Free Thinker Posted June 29, 2005 Report Share Posted June 29, 2005 Billy Joel rocks! I love the simplicity his songs have; they are fun and honest at the same time. I think his best album is "An Innocent Man". (Click on the link and here samples of his songs!) If I had to pick one song I liked the best from his work, it would have to be "The Longest Time". The Longest Time An Innocent Man Released: 1983 Oh, oh, oh For the longest time Oh, oh, oh For the longest time If you said goodbye to me tonight There would still be music left to write What else could I do I'm so inspired by you That hasn't happened for the longest time Once I thought my innocence was gone Now I know that happiness goes on That's where you found me When you put your arms around me I haven't been there for the longest time Oh, oh, oh For the longest time Oh, oh, oh For the longest time I'm that voice you're hearing in the hall And the greatest miracle of all Is how I need you And how you needed me too That hasn't happened for the longest time Maybe this won't last very long But you feel so right And I could be wrong Maybe I've been hoping too hard But I've gone this far And it's more that I hoped for Who knows how much further we'll go on Maybe I'll be sorry when you're gone I'll take my chances I forgot how nice romance is I haven't been there for the longest time I had second thoughts at the start I said to myself Hold on to your heart Now I know the woman that you are You're wonderful so far And it's more that I hoped for I don't care what consequence it brings I have been a fool for lesser things I want you so bad I think you ought to know that I intend to hold you for The longest time Here a site with searchable lyrics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPW Posted June 29, 2005 Report Share Posted June 29, 2005 Yes! Billy Joel is certainly one of my top favorite artists as well (although his best album, without a doubt, was The Stranger ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Thinker Posted June 29, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2005 Yes! Billy Joel is certainly one of my top favorite artists as well (although his best album, without a doubt, was The Stranger ). What are some of your favorite songs off that record? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Thinker Posted June 29, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2005 When you click on the link "An Innocent Man", search Innocent Man, then click on the first link. Underlined, under the title "Longest Time", will be "An Innocent Man". Click on that, and you are there.....Or else you go could to Amazon.com and find the exact same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPW Posted June 30, 2005 Report Share Posted June 30, 2005 (edited) What are some of your favorite songs off that record? I love them all, but my favorites would be Vienna, Only The Good Die Young, and Movin' Out. Edited November 28, 2005 by Free Thinker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myself Posted July 1, 2005 Report Share Posted July 1, 2005 I also like the song the album was named after, "The Stranger". The song is about the secret part in all people which is never shared, the proverbial "stranger" to everyone else. The song talks about relationships where neither shares that private part of themselves and that this is the reason relationships fail. In the end the song says that even though the "stranger" cannot make for a lasting relationship, in the end you succumb to your desire for the unknown, the dangerous, rather than the familiar. In other words the mystery of a person attracts another, but ultimately can end a relationship. The actual singing is as always outstanding and the melody is very interesting. Well we all have a face That we hide away forever And we take them out and Show ourselves When everyone has gone Some are satin some are steel Some are silk and some are leather They’re the faces of the stranger But we love to try them on Well we all fall in love But we disregard the danger Though we share so many secrets There are some we never tell Why were you so surprised That you never saw the stranger Did you ever let your lover see The stranger in yourself? Don’t be afraid to try again Everyone goes south Every now and then You’ve done it, why can’t Someone else? You should know by now You’ve been there yourself Once I used to believe I was such a great romancer Then I came home to a woman That I could not recognize When I pressed her for a reason She refused to even answer It was then I felt the stranger Kick me right between the eyes Well we all fall in love But we disregard the danger Though we share so many secrets There are some we never tell Why were you so surprised That you never saw the stranger Did you ever let your lover see The stranger in yourself? Don’t be afraid to try again Everyone goes south Every now and then You’ve done it why can’t Someone else? You should know by now You’ve been there yourself You may never understand How the stranger is inspired But he isn’t always evil And he isn’t always wrong Though you drown in good intentions You will never quench the fire You’ll give in to your desire When the stranger comes along. "Only the Good Die Young" is also one of my favorite Billy Joel songs and is philosophically very sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Thinker Posted July 1, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2005 Great! I will have to check that out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Little Posted July 1, 2005 Report Share Posted July 1, 2005 The great thing about Billy Joel is that he can do so many different types of music. It's especially fun to hear him copy someone else's style. "For the Longest Time", for instance, is straight out of 50's do-wop, and "Uptown Girl" is a perfect ripoff of the Four Seasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thales Posted July 1, 2005 Report Share Posted July 1, 2005 The great thing about Billy Joel is that he can do so many different types of music. It's especially fun to hear him copy someone else's style. "For the Longest Time", for instance, is straight out of 50's do-wop, and "Uptown Girl" is a perfect ripoff of the Four Seasons. You mean as in Vivaldi?? Really? Joel likes to tell stories in song. I have to go with Piano Man as my favorite Billy Joel song. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yes Posted July 3, 2005 Report Share Posted July 3, 2005 (edited) Billy Joel rocks! I love the simplicity his songs have; they are fun and honest at the same time. I think his best album is "An Innocent Man". I intend to hold you for The longest time Here a site with searchable lyrics. That is one of his most interesting albums. In that album, he draws from the styles of 50's and 60's pop artists. In your favorite song, he draws from doo-wop. I've always liked Billy Joel. Edited November 28, 2005 by Free Thinker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaloNoble6 Posted July 3, 2005 Report Share Posted July 3, 2005 He's a great artist, too bad he's fought and lost against alcoholism his entire life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Thinker Posted July 4, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2005 That is one of his most interesting albums. In that album, he draws from the styles of 50's and 60's pop artists. In your favorite song, he draws from doo-wop. I've always liked Billy Joel. I really like do-wop. His music videos are also really funny. I can't seem to find complete versions of them on the internet; although I know he has a DVD that features his songs on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristopherSchlegel Posted July 4, 2005 Report Share Posted July 4, 2005 Yes! Billy Joel is certainly one of my top favorite artists as well (although his best album, without a doubt, was The Stranger ). I love earlier Joel like this. Also find & check out "Root Beer Rag", wonderful little instrumental! But his real strength was his vivid story telling & characters in his early work ("Piano Man, "Moving Out", "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant", "New York State of Mind", "Honesty", "She's Always a Woman", etc. geez what a list!). He is one of the few living pop writers capable of writing on the kind of timeless level of Gershwin, Porter or Berlin. Unfortunately, after he married the model girl he decided he was a guitar player, he started making cookie cutter videos & his songwriting (in my estimation) became quite banal, at least relative to that stunning earlier work. Very much the same thing as Elton John, although he was never quite as good as Joel. & now that I am typing this it occurs to me that Stevie Wonder was also capable of brilliance in his early career but at a certain point stopped creating at that same level. ..."Uptown Girl" is a perfect ripoff of the Four Seasons. You mean as in Vivaldi?? Really? No as in Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons see example on TowerRecords. Although...for an ironic twist on all of this...a few years ago Joel wrote some Romantic/Classical pieces & had them performed, recorded by a classical pianist. Joel's Classical CD on TowerRecords. I have not heard the whole thing yet but what I have heard is quite beautiful & stongly Romantic (i.e. 19th century - Chopin, Schubert, etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thales Posted July 4, 2005 Report Share Posted July 4, 2005 (edited) Unfortunately, after he married the model girl Christy Brinkley... a pure babe. She was also in Vacation with Chevy Chase. No as in Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons Yeah, I know that now. That's the power of the web. I did a web search and determined this after I posted. What can I say. I know almost nothing about Frankie Valli. Although, I'd have been more impressed if it were Vivaldi! Edited July 4, 2005 by Thales Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristopherSchlegel Posted July 4, 2005 Report Share Posted July 4, 2005 ...What can I say. I know almost nothing about Frankie Valli. I apologize if my post was taken the wrong way. I did not in anyway intend to ridicule due to lack of knowledge. I really did just think it was humorous. Although, I'd have been more impressed if it were Vivaldi! Me, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thales Posted July 4, 2005 Report Share Posted July 4, 2005 I apologize if my post was taken the wrong way. I did not in anyway intend to ridicule due to lack of knowledge. I really did just think it was humorous. No offense taken! Funny is funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristopherSchlegel Posted July 4, 2005 Report Share Posted July 4, 2005 No offense taken! Funny is funny. OK, I'm glad; thanks! Anyway, for whatever it's worth, it's not like you were missing a great deal of value in your life by not knowing about Frankie Valli, eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Thinker Posted July 4, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2005 Anyway, for whatever it's worth, it's not like you were missing a great deal of value in your life by not knowing about Frankie Valli, eh? Who is Frankie Vallie? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Little Posted July 5, 2005 Report Share Posted July 5, 2005 (edited) Who is Frankie Vallie? Frankie Valli (note correct spelling) was the lead singer for a group called the Four Seasons, who recorded a number of hits in the 1960's (when I was a teenager listening to Top 40 radio). They had a distinctive style; probably its most distinctive feature was Valli's heavy use of falsetto. Edited November 28, 2005 by Free Thinker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Thinker Posted July 5, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2005 Frankie Valli (note correct spelling) was the lead singer for a group called the Four Seasons, who recorded a number of hits in the 1960's (when I was a teenager listening to Top 40 radio). They had a distinctive style; probably its most distinctive feature was Valli's heavy use of falsetto. Oh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The General Posted July 10, 2005 Report Share Posted July 10, 2005 Great thread! I also love Billy Joel, even his more recent stuff (though I agree with Christopher that his older stuff was the best). Some of his other good songs not mentioned: "Just the Way You Are", "Goodnight Saigon", "We Didn't Start the Fire" and "Tell Her About It". As for Frankie Valley, come on guys, he was pretty good. Granted nothing sophisticated, but I loved listening to his stuff in my late teen years. Some of his great songs were Dawn, Rag Doll, Working My Way Back to You Babe, and later in his career, Oh, What A Night. There's more, but they don't come to mind right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Thinker Posted July 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2005 Some of his other good songs not mentioned: "Just the Way You Are", "Goodnight Saigon", "We Didn't Start the Fire" and "Tell Her About It". "We Didn't Start the Fire"? I think that song was terrible!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myself Posted July 10, 2005 Report Share Posted July 10, 2005 I didn't particularly like this song either. Basically it lists events of the 20th century, good and bad and labels these actions as "the fire". Which is true, all human progress or destruction is the result of the "fire within" which makes us human. He then goes on about how he tried to fight it (stop human progress). In the last chorus he ends with a solipsistic remark about whether it will "be here" when we're gone. I would have like this song better if it simply mentioned the bad rather than mixing "Marilyn Monroe" with "Joseph Stalin". Lyrically he rhymed them well and the tune is catchy, but if you think about it - kind of disturbing. Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe Rosenbergs, H-bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom Brando, "The King and I" and "The Catcher in the Rye" Eisenhower, vaccine, England's got a new queen Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye CHORUS We didn't start the fire It was always burning Since the world's been turning We didn't start the fire No we didn't light it But we tried to fight it Joseph Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser aand Prokofiev Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc Roy hn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, dacron Dien Bien Phu falls, "Rock Around the Clock" Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn's got a winning team Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Krushchev Princess Grace, "Peyton Place", trouble in the Suez CHORUS Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac Sputnik, Chou En-Lai, "Bridge on the River Kwai" Lebanon, Charlse de Gaulle, California baseball Starkweather, homicide, children of thalidomide Buddy Holly, "Ben Hur", space monkey, Mafia Hula hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-go U-2, Syngman Rhee, payola and Kennedy Chubby Checker, "Psycho", Belgians in the Congo CHORUS Hemingway, Eichmann, "Stranger in a Strange Land" Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasion "Lawrence of Arabia", British Beatlemania Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British politician sex JFK, blown away, what else do I have to say CHORUS Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back again Moonshot, Woodsto, Watergate, punk rock Begin, Reagan, Palestine, terror on the airline Ayatollah's in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan "Wheel of Fortune", Sally Ride, heavy metal, suicide Foreign debts, homeless vets, AIDS, crack, Bernie Goetz Hypodermics on the shores, China's under martial law Rock and roller cola wars, I can't take it anymore CHORUS We didn't start the fire But when we are gone Will it still burn on, and on, and on, and on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Thinker Posted July 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2005 I didn't particularly like this song either. I suppose the lyrics do suck....but I thought the melody of the song was annoying. I really only like BJ's earlier stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristopherSchlegel Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 (edited) Great thread! I also love Billy Joel, even his more recent stuff (though I agree with Christopher that his older stuff was the best). Some of his other good songs not mentioned: "Just the Way You Are", "Goodnight Saigon", "We Didn't Start the Fire" and "Tell Her About It". I realize this is a matter of personal taste ... but I just don't think the last 3 tunes you mention come anywhere near the beauty of "Just The Way You Are". I suppose it possible that I love the early stuff so much it's hard for me to accept or appreciate the later stuff. As for Frankie Valley, come on guys, he was pretty good... OK, OK. I don't have anything against Valli. Just to clarify though, it was in contrast to Vivaldi, which was how the issue was raised earlier in the thread. So maybe I was being too hard on Frankie . "We Didn't Start the Fire"? I think that song was terrible!! I agree; philosophically & musically. I didn't particularly like this song either. Basically it lists events of the 20th century... Good breakdown, Myself, though in my estimation I don't think the song is even catchy. I realize this is a personal issue, though. I suppose the lyrics do suck....but I thought the melody of the song was annoying. I really only like BJ's earlier stuff. I second that! Edited November 28, 2005 by Free Thinker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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