I went to see Billy Joel at Wembley on September 10th. It was honest-to-goodness the best two and a half hours of my life. I've been listening to Billy Joel forever (I mean that literally. That is not an overstatement.) and I was lucky enough to see him live about ten years ago, but if someone offered me a ticket to see him perform every single night for the rest of my life, I would say yes please, thank you, goodbye social life, hello Billy.
The joy of seeing Billy Joel perform didn't just come from the thrill of live music or the anticipation of having the date in the diary (I purchased the tickets in December 2015) or the ridiculously overpriced beer. It came from the familiarity of the songs you know incredibly well and think speak only to you until you hear 70,000 people singing along to a song about sharing a drink they call loneliness or a song about iron and coal and chromium steel.
It was also a total thrill to see such an epic band perform with Joel, but in particular, to see Mark Rivera play the saxophone. Mark Rivera has played with Billy Joel since 1982, and I fell in love with him watching The Bridge to Russia Concert a few years ago. He is still playing with Billy Joel. He is still wearing exactly the same outfit. I am still in love with him.
There is an amazing article on Vulture - which you can find here - ranking all 114 songs that feature on his 12 studio albums, plus seven additional singles he released over the years. This kind of article makes me ridiculously happy. I have read it over and over again, analysing the choices of the writer Christopher Bonanos, finding my favourites on the list and either whole-heartedly agreeing with his placements or shaking my head at the outrage that one of my favourites isn't closer to his top 20.
Here are my top ten Billy Joel songs (I reserve the right to change them as and when I feel like it) with the ranking that Vulture gave them and my commentary on Vulture's commentary, because that is just the kind of woman I am.
101. “The Great Wall of China,” River of Dreams - Bonanos calls this song 'Another one with a really polished hook and dull verses'. I say, this reminds me of very long car journeys with my family in the best way possible. It's got an epic groove. The chorus smashes it every time. I love it.
75. “The Downeaster ‘Alexa’,” Storm Front - This is a song that I discovered later on in my Billy Joel fandom. It feels slightly obscure in terms of production, but I don't agree with Bonanos when he says it has 'aged terribly'. Joel knows how to tell a story and I am moved every time I hear this epic tale. As one comment says on YouTube, 'he sure does know a lot about deep water fishing'. Yes, he does indeed.
67. “Zanzibar,” 52nd Street - Another one I hadn't heard properly until I purchased Joel's '12 Gardens Live' album. This is an amazing song, with a trumpet solo that is so good it makes your eyes water. Bonanos' Vulture article compares it to Steely Dan, another favourite of mine, and he's not wrong. Due to the subject matter (bars, waitresses, drinking), I would describe it as the jazzier, slightly more positive brother of 'Piano Man'.
42. “The Ballad of Billy the Kid,” Piano Man - Another excellent example of Joel's music story telling. Big chords, excellent bridge. I could dance to this all day. Sometimes, I do.
27 “Summer, Highland Falls,” Turnstiles - While most of my top ten Joel songs come in no particular order, Summer, Highland Falls is definitely top two. Listen to the version on Songs From The Attic and you will have a musical epiphany. The piano is insane and intricate and delicate, and the lyrics are pure poetry. For example, 'I believe there is a time for meditation in cathedrals of our own'. Or, how about, 'For all our mutual experience, our separate conclusions are the same'. I mean, come on. Perfection.
20. “This Is the Time,” The Bridge - Bonanos calls this song 'Another ’80s-prom anthem', and they mean that in the best way possible. I had this song in the back of my head for years, trying desperately to remember where I had heard it. Then, suddenly, there it was. It all came back to me. My parents played this and Jesus He Knows Me by Genesis over and over again. Or rather, I pressed play on the stereo over and over again, and they had to deal with the precocious kid dancing along.
19. “Prelude/Angry Young Man,” Turnstiles - Delicious and indeed, very angry. The Prelude part makes me play air piano and air drums at the same time, which is quite a sight.
13. “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song),” The Stranger - Catchy and brilliant.
8. “Vienna,” The Stranger - Another gentle song that is moving and devastating and catchy all at once.
6. “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway),”Turnstiles - The intro of this song is absolute perfection. This is how Joel started his concert at Wembley; I cried. Also, 2017 is next year. Just saying.
1. “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant,” The Stranger - As Bonanos writes for Vulture, 'it’s really three songlets, intertwined, a little seven-minute operetta'. It's definitely the other song in my top two. The saxophone is sublime. The story is a classic. Listening to this growing up I so badly wanted to 'remember those days hanging out on the village green'. I haven't found a village green to hang out on yet, but when I do, I'll being singing those lyrics at the top of my lungs.
As a side note: My favourite album of all time is Songs In The Attic, a collection of live recordings from various performances Billy Joel did. All the songs that he chose for this record were ones that had not previously been singles or hits that had received the recognition that Joel thought he could get. Here is the track listing with the rank that Vulture gave each song. Interestingly, 8 out of 11 of the songs reached Vulture's top 30.
1. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) - Vulture #6
2. Summer, Highland Falls - Vulture #27
3. Streetlife Serenader - Vulture #17
4. Los Angelenos - Vulture #84
5. She's Got A Way - #21
6. Everybody Loves You Now - #29
7. Say Goodbye to Hollywood - #14
8. Captain Jack - #25
9. You're My Home - #77
10. The Ballad of Billy The Kid - #42
11. I've Loved These Days - #28