Billy Joel – Two Generations of Songs

With songs like Uptown Girl and Tell Her About It from 1983, it was a bit difficult to imagine that Billy Joel was actually a product of the 1970s. Writing in a time when songs still had a story to tell and the loudest sound was the voice of the singer, I was surprised that he was able to make the transition to the 1980s.

Music from the 1970s

Music that evolved quite a bit over the years. I remember the days of wide collars and bell-bottom plants that the music was accompanied by either a guitar or a piano. The words were quite complicated, hardly saying the same thing often telling a story.

And the voices would take center stage, with the instruments would never drown them out by working in the background. So the quality of the a singer’s voice had to really be good.

And I hated it.

Yes, growing up in the 1980s meant avoiding wide collars, wider ties, and even wider pants like the plague. It meant shunning corduroy, polyester, and never ever saying words like cats, chicks, and groovy. And it certainly included the music that came with all of that era.

[Yes, I’m really glad that time was over.]

Music from the 1980s

It has been interesting to hear how musicians have incorporated everything from xylophones to birds and ocean sounds in their music. And I remember that by the late 1970s, it was being used in a whole new breed of songs.

But it was only in the early 1980s that it began to take off. Songs like Enola Gay of OMD and Tainted Love by Soft Cell made them distinctive. Other notable songs included Whip It by Devo, Just Can’t Get Enough by Depeche Mode, and Don’t You Want Me by The Human League. However, some people argue that it may have been Duran Duran that took the gloves off for the 1980s use of the synthesizer.

And with this new sound, the art of telling a story began to be lost. Voices also lost center stage, with instrument volumes being the same or much louder a singer’s voice.

And I loved it.

Growing up in the 1980s meant button down collars, narrow ties, and tight pants. It also meant using words that our parents used when they were growing up 30 years earlier.

[Although the I can’t see myself wearing tight pants ever again.]

Music from Billy Joel

Interestingly, Billy Joel is one of a handful of singers who was able to make the transition from the 70s to the 80s and all the way to the 1990s.

Having been born on May 9, 1949, he’s actually more of a product of the 1960s as this is when he would have hit his teenage years. Yet, he was popular during the 70s, 80s, and part of the 90s. However, if you listen to his songs from the first two decades, you may be able to notice when things began to change.

His Songs from the 70s

His first album was Piano Man, which was released in 1973. Of all the songs I have listened to, the song with the same title is probably the most complex. As far as the story is concerned, it is quite complicated for a song. One of the more complicated songs I have come across is Frank Sinatra’s Summer Wind; Piano Man maybe even more complex to sing.

Other great songs from that decade include “She’s Always a Woman,” “Honesty,” My Life,” “Big Shot,” and “Just the Way You Are.”

His Songs from the 80s

To be honest, I never heard of Billy Joel till “Sometimes a Fantasy” came out. And even then, I just remembered the song and not the singer. As far as I was concerned, this set the stage for other songs like “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me,” which was a heck of a homage to the rock and roll years.

But it was “Tell Her About It” that cemented Billy Joel’s name in my psyche. The timing of that song, which coincided with those days of young love, was perfect. This was then followed by “Uptown Girl” and the very romantic “Leave a Tender Moment Alone.”

By the time the 80s ended, it was closed out by “I Go to Extremes.” And from the sound of it, the song culminated his transition to the 80s as Billy Joel’s voice was now at the same level as the instruments around it.

But if this may have signaled the change, the song “We Didn’t Start the Fire” may have been the one to cement it. While it is quite a lively song, some may argue that it’s being a mishmash of events that took place between 1949 and 1989 is reflective of the 1990s or even the 2000s lack of focus.

His Songs from the 90s

I was beginning to get tired of music by the 1990s and didn’t really listen to much during this period. Perhaps it was fatigue or maybe it was because the time had come to finally buckle down and begin taking life seriously that kept me off the radio.

So when River of Dreams came out, it didn’t make much of an impact on me. Fortunately, it was part of the CD set I was listening to a while ago. My initial impression was that it is quite an uplifting song without being sappy.

[Which makes it quite good, actually.]

Final Thoughts

One of the signs that a person is getting wiser is when he begins to look back at older music with a new found appreciation. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m one of those guys; I just think I’m getting old.

[Ouch.]

Billy Joel, who should be a product of the 1960s has a career that spanned three decades of creativity. Looking back at the 80s, he provided some really upbeat songs that became a part of growing up by 80s Babies.

But it is his songs from the 70s that may have been his best work. His song “Piano Man” is amazing. It is a story with complicated words strung out in a song. And as he sings it, his voice is crystal clear above the accompanying instruments.

Being able to string that all together requires a lot of talent. And the only other person I know who has had such success is Frank Sinatra when he sang “Summer Wind.”

If you would like to take a trip down memory lane, grab a copy of Billy Joel’s music. If you grew up in the 80s, you may enjoy reliving your youth once more. And if you’re from the 70s, you can enjoy a time in music history where the singer, not the instruments, the computer, or the choreography, was king.