Supplied note - not independently verified
Joel's experiences as a lounge pianist
View background statusBilly Joel
19 catalog entries, grouped by year.
ARTIST ESSENTIALS
Explore Artist EssentialsBilly Joel: a curated listening guide
Begin with piano storytelling and bright pop, then follow the band into jazz colors, character sketches and quieter ballads.
50 selections with release evidence; 35 beyond the yearly lists.
About Billy Joel
Billy Joel grew up on Long Island and built a recording career around singing, songwriting and piano. His music moves between rock songs and ballads, often drawing on familiar lives and everyday settings. The Stranger, released in 1977, began an important recording partnership with producer Phil Ramone. Later albums such as The Nylon Curtain and An Innocent Man show different approaches to arrangement and popular-song traditions within the same solo career.
Artist background sources
Billy Joel - official career timeline
Long Island upbringing, 1977 The Stranger and Phil Ramone partnership, The Nylon Curtain and An Innocent Man chronology. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Billy Joel - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Piano-centered rock and ballads, songwriting and everyday subject matter. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Profile reviewed: 2026-10-17. Artist background does not establish a song's creative origin or release date.
1974
1978
Supplied note - not independently verified
Joel wrote this song as a birthday gift for his first wife, Elizabeth.
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Joel was inspired by the aspirations and struggles of working-class New Yorkers.
View background status1979
Supplied note - not independently verified
Asserting independence and personal choices
View background status1980
Supplied note - not independently verified
A Latin-influenced pop song with cryptic lyrics.
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Joel's commentary on the ever-changing trends in rock music and fashion.
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A rocker about embracing one's wild side and imperfections.
View background status1982
Supplied note - not independently verified
A song about the stresses of modern life and expectations.
View background status1983
Supplied note - not independently verified
About the decline of the manufacturing industry in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
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Written in the style of 1960s Motown music.
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Inspired by Joel's relationship with model Christie Brinkley, whom he later married.
View background status1984
Supplied note - not independently verified
Joel was inspired by his relationship with model Christie Brinkley and his return to a more innocent state of love.
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Joel was inspired by his love for doo-wop music and his then-wife Christie Brinkley.
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Inspired by Joel's relationship with model Christie Brinkley, whom he later married.
View background status1986
Supplied note - not independently verified
Written for the movie "Ruthless People," this song celebrates the strength and independence of modern women.
View background status1989
Documented songwriting inspiration
The idea followed a conversation with a young friend of Sean Lennon who considered the 1950s uneventful compared with his own times. Joel answered by assembling historical references across the four decades since his...
Read background and sources1990
Supplied note - not independently verified
Joel's manic-depressive tendencies
View background statusDocumented songwriting inspiration
The idea followed a conversation with a young friend of Sean Lennon who considered the 1950s uneventful compared with his own times. Joel answered by assembling historical references across the four decades since his...
Read background and sources1993
Supplied note - not independently verified
Joel's exploration of faith and spirituality, inspired by a vivid dream he had.
View background statusALL 66 ANNUAL COLLECTIONS
Browse by year
1960-2025. Each year contains 150 selections.