3 Eternal Billy Joel Songs that Will Have You Singing into the Night

Billy Joel is as New York City as it gets. The 75-year-old Big Apple-born songwriter and performer could probably sell out the vaunted Madison Square Garden every night of the week if he wanted thanks to his hit piano-driven songs that speak to the soul of the region. He just has that state of mind, so to speak.

Here below, we wanted to explore three songs from the former lounge singer that exemplify his musical prowess, songwriting skill, and New York sensibilities. Songs that have both stood the test of time and will continue to feature on radios, stereos, MP3 players, streamers, and any other format for eternity.

[RELATED: The Pop Star Billy Joel Thinks Is This Generation’s Beatles]

“Only the Good Die Young” from The Stranger (1977)

It’s perhaps a little odd to hear a song about death that has so much life, but that’s exactly what Billy Joel made with this song. The songwriter is excellent with character and this track is filled with different people and the state of their lives, though it focuses on the main character Virginia. But the stickiest part is the culminating chorus in which Joel sings about those who pass on early. What’s the phrase, “live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking corpse?” Well, this song plays on that idea. Not only is it the good-looking who might pass away young but the good-hearted, too. And on this hit, Joel sings,

Come out, Virginia, don’t let me wait
You Catholic girls start much too late
Aw, but sooner or later it comes down to fate
I might as well will be the one

Well, they showed you a statue, told you to pray
They built you a temple and locked you away
Aw, but they never told you the price that you pay
For things that you might have done

Well, only the good die young
That’s what I said
Only the good die young
Only the good die young

“Piano Man” from Piano Man (1973)

A former lounge singer before he was a hit songwriter, Joel played on his experience when he wrote this breakout single. If you wanted characters, well then this is the track to dive into. It’s a cornucopia of people who walk in and out of the singer’s life—those who talk politics, work as waiters, and love to get high. This track is as fun to hear melodically as it is interesting to dive into from a world-building perspective. If Joel has a signature song, this is it. And on it, he sings,

It’s nine o’clock on a Saturday
The regular crowd shuffles in
There’s an old man sittin’ next to me
Makin’ love to his tonic and gin
He says, “Son, can you play me a memory?
I’m not really sure how it goes
But it’s sad and it’s sweet and I knew it complete
When I wore a younger man’s clothes”

La, la-la, di-dee-da
La-la, di-dee-da, da-dum

Sing us a song, you’re the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we’re all in the mood for a melody
And you’ve got us feelin’ alright

“New York State of Mind” from Turnstiles (1976)

A song that both sums up Joel and the city from which he comes, this track is one of the classic New York City tracks ever written. It is reflective, a bit melancholy, and poignant. If you ever make it to the Big Apple and put this song on in your headphones, you’ll transcend the moment and feel as if you are woven into the skyscrapers. On the offering, Joel croons,

Some folks like to get away
Take a holiday from the neighborhood
Hop a flight to Miami Beach
Or to Hollywood
But I’m taking a Greyhound
On the Hudson River Line
I’m in a New York state of mind

I’ve seen all the movie stars
In their fancy cars and their limousines
Been high in the Rockies under the evergreens
But I know what I’m needing
And I don’t want to waste more time
I’m in a New York state of mind

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