Billy Joel On The Timeline of Rock History [REVISED]

A Matter Of Trust: The Bridge To Russia (1987)

Tension - A word that we commonly associate with the Cold War. Tensions between beliefs, tensions between countries, tensions within countries, and tensions within the human race. Tension. Why was such a negative idea spread so far across the world for such a long period of time? Billy Joel asked himself the same question. Tension between American citizens and Russian citizens was at its peak in the late 1980s and Billy Joel, among other Americans, did not see the reason as to why it should be. Politics aside, Billy Joel saw people as people and was tired of the widespread hatred, tension, and the Cold War itself. As a result, he wanted to be able to do something about it and reach people in the best way he knew how- through his music. He decided to embark on a concert tour to Russia and be a social advocate with goals to mend the nations together once again.

The foundation of Billy Joel's plan came from former attempts by artists to spread awareness of social advocacy. Through time, bands became smaller and music became more personal. Artists such as Bob Dylan started including social activist views in their songs in order to make a difference in society. These social activists expressed their views not only through their songs, but in where they sought to perform as well. Rock 'N Roll legend Elvis Presley and Country Music Star Johnny Cash started performing in jails, singing their music to inmates to promote unity under the human condition. They wanted to branch out and make a difference to show that jail inmates are a part of the human race, along with everyone else who enjoys music. At the height of the Cold War, David Bowie embarked on the Berlin Trilogy, a series of concerts performed in Russia to mend ties between the people of Russia and Great Britain. The Beatles had performed in Russia much earlier during the wold war, and David Bowie took the opportunity to follow in their footsteps to become a part of the movement. Despite relations being bad due to war, he wanted to show that the people of Russia are normal, great people who deserve great music. His stance was a symbol of peace everywhere, for his fans and for other people as well. British artist Elton John was later inspired by David Bowie, and so was our American artist: Billy Joel.

In 1987, toward the end of the Cold War when tensions between the United States and Russia were incredibly high, Billy Joel decided to continue what a lot of British artists sought out to do- To mend ties between their country's people and Russia's people. To accomplish this and express his passion for the cause, Joel spent $2.5 million of his own money and got his band on board to go with him. By doing this, according to historyofrussia.org, Billy Joel became the first American rock star to perform in Russia with a fully staged show. During his planning for the tour, Billy Joel arranged for the tour to be filmed as a documentary, so that people who weren't able to attend in person were able to see the impactful difference he was making in Russian and American Society. The documentary covered the tour that consisted of three concerts in each Russian city, Moscow and Leningrad. While he was in Russia, Billy Joel made it a point to show Russians how to have fun at a concert. They had never been to a real rock concert before, so they did not know how to act or what to expect. Though this frustrated Billy Joel because he wasn't used to the audience having no reaction, he was happy to have the opportunity to be performing for the first concert they had all been to. Once completed, Billy Joel's concert tour of Russia was a success. He set out to calm people's fears about the Red Scare, and to unite Americans and Russians back into good relations.

By taking this social activist approach to music and doing something to change society for the better, Billy Joel was adapting to the historic conditions in this rock era that shaped different sounds and songs. When Billy Joel toured the Soviet Union and created an album based on his live performance, he named it "A Matter Of Trust". "A Matter Of Trust" was a song he had written for his previous album, The Bridge (1986), and had added to the setlist for his tour of Russia. Though the song is technically a love song about his own personal analyzation of romance, he felt that the song's title was a perfect fit for what he wanted his tour to accomplish. In order to tie relations back together between American people and Russian people, he proved to everyone that all they needed was trust, because it truly was a matter of trust. One part of the song states, "The cold remains of what began with a passionate start". This is an indirect reference to the Cold War because it began with a passionate start, but ultimately dragged on and took 44 years to complete. The passionate start in the song is a reference to World War II, where America and Russia were originally allies. Another part of the song states, "You can't go the distance with too much resistance". This statement proved true in regard to these international relations, not just literally but figuratively as well. Billy Joel's theory was that once the countries started trusting each other again instead of resisting each other, any rising disputes would be solved in a more mature and logical manner.

Two years after visiting Russia for his tour, Billy Joel came out with his next album, Storm Front. Storm Front included a song called Leningrad that Joel wrote based on his experiences in Russia. He writes this song about the perspective of a man named Viktor who grew up in Russia during the Cold War, versus his own perspective growing up in America during the Cold War. One of the most powerful lines of the song that represents Billy Joel's view is, "Haven't they heard we won the war, what do they keep on fighting for?". Based on a true story, he and Viktor met in Russia at the end of the song and became lifelong friends to symbolize the unity of both countries. This social activist approach is just one example of an approach Billy Joel took to music through history, but it is extremely significant for the time period, and made a difference in American and Russian lives and relations. Billy Joel asserted the idea that improving the relations between the United States and Russia was simply just a matter of trust. Through this, Billy Joel incorporated rock and social activism, and therefore became a prominent part of Rock History among all of the other artists who took the initiative to do so. With this significant tour, Billy Joel demonstrated that tensions through relations can disappear just as quickly as they arose, but whether or not they improve is only a matter of trust.

Album Review: The Stranger (1977)

The Stranger (1977)

The year is 1977 and Billy Joel is ready to start a new album! Up until this point, he had released several albums, but none were hits. He wasn't aiming for The Stranger to be a hit... he was just getting his band together to finish the songs they started to write, but never finished. That's what The Stranger was all about- reformatting the broken pieces of songs-in-the-making and turning them into masterpieces. Unexpectedly, Joel's new album turned out to be his biggest hit, showing that unfinished songs that are dug up from the past can sometimes be the greatest achievements. Assuming that this is because an artist looked at the song twice with a different perspective each time, it makes sense why these songs are so versatile and reach so many listeners on a personal level. Overall, The Stranger is about Billy Joel's "maturing" and "adulting". When the album came out, he was starting to get middle aged and settle down, so most of the songs on The Stranger align with that concept. Whether it's taking a glimpse into his past and reminiscing about old times, or appreciating his new middle aged life for what it is, this album is about growing up and accepting the reality of adulthood.

To perfectly coincide with the beginning of his maturity, Billy Joel starts his album The Stranger with a song called "Movin' Out". What better way to start a new phase of your life than to move out of where you used to live? Especially if that phase is from immaturity to maturity. Billy Joel chooses to incorporate this song as his first of the ten songs on the album to set himself up for his new life of maturity, growing up, and settling down. He goes on to continue the album by expanding the knowledge of himself through self discovery, love, reflection, and aspiration. This whirlwind of life is all a part of Billy Joel's growing desire for a calmer and more together life, and it provides the characteristics he needs for personal growth. If I had to describe The Stranger in one word, it would be Growth. Billy Joel finds everything he needs through growth, and as a person listens to the album, they can feel him growing in each song through different emotions and musicality.

The album starts relaxed, and then continues to tell a story in itself about Billy Joel's personal growth. After the first few calm songs that show Billy Joel's adjustment to settling down, the middle of the album brings a whole new excitement to it. Listeners responded extremely well to the middle, making songs like 'Scenes From An Italian Restaurant' and 'Vienna' some of the most famous songs on the album. Both of these songs have a common theme: Reminiscing. 'Scenes From An Italian Restaurant' goes into detail about his high school days with his friends Brenda and Eddie, and 'Vienna' is about going to Vienna, Austria to meet up with his father for the first time in fifteen years. When this album was being written, Billy Joel was at the time in his life where he wanted to put the past behind him, and make his life better from that moment on. The instrumentals and the sounds of these songs are also very similar, because they have a slow and reflective feel to them. In both songs, the prime instrument is the piano played by Billy Joel himself. It's no wonder that these songs not only became some of his biggest hits, but were placed right in the center of the album The Stranger.

The album as a whole presents the idea that Billy Joel is maturing and settling down because, although some songs are classic fun Billy Joel, a lot of them are serious and sincere as well. He wrote the most sincere songs on the album, 'Just The Way You Are' and 'She's Always A Woman', for his wife at the time, Christie Brinkley. In addition to other aspects of maturity such as moving on from the past, Billy Joel adds this sincerity and wears his heart out on his sleeve with these pieces. The album starts out sounding rock-and-roll, is filled with sweet-sounding ballads in the middle, and it sounds reflective toward the end of the album. His last song, 'Everybody Has A Dream', is a beautiful harmony with a mix of being reflective of the past and having aspirations for the future. This is the perfect song to end The Stranger with because the song itself sums up the album's message. Everybody's dreams are different, but everyone has a common dream: Happiness. Everybody has a dream, and to make that dream come true, one must let go of the past and put his or her energy toward aspirations for the future. Billy Joel did it... now it's everyone else's turn.