We all know that there are love songs out there that either get a little too goopy or fail to convey the proper emotion. Striking that balance can be tricky. That’s why we’re so grateful to those artists with a knack for love songs.
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Billy Joel has proven time and again that he can knock out honeydrippers that stand the test of time. Here are four that stand out as particularly fine.
“She’s Got A Way”
Billy Joel’s debut album Cold Spring Harbor contains some excellent songwriting. In fact, we’d venture to say it could have been a standout had it not been undone by a mishap in the mixing that raised his vocals in pitch. “She’s Got A Way” was chosen as the single for the album. It’s fair to wonder if it might have been a hit without those issues. After all, it became a hit a decade down the road when Joel released a live version on his Songs From The Attic album. It takes its cue from George Harrison’s “Something” in that the narrator makes his point by explaining that he can’t quite put his finger on what makes this girl special. Joel offers a standout melody and touching emotions throughout the track.
“She’s Always A Woman”
Five albums into his career, Billy Joel finally solidified himself as a pop star. The Stranger featured a bunch of ready-made hits. So many, in fact, that “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant”, now one of his most beloved songs, wasn’t even chosen as a single. “She’s Always A Woman” hit the Top 20 in 1978. But it also earned its fair share of criticism. Some folks felt that the lyrics played up sexist stereotypes. Joel has explained many times that he was paying tribute to his then-wife, who also acted as his manager. He felt that many music industry folks underestimated her. The song was his way of explaining just how capable she was. Time has told the tale. “She’s Always A Woman” now stands as a classic.
“Through The Long Night”
Here’s one that doesn’t get a lot of publicity, but it’s a real beauty. Billy Joel devoted most of Glass Houses to harder-edged, New Wave-influenced rock. And many of those songs speak of the struggles to secure modern romance. But “Through The Long Night” closes the album out on a quiet, mostly acoustic note. In the song, Joel’s narrator addresses a girl who sounds like she’s been through the ringer. She might even have made a few mistakes along the way. But he doesn’t flinch, instead promising her steadfast support. It’s a kind of modern lullaby, one that doesn’t shy away from the darkness. But ultimately it conveys the kind of loyalty that only one truly in love could deliver.
“All About Soul”
Billy Joel subtly structured River Of Dreams in such a way that it takes listeners on a journey. It begins with a lot of anguish and rancor. But as it progresses, it takes on a much more lighthearted, albeit still somewhat bittersweet, tone. “All About Soul” acts as the fulcrum toward the light. The song also indirectly convinced Joel to get off the pop star merry-go-round when it didn’t do as well as he’d hoped as a single. In any case, it’s a winning track, one that displays plenty of the soul that the title promises. In the verses, Joel sings with urgency about some of the fears and concerns that rack his brain. But when his love comes to his side, all of that falls away, and she redeems him.
Photo by Art Maillet/Sony Music Archives/HBO
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