Our Ten Best-Episode 10: Billy Joel Sleeper Hits

joelFor over 35 years, Billy Joel has mystified audiences with his unique sound and amazing songwriting abilities. Songs like Piano Man, We Didn’t Start the Fire, Allentown and Captain Jack have cemented his spot as one of the top rock artists of all time, but there’s much more to the Long Island-native’s sound than that.

Here’s a list [in no particular order] of 10 great songs by the man that you may have missed over the years, but are just as great.

You’re My Home-
Easily one of his best love songs, the words alone are amazingly soulful. The sound is even better, as it features melodically intertwined guitar and piano work. However, the song didn’t hit its stride until it was released on his live CD, Songs in the Attic. Once it appeared there though, it was obvious, it was a classic. Its western timbre turns off close-minded listeners, but those who can appreciate great lyrics and multi-layered sound will love it.

Miami 2017 [I Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway]- Another song that was performed better on The Songs in the Attic album than anywhere else, this song tells a fictional tale of what Joel believes the fate of the world to be and how New York City is affected by the disaster. Among many things, seeing the Yankees being sold for free and the mafia taking over Mexico make this one of the best-penned songs of Joel’s career. Possessing a ballad-like theme at first, the song picks up its pace after the first two minutes and becomes a much smoother and energized track.

“Tomorrow is Today”- A song off Joel’s debut album, which is about a 1970 incident where he tried to commit suicide by drinking furniture polish, it’s a prelude to the great lyrics fans would experience for the next 30-plus years. Sure, the sound isn’t as eclectic and rich as what we’d experience from him in the ’80s, but it’s a special song that captures a moment in everyone’s life where things weren’t perfect and we needed and deserved a pick me up.

“What’s the use of dreamin’, when tomorrow is today?”

Listening to this song, that’s what.

The Ballad of Billy the Kid- A great ballad that seems to be more about Billy Joel than Billy the Kid that also is performed well on The Songs in the Attic. Another song that features a Western-style, it shows Joel’s versatility on the piano and vocals.

Rosalinda’s Eyes-
Adopting a Spanish-accent for the song, Joel writes another satisfying love song that is equally as catchy as it is witty. A gem on the stellar 52st Street album, it’s perhaps one of the best songs on the disc. That says something when some of the other tracks on the album are Honesty and My Life.

All for Leyna- A hidden gem on Glass Houses, All for Leyna is a solid love song, but it sounds like a less mature love song than we’re accustomed to from him. Nevertheless, with tanging guitar riffs and Joel’s pounding on the piano, this is an enjoyable track.

I Go To Extremes-
An upbeat track on his Storm Front album, this song features Joel with a much huskier voice, but when combined with fun instrumentals, the song stands the test of time.

Summer, Highland Falls – Easily one of Joel’s best penned tracks, the words of Summer, Highland Falls can easily make someone cry. A touching opus to love and loss, this song is a sleeper classic that every love-scorned heart should hear at least once.

I’ve Loved These Days- Much like “Summer Highland Falls, I’ve Loved These Days is a tale of love and loss, but is a bit more positive towards the end. Joel talks about the mistakes we all make in life, but how in the end they make us stronger people. Also showcasing some stellar piano work, the song is another great ballad that has seemingly passed the public goodbye.

Everybody Loves You Now-
“Baby all the lights are turned on you. Now you’re in the center of the stage.” What a great opening to a catchy tune. A sarcastic rant with fun vocals and speedy piano, it’s another great song that has disappeared from the radio.

enablingThere have been so many under-appreciated songs by Billy Joel that you can have a compendium of B sides equal in length to his greatest hits albums. The song Sleeping With The Television On” from Glasshouses definitely qualifies. With its experimentation in synthesized sound and lyrics such as Tonight unless you take some kind of chances dear/Tomorrow morning you’ll wake up with the white noise,” sung in multi-layered harmonies, it’s no wonder that he has had such a long career.

Temptation from The Bridge is also a little-known gem. Piano and saxophone merge to create a mood in which the lyrics emphasize how the urgent needs of Joel’s are satisfied on several levels. It makes you understand that “There’s a danger in wanting too much, but you don’t care if you’re with a person who makes you feel the way the man feels in this song about his woman.

-Donna-Lyn Washington

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

1 Comment

  1. Totally agreed with all of these picks! Nicely done!! I actually want to find my Billy Joel Greatest Hits CD now! :)

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