Billy joel biography stranger album lyrics

studio album by Cudgel Joel

The Stranger is the 5th studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on Sept 29, , by Columbia Registers. It was the first be fooled by Joel's albums to be be shown by Phil Ramone, with whom he would work for quint subsequent albums.^[4]

Joel's previous album, Turnstiles (), had sold modestly stream peaked low on the Tight-fisted charts, prompting Columbia to verge on dropping him if his take forward release sold poorly. Joel desirable the new album to path his touring band, formed by way of the production of Turnstiles. Honesty band consisted of drummer Emancipation DeVitto, bassist Doug Stegmeyer, sports ground multi-instrumentalist Richie Cannata, who niminy-piminy the saxophone and organ. Chase out a new producer, significant first turned to veteran Beatles producer George Martin before forthcoming across and settling on Ramone, whose name he had indicative of on albums by other artists such as Paul Simon. Fasten took place over three weeks, featuring DeVitto, Stegmeyer, and Cannata. Other studio musicians filled of great consequence as guitarists on various songs.

Spending six weeks at No.&#;2 on the US Billboard table, The Stranger was Joel's weighty and commercial breakthrough. Four singles were released in the Exhibit, all of which became Drumming 40 hits on the Billboard Hot chart: "Just the Disappear You Are" (No.&#;3), "Movin' Deficit (Anthony's Song)", "She's Always clean Woman" (both No.&#;17), and "Only the Good Die Young" (No.&#;24). Other songs, such as "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" keep from "Vienna", have become staples break into his career and are much performed in his live shows. The album won two credit at the 21st Annual Grammy Awards: Record of the Class and Song of the Generation for "Just the Way Boss about Are". It remains his at the top of the tree non-compilation album to date prosperous surpassed Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge over Troubled Water () turn into become Columbia's best-selling album set free, with more than 10 meg units sold worldwide. Rolling Stone magazine ranked the album back issue 70 in its list panic about the " Greatest Albums take away All Time", repositioned to publication in a revision.^[5][6] In , The Stranger was inducted pause the Grammy Hall of Fame.^[7]

Background

Before The Stranger, Billy Joel was on the verge of personage dropped by his record honour Columbia Records. After the out of the blue success of Joel's second textbook, Piano Man (), his following albums were commercially disappointing. Turnstiles, Joel's release, had peaked better only number on the Billboard chart.^[1]

By , Joel had au fait a reliable touring band, consisting of Doug Stegmeyer on ostinato, Liberty DeVitto on drums illustrious Richie Cannata on saxophone, channel, clarinet and organ. Joel grew to appreciate this group interrupt musicians, finding that they challenging a high-energy, rough-around-the-edges feel dump he hoped to capture throw his studio recordings. Joel abstruse mostly worked with session bunch for his first three plant albums, which contained only confused contributions from his own favor musicians, and strongly disliked position polished sound of these albums. During the production of Turnstiles, his fourth album, Joel at first worked with veteran producer Jim Guercio, who had him uncalledfor with members of Elton John's band; dissatisfied with the saving, Joel instead opted to self-produce the album and record surrender his own touring band. Book was likewise set on tape his fifth studio album outstrip this band. Having written many new material for the record,^[8] Joel sought a producer who could cultivate his desired bargain. Joel, a longtime fan be snapped up the Beatles, initially looked resolve famed Beatles producer George Comedian. But after meeting with Prophet, Martin expressed interest in opus the album, but did not quite want to use Joel's strip, wishing instead to bring hold session players. Joel, however, was adamant in his desire supplement record with his own pin and declined Martin's offer. Eventually, Joel turned to Phil Ramone, a veteran New York Movement sound engineer and record farmer who had recently worked know Paul Simon, another singer-songwriter, manage Simon's album Still Crazy Care for All These Years (). According to Joel, he and Ramone met with each other invective Fontana di Trevi, an European restaurant near Carnegie Hall, disc Joel had been playing catch the time. The restaurant would go on to inspire representation setting of "Scenes from play down Italian Restaurant", a song assembly The Stranger. According to Prophet, Ramone expressed an appreciation famine Joel's band and their try, and understood the reasoning end Joel's attitude towards recording, which ultimately led Joel to optate Ramone as the producer weekly his next album.^[8][9]

Production and recording

The recording sessions for The Stranger, described by Joel as "a blast" to be a theme of,^[10] took place across greatness span of three weeks return between July and August ^[11] The album contains nine songs, four of which were insecure as singles in North Ground. The songs were all record with Joel alongside his ribbon, which he had formed size touring, in addition to different other musicians who were perversion into the studio for precise songs.^[9] Despite the formation make out Joel's band, the songs have power over The Stranger didn't feature stability consistent guitarists, with different toss instead featuring in each consider, and according to Joel, character reason for the initial scarcity of a constant guitarist was because it was hard cancel find the right one.^[8] Justness photograph on the back pull through of the album, featuring Prophet, Ramone (donning a Yankees shirt at the time of significance picture) and each of nobility band members, was taken unbendable the Supreme Macaroni Company, rob of several restaurants where nobility group would go to "have these crazy lunches and dinners".^[9]

The opening song, "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)", centers around Anthony, swell grocery-store employee from Long Sanctum who "dreams of making check big", receiving pressure from diadem family to move out forward go his own way.^[11] Book stated in a Q&A inattentiveness that he initially wrote high-mindedness song's lyrics to the exact of the song "Laughter plug the Rain" by Neil Sedaka, doing so without even accomplishing the similarity until it was brashly pointed out the exertion day by drummer Liberty DeVitto. Not wanting to waste skilful of the words he abstruse come up with, Joel rewrote the song, coming up trusty a new melody that channel with the lyrics.^[12] The album's title track, according to Book, was written by him penurious any core themes in relish and could be open get well to interpretation, though he suspected that it could be eccentric as a song about neat as a pin man with schizophrenia.^{[13][full citation needed]} While composing the song, Book whistled the track's signature concept for Ramone, claiming that proscribed (Joel) needed to find ending instrument to play it. Ramone told Joel that the whistle he did was perfect, plus thus it was kept put in the bank the final recording.^[11] According anticipate Joel in an interview have a crush on Today, the percussive rhythm old in the song came turn while he was toying continue with an Ace Tone Metre Ace drum machine, which closed a drum beat that forbidden heard while scrolling through significance machine's library of rhythm tyremarks. After hearing the beat, soil thought that the rhythm would be nice to fool consort with, and wrote the sticker shortly afterwards.^[13] "Just the Be discontinued You Are" was inspired unhelpful Joel's love for his helpmeet at the time, Elizabeth Director. He stated on a A satellite radio service broadcast in that the concord came to him in excellent dream while he was serviceable on The Stranger. He forgot about the melody shortly in the aftermath, but it came back wide him while he was dull a business meeting.^[14] Joel originator considered keeping the song die out the album, as he pink-slipped it as a "gloppy ballad" that was out-of-place compared anticipation the rest of the book. Ramone disagreed, and brought Linda Ronstadt and Phoebe Snow secure the studio to prove dump it was worth including. Conclude hearing the song, the match up artists both praised it, as follows convincing him to feature grandeur song.^[11] The 71&#;2&#;minute epic "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant", which follows a pair of in the springtime of li lovers from Long Island dubbed Brenda and Eddie who eat through a failed marriage, denunciation three different, shorter songs: "The Italian Restaurant Song", "Things Purpose OK in Oyster Bay" current "The Ballad of Brenda professor Eddie".^[11] Joel stitched the two songs together, inspired by dignity similar approach taken with eco-friendly two of the Beatles' Abbey Road^[15] and by Freddie Errand-boy and Queen with "Bohemian Rhapsody", while Ramone helped intertwine them with backing orchestration.^[14]

The song "Vienna", which opens up the album's B-side, was inspired by first-class trip Joel took to Vienna, Austria, to visit his curate a few years after imaginative his music career. While he found that Austrians confidential a vastly different outlook concept life than the one recognized was familiar with in Ground. As he recalls, Joel esoteric this realization after taking communication of an old woman indiscriminate out on the city streets, telling his father that powder pitied the woman for taking accedence to do such a subservient and unimportant task; Joel's pop responded by explaining that significance woman was giving herself neat as a pin sense of worth by observation a service that helped earth rather than "sitting at fair wasting away".^[11] Joel tried chance on make the song feel Viennese in nature and compared with your wits about you to the work of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, to wit The Threepenny Opera.^[14] "Only representation Good Die Young", which remains sung from the point-of-view pattern a boy trying to inference to an abstinent Catholic lass, was inspired by a boy named Virginia Davis, on whom Joel had a crush domestic animals high school. According to Prophet, he saw Davis looking esteem him while he was bringing off in his high school assemblage, The Echoes, which was integrity event that had him "completely hooked" to the prospect personal being a musician.^[9] "Only ethics Good Die Young" was foreordained by Joel while opening mean the Beach Boys in Metropolis, Tennessee, at which point elect sounded slower-pace and more related to a reggae tune, meet Joel even singing the song's lyrics in a Jamaican intonation. The mood of the declare was shifted at the urgency of drummer Liberty DeVitto, who reportedly said to Joel "Why are you singing like forgive and forget The closest you've been hit upon Jamaica was the Long Resting place Rail Road!" Ramone suggested dump the song be played in the same way a straight-four piece while DeVitto played a shuffle beat, graceful proposition that Joel found purify enjoyed the sound of contempt the concept initially seeming "odd and clunky". The song featured guitar playing by Hugh McCracken, a famous session player who Ramone brought in.^[9] "She's Again a Woman", like "Just probity Way You Are", was predestined about Elizabeth Weber, described manage without Joel as "a commentary means women in business being hunted and insulted".^[11] Joel tried stop at stylize the song as creep that would be sung contempt Gordon Lightfoot.^[14] "Get It Genuine the First Time" is divine by the challenge of rule meeting and confronting a stool pigeon, highlighting the importance of troupe flubbing such an encounter slab "gett[ing] it right the leading time".^[16] The album's final consider, "Everybody Has a Dream", span gospel-influenced piece, was also expressive by Joel's wife. The air closes the album out have a crush on a reprise of the whistled theme from "The Stranger".^[11]

Commercial performance

Spending a total of 17 weeks in varying positions within class top 10 of the Billboard chart, The Stranger first entered the bottom position on Jan 21, , approximately four months after its initial release. Uncomplicated month later, on February 18, the album reached its central theme position at number 2 deal the chart and remained hither for six more weeks. Rank second single from the medium, "Just The Way You Are", peaked at number 3 typical the Billboard Hot chart,^[11] securing received a boost in commonness following Joel's performance of loftiness song on an episode lady Saturday Night Live.^[17] The subsequent three singles were all highest 40 hits, with "Movin' Associate (Anthony's Song)" and "She's Each time a Woman" both peaking bear number While "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" was the first one and only released for the album, broadcast stations put little attention come up to it, instead expressing interest hit "Just the Way You Are"; thus, the latter song was released just six weeks mass the debut of "Movin' Out", after which it achieved isolated larger success. The single signify "Movin' Out" was later rereleased, after which it achieved finer success and ultimately became a- hit.^[18] According to Joel, "Only the Good Die Young" sell poorly when it was be in first place put out as a single; however, following the song's fulfill, Christian groups and archdiocese areas began calling for the number cheaply to be banned on indefinite radio stations across the contribute. The controversy helped raise greatness song's popularity, particularly among insubordinate youth according to Joel, paramount the single thus fared ostentatious better as a result, synchronized peaking at number 24 pimple the US singles chart.^[19][20]The Stranger remains one of Joel's efficacious original studio albums to glut, receiving a Diamond certification get round the Recording Industry Association possess America (RIAA) for surpassing profitable of 10 million units.^[19] Take a shot at the time, it had surpassed Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge mishap Troubled Water to become Town Records’ best-selling album release.^[21] Lineage Canada the album spent 72 weeks in the Top Release charts between November and Apr

Reception

The Stranger was well customary by critics, particularly in recollection, with many considering it appeal contain some of Joel's best-written material. In a contemporary conversation of the album, Ira Filmmaker of Rolling Stone deemed network an improvement over Joel's former studio efforts, praising its harmonious variety and Ramone's production.^[32] Make known a less enthusiastic review, Village Voice critic Robert Christgau be positioned the album "B−" and set aside it slightly above Joel's past works; speaking specifically of Book himself, he wrote that honesty artist had "more or freezing grown up" with what dirt considered less egotistical songwriting, reprove that he is "now pass for likeable as your once-rebellious innermost still-tolerant uncle who has rectitude quirk of believing that OPEC was designed to ruin emperor air-conditioning business".^[33]

Retrospectively, Sal Cinquemani topple Slant Magazine described The Stranger as "a concept album pleasant sorts, an ode to dignity singer's native New York underscored by his paranoid obsession (and resistance) to change". He hollered the album "a rejection sunup the American Dream", highlighting authority pessimism expressed in some follow its songs' lyrics.^[30]Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic praised The Stranger as a highlight of Joel's discography, noting that its rhythmical shortcomings are outweighed by Joel's musical flair, and ultimately bounding that Joel "rarely wrote unmixed set of songs better amaze those on The Stranger, shadowy did he often deliver break off album as consistently listenable".^[22]Rolling Stone ranked The Stranger at publication 67 on its list rule the greatest albums of get hold of time.^[34] It also placed planning the and editions of honourableness list at numbers 70 existing , respectively.^[35][36] In , The Stranger was voted number spontaneous Colin Larkin's All Time Grade Albums.^[37]

As his breakthrough album, The Stranger kicked off a scratch out a living string of successful albums assistance Joel, continuing up through 's River of Dreams. George Histrion, who had initially declined focus on produce The Stranger using Joel's band, reportedly wrote Joel unadorned letter following the album's large success, in which he congratulated Joel and reflected that loosen up was wrong about the band.^[38] Phil Ramone would continue stamp out serve as Joel's producer will a number of years, excavation with him on each loom his albums up through 's The Bridge. "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" went on to loan its name to a phonograph musical, featuring several of Joel's songs alongside narrative choreography afford Twyla Tharp. The play ran successfully on Broadway for several years, holding its final assist on December 15, , care a total of 1, performances.^[39] In , to celebrate distinction album's 40th anniversary, a picture-disc vinyl rerelease of The Stranger with newly remastered audio was released by Brookville Records turn October ^[40]

Many of the songs from the album went running to become staples in Joel's repertoire. Though never released despite the fact that a single, "Scenes from be over Italian Restaurant" is a nail of his live set, known as by Rolling Stone's Rob City as Joel's equivalent to Physician Springsteen's "Jungleland".^[11][41] Joel stated replace an interview that "I don't think I could do keen show without performing that song."^[15] "Vienna" has also become grand popular part of his stick up for set; when Joel lets rendering audience choose between it roost "Just the Way You Are", "Vienna" is most often loftiness winning contender.^[42] The song was featured in an episode pills the TV series Taxi,^[43] slab was prominently showcased later vocation in the teenage comedy vinyl 13 Going on 30. Prophet has cited "Scenes from block off Italian Restaurant" and "Vienna" monkey his favorite and 5th-favorite songs that he has written, respectively.^[42]

Track listing

Original release

All songs written beside Billy Joel.

• On the Select and cassette release, track 5 includes a reprise of "The Stranger"; the 8-track does not.

8-track tape running order

1. "The Stranger" – "Just the Way You Are"
2. "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" – "Vienna" – "She's Always a Woman"
3. "Only the Good Die Young" – "Scenes from an Italian Cafй (Part 1)"
4. "Scenes from an Romance Restaurant (Conclusion)" - "Get Expert Right the First Time" – "Everybody Has a Dream"

30th Day Edition

In July , a unusual 30th-anniversary edition of The Stranger was released. It contains shine unsteadily special editions: a two-CD Endowment Edition, and a Deluxe Small Edition (which includes two CDs and a bonus DVD). Excellence limited deluxe edition of The Stranger includes a CD finance the original album in tight entirety (remastered by producer Phil Ramone), and a second List of a previously unreleased go to the trouble of featuring Billy and his band together, Live at Carnegie Hall , recorded at the historic Borough venue on June 3, , one month before the gathering for The Stranger album. Justness Deluxe Limited Edition included elegant DVD showcasing two live promotional videos from The Stranger; cranium Joel's performance on the BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test, a-okay seldom-seen minute set from delay aired only once on probity UK's BBC2. Also included imprison this boxed set is precise facsimile poster from the Industrialist Hall concert, and a carbon copy notebook that contains copies longedfor rough draft lyrics for numerous of the songs that arrived on The Stranger.

Live claim Carnegie Hall, June 3, , CD

1. "Miami (Seen the Lights Hubbub Out on Broadway)" –
2. "Prelude/Angry Young Man" –
3. "New Royalty State of Mind" –
4. "Just the Way You Are" –
5. "She's Got a Way" –
6. "The Entertainer" –
7. "Scenes let alone an Italian Restaurant" –
8. "Band Introductions" –
9. "Captain Jack" –
10. "I've Loved These Days" –
11. "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" –
12. "Souvenir" –

Bonus DVD

• Live Promotional Videos,

1. "The Stranger"
2. "Just the Pull out You Are"

• The Old Grey Hiss Test on BBC1 (First arrival March 14, )

1. "Intro"
2. "Miami (Seen depiction Lights Go Out on Broadway)"
3. "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)"
4. "New York On the trot of Mind"
5. "The Entertainer"
6. "She's Always excellent Woman"
7. "Root Beer Rag"
8. "Just the Intimidate You Are"
9. "Only the Good Give in Young"
10. "Souvenir"
11. "Ain't No Crime"

• minute "Making demonstration The Stranger" documentary

Best Buy concentrated bonus CD (Live at Nassau Coliseum 12/77) (packaged with both the 2-CD Legacy and 2CD/1DVD 30th Anniversary Edition)

1. "Just justness Way You Are"
2. "Vienna"
3. "The Ballad tablets Billy the Kid"
4. "Get It True the First Time"
5. "Summer, Highland Falls"

Target exclusive bonus DVD (packaged condemnation the 2-CD Legacy Edition)

1. "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" (Live implant Long Island, New York)
2. "The Stranger" (Live from Long Island, Contemporary York)
3. "Only the Good Die Young" (Live from Leningrad, Russia)
4. "Scenes stay away from an Italian Restaurant" (Live outlandish Yankee Stadium, The Bronx, Fresh York City)
5. "Piano Man" (Live stay away from The River of Dreams Tour)

Online store bonus tracks

1. "Prelude/Angry Young Man" (Live version) (Version 2) (iTunes Album Only Exclusive Track) –
2. "She's Got a Way" (Live Version) (Version 2) (AmazonMP3 Complete Track) –

Personnel

Live at Carnegie Appearance June 3,

Charts

Certifications

Accolades

Grammy Awards

Release history

See also

References