Billy Joel hadn’t released new music in decades. Then, after all those years, he released “Turn the Lights Back On” on February 1. Fans loved the long-awaited new song. Now, a whole new audience is getting to enjoy the fruits of Joel’s labor as he performs his new track for the first time anywhere during the 2024 Grammy Awards.
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The Piano Man took his place behind a grand piano, backed by a full string section to debut the long-awaited new song. To say that it was a powerful performance would be the understatement of the century. After decades of inaction, Joel hasn’t lost a note. Watch a clip of the icon at work below.
Billy Joel co-penned the song with Freddy Wexler, Arthur LaFrentz Bacon, and Wayne Hector. The Grammy-winning artist hasn’t announced a new album yet. However, it does look like his comeback is in full swing. He started the month with a new single, now he’s performing at the Grammy Awards, and there are rumors that he’ll be at the next Glastonbury Festival.
Joel didn’t just perform his new song at the Grammy Awards. He came back for an encore performance to close out the show. He and the band delivered a rocking rendition of his 1980 hir “You Might Be Right.” Check it out below.
Billy Joel Almost Didn’t Record “Turn the Lights Back On”
During an interview with Maine-based radio station WBLM-FM, Joel revealed that he had no interest in recording the song. Instead, he hoped that he could get Adele to record the song. “I was hellbent and determined not to sing it,” he said. “That was my whole agenda, was ‘I don’t care what you do. I’m not doing this.”
Joel would have gotten his way if it weren’t for Wexler, who co-wrote and produced the new single. However, Wexler wouldn’t hear it. He pushed the “Uptown Girl” singer to sing on it. During the same interview, he recalled, “I’m like, ‘Dude, you’ve got to get in that booth.’ And he was like, ‘Okay, I’ll give it a shot.’”
After singing the song, Joel was uncharacteristically pleased. “Usually the first thought I would have would be, ‘Oh my God, Bill Joel’s singing it. I don’t want to hear him,” he explained. “And I listened back, and I didn’t hate it. And that’s maybe one of the first times that’s ever happened to me. I thought, ‘That’s absolutely not bad. I don’t hate the singer,’ and it was a complete turnaround for me,” he recalled.
Featured Image by Derek White/Getty Images for ABA
