New York Culture Influencing Billy Joel's Music [REVISED]

Turnstiles (1976)

A turn of events... and turnstiles. In this point in his career, Billy Joel had released three albums: Cold Spring Harbor, Piano Man, and Streetlife Serenade. His first album, Cold Spring Harbor, was released without Billy Joel's consent by the record label, Family Productions. Upon it's releasing, Joel realized that the record label sped up his recordings, so he dropped them. He moved on to produce his music with the Columbia record label for his next two albums. However, for Turnstiles, he solved previous problems with Family Productions, and went ahead to produce his new album with both record labels. The contributions from both record companies made the album a success, and Turnstiles reached number 122 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. Aside from this, it also became a certified platinum. Because it was so successful, Billy Joel and his touring band made it the first studio album they had decided to play. It set the stage for albums to come, especially his next album, The Stranger, which became his biggest hit. Billy Joel could not have been the artist he became, however, if it wasn't for his influence from New York culture. New York life made Billy Joel better as an artist and enhanced his career as well as his sense of self. Like any city and like Billy Joel himself, New York City changes over time and it was not at all the same as it currently is today. 

In this album, Billy Joel speaks about New York City based on his experiences with it through performing in it, living in it, and simply being caught up in the culture of it in 1976. Today, New York City is known for its size and ethnic diversity. In 1976, it was nowhere near the size it has become today, but it was significantly large. The culture of New York City in 1976 was, in a lot of ways, the same as it is today. New York City has always been known to be exciting, but busy. It is also universally known to be artistic and creative, but only within certain districts. New York City is a culture all it's own, but subcultures exist within its different districts. The most southern district on the island of Manhattan is the Financial District, where a subculture of busy and focused stock brokers gather every day on Wall Street. A bit more north is Soho, the fashion district, Chelsea, the "hipster" district, central park, and Harlem, just to name a few. Each district is its own subculture, but the subculture that spoke to Billy Joel and influenced his music the most was Harlem. Because 1976 was less than only fifty years after the end of the Harlem Renaissance, the fairly new genre of jazz was still developing and was still as popular as ever, so Billy Joel incorporated this New York City culture influence in his music. Jazz, and eventually Billy Joel himself contributed to the culture of New York City as a whole, as well as the artistic reputation of the city. New York City is very well known for being the Global art market, and creative people are drawn to New York because of the amount of opportunity and funding for art programs. At the beginning of his career, Billy Joel was drawn to New York City to find success through his own art form, music. 

New York City culture influenced Billy Joel's music in a multitude of ways. Though the culture of New York City in 1976 had a lot in common with the present day, there were also major differences compared to today's city that. 1976 New York City had a bad reputation for being awful and not doing well socially, economically, or politically.  Crime rates were high, the city was almost declared bankrupt, and politicians were doing nothing to solve any problems. People started calling it "Fear City" due to its reputation, and pamphlets advised people to stay away from it at all costs. Pamphlets encouraged numerous visitors to follow certain safety precautions, such as engraving their possessions, staying inside after 6pm, clutching their bags with both hands, and avoiding buildings that are not fireproof. Billy Joel was caught up in the midst of this in 1976, literally living among the filth and crime of the city. Upon his arrival in New York City, the city itself was not particularly thriving. However, he adapted to the culture and used his resources to become a better musician and to thrive himself, with New York City culture speaking through him. 

Billy Joel was born in the Bronx in 1949, which is located just above Harlem... where he ultimately got his inspiration to speak about New York City through his music. His family then moved about 30 miles outside of New York City to a town called Hicksville on Long Island. However, he found himself back in New York City after a series of mishaps in the beginning of his career. After his first album wasn't as big of a success as he had hoped and he dropped his record label, he headed out to California to work in a piano bar. Once getting back on track with his career, he moved to a town in upstate New York about 50 miles north of New York City called Highland Falls. Highland Falls was a very rural atmosphere... not what Billy Joel was used to, but what he needed to find himself and to get back on track with writing his music. He finally found himself missing the hype and culture of New York City, and decided to move to New York City to develop himself as an artist and further develop his music. It was there that he began to work on Turnstiles, the album in which Billy Joel speaks about New York City, and New York City speaks through Billy Joel's music.

New York City had a significant impact on Billy Joel's music in 1976. The busyness, hype, and pressure of trying to make it in New York City contributed to Billy Joel's idea for the use of typewriter clicks for the beat of a song. It was on this foundation that he wrote "Angry Young Man", the sixth song on Turnstiles. The song features a classic piano riff that Billy Joel wrote himself along with the typewriter clicks, creating the illusion that a young workaholic is rushing to type and meet his deadlines. This is an example of Billy Joel telling a story about a subculture of New York City through instrumental effects, because the angry young man represents New York City's Wall Street subculture. The jazz culture of the Harlem subculture of New York City also contributed to his sound, so he decided to write songs that incorporated jazz instruments like a saxophone, a trumpet, and a clarinet. His most famous song on Turnstiles, "New York State of Mind", was completely based on a jazz aura, and an interesting part of 1976 New York City culture. In 1976, among everything happening at the time in New York City, The New York Times published a famous article called "101 Things To Love About New York City". This was ironic because New York was highly looked down upon during that time, and the article caused a lot of discussion about it. In his song "New York State of Mind", Billy Joel mentions The New York Times as an aspect of New York City culture during the time period. With a saxophone in the background and his hands prancing along his piano, he sings, "The New York Times... The daily news..." in a tone as if he is reminiscing about the culture that he loves despite its bad reputation. This is the way in which Billy Joel speaks about New York, and through this, New York speaks through Billy Joel. Billy Joel uses his music to share the influence of New York City culture and subcultures with his listeners, because he is so enchanted by it and wants to introduce his audience to it as well. This worked well for him in regard to his career, because he became the musical icon of New York City and the king of Madison Square Garden, where he still wows us today with his monthly concerts. 

*New York Times Article (1976)*

The album cover of Turnstiles, like Billy Joel's other album covers, has a significant message to it. He chose to name his album Turnstiles and feature them on the front cover because they represent the urban life of New York City. The photo on the front cover of his album actually took place inside of a New York subway, and he positioned the people to not only show the diversity of New York City culture, but to each represent each of the songs on the album as well. The man in the background with the books is the "Angry Young Man", the wealthy couple represented "I've Loved These Days", and the girl with the headphones represented "All You Wanna Do Is Dance", just to point out a few references. New York City culture influenced Billy Joel to enhance his music as a growing musician, and he responded to the culture with his success of becoming one of New York's icons. The exchange of culture influences turned right around... just like a turnstile.

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.

Album Review: Glass Houses (1980) [REVISED]

Glass Houses (1980)

People who are familiar with Billy Joel know that there is a major difference between softer 70s Billy Joel and outspoken 80s Billy Joel, but where did the transition begin? When Billy Joel released Glass Houses in 1980, he was already deep into his music career, and eagerly finding ways to keep his music fresh. With the start of a new decade, it was an opportunity for him to branch out and try something new. Billy Joel's attempt with this album was to show a new type of Joel emerging that can withstand any emotion and be reckless without a cause. With the motivation to go for something edgier, Billy Joel created Glass Houses to be a "harder-rock" type album. The album name, "Glass Houses", comes from the famous quote: "People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones". 

You May Be Right

The song begins with an alarming shattering of glass to demonstrate Billy Joel throwing the rock at the glass house to destroy his old image. The intro alone creates the message that basically gives a "I'm a new man, this is me now, don't get in my way" rebellious teenager vibe. The lyrics of the chorus, "You may be right, I may be crazy, but it just might be a luuuuunatic you're looking for!" take his careless, rebellious streak to the next level. The continuous complimentary background guitar and drum throughout the song give a rock'n'roll type feel, and the rockin' old-sounding guitar solo personally makes me feel like I am at a 1950s high school dance where everyone is rocking out to the newfangled music. From listening to the guitar throughout the song, the listener can make the connection with the guitar and Billy Joel. Both are on the older side of popular music... but still classic and simply awesome.

Sometimes a Fantasy

Riiiiiinnngg. Riiiiinnnggg. The second song also begins with a sound effect- the sound of an old phone dialing and ringing, followed by a sudden strum of an electric guitar that alerts the listener forward, right into the song. The drum keeps a steady but energetic beat in the background, and Billy Joel's voice is echoey like he's singing into an old rock'n'roll microphone, giving the song an "Elvis" vibe. 

Don't Ask Me Why

This song is very relaxed, giving off a Caribbean vibe... but don't ask me why. The end of the first verse explains the concept of the whole song: "Don't wait for answers, just take your chances, don't ask me why". The title of the song itself has a relaxed tone to it as well, giving the message that Billy Joel is just flowing through life, without a reason for anything and without a care in the world. The relaxing music starts picking up, starting off with Billy Joel's hands sliding up the piano at rapid speed from pitch to pitch, in a climactic piano glissando. The soothing maracas, xylophone, clapping, and Latin-style piano give the instrumental part a fun, carefree touch to the song, and goes right into the last verse. But don't ask him why, because he simply doesn't care enough to know. 

It's Still Rock and Roll to Me

Classic. This is a song that majorly contributes to the overall meaning of this album. Throughout each verse, the guitar changes pitch, as if it is trying to find which style of rock it belongs in. In addition to this, each verse ends with the lyrics "it's still rock and roll to me". This gradual decline symbolizes the change of the definition of rock throughout the decades, as well as the change of Billy Joel's style. In the end though, it is all "still rock and roll" to him. He appreciates all genres of music and believes that each type has something special to add to the art. Nostalgia plays a big role in the album itself, but in this song specifically, because it shows that Billy Joel is reminiscing about the golden age of rock n' roll and longing for a golden age of life. During the instrumental break, Billy Joel's band totally jams out, to old rock. The saxophone blares in, almost as if to say, "This is old rock! And this is awesome!!''  It's Still Rock and Roll to Me leaves the listener saying, "man, I really like old rock and roll", and leaves him or her with an eagerness to hear more. 

All for Leyna

Ah! The old soft side of Billy Joel finally shines through. While taking his frustration out on this song, Billy Joel identifies with any person who's ever been suddenly turned down or "ghosted" by someone they love. The way Billy Joel sings the song itself is extremely intense, and at one point he screams "STOP!!!!", because he is trying to knock some sense into himself and realize that Leyna is not coming back to him. This song is so filled with so much passion and emotion, that the listener can't help but relate to Joel on a personal level because everyone is constantly trying to get a hold of their emotions. The song ends with him yelling "All for Leyna!" over and over again, still banging the piano keys with the guitar, bass, and electric keyboard in unison. These sounds together start fading into the background, showing that even though the song is over, the feelings still persist.

I Don't Want to Be Alone

Who does??? Another laid-back song that takes a look into Billy Joel's emotions. The calming effect of the electric guitar smooths the moment when his ex wants him back... because she doesn't want to be alone anymore. The smooth saxophone solo toward the end clarifies that Joel feels the same way, and the ending of the songs ends with a positive tune, as opposed to the mysterious tone in the beginning of the piece. 

Sleeping With the Television On

The drum beat basically carries this song through repetitive beats and lyrics. I've never personally been a fan of this song because there is nothing unique or special about it, like the special touch Billy Joel adds to his other songs... but it's still catchy, and it's not something I'd necessarily skip over on my playlist.

C'etait toi (You Were the One)

A relaxed song again, a nice break from the aura of the album. Billy Joel sings right from his heart in this piece, and the listener can tell from the heavy way he carries his voice. The first part of this song is in English, and the second part has the same lyrics, but in French. French is one of the most famous romance languages, so it's no surprise that Billy Joel chose French to accompany the song he pours his broken heart out into. Despite the fact that I know/taught myself the whole French part of this song, I do not otherwise speak French. Billy Joel: inspiring young Chloes all around to take on a new language in order to sing along to his song. 

Close to the Borderline

Aaaaaaand we're back to the old-rock guitar and echoey microphone vocals! It's a fun tune and the guitar is most certainly the focus point of this song. The song as a whole, even though it is fun to jam to, gives the true idea of what it's like to be overwhelmed with stress. An accurate representation along with some great music... but I'm not surprised, because his is Billy Joel.

Through the Long Night

The last song... and the last impression. Billy Joel chooses to end Glass Houses by yet again showing his sensitive side, with a soft lullaby for his girlfriend who can't sleep due to nightmares from her bad past. The prominent instrument is the soft, repetitive guitar picking throughout the song, but the bass saxophone has an incredibly soothing effect that hums the listener right to sleep. Unambiguously put, this song is absolutely enchanting.

The new image that Billy Joel tries to create for himself with this album fails to ultimately present itself as anything but an attempt. It starts with a lot of songs that fit his "new style", but ends with songs that show the emotional side of him once again because, as an artist, he cannot help himself. He wrote some pretty convincing songs, but overall he shows that is still the same old Billy Joel we know and love. Sure, he has a rebellious streak, but that's nothing compared to his sensitive side. Billy Joel's emotions are what make his music so extraordinary, and they are what connects him to all of us, personally. Looks like his Glass House was made of Plexiglass.