Many artists like to make a big production out of what they claim will be their last album or tour. And many of those same artists don’t quite stick to these “farewell” proclamations, eventually recording and/or touring again after the fact.
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Billy Joel did not make any kind of fuss about the 1993 River of Dreams album being his last LP of pop/rock material, perhaps because he wasn’t quite sure it would be his finale. But he has stuck to his guns by not following it up, even though fans wish he might change his mind.
Famous Last Words
As far as most of the music world was concerned, River of Dreams seemed like just another album in the Billy Joel catalog, one that would be followed up by another like it a few years down the road. Joel made no mention of the possibility it might be his last, likely because that wasn’t really on his mind when making it.
A four-year hiatus between that record and its predecessor (Storm Front) might have indicated some reticence on Joel’s part to go through the whole cycle of record-release-promote-tour all over again. But such a layoff wasn’t all that unusual for an artist of his stature at that point in time.
In our opinion, River of Dreams is a top-tier Joel album, perhaps his best top-to-bottom since The Nylon Curtain a dozen years before. So there wasn’t any indication of diminishing returns. But the final song on the album is called “Famous Last Words,” and it includes the line, These are the last words I have to say. And darn if that didn’t turn out to be quite prophetic.
The River Runs Out
Billy Joel never formally announced he was quitting making pop albums. He just stopped, and people eventually figured it out. Fantasies & Delusions, released in 2001 by Joel, was full of classically inspired piano pieces with no lyrics. In essence, barring some change of heart, River of Dreams will be the last of its kind.
Joel has given diverse reasons over the years for the decision. Least understandable was his feeling the album didn’t receive enough exposure, making it seem like it wasn’t worth his time to continue. River of Dreams topped the Billboard charts and sold more than his previous two records, while the title track went to No. 3 as a single. For an artist who was 44 when the album was released, that’s a pretty fantastic result.
His complaints about how strenuous the album-making process rang a bit truer. In addition, Joel claimed he didn’t want to keep making albums just because he was expected to do so. If he didn’t feel motivated to say something, he preferred to just keep quiet. One other low-key possibility for the decision: the unenviable contracts he signed early in his career.
Joel never owned his recordings in the way other artists did, meaning he has less financial incentive to record.
A Touring Phenomenon
While Joel backed away from recording, he has never stopped performing live. His yearslong residency at Madison Square Garden cemented his status as a New York legend. And he has traveled the world for the last three decades since River of Dreams, playing both his big bits and his lesser-known album cuts to adoring audiences.
Joel has acknowledged a new album would likely do very well due to the pent-up demand for his talents. But he continues to resist any overtures to follow through with it. It’s to his credit he hasn’t caved.
In 2024, Joel surprised everyone by releasing the single “Turn the Lights Back On,” which found him recapturing his status as a moving balladeer. Alas, no album came along to join it, meaning we’ll still have to rely on his back catalog to get an album’s-length serving of his brilliance.
Photo by Bill O’Leary/The The Washington Post via Getty Images
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