Men, Score the Joel Lyrics

I didn't think I would get this worked up defending Billy Joel but I still don't see how anyone can doubt his greatness. Is there an award he hasn't won? A hall of fame related to music he is not in? How many guys wrote their greatest hits and are excellent performers. Most everyone I know, besides maybe a few on this forum, can identify with him and like him.

Quote: Pacomartin

Joel figured Paul would never finish because he was always in the bar. It's not clear if he was single.
]

The lyric says he never had time for
a wife, meaning he was single.

The lyric about Davy contains the
one tipoff word, 'still' in the Navy.
Joel implies he's 'still' in the Navy
because he's pathetic and can't
find a real job, so he'll probably
stay in the Navy 'for life', like it's
a prison sentence.

Saying the writer never had time for
a wife might mean he was Gay, why
add it otherwise.

I guess it's just my evil mind that led me to the conclusion. It's telling, though, that I gave Joel credit for being more creative than he actually was.

Here's another great article about
BJ, written by a music teacher.

"I hate Billy Joel. It’s grown from severe dislike to hatred. Pure, simple.
His songs are irritating – he has, perhaps ironically, used his frustration as a struggling download-1bar-room hack to create the ultimate annoyance: a song that will forever be sung by bar-room hacks. And he’s been a has-been for longer than he was ever a big star; a terrible career curve. One without acumen, one without ethos – without drive or innovation." https://offthetracks.co.nz/i-hate-billy-joel-music-for-music-teachers/

His career did pretty much end in 1985.
You can't compare him in any way to
Bob Dillon, to even try is ridiculous.

Quote: FrGamble

I didn't think I would get this worked up defending Billy Joel but I still don't see how anyone can doubt his greatness. Is there an award he hasn't won? A hall of fame related to music he is not in? How many guys wrote their greatest hits and are excellent performers. Most everyone I know, besides maybe a few on this forum, can identify with him and like him.

BTW, I thought you were right about Piano Man.

Imagine everyone telling writers they had a grudge against an area just because they wrote a grimy tale based in a real city. Artists take some poetic license. Some lyrics are a slave to melody and verse rather than actual truth.

The best songs always have some truth in them, as people can relate to it, but doesn't mean they are always strictly true.

Paul Simon said he wrote songs where he didn't like what he had to say, because it revealed truth about himself he didn't like. But he knew it would be a good choice anyway because it was authentic.

Quote: rxwine

Artists take some poetic license.

Another good article about BJ and
why he's a hack. This person liked
him at one time, I hated Piano Jerk
so much that I never did like him.

..as I got more into artists like Tom Waits and The Smiths, I began to realize what a f-ing cornball Billy Joel was. And as I developed a deeper appreciation for the lyrical wordplay and the musical genius of Warren Zevon and Steely Dan, I started to see that Billy Joel was a hack, a rip-off artist of the highest caliber. It’s one thing to pay homage to someone who inspired you–it’s another thing to water down their songs to make them palatable for khaki-wearing middle managers to listen to on their way to Lowes to look at, (but not buy!) doorknobs for home improvement projects they will never actually get around to doing." https://libbycudmore.com/2016/04/13/true-confessions-billy-joel-edition/

For me, BJ is a hack on the level of a
Barry Manilow, but I don't hate Barry.
I hate BJ..

From the comment section:

"I think his whole “I can’t write pop songs anymore” schtick is just a mask for his apparent alcoholism... I can’t write pop songs anymore because I’ve never written pop songs, just cliched garbage, is more likely."

I just figured people played it to death in your juke box in your bar. Did you break the record eventually?

Quote: rxwine

I just figured people played it to death in your juke box in your bar. Did you break the record eventually?

No BJ, no Manilow, no Paul Simon.
Mostly country stuff, that's what
drunks want to hear. Dolly Parton,
a bunch of Willie Nelson.

I really hated his version of Georgia
on My Mind and they played it all
the time. Ick.. Drunks feel sorry for
themselves, they love country music.

Listening to it now, it's not bad. I
think I hated it because I heard it
hundreds of times, like a radio DJ.

Do we really want to start posting these obscure links to people who have gone off the deep end concerning BJ. We could post enough positive articles about Billy Joel to crash the website.

Quote: rxwine

I just figured people played it to death in your juke box in your bar.

You got me to thinking, trying to remember
the songs that I had. Kenny Rogers was huge,
Drinkin and Drivin by Johnny Paycheck, George
Jones, Tammy Wynette. Loretta Lynn. And I
really don't care for country, but the bar customers
loved it.

They loved this, I had to replace it they played
it so much. My god, how times have changed.