BILLY JOEL 100. Today: #2. Concludes-  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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JUST THE WAY YOU ARE

If ‘The Stranger’ turned Billy into a serious musical contender, one of its tracks raised his profile to new heights. That song was “Just The Way You Are”. In many ways, it was this love song that made a wider audience aware of Billy Joel. It is hard to imagine now, but the track was almost culled from the parent album. Billy was convinced his ballad inspired his wife Elizabeth was too “soppy”. Producer Phil Ramone believed the song belonged on ‘The Stranger’. He invited Linda Ronstadt and Phoebe Snow into the studio to hear it. They both recognized the song’s potential and finally persuaded Billy to include it. Just as well too, as “Just The Way You Are” peaked at #3 in America and topped the US Adult Contemporary Chart. In Britain, the disc was a Top 20 hit. The single also reached the Top 10 in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Billy collected the Grammy Awards for Record and Song of the Year for his “soppy ballad”. It remains one of his signature songs.

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