island, in his songs. For example, the "Miracle Mile" line in 1980's "It's Still Rock & Roll to Me" refers to the affluent shopping district located on Northern Boulevard in the community of Manhasset and 1980's "You May Be Right" references walking through the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn alone as proof of craziness. In his 1973 song "The Ballad of Billy the Kid," he describes a certain "Billy" as being from Oyster Bay, the municipality in which the hamlet of Hicksville is located. He has since stated, in the liner notes from his album Songs in the Attic, that this "Billy" is not himself, but rather an Oyster Bay bartender.

Several of Joel's songs have grown out of specific personal experiences, including "Piano Man," which he wrote describing his regular job playing at a Los Angeles piano bar in the early 1970s, and "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant," purportedly written about either the Syosset mainstay Christiano's or a similar eatery in New York City's Little Italy. His song "Vienna" was supposedly written based on a visit to his father in Europe, while "Big Shot" was based on a bad date with Mick Jagger's ex-wife Bianca.

In a Playboy interview, Joel indicated that "Rosalinda's Eyes" was penned for his mother, Rosalind, as the song his father should have written for her.

"Only The Good Die Young" created a bit of a stir within the religious community when it was first released in 1977. Some radio stations even refused to give the song any airtime. It is said that while Joel was doing a show in St. Louis, he had been specifically asked not to perform the song during the show and even received death threats. In response, Joel played it twice. [citation needed] Joel has said about the song that "the point of the song wasn't so much anti-Catholic as [it was] pro-lust".

Influences

His music reflects influences from many different genres including European classical composers, Aaron Copland, 1950s doo wop, Broadway/Tin Pan Alley, jazz, blues, punk, ska, gospel, pop, and even Russian folk songs, to straight-up rock & roll. This has, in part, led to his broad success over a long period of time, but made him difficult to categorize in popular music today.

Band

In the mid 1970s, the touring and studio lineup of Joel's band stabilized. The main lineup consisted of:

This was also the lineup for Joel's first live album, Songs In The Attic.

The 1980s and 1990s saw significant changes to Joel's band. By the River of Dreams tour the only remaining long standing member of the band was DeVitto on drums. Multi-instrumentalists Crystal Taliefero and Mark Rivera joined and remain in his band to this day. Rivera had taken over the prominent saxophone solo in the song "New York State of Mind" that had previously been performed by Cannata (and was re-recorded by Rivera for the Greatest Hits version of the song). The 1993 River of Dreams tour saw the addition of Dave Rosenthal on keyboards who also remains with the band. Tommy Byrnes has become a frequent band member on guitar and was both a musical consultant and band member in the Movin' Out musical. For the 2006 tour, Joel did not invite DeVitto back as drummer. Chuck Burgi (from the Broadway production of Joel's musical 'Movin' Out') replaced DeVitto. Richie Cannata returns on saxophones, along with Mark Rivera and Crystal Taliefero.

Other achievements

Despite having never graduated from high school, Joel has been presented with multiple honorary doctorates:[citation needed]

Billy Joel receiving an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Syracuse University, May 14, 2006

Joel was also named MusiCares Person of the Year for 2002 [9], an award given each year at the same time as the Grammy Awards. At the dinner honoring Joel, various artists performed versions of his songs including Nelly Furtado, Stevie Wonder, Jon Bon Jovi, Diana Krall, Rob Thomas, and Natalie Cole.

Personal life

Marriages

Joel married his business manager Elizabeth Weber on May 20, 1971. The marriage ended in divorce on July 20, 1983.

Joel went on to marry supermodel Christie Brinkley on March 23, 1985. Their marriage produced one child, daughter Alexa Ray Joel, born December 29, 1985. Alexa was given the middle name of Ray after Ray Charles, one of Joel's musical idols. This marriage ended with divorce on August 25, 1994, although the couple remains quite friendly.

In 2004, Joel married 23 year-old Katie Lee. Lee is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. At the time of the wedding, Joel was 54. Joel's daughter, Alexa Ray, 18, served as maid of honor. Joel's second wife, Christie Brinkley, attended the union and gave the couple her blessing. Lee works as a restaurant correspondent for the PBS show, George Hirsch: Living it Up!. In 2006, Katie Lee hosted Bravo's Top Chef.

Substance abuse

In 2002 he crashed his car in East Hampton, New York, and soon after entered Silver Hill Hospital, a substance abuse and psychiatric center in New Canaan, Connecticut. In 2003 Joel crashed his car into a tree in eastern Long Island, and was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital.[10] In April 2004, Joel crashed his car into a house on Long Island [11]. In March 2005 Joel checked into a Betty Ford rehabilitation center[12], where he spent 30 days.[13]

Discography

Albums

Hit singles

  • from Piano Man
  • from Streetlife Serenade
    • 1975 "The Entertainer" #34 US
  • from The Stranger
  • from 52nd Street
    • 1978 "My Life" #3 US (1979 release), #12 UK
    • 1979 "Big Shot" #19 US
    • 1979 "Honesty" #24 US
    • 1979 "Until the Night" #50 UK
  • from Glass Houses
    • 1980 "All for Leyna" #40 UK
    • 1980 "You May Be Right" #7 US
    • 1980 "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" #1 US, #14 UK
    • 1980 "Don't Ask Me Why" #19 US
    • 1980 "Sometimes a Fantasy" #36 US
  • from Songs in the Attic (LIVE)
    • 1981 "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" #17 US (originally released on Turnstiles May 1976)
    • 1982 "She's Got a Way" #23 US (originally released on Cold Spring Harbor 1971, re-released on Columbia 1983)
  • from The Nylon Curtain
    • 1982 "Pressure" #20 US
    • 1983 "Allentown" #17 US
    • 1983 "Goodnight Saigon" #66 US
  • from An Innocent Man
    • 1983 "Uptown Girl" #3 US, #1 UK
    • 1983 "Tell Her About It" #1 US, #4 UK
    • 1983 "An Innocent Man" #10 US, #8 UK (1984 release)
    • 1984 "The Longest Time" #14 US, #25 UK
    • 1984 "Leave a Tender Moment Alone" #27 US, #29 UK (double A-side with Goodnight Saigon in the UK)
    • 1984 "This Night" #78 UK
    • 1985 "Keeping the Faith" #18 US
  • from Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 & 2 (1973-1985)
  • from The Bridge
    • 1986 "Modern Woman" #10 US
    • 1986 "A Matter Of Trust" #10 US #52 UK
    • 1987 "Baby Grand" #75 US
    • 1987 "This Is The Time" #18 US
    • 1987 "A Matter Of Trust" (UK re-release) #100
  • from Storm Front
  • from Honeymoon in Vegas soundtrack
    • 1992 "All Shook Up" #27 UK
  • from River of Dreams
    • 1993 "The River of Dreams" #3 US, #3 UK
    • 1993 "All About Soul" #29 US, #32 UK
    • 1993 "No Man's Land" #50 UK
    • 1994 "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)" #77 US
  • from Greatest Hits Vol. 3
    • 1997 "To Make You Feel My Love" #50 US

DVD, Video and notable TV appearances

  • Don Kirshner's Rock Concert (1974) (Television) (Performed Piano Man, Somewhere Along the Line,

and Captain Jack)

  • The Midnight Special (1975) (Television) (Sang Travelin' Prayer and The Ballad of Billy the Kid)
  • Billy Joel Tonight (1976) (Time Life Video) (VHS) (Palmer Auditorium, Connecticut College, New London, CT)
  • The Old Grey Whistle Test (1977) (Television)
  • Musikladen (1978) (German television concert)
  • 20/20 (1980) (Television)
  • Live from Long Island (1980) (CBS/Fox) (VHS) (Originally aired on HBO as "Billy Joel: A Television First". Recorded live at Nassau Coliseum)
  • MTV Special: Innocent Man Tour (1983) (Television) ("Behind the scenes" look at Joel's Innocent Man tour)
  • From A Piano Man To An Innoncent Man (1983) (BBC Television Broadcast)
  • Farm Aid (1985) (Television)
  • Video Album, Vol. 1 (1986) (CBS/Fox) (VHS)
  • Video Album, Vol. 2 (1986) (CBS/Fox) (VHS)
  • Live From Leningrad (1987) (CBS) (VHS) (Originally aired on HBO)
  • 1989 NFL Super Bowl XXIII (Sang National Anthem)
  • Eye of the Storm (1990) (VHS) (Sony) (Compilation of 5 music videos from the Storm Front album)
  • Live at Yankee Stadium (1990) (Sony) (DVD/VHS)
  • A Matter of Trust (1991) (CBS) (VHS) (Documentary of the 1986 Russian tour)
  • Shades of Grey (1993) (Sony) (PBS documentary on the making of River of Dreams. Released on VHS)
  • Live from the River of Dreams (Sony) (1993) (Originally aired on Sat 3 (German television); and the Disney Channel released on DVD in the My Lives box set in 2005)
  • Greatest Hits, Vol. III (Sony) (1997) (DVD/VHS)
  • The Rosie O'Donnell Show (1997) (Television)
  • VH1: Behind the Music (1997) (Television)
  • VH1: Storytellers (1997) (Television)
  • VH1: Video Time Line (1998) (Television)
  • Inside the Actor's Studio (1999) (Bravo Network)
  • Mad About You- Murray at the Dog Show (1999) (NBC Television) (Appeared as himself; wrote the song "Lullabye For You" which was featured in the episode)
  • ABC 2000 (1999/2000) (television VHS) (International broadcast; portions of Billy's New Years Eve concert were aired live)
  • Piano Grand! A Smithsonian Celebration (2000) (Joel served as host and performer)(Aired on PBS; released on DVD)
  • MLB World Series- Subway Series Game 1 (2000) (Television) (Performed The National Anthem)
  • Die, Joel Akte (The Joel Files) (2001) (PBS Documentary)
  • America: A Tribute To Heroes (2001) (Television, Radio, DVD)
  • Charlie Rose(2001) (PBS television)
  • The Concert for New York City (2001) (Television, VHS/DVD)
  • A&E Special: In His Own Words (2001) (A&E Network) ("Master Class" recorded at the University of Pennsylvania)
  • The Essential Video Collection (2001) (Sony) (DVD/VHS) (Music Video compilation)
  • The 2003 Tony Awards" (Television) (Performed New York State Of Mind)
  • The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2005) (Television) (Performed Miami 2017 and Only the Good Die Young)
  • Late Night with Conan O'Brien (2005) (NBC) (Performed Everybody Loves You Now and Vienna)
  • The Today Show (2005) (NBC) (Performed Keepin' the Faith and She's Right on Time)
  • The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch (2006) (CNBC)

Joel has also appeared on Saturday Night Live several times:

Credits on Broadway

See also

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