BILLY JOEL 100. Today: #80-76. More-  tomorrow.

Caffè Lattè presents:

THE 100 MOST ESSENTIAL SONGS BY

BILLY JOEL

William Martin Joel was born in The Bronx, New York in 1949. He grew up on Long Island and began studying the piano in 1953. Billy joined his first band 10 years later. In 1971, he signed a recording contract as a soloist. That year, he released his solo debut album. Since then, his music has been the soundtrack for countless fans.

Here are 100 of his best works…

🎙

80

STATE OF GRACE

“State Of Grace” is a track on the ‘Storm Front’ album which reached #1 in America and Australia.

🎹

79

WHERE’S THE ORCHESTRA?

Fans of Billy Joel the balladeer had to wait until the closing track on ‘The Nylon Curtain’ where they were satiated with “Where’s The Orchestra?”. This song is in sharp contrast to the bulk of the songs on the LP.

🎹

78

NO MAN’S LAND

“No Man’s Land” is the opening track on the ‘River Of Dreams’ album. The song is Billy’s angry commentary on the urban sprawl. Included among its verses are lyrics such as: “I’ve seen those big machines come rolling through the quiet pines, blue suits and bankers with their Volvos”.

🎹

77

KEEPING THE FAITH

Seven singles were lifted off ‘An Innocent Man’. “Keeping The Faith” was one of the last. Billy was so popular at the time, the single peaked at #18 in America.

🎹

76

EVERYBODY HAS A DREAM

1977’s ‘The Stranger’ album finally established Billy as a respected performer. Each track is worthy and showcases another dimension of his immense talent as a singer/ songwriter. Its closing song “Everybody Has A Dream” has a gospel feel. Richard Tee shines on the organ. Background vocals were contributed by Phoebe Snow, Lani Groves, Gwen Guthrie and Patti Austin.

🎹