BILLY JOEL 100. Today: #25-21. 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…

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25

THIS NIGHT

“This Night” continues the nostalgic feel that encompasses the ‘An Innocent Man’ album. For this track, Billy drew inspiration from Beethoven (the chorus) and doo wop groups.

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24

PRESSURE

Billy cannot be accused of repeating himself. He instinctively knew when and how to shift musical gears as he approached the recording sessions for each new album project. Phil Ramone was enlisted for ‘The Nylon Curtain’. Billy retained regular band members Liberty DeVitto on drums and bassist Doug Segmeyer. This new LP would see Billy utilise new technology such as the Prophet-5 synth and the Synclaver II. “Pressure” was the album’s biggest hit, reaching the Top 20 in America, Canada and Australia.

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23

UNTIL THE NIGHT

“Until The Night” is the epic track included on ‘52^nd Street’. Billy wrote it as a tribute to Phil Spector’s Wall Of Sound and particularly the classic “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” by The Righteous Brothers. Bill Medley of the duo covered the song in 1981.

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22

ALL FOR LEYNA

“All For Leyna” is about an obsession for a woman that makes everything else meaningless. This is declared in the lyrics: “I’m failing in school, losing my friends, making my family lose their minds. I don’t wanna eat, I don’t wanna sleep, I only want Leyna…” It is one of the best tracks on ‘Glass Houses’.

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21

ROSALINDA’S EYES

Billy’s father Howard (Helmut Joel) escaped Nazi Germany and resided in Cuba before moving to America. There, he met and eventually married Rosalind. When his parents separated, Howard returned to Europe. Rosalind raised Billy as a single mother. “Rosalinda’s Eyes” is his tribute to her. The ‘52^nd Street’ track has a Latin feel.

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Hear the songs as updated on this blog via the new Spotify playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2rYz7gZBJy1zHNoITZ8HwV?si=7ba2b1960f404546