A Year Of Billy Joel

A Year Of Billy Joel Has Ended But It’s Not Gone

Happy New Year, I hope that your 2013 is going well. While A Year of Billy Joel is behind us the music that made this project possible is not. While I have no more songs to cover I will still be updating here occasionally with relevant stuff and a few wrap up posts. The first of these wrap up posts is a long promised list of my favorite songs.

During the course of 2012 I listened to every song Billy Joel has written and released and I obviously liked some more than others; but which songs did I like best?

That is a simple question with a slightly more complicated answer. As I survey the Billy Joel songbook today I realize that the list of songs I think are the best and the list of songs I am most likely to listen to are slightly different. These days I listen to music most often when I am driving or when I am running, two situations when I want to move as fast as possible and I try to choose music that suits that goal. When I listen to music in the comfort of my own home (which happens regularly but not as often) I tend to go with a more varied playlist.

Here are two completely subjective and likely to change lists that reflect my feelings about these songs today. I’ve listed the songs alphabetically because I don’t want you to mistake this for a ranking.

My 10 Favorite Billy Joel Songs (as of January 2013)

All For Leyna - One of the keys to understanding the depth of the Billy Joel catalog and a great song.

Great Wall of China - An underrated gem from River of Dreams.

Miami 2017 (Seen The Light’s Go Out On Broadway) - My favorite of all of the theatrical epics in the Billy Joel catalog.

Rosalinda’s Eyes - I realized how much I liked this when I caught it in a Freaks & Geeks episode while re-watching it recently.

Say Goodbye To Hollywood - An homage that manages to outdo the source material.

Scenes From An Italian Restaurant - Note for note, the most Billy Joel you can pack into one song

The Longest Time - A timeless and delightful song.

Vienna - The Billy Joel song that most sticks with me now.

Where’s The Orchestra -Another one that I identify with, sometimes more than others. 

You May Be Right - My favorite Billy Joel jam, the song I’d most likely sing if forced to sing a Billy Joel song at karaoke.

The Next Five: Allentown, Always a Woman, Honesty, New York State of Mind, Summer Highland Falls

The Ten Songs For Running and Driving

Big Shot

Close To The Borderline

Don’t Ask Me Why

It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me

Los Angelenos

Matter of Trust

Scenes From An Italian Restaurant

The River of Dreams

Travelin’ Prayer

You May Be Right

The Next Five: Ain’t No Crime, Movin’ Out, No Man’s Land, Sometimes A Fantasy, Zanzibar

There are many other good songs that would fit nicely on either of these lists but for today these are my choices. The beauty of music is that I don’t have to stick to these forever. Feel free to make your own list or state your case for a particular song.