Now, about Billy Joel. Remember him? He goes to extremes. He’s also making headlines today with the announcement that he’s releasing his first pop single in a decade and a half. (Yay. Oh, the excitement: Long Island just exploded.) The song, titled "All My Life," is dedicated to BJ’s young wife, Katie Lee Joel (a.k.a. the hottie who hosted the first season of Top Chef but was replaced by fellow trophy wife Padma Lakshmi this season). The song is supposed to be available on People.com on Feb. 7 (just in time for those hot Valentine’s Day dates in Ronkonkoma, people!) and then on iTunes Feb. 20. Here’s the whole scoop, from, naturally, Newsday.
Anyway, seriously, Virginia, this is a big deal. If you’re not from Suffolk County, N.Y., you may not have realized that the Piano Man has been in semi-retirement since the mid-1990s. While he’s been touring and releasing classical music works, his rock career has been on the back burner. But between singing the national anthem at that big football game thing on Sunday and this bit of news, it’s looking like we might be in store for a big BJ comeback. Are you ready?
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i can feel the hate. i, for one, am looking forward to this, even though his last couple of albums were blah (at best)… and im not from Long Island.
I really like BJ but mostly just his stuff from the 70s. A few songs from the early 80s. I just hope he sings the National Anthem the way it should be and not make up his own tune like some others do.
There are two sides to Billy Joel. When he acts as a storyteller, his songs are often remarkably transcendent. But when he tries to be a pop tunesmith, he is consistently a lousy hack.
yawn
I’ll always remember Homer Simpson’s song of protest…Uptown Girl!
Billy Joel was a lot of fun in the 1980’s, but he’s been gone for some time. It’ll be good to see if he can make a comeback, the way Duran Duran did a few years ago after what seemed their semi retirement.
Personally, I’m excited to hear it. I’m about to see him live for the first time in February and I can’t wait.
It’s about time! I’m ready!
My officemate read this and told me he is also ready for a “big BJ comeback.” OMG, I work with 7 yr olds. Josh don’t help them out, please.
Billy has been quoted ss saying he thinks it sounds like Tony Bennett-
I think it’s more like Frank Sinatra’s “My Way”
He wrote “Just The Way You Are” for EX wife #1 –Elizabeth
Weber
He wrote “Uptown Girl”
for EX wife #2 Christie Brinkley
Is “All My Life” an ode to Trophy Wifey # 3 ???
It’s a rule with Billy, every wife gets a song. Uptown Girl was for Christie Brinklie and Just the Way You Are was for wife #1.
It’s a rule?
NASSAU COUNTY, LONG ISLAND… but good try
This is honestly the best news I have heard all week. I LOVE Billy Joel and cannot wait to hear the new single.
Great news. Looking forward to the new song and maybe seeing him on tour. I’ve seen him several times and he puts on a great show.
I saw BJ in concert in the late 70’s.
It was my first big time concert. He
was terrific. It be great to hear something good from him again.
The very first “grown-up” album (I am dating myself with that term) I ever bought with my own money was Billy’s “52nd Street.” I was 10.
I like his stuff from the 70s, and can tolerate his stuff from the 80s. Who knows – this could actually be a gfood thing!
Ditto on Melanie’s comment! I’m a jerzey girl who grew up loving Billy Joel, and look forward to some new tunes!!!
Dude, Ilike Billy Joel, but if you think this song has a chance on top 40 radio, you are dreaming. He’ll have to go the Rod Stewart route….
I second the comment. BJ’s from Nassau, idiot.
Billy is still fantastic in concert, I look forward to the new song. And yes, I’m from Long Island, Hungington to be exact.
I will always have fondness for him, but this song is just…sleepy.
This song is anything but sleepy. It has a lot of bite to it. If you were expecting another “Uptown Girl” or “It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me” then you are pretty shallow. While these and most of his others are great songs, once again Mr Joel has given us something different once again. Ok, it does have that Sinatra sound but while I love Linda Ronstadt Carly Simon, Natalie Cole & Rod Stewart covering the standards, Billy gives us an original. No cover here. The guy is a genious. His songs will be played on the radio for years to come. The timing of this release is a bit too coincidental. I recently met the girl I’m going to marry and Billy Joel, my favorite artist, writes his first pop song in 14 years and it describes my life to a “T”. I’m sure many other men feel the same way. Billy Joel is simply one of the last of the great singer/songwriters. Elton John, another great, never wrote a song in his life. He writes the music and Bernie Taupin writes the lyrics. Billy does both.
Quote: “It’s a rule with Billy, every wife gets a song. Uptown Girl was for Christie Brinklie and Just the Way You Are was for wife #1.”
Close, but no cigar — Just the Way You Are was written about a fling of his, not his first wife. He’s said he doesn’t like performing because the love he said would last “forever” in the song lasted “about two weeks.”
HOWEVER, he did write a song about his first wife, and that is “You’re My Home” off of his first album. That was his anniversary gift to her because he couldn’t afford anything else.
And, not only is Uptown Girl about Brinkley, but pretty much that entire album, An Innocent Man. There’s even a song on it called “Christie Lee.”
Billy is still fantastic in concert,
I look forward to the new song. And yes, I’m from Long Island, Hungington to be exact.
I love that he has so many different styles in his music.