It is a massive accomplishment when a singer wins a Grammy Award, but for artists, receiving a label like Prince of Darkness, King of Rock and Roll, or Queen of Pop is legendary. Having one’s name define an entire genre of music is a testament to their talent. For Billy Joel, that moment came in 1973 when he released “Piano Man”. Gaining the nickname the Piano Man, Joel has not only performed since the 1960s, but he sold a staggering 160 million records worldwide. While the singer hasn’t released original material in almost two decades, he recently discussed how songwriting became “torment” for him.
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Barely a month into 2024, Joel is starting the new year off with new music. Sharing his new song “Turn the Lights Back On”, the singer sat down for an interview with Herb Ivy at WBLM-FM. During the interview, Joel admitted how he consistently turned away from songwriting. He said, “I had not wanted to do it. Because it was all my life. When I was writing songs. I was doing this by myself. And it’s a very lonely job. And the job started to become a torment. If it wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be, I would tear myself to shreds.”
[Don’t Miss Your Chance To See Billy Joel Live In Concert – Tickets On Sale]
Helping write his new song, Joel admitted that Freddy Wexler helped push him back into writing music. “Freddy asked me, ‘Are you thinking of somebody else when you’re singing?’ And I said, ‘Always.’ I’m always trying to sound like not like Billy Joel, because I don’t like my own voice. I like other singers. I’m a songwriter, because I can think about other people singing this stuff, not me. I’m not limited by me. And once that was shared with each other, all of a sudden the simpatico kicked in.”
The Stars Who Wanted Billy Joel To Write Again
While learning that Joel wasn’t a fan of songwriting is surprising given his achievements over the years, what is even more shocking is how many stars tried to get him to write once again. Joel stated, “I was so resistant to the idea of going back in and recording again. Other people have tried to get me to do this. Rick Rubin has tried to do it. Clive Davis has tried to get me to do it.”
It wasn’t just Rubin or Davis as the iconic Elton John also pressured Joel. “Even Elton John would say, ‘Why don’t you make some more new albums?’ And I would say, ‘Why don’t you make less new albums?’ You know, just to be contrary.”
With Joel back in the studio, he is scheduled to perform his new song during the Grammy Awards on February 4 starting at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.
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(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
