We all listen as Billy Joel's songs tell it like it is.
Original music creations that invite us into his life,
Seep into our minds with lyrics that hit like a fist-
We smirk, gasp, and cry, scored by his poetic knife.
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Billy Joel's attire, albums, and photos resemble a piano,
A study in black and white, often unsmiling and sullen.
Indeed, bittersweet songs mix happiness with sorrow,
Like the kindness and cruelty in "She's Always a Woman."
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Born in the Bronx, Joel puts us in a "New York State of Mind."
He wrote "Captain Jack" while gazing out his bedroom window-
Looking for song inspiration, saw the biggest loser he could find,
Blew our minds with tawdry lyrics of an addict's life so narrow:
Your sister's gone out, she's on a date,
And you just sit at home and masturbate....
You've got everything but nothin's cool,
They've just found your father in the swimming pool.
And you guess you won't be going back to school
Anymore....
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Opposite imagery from Joel's black and white keys abounds-
"The Entertainer" sends out messages he both caresses and pounds:
Today I am your champion, I may have won your hearts,
But I know the game, you'll forget my name,
I won't be here in another year, if I don't stay on the charts.
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The moving words of "The Stranger," the popular album's title song,
Gives us the best look into the talented artist we've known so long:
Well we all fall in love, but we disregard the danger,
Though we share so many secrets, there are some we never tell.
Why were you so surprised that you never saw the stranger?
Did you ever let your lover see the stranger in yourself?
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Billy Joel has earned a Grammy Award and
Induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Having written several classical songs and
Orchestral ballads, the music world won't forget his name.
Joel still performs for various benefits, and tours with other artists.
I hope you will enjoy the video I've chosen, a favorite song of mine,
"Scenes from an Italian Restaurant," mixed live appearance clips.