Part one of the new two-part Billy Joel documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, gets its TV premiere on Friday, July 18, on HBO Max. Now, a first trailer from the in-depth profile of the Piano Man has debuted online.
Videos by American Songwriter
The promo offers a variety of brief clips from the movie and snippets of commentary from Joel, as well as from Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Pink.
The trailer begins with archival footage of Joel playing “Piano Man,” as Billy reflects in a voice-over, “Sometimes it’s alien to me, this guy Billy Joel. I don’t know who that is or what that is. I’m reminded of it when I go walk on the street. Oh, right, I’m that guy.”
Later in the video, McCartney and Springsteen praise Joel’s musical talents in brief separate interview segments. The Beatles legend comments, “When I first heard Billy, it was like, ‘Wait a minute, who’s this?’” while the Boss adds with a laugh, “Billy’s melodies are better than mine.”
Other Highlights from the Trailer
The trailer also showcases snippets from the documentary that touch on various periods and aspects of Joel’s life and career.
In one segment, Joel remarks, “My own history as a musician started with me hearing classical music.” He then plays a bit of his 1983 hit “Uptown Girl” on piano, and suggests that “it could have been a Mozart piece.”
The trailer also briefly features Joel commenting about one of the inspirations for “Uptown Girl,” supermodel Christie Brinkley, who became his second wife.
“Here I am dating this supermodel,” Joel declares, incredulously. “Me? I’m from Hicksville [n suburban Long Island] .”
Another segment features Billy reflecting on his family history, including the impact the Holocaust had on his ancestors.
“There’s an underlying rage. They wiped out my family,” he notes. “I’m still trying to put the pieces together.”
Joel also touches on his relationship with his father, who moved to Europe after divorcing his mother when Joel was young.
“I didn’t know my father at all from eight years old until I was in my twenties,” he says. “I’ve had a lot of hard lessons in my life.” In the same segment, Joel also admits that despite his success, he struggled with his self-worth.
Yet another segment features Joel talking about the serious motorcycle accident he had in 1982 that almost derailed his career.
“I hit the pavement. Kaboom,” Billy shares. “I was amazed that I was still alive.”
As the trailer winds down, Joel is heard commenting about what inspires his songs.
“If there was a skeleton key to unlocking what’s behind the songs, it’s my relationships with others,” he says. “I think music saved my life. It gave me a reason to live. Everything I’ve done and everything I’ve lived through has somehow found its way into my music.”
More About Billy Joel: And So It Goes
Parts one and two of Billy Joel: And So It Goes will debut, respectively, on July 18 and July 25 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Both parts run two hours and 24 minutes.
An official synopsis for And So It Goes explains that the film offers “an expansive portrait of the life and music of Billy Joel, exploring the love, loss, and personal struggles that fuel his songwriting.” The movie features “never-before-seen performances, home movies, and personal photographs, along with extensive, in-depth one-on-one interviews.”
The film is crafted around in-depth exclusive conversations with the Piano Man. The documentary also features appearances by various other famous artists, and some of Joel’s family members, friends, and band members. The family members include current wife Alexis, daughter Alexa Ray, and ex-wives Elizabeth Weber, Brinkley, and Katie Lee. Among the famous musicians featured in the documentary are Sting, John Mellencamp, Garth Brooks, and Nas, in addition to the aforementioned McCartney, Springsteen, and Pink.
More About Billy Joel
As previously reported, Joel was recently diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, a rare brain disorder brought on by an excess of cerebrospinal fluid collecting in the brain. As a result of the diagnosis—and the ongoing issues with hearing, vision, and balance that it presents—Joel canceled all of his upcoming tour dates.
In May, Alexa Ray Joel posted a message on her Instagram noting that her father was “entirely committed to making a full recovery with ongoing physical-therapy treatments as he continues to regain his strength.”
(Photo by Art Maillet/Sony Music Archives/HBO)
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