Billy Joel: And So It Goes (2025) s01e01 Episode Script

(birds squawking)
(gentle piano music playing)
Billy Joel:
When I was young,
I worked on an oyster boat.
I used to look up
at this mansion on the hill
and wonder
what it would be like
to live in
a house like that.
I used to think,
"They're rich bastards.
They never had to work
a day in their life."
Well, I own that house now.
It's not finished yet.
And neither am I.
(audience cheering)
Thank you. Good evening
to you, New York City!
(cheering and applauding)
("The Stranger" playing)
The most original thing
I've ever done in my life
is screw up.
But that's not
necessarily a bad thing.
I once asked
a truly great chef
how he got to be so good.
He said,
"It's all in the recovery,
how you correct
your mistakes."
(whistling)
I think there's a lot
of hard-won wisdom
that comes with that.
Everything I've done
and everything
I've lived through,
it somehow found its way
into my music.
(whistling continues)
crew member:
We're rolling.
Okay, sound three?
(upbeat music playing)
Billy: There's no rockstars
that come
from a place
called Hicksville, you know?
One thing led to another
and it became "Billy Joel."
nice white dress ♪
And a party
on your confirmation ♪
I was tired
of being stereotyped.
Tired of being pigeonholed.
It was just time
to do something different.
Don't take any shit
from anybody.
(upbeat rock music playing)
I do not want to live!
Whoa, oh, oh, oh ♪
-Billy: Hello.
-fan: Are you the man
-singing "Uptown Girl?"
-That's me.
Sing us a song
you're the piano man ♪
Sing us a song ♪
I think if you lose sight
of where you come from,
you don't know
who you are anymore.
for a melody ♪
Love can make you
write music,
but heartbreak can do
the same thing.
It can be
a pretty nasty business.
I mean, this is not
the Boy Scouts.
This is the music business.
I am the entertainer ♪
Conan O'Brien: One of the most
successful recording artists
of all time.
The one,
the great Billy Joel.
Mr. Billy Joel!
-Billy Joel.
-Billy Joel.
Billy Joel!
(gentle piano music playing)
(people chattering)
Billy: I've never been
comfortable on camera.
When you know
you're on camera,
like right now,
there's a little bit
of uptight thing going on.
It's like, I can't escape.
I can't hide behind the piano.
(piano music playing)
I don't think of myself
as a rock star.
I'm a musician,
and I tend to want
to hide within the band.
I'm comfortable with them.
I gained all
the weight you lost.
-(all laugh)
-That's where it went.
They know me.
I know them.
This is heavier
than I remember.
You wanna take it home
with you?
And we refer
to people who aren't
in our gang as civilians.
If you're not in our gang,
you're a civilian.
Somebody's got
to get a tape or video
of me playing, how much
bullshit I'm playing.
(laughter)
I enjoy working
with the musicians.
I enjoy playing music
for an audience.
We held the concert
out in Brooklyn ♪
To watch
the island bridges blow ♪
But to create music
on a quality scale
consistently,
you have to be
completely dedicated,
to the detriment
of almost everything else.
Two, three, four.
(upbeat music playing)
She stood on the tracks ♪
-Somebody has to sing.
-Somebody else It overlaps.
And she never ♪
Billy: You have to give up
other things.
You give up a certain amount
of your life.
(drum beats)
(cymbals crashing)
Let me see
what it sounds like.
-But if you're enjoying it
-Okay.
Billy: you don't realize
how much life's going by.
("We Didn't Start The Fire"
playing on speakers)
I started playing in bands
when I was a kid.
What I wanted to do was
be able to make a living,
not necessarily become
a millionaire
or travel the world.
I just wanted to be able
to pay the bills.
To me, that was success.
But with my success,
I'm not always comfortable
with it.
Sometimes it's alien to me.
This guy, Billy Joel.
I-I-I don't know who that is
or what that is.
I'm reminded of it
when I go walk on the streets
and somebody goes,
"Oh, Billy Joel."
Oh, right. I'm that guy.
Somehow I did it.
I came up with these songs.
But ever since I was
a little kid,
music was the goal.
People think of me as a,
an urban guy
from New York City.
I'm not. I'm a guy from
a small town in Long Island.
And back in the day,
in the mid '60s,
it seemed like everybody
in my neighborhood
was in a band.
First band I was in,
we were called
the Lost Souls
from Long Island.
The first songs I wrote
were bad Beatles songs.
That was the state
of the art at the time.
We were all trying
to be The Beatles.
Well, I climb
the highest mountain ♪
And I swim
the deepest sea ♪
This was like when I was
in junior high school,
and I was actually
making money
by playing the piano
and having a great time.
I said, "Wait a minute,
this is what
I'm going to do."
So I-I've had a head start.
Like, I knew
what I wanted to do
since the time I was 14.
interviewer:
How much success did you have
with your first band?
Well, obviously, they're
a household name now,
-aren't they?
-(laughter)
Jon Small:
Back in the '60s,
the Long Island rock scene
was tremendous.
Now I may drive ♪
Jon: I was in a band
called The Hassles,
and we just lost
our keyboard player.
And Billy came in
with his guys,
and I saw him perform.
Reflections floating ♪
Through this
phantom light ♪
Jon: And it was so corny,
it was just ridiculous.
It was the way
he was dressed,
and he got down on one knee
and sang a song.
But it was
a home run to me.
And I said, look.
This guy's good.
And I said to him,
"So look, we'd really like you
to join The Hassles."
the day you left me ♪
And he goes,
"I can't join your band.
"These are my brothers.
I love these guys.
I'm not going anywhere."
And I saw
I was losing the battle.
So, I said,
"Well, look, we'll give you
this Hammond B3 organ
if you join the band.
Billy: Any of the big bands
on the Island
usually would end up
getting a Hammond B3.
I had never gotten to work
on a Hammond B3.
That was my dream organ.
But it was a couple
of thousand dollars,
and I just couldn't
afford one.
Jon: And I said to Billy,
"Well, if you join our band,
I'll give you
that Hammond B3 organ.
And he, like,
just looks and goes,
"Fuck those guys, I'm in."
(organ music playing)
♪♪
Jon: None of the guys
in the band had money,
but Billy had no money.
I mean, there was poor,
and then there was
Billy Joel poor.
You know, he was lucky
if he had
enough money to buy
a pack of cigarettes.
♪♪
Billy:
I didn't have a car,
so I couldn't drive anywhere.
So I depended on Jon
to pick me up
and take me
wherever we were going,
when it was time to rehearse
or time to do a gig.
Jon: I remember the first time
I met his mom, Roz,
Billy says to her,
"See, that's what
I want to look like."
And she looks at me.
I had hair down to here.
And she goes, "Great."
But I thought she was
the best stage mother
you could have.
All she did is root
for her son.
She knew from the beginning
that he had it.
So we hit it off.
We were like a pig
in a blanket.
He was the pig,
and I was the blanket.
We did everything together.
I could tell
you don't need me ♪
Billy:
So Jon and I got very close.
And became very friendly
with his wife, Elizabeth.
Jon: I was married
to Elizabeth Weber.
I was very young
when I got married.
Elizabeth Weber:
He worked in a band,
and I was a student.
I was pregnant.
And I told Jon Small
that we were getting married.
And so, I met Bill
for the first time in 1967.
And he was 17.
He was shy. He was a
little bit on the quiet side.
But even when he was
a teenager,
he was a very hard worker,
and he knew that
that's what it would take.
And I saw evidence
of that from,
you know,
almost the very beginning.
Jon: Back then, his whole life
was the band.
I was die hard,
hardcore musician.
♪♪
I don't know
what you got ♪
Jon:
So we had a lead singer,
but Billy could sing
the pants off that guy.
And, eventually, Billy sang
most of the songs
that people came
to see us for.
♪♪
Billy: The Hassles
were basically a cover band,
a jukebox band.
We played what the hits
of the day were.
But we wanted some songs
that could be considered
Hassles songs.
We had learned
if you're going to be
a successful recording group,
you have to have
original material.
You can't just keep doing
cover records.
So I just started
writing a lot.
"Every Step I Take."
That was the single
for The Hassles.
Every step I take
every move I make ♪
I'm trying to escape
my life without you ♪
♪♪
Jon: That was the first song
he wrote with The Hassles,
which became
a number one hit
on the Long Island stations.
Everything I do ♪
Elizabeth:
That was the first time
a single was on the radio.
Everyone in my town knew it.
They all called
each other up.
They were driving
down the street
with their windows open,
and they'd say,
"Turn on the radio!"
Every step I take
every move I make ♪
I'm trying to escape
my life without you ♪
Jon: And we used to pack
all these places.
So we were like
little rock stars back then.
It was funny, you know?
Everybody knew who you were.
Brian Ruggles: The Hassles,
I saw them in '67.
What I liked
about Billy was
he was an amazing
organ player.
A Hammond B3.
He could rock
the house with that alone.
And just his voice
was incredible.
A picture
of your face before ♪
Billy:
The Hassles were signed
to a record label,
United Artists.
Made a little noise locally
and when we went as far
as New Jersey,
you know, like, we were
on tour in New Jersey.
We went
across the bridge. Wow!
Every move I make ♪
I'm trying to escape
my life without you ♪
Billy: You get better
when you play
in front of an audience
because they boo you
if they don't like you.
Especially on Long Island
and New York,
they don't hold back.
So it was our school.
I learned a lot in that band.
Billy (on radio): This is
Billy Joel of The Hassles.
Now we'd like to do
one of our favorite numbers,
and we hope it'll be
one of your favorites.
♪♪
(band vocalizing)
Jon: With all bands,
you always have arguments
about the creative way
you're going.
Amongst The Hassles,
only Billy
and I were as serious.
Me and Billy,
we were in sync
and the other guys weren't.
And then we realized that we
didn't need the other guys.
So we left The Hassles.
Elizabeth: Jon and Bill,
they were very serious.
They wanted to advance
their musical career.
And we had this great idea.
Rehearsal space is very
expensive, hard to find.
And so why don't we get
a place together?
And then there'd be
a place to rehearse.
And that place became
the Rock House.
Jon: It was a house that was
all made of cobblestones.
And it was Elizabeth, me,
Billy, and my son Sean.
Billy: And, at that point,
we had all gotten very close.
And we started to talk
about making music.
And our favorite band
was Led Zeppelin.
("Good Times, Bad Times"
by Led Zeppelin playing)
Billy: Led Zeppelin's
first album came out.
It just pulverized me
when I heard this.
It was like hearing
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
for the first time.
In the days of my youth ♪
I was told what it means
to be a man ♪
Jon:
We liked Led Zeppelin.
We liked all
the heavy metal bands.
And now I've reached
that age, I've tried ♪
Jon: And we started
writing songs together,
and then we rehearsed it
in the basement.
Billy: We wanted to be
a heavy metal band.
But I'm not a guitar player.
I'm a keyboard player.
So I had to try
to figure out
how to wire an organ
through amplifiers.
♪♪
Jon:
And we rehearsed for hours,
hours playing nonsense.
(growls) A lot of distortion,
fuzz tone.
Jon:
But to us, it was great.
And then,
that turned into Attila.
Billy: Attila the Hun. We're
going to destroy the world
with amplification.
We just wanted to make
as much noise as possible.
Probably one of
the worst bands of all time.
Wonder Woman
with your skin so fair ♪
Wonder Woman
with your long red hair ♪
Da na da da ♪
You have the velvet touch ♪
Jon:
We got our first gig.
It was sold out
because it was advertised
as "Formerly
from The Hassles."
Billy: We drove people
out of the clubs.
We were so loud and bad.
Jon: The only guy good
was Billy,
and the only other guy
was me.
(chuckles)
I didn't know one person
who liked what we were doing.
It was really good.
I know he hates it,
but I loved it.
It was just like
(mimics drum beat)
pounding rock, you know.
Wonder Woman stole
my heart away ♪
Wonder Woman ♪
Billy:
We did a video with Attila,
and we were on the roller
coaster at Coney Island.
But I have no idea
why Attila got signed
to Epic Records.
Back in those days,
they were signing everybody.
If you had hair past
your collar, they signed you.
And we got signed.
I don't know what idiot
was responsible for that.
And they set us up
a photo session
to do the album cover,
and having meat carcasses
hanging around us.
Full beef hanging behind us.
Billy:
We were dressed like Huns.
Jon: And it was costumes
from the movie "Ben Hur."
Billy:
Fur and metal bracelets.
I walked into this photoshoot
and I said, oh, no.
Jon: It was literally
disgusting, but back then
we laughed at ourselves
more than anything.
It was just so funny,
you know.
And it was really a fun time
until it became
not a fun time.
Elizabeth was
very important to me,
but I think I was not the guy
she hoped I would be.
Elizabeth: Jon and I
were not a good fit.
We were very young,
and we didn't really know
much of anything,
and I got more
and more dissatisfied
with the life I was living.
And then things got,
uh, complicated.
(soft piano music playing)
Bill and I spent
a lot of time together.
And so we talked.
You can make me free ♪
You can make me smile ♪
You can make me be ♪
Like a little child
you can melt the ice ♪
Elizabeth: We'd walk up
and down the street,
and car rides and dinners.
When you just find someone
you're comfortable with
that can finish
your sentences
and know what you're thinking
without saying anything,
sometimes it's a slow build.
You can make me rise ♪
You can make me see
so open up my eyes ♪
Don't you know
my only real moments ♪
Are the ones
I spend with you ♪
Billy: We shared
a lot of experiences.
I fell in love.
And we went
into a relationship.
Jon: I kept seeing that Billy
was not the same guy.
Something was the matter.
And Billy one day
came up to me,
became a little honest
and said to me,
"I'm in love
with your wife."
So it was a very
devastating thing for me
because these were basically
my two best friends.
Billy: I felt very,
very guilty about it.
They had a child,
and I always felt
like a homewrecker.
Jon: He's crying and he's
telling me, "I feel so bad."
He didn't know
what to do about it.
How does he break
his best friend's heart?
But he said she was
so powerful to him
that it was worth it to lose
our friendship for it.
I was just in love
with a woman.
And I got punched
in the nose,
which I deserved.
You know, Jon was very upset.
I was very upset.
And that was
the end of Attila.
That was the end
of my relationship
wi-with Jon for a while.
And Elizabeth just took off.
So I left the Rock House.
I drank a lot.
Jon:
Billy is comatose.
Doesn't eat,
doesn't do anything.
And he kept
threatening me with,
"Yeah, I'm going
to kill myself."
Billy:
I had no place to live.
I was sleeping
in laundromats.
And I was depressed,
I think,
to the point
of almost being psychotic.
So I figured that's it.
I don't want to live anymore.
I've been livin' ♪
For the moment ♪
But I just can't have
my way ♪
Billy:
I was just in a lot of pain.
It was sort of like,
why hang out?
Tomorrow is going
to be just like today is,
and today sucks.
tomorrow is today ♪
So I just thought
I'd end it all.
People tell me ♪
Judy Molinari:
I was a medical assistant,
and Billy came to the office
and he was sitting
in the waiting room,
and he was very,
very d-depressed.
He said he can't sleep.
And so,
I gave him the pills.
And I said take one
or two at night
and you'll be able to sleep.
But Billy decided that he was
going to take all of them.
He was in a coma for days
and days and days.
And I went to see him
in the hospital,
and he was laying there
white as a sheet.
I don't have
to see tomorrow ♪
'Cause I ♪
I felt that I killed him.
Billy:
It was very selfish.
You know, I didn't think
about other people,
how it would impact them.
And then I remember
waking up in a hospital.
My first thought was,
I couldn't even do
this right.
You can't even do yourself in.
So I thought, I'm going
to try to do this again.
And what's the use
of always dreaming ♪
Judy: Billy was still
depressed after that,
and he was
at my mother's house.
And this time, he drank
a bottle of lemon Pledge.
Jon:
The second time, he drank
some type of cleaning fluid,
and I was the one that had
to get him in the hospital.
Billy: Even though
our friendship had blown up,
Jon saved my life.
Jon:
I mean, he never really
said anything to me.
The only practical answer
I could give
why Billy took it so hard
was because
he loved me that much
and that it killed him
to hurt me that much.
And eventually,
I forgave him.
I finally got over it,
you know,
where it was, like, okay.
He thought that
it was over for him,
and to me, he didn't
even start living yet.
Billy:
I went to my mom's house,
which to me was
an abject surrender.
You move back
into your parent's house,
you're a loser.
I didn't really know
what was going on with me.
At that point in my life,
I was just a lost soul.
And then I said that's it.
I got to go get
some psychiatric help.
So I checked into
an observation ward.
I remember the door
slamming shut,
and it had this clank
to it when it closed.
(grunts)
And I thought, "Oh, crap,
I'm really, like,
in the nuthouse."
And they gave me Thorazine.
And I would go over
to the nurses' station
and knock and say,
"Hey, I'm okay.
These people are crazy."
"Okay, Mr. Joel,
here's your pills."
They released me
after a couple of weeks,
and I felt chagrined.
These people had really
deep psychiatric problems.
I was just feeling sorry
for myself.
And I said, that's it.
I'm not going
to ever feel that sorry
for myself again.
And when they let me out,
I ran.
I just ran down the street.
Let me out of here.
I never looked back.
(gentle piano music playing)
I got out of
the observation ward,
and I thought to myself,
you can utilize
all those emotions to channel
that stuff into music.
Well, so here I am ♪
At the end of the road ♪
Where do I go
from here? ♪
And I was able to rent
an apartment in Oyster Bay.
It was just enough room
to fit the piano.
I used to sleep
under the piano,
as a matter of fact.
During that time,
I had a couple of songs
that I had written.
That I've got
to begin again ♪
Though I don't know
how to start ♪
Yes, I've got
to begin again ♪
And it's hard ♪
Billy:
So I was just writing songs
from a personal
point of view.
And there was a guy who
had been managing The Hassles
who decided he was going
to shop my songs around.
He ended up meeting
Michael Lang.
Michael Lang was
the promoter of Woodstock.
Kind of a hippie type.
And he had a record company
called Just Sunshine.
Denny Seiwell:
Michael Lang had
a terrific keen eye
for new talent.
And he said, "Here's
this demo of this kid
"that I'm thinking
about signing.
"And if you like him,
"I'm going to put you
in the studio
and you can produce
the album."
At the time, I was
the drummer in Wings
with Paul McCartney
and a brand new producer.
And I heard these demos
from Billy.
I almost fell
off my chair.
I said wow,
this is very special.
I am so sorry
that I bothered you ♪
Now I know
why I have to hide ♪
Denny: The passion
of his voice got me.
I didn't know what
you were going through ♪
All I could see
was my own side ♪
Denny: Especially after
you heard the lyrics.
Just tears
your heart right out.
Billy: So I got signed
to Just Sunshine Records
as a solo artist.
I couldn't believe
how lucky I was.
But that's how the whole
"Cold Spring Harbor" album
project started.
("Everybody Loves
You Now" playing)
Baby, all the lights
are turned on ♪
Denny: Billy's music
was nothing at all
like anything
that was coming out.
(mimicking piano notes)
He had these piano chops
like a classical piano player.
Billy's piano playing was
really uniquely astounding.
And you can always have
your way somehow ♪
'Cause everybody
loves you now ♪
Billy: I started to make
the album in New York.
During that time, I got
traded to another label.
Michael knew a guy named
Artie Ripp on the West Coast.
Artie had an artist
called Velvert Turner
who was like a Jimi Hendrix,
and Michael wanted that guy
on his label,
so there was kind of a swap.
It was like baseball trades.
I got traded
to the West Coast.
Bye, bye ♪
Artie Ripp: Michael Lang
plays me a tape.
He says, "The guy's name
is Billy Joel."
I said, "Boy,
this guy is terrific."
I said,
"Where is Billy now?"
He says, "Billy's broke.
"We don't understand
why nobody believes
and appreciates
Billy's genius."
And I said, "I'm glad
nobody else understood it.
"I'm glad you finally wound up
at the bottom with me.
We'll go to the top together."
Sandy Gibson:
In 1971,
I worked with Artie
at Family Records.
Billy came to Los Angeles
to record "Cold Spring Harbor"
at the Record Plant.
Rhys Clark:
Artie Ripp called me
up one night and said,
"I've got a kid
from Long Island coming out,
and I'm doing
an album on him."
And, um,
he said, "I want you
to play drums on it."
We met at Record Plant,
Studio A,
"Okay, let's get
on the instruments
and let's-let's play it."
Okay, we're rolling.
Rolling, number one,
"Turn Around."
Rhys: With Billy,
he had his material down,
and there wasn't
a whole lot to fine tweak.
All you had to do was bring
your contribution to it.
Turn around ♪
And I will sing
for you a song ♪
Jon: I remember
when they were recording
the "Cold Spring Harbor"
record
all the stuff I heard
just broke my heart.
I always thought
I'd be in the picture.
I mean, I felt
I should be there.
It was just really,
really hard.
And "Cold Spring Harbor,"
were a lot
of soft songs on that.
So you actually saw
the emotion
of this artist coming out.
("She's Got A Way" playing)
She's got a way about her ♪
I don't know what it is ♪
But I know that I can't
live without her ♪
But these were really
poetry songs.
And you could tell
from the lyrics
that he was really
in love with Elizabeth.
without a sound
she touches me ♪
And I get turned around ♪
Oh ♪
Judy: It was all
from Elizabeth leaving him
that he was so sad.
And he put it into music.
She's got a smile
that heals me ♪
Oh, I don't know
why it is ♪
But I have to laugh
when she reveals me ♪
Denny: That kid
that was just crushed
wrote a beautiful album.
It just poured out of him.
Life does things for you
that you can't do
for yourself sometimes.
but I know
that I can't live ♪
Without her anyway ♪
(vocalizes)
-Billy: You ready?
-Artie: Yup.
Billy: I was in the studio
recording my songs,
and Artie was producing.
And he would say,
"Sing it again.
Do another one,
sing another take."
-Ah ♪
-Artie: One more time.
Billy:
When you're here ♪
-Artie: One more time.
-Billy: Ah ♪
Artie: Okay, one more time.
Here we go.
I think I realized
right off the bat
he didn't know
what he was doing.
After three or four takes,
I start to hate the thing.
Artie: You can do one
better than that. Again.
Sandy: It was ridiculous
how many times
he made Billy do a take.
Artie: Standby, we're rolling.
This is, uh, Lionheart.
Ten, huh.
Here you go.
Sandy:
Billy was a quiet young man
in those years.
He didn't fight back
against Artie.
Billy:
That's all I got of that.
Artie:
Yeah, the front sucks.
Billy:
Yeah, I know.
Working with Artie,
it was like pulling teeth.
It wasn't fun.
I really didn't know what
it was supposed to be like.
I-I just heard crazy stories,
like everybody is nuts
in the music business,
and that's what
it seemed like to me.
And that's
that was what life was
for a couple of months.
("Falling of the Rain"
playing)
Once upon a time
in the land ♪
Rhys: When we'd finished
doing all the tracks,
Billy had gone back
to New York.
Then Artie
(chuckles) had free reign.
Sandy: The songs themselves
were fabulous,
but somehow he got
into the studio
with those songs,
and they became corrupted.
(tape fast-forwarding)
At the time,
some of the singles
would be formatted
to the two minute
30 slot for radio.
("Everybody Loves You Now"
playing)
The tape machine,
you can oscillate
and speed it up
just a little.
Now you're in the center
of the stage ♪
Now you're in the center
of the stage ♪
Everything revolves
on what you ♪
And so, it seems that
when they went and mastered,
they hadn't brought
the album track
back to regular speed.
Billy: When I first sat down
and listened
to the finished product,
I said this ain't right.
She's got a smile
that heals me ♪
It got screwed up,
and my voice came out
like a chipmunk
on that album.
But I have to laugh
when she reveals me ♪
I was humiliated.
I actually took the disk
that they gave me,
and I threw it like
a Frisbee down the street.
That's what I thought
it was worth,
thought it was
a piece of junk.
I'm so alienated
from that whole process.
I feel very distant from it
because it was such
an unpleasant experience.
But it was probably
around that time
that I started
to see Elizabeth again.
Elizabeth:
I remember he would pass
a cassette tape to my sister
to pass along to me.
(gentle piano music playing)
Hearing those songs
was overwhelming.
She's got a way about her ♪
Elizabeth:
It was stunning
that he could accomplish
something like that.
But I know that
I can't live without her ♪
And so, it had an impact.
I mean, it's
Yeah.
I don't know what it is ♪
Billy: It must have been
close to a year
that she wasn't around
at all.
And then she was
in my life again.
She's got a smile
that heals me ♪
So, Elizabeth and I rented
a place with some money
that Artie Ripp was giving me
on a monthly basis.
Elizabeth: We laughed
and we had fun
like we always did,
but our lives
really revolved
around his music
and what he wanted
to do with his life.
Billy: At that time,
I was supposed to be
on tour promoting the album.
I didn't even know
what promoting meant.
I just, "Play over there."
Okay. Went and played.
("Everybody Loves You Now"
playing)
So I would just be playing
in clubs
or showcases or conventions,
wherever I got booked.
We played The Troubadour.
I mean, that was like
the showcase place
in Los Angeles at the time.
Good evening.
Hello, hello.
A lot of people here
for the first show?
This is called
"Everybody Loves You Now."
(audience cheering)
See how all
the people ♪
Gather 'round ♪
Hey, isn't it a thrill
to see them crawl? ♪
Billy:
We had a great audience.
And after that,
there was a whole bunch
of attention paid to us.
Ah, this is what you wanted
ain't you proud? ♪
'Cause everybody
loves you now ♪
Rhys: And so, the
"Cold Spring Harbor" album
is getting
some good write-ups.
But we would get feedback
from fans and so forth
that they couldn't get
the album
because it wasn't
in the stores.
The fans who were turned
onto what we're doing here,
they can't go buy the record.
That's part of the process.
And so there was
distribution lacking here.
Come around
when you're feelin' low ♪
Billy: I went on tour for
over a year, kind of living
on peanut butter
and jelly sandwiches,
trying to promote this record
for this production company.
And I realized
I'm getting screwed.
Artie Ripp was supposed
to be sending me
a check every month,
and the check didn't come,
so I couldn't pay the rent,
and then we were locked
out of the house.
After, you know, all these
months and months of touring
and playing and performing,
nobody got paid.
I didn't get paid.
I couldn't pay the band.
There was nothing
to show for it.
been a long,
long night ♪
And there isn't
an end in ♪
Billy: With my first
record contract,
I gave up my publishing,
I gave up my copyrights,
I gave up
my record royalties,
everything but
my firstborn child, I think.
Just signed it all away.
And that's kind of par
for the course
for the music business
back in those days.
It-it was pretty rough.
(audience applauding)
So I said, you know,
this is ridiculous.
Let's go out to California.
Maybe I can figure this out.
Sean Weber-Small: You know,
my first real memory is when
we drove cross-country
to California,
in I think 1972.
And I remember my mom had
a Datsun station wagon
for the journey
of 3,000 miles.
You know, my life
up until that point,
there wasn't
a lot of stability.
But to me, as a five-year-old,
it was adventure.
I was going on an adventure
with my mother and with Billy.
♪♪
Elizabeth:
You know, we were young.
We both wanted adventures.
And Bill was
offering me something
that was completely
different.
It was like, oh, let's see.
I'm just going to stay here
and keep going to school
and working and taking care
of Sean,
or I'm going to go
to California
with my boyfriend.
Oh, and now she's heading
out to California ♪
And she doesn't know
what's comin' ♪
But she's sure of what
she's leaving behind ♪
Billy:
So we drove across country.
I got to see
a good amount of America
on that trip
that I'd never seen before,
and it was so different
than where I was from.
It was completely unknown.
Elizabeth:
Our trip cross country,
it was kind of scary.
It was like,
is this happening?
Am I doing the right thing?
And when you hear the song
"Stop in Nevada,"
it was so haunting.
It was like a conscience.
Though she finds it hard
to leave him ♪
She knows it would
be worse to stay ♪
Elizabeth:
We got to California,
and we tried to figure out
how we could make a living
and figure out
what was going on.
There was a little bit
of money, but not much.
Things were tight.
You know, we were
we were making it,
I think, very much day to day.
Billy:
We stayed in a hotel.
And we didn't know
where we were going to live.
We didn't have
any prospects.
I was worried about it.
("You're My Home" playing)
When you look
into my eyes ♪
And you see the crazy gypsy
in my soul ♪
Billy:
It was Valentine's Day.
We didn't have money,
so I wasn't able to go
and buy a gift.
My gift was the song.
Well, I never had a place ♪
That I could call
my very own ♪
But that's alright
my love ♪
'Cause you're my home ♪
I wanted Elizabeth to know,
you're my home.
Wherever you are,
that's where
our house is.
That's our home.
And you tell me
everything will be alright ♪
Elizabeth:
When I listen to those songs,
I don't hear what
anybody else hears.
I feel the feelings
that I had then.
I see the shaft of light
coming in through the window
and reflecting off
Billy's hair.
I hear Sean playing
in the background.
That's what I hear.
Whenever we're together
that's my home ♪
Sandy: Billy didn't have
any allies until Elizabeth.
Then, it was the two of them
against the world.
Indiana's
early morning too ♪
Oh, high up in the hills
of California ♪
Home is just
another word for you ♪
Oh ♪
Billy: So I decided I needed
to get a lawyer,
I needed to get
an accountant,
and I needed to get
out of this deal
that I had signed
with Artie Ripp.
And I was going
to sit Artie Ripp out.
If he's not going
to negotiate,
he's not going to get
anything from me.
He's not going
to get any music,
not any promotion, nothing,
because it was
the only leverage I had.
They made a decision to not
take any money from Artie,
so they were on strike.
Billy: And so, I had
to get an apartment,
I had to get a job.
I started looking
in these different clubs
where a piano player
could play.
Obviously, Bill could not work
as Billy Joel,
and so he got a job at a place
called the Executive Room.
(soft jazz piano playing)
Billy: I needed to use
an alibi to work.
My full name is
William Martin Joel,
so I was Bill Martin
at the keyboards.
It was a small local bar,
and it had one
of these pianos
that had a leatherette rim
around it
so people could lean
on the piano
while they were drinking.
And I really put on the act.
(singing) Good evening.
It's really great to see you.
You know, this whole
the lawdy schmooze guy
with the shirt open to here.
How you doing?
And the funny thing was
this was in Hollywood.
These guys would
come over and go,
"Hey, kid,
you're really great.
I can get you in the recording
business," you know?
And I'd be, "No, thanks.
"I just want to be here
on the lounge.
It's great."
I knew this is
a real-life experience.
And I thought, I've got
to get a song out of this.
This next song is
a, uh, true story.
It's called "Piano Man."
And that's where the
"Piano Man" song came from.
I-I liked the way
it sounded,
but I was told
it was unusual.
It ended up being written
in 6/8 time, like a waltz.
It was a very strange tempo,
but melody was always
primary to me.
It's 9 o'clock
on a Saturday ♪
The regular crowd
shuffles in ♪
There's an old man
sittin' next to me ♪
Making love
to his tonic and gin ♪
Jackson Browne: With
"Piano Man," I don't think
of it as a personal narrative
very much, you know?
I think he's kind of like a
painter of milieu, you know?
Like in the piano bar,
he's talking about a scene
that he's passing through
more than talking
about himself.
He says, son, can you
play me a memory? ♪
I'm not really sure
how it goes ♪
But it's sad
and it's sweet ♪
And I knew it complete ♪
When I wore
a younger man's clothes ♪
Jackson: And then,
when you hear this harmonica,
no one ever pulled out
a harmonica in a piano bar.
It's not
a piano lounge song.
This sounds like
a sea shanty, you know.
(laughing)
Sing us a song
you're the piano man ♪
Sing us a song tonight ♪
Well, we're all in the mood
for a melody ♪
And you've got us
feelin' alright ♪
Anthony DeCurtis:
"Piano Man" exists as a kind
of Billy's theme song.
But the depth
of "Piano Man"
is something
that's overlooked.
It's so much a part
of the culture
that it's hard
to really hear it fresh.
But if you take the time
to actually listen to it,
there's a kind of empathy
in that song.
Now John at the bar
is a friend of mine ♪
He gets me my drinks ♪
Anthony:
All of those characters
are talking
about dreams they had
that are unfulfilled.
But there's someplace
that he'd rather be ♪
It's quite moving.
He says, "Bill, I believe
this is killing me," ♪
As the smile ran away
from his face ♪
"Piano Man" is a mirror
facing a mirror.
I mean, you can just see
infinite reflections.
Because here's a musician
talking about another musician
who's telling us
about other people's lives.
There's a lot
of emotion involved
because you care
about the stories.
You care about
the people involved,
and that's how this thing
lives on and on.
Now Paul is
a real estate novelist ♪
Who never had time
for a wife ♪
And he's talking with Davy
who's still in the navy ♪
And probably will be
for life ♪
Billy: So these are all based
on real people.
And Elizabeth got a job
as a waitress at this place.
So even in the song,
it says "the waitress
is practicing politics,"
she was the waitress.
And the waitress
is practicing politics ♪
As the businessmen
slowly get stoned ♪
Yes, they're sharing
a drink ♪
They call loneliness,
but it's better ♪
Elizabeth:
Bill can take a kernel
of something that happened
and create a story
that is universal.
And he would get to the DNA
of the human experience.
And that's why that song,
it's like the everyman anthem.
Sing us a song ♪
(audience singing)
You're the Piano Man ♪
Garth Brooks:
Early in our career,
when you're playing the bars,
all you're looking for
is for all these people
to get on the same page.
It's going to be
these singalongs, right?
But I'm telling you right now,
there ain't a crowd
I've ever played
that didn't want "Piano Man"
once you started playing it.
Pink:
"Piano Man" comes on,
I don't care where you are,
the world stops,
and that's what we're doing
for the next five minutes
and 50 seconds.
Uh, and it doesn't matter
the age.
It doesn't matter
when you first heard it
or what you were into,
you're singing "Piano Man."
(audience singing)
Sing us a song ♪
You're the Piano Man ♪
Sing us a song tonight ♪
Well, we're all in the mood
for a melody ♪
And you've got us
feelin' alright ♪
(audience cheering)
Billy: I didn't think
I'd get stuck with a hook,
but it's become
a signature piece.
I actually did a couple
of gigs at one time
when we didn't
even play the song.
And I caught a lot
of flack for it.
"You didn't even do
'Piano Man.'"
Oh, I'm sorry.
Okay, I guess we got to do it.
So it's mandatory.
(audience cheering)
On the other hand,
that's not the worst thing
that could happen either.
Thank you!
man:
Hey, do another one!
(audience applauding)
Elizabeth:
The Executive Room,
it was how
we supported ourselves
while we were trying
to figure out
the contractual issues.
But then at some point,
we had the opportunity
to move to Malibu
to the top of a mountain.
("Worse Comes to Worst"
playing)
Today I'm livin'
like a rich man's son ♪
Tomorrow mornin'
I could be a bum ♪
We were moving to New York
to work at Atlantic Records,
so our house was empty.
It was a rustic,
adorable little A-frame.
We're at the very top
of the canyon,
and we had a baby grand
right at the window.
Billy:
We had this idyllic life
up in the Malibu mountains.
Elizabeth: We just fell into
this fantastic situation.
Those were just golden years.
And during that time,
my mother had been
very supportive
of everything I'd done,
but my mother said,
"It's time to come home."
But I knew
if we were married,
I didn't have to go home.
Billy:
In 1973,
Elizabeth said,
"We're getting married today."
And I said, "We are?"
And she said, "Yeah.
Or else I'm leaving."
We went to
the Malibu courthouse.
It was real quick.
It was a ceremony.
"Okay. I now pronounce you
man and wife." Boom.
I did have trepidation
about getting married.
I realized I'm just
at the beginning
of a rock 'n' roll
career here.
I'm going to be
going on the road.
I'm going to be touring.
I'm going to be writing.
I'm going to be recording.
There's a lot
I'm going to be doing
that's not going to be
a home life.
So that's where
my trepidations come from.
It wasn't because I didn't
love the woman I was with.
I was just scared.
For good reason.
So it was a lot of emotions
going on all
at the same time.
But I saw it
as being good for me.
Because at that time
in our lives,
all we did was music.
It was all about music.
I was living in this
beautiful little chalet
and just writing
my head off.
Elizabeth:
In that house in Malibu,
that is where we got
the first phone call
from Clive Davis.
TV announcer: Clive Davis,
the man who signed
Janis Joplin,
Santana, Chicago,
Blood, Sweat & Tears,
and Neil Diamond.
Elizabeth: And I'll always
remember that.
I mean, it's like
one of those things that,
you know, "Oh, it's Columbia
Records on the phone."
Hah! "Who is this?"
You know.
But it was Columbia Records.
♪♪
Billy: A year or so before
we moved to California,
I had been touring.
We had done
a promotional concert
in Philadelphia
at this radio station.
Well, good evening,
I'm Ed Sciaky.
I'd like to welcome all
of you here in the studio,
and all of you at home
to WMMR'S live radio concert.
So now let's welcome
Billy Joel!
Billy: And I played
the song "Captain Jack,"
which was a new song.
♪♪
Saturday night ♪
And you're still
hangin' around ♪
You're tired of livin'
in your one horse town ♪
The radio station recorded it,
and they continued to play it
because they got requested
by people calling in.
"Just play that song
about Captain Jack."
And it was
the most requested song
in the radio station's
history.
I didn't know that it was
being played on the radio.
And the local
record promotion guys,
they reported back
to Columbia Records.
"There's all these people
calling in for this song
"by this guy
named Billy Joel.
Nobody knows who he is
or where he is."
Oh ♪
'Cause Captain Jack
will get you high tonight ♪
And take you
to your special island ♪
Captain Jack ♪
Clive Davis: I first came
to know about Billy Joel,
it was a recording
that he had done
of "Captain Jack"
that piqued my interest,
and I told people
I would love to meet him,
I would love
to see him perform,
I would love to listen
to the rest of his material.
Billy: So I had a meeting
with Clive in his bungalow
at the Beverly Hills Hotel,
which was very hoity-toity.
Wow, look at this.
And Clive expressed
an interest
in signing me
to Columbia Records.
Now, I'd heard that Atlantic
was interested in signing me.
This is a nice situation
to find myself in.
Nobody wanted
to sign me before.
All of a sudden, I got
the biggest record companies
in the world
wanting to sign me.
I decided to go
with Columbia
because it was the label
of Bob Dylan.
Bob Dylan wasn't known
as a great record seller,
but he was Bob Dylan.
And I thought,
you know what?
If this is a label
that's continuing
to release records
by this guy who doesn't really
sell number one albums,
but they're committed to him,
I thought, okay,
I would like to have
a career like that.
So I went
with Columbia Records.
Okay, sound two. (smacks)
Billy:
The day I signed,
I remember meeting with
the head of Columbia Records
and playing them
some of my stuff.
("Travelin' Prayer" playing)
Hey Lord, would ya
look out for her tonight ♪
And make sure that
all her dreams are sweet ♪
Said now, would ya
guide her along ♪
Clive: When I approach
any of the artists
that I have signed,
you don't say,
oh, they'll be a star.
You would ask, is there
enough original talent?
Is there enough
innate ability?
Is there a touch of genius
in the best case?
Hey Lord, would ya
look out for her tonight ♪
If she is sleepin'
under the sky ♪
Probably the last artist that
I signed to Columbia was, uh,
an artist that I think
is going to happen
in a very, very big way.
I'm talking Billy Joel.
He's a marvelous talent.
Hey, don'tcha give her
too much rain ♪
Clive:
The level of the material
was extremely high,
and his charisma,
his energy level
was extraordinary.
Hey now, would ya
look out for her tonight ♪
And make sure that
she's gonna be alright ♪
Until she's home
and here with me ♪
With me ♪
Billy: For "Piano Man,"
I'm not sure
what I was trying to do
with the album.
I know I had all kinds
of disparate material.
Kind of a lot
of different influences.
There's some country western,
bluegrass even, the waltz.
I suppose the through line
on "Piano Man" was the West,
because to me it was all new.
The Wild West.
And I didn't know what was
going to be a hit or not.
Edna Gunderson: Billy had
such an interesting range
of influences.
He found a way
to not be beholden
to just one genre,
even though maybe
that would've made him
more acceptable to critics,
for instance.
He said, "Son, can you
play me a memory?" ♪
Billy, he just had all
of these kind of
un-rock-and-roll-y influences
that-that knee-jerked
some-some critics
and some people
who didn't understand
sort of exactly
what he was up to, you know?
(chuckles)
And so, earlier
in his career,
he was misunderstood,
which is kind of a shame
because they really
kind of misperceived
the value of some of
his greatest work, you know?
He says, "Bill, I believe
this is killing me" ♪
As the smile ran away
from his face ♪
Billy:
It took about six months
for that record
to start getting played.
And they had to work it.
And then
it kind of went crazy.
Elizabeth: "Piano Man"
was actually a hit.
But the part
of the contract with Artie
was becoming
a terrible problem.
Artie: After Columbia looked
at the contract
eight ways to Sunday
and saw
there ain't no way
to break this contract,
they realized they had
to deal with me.
("If I Only Had the Words
(to Tell You)" playing)
If I only had the words
to tell you ♪
If you only had
the time to understand ♪
Sandy: Artie got a quarter
for every album sold
for the first ten years
that Billy was
on Columbia Records.
Billy:
He got my publishing rights.
He even had my copyrights.
I didn't know at the time
what I had given away.
But to be fair,
the only person
who believed in me back
at the beginning of things
was Artie Ripp.
He put his money
where his mouth
Or he put my money
where his mouth was.
And it wasn't a good deal,
but it was a deal.
Elizabeth:
It was a very good investment
on Artie's part.
But Bill only made $7,768
from "Piano Man,"
and all the other money
went to someone else.
So Bill, you know,
worked and toured more
and the gigs were better,
but it didn't change
our lives all that much
because we didn't make
any money.
But I only have these arms
to hold you ♪
And it's all that
you can ask of any man ♪
(audience cheering,
applauding)
Billy:
At the end of that tour,
which was about a year,
they told me,
"You got to go in
and do another album."
Flying east on a plane ♪
On the "Streetlife" album,
I was kind of following
the Jackson Browne school
of songwriting,
which was confessional,
softer approach
with a little bit
of country music in it.
And I know
it should be fun ♪
But I think I should've
packed my gun ♪
Got that old
suburban showdown ♪
Elizabeth: When I listen
to "Streetlife Serenade,"
the influence, of course,
of the California sound,
it's evident.
same old tired jokes ♪
Bored to death on ♪
Jackson:
In the '60s and early '70s,
there was a mythology
about California.
It was just a place where
a lot of people showed up.
There were artists
like Joni Mitchell,
Cat Stevens, James Taylor.
Danny Kortchmar:
California was a very open
and wonderful scene.
But Billy did not fit in.
He wasn't in
that group of people.
I'm sure it pissed him off.
He was putting out
this stuff, and they were
good-sounding records,
but they weren't viewed
the same as other people.
("Los Angelenos" playing)
Perhaps his songs
were too poppy.
They weren't moody
and self-referential enough.
Perhaps he was too New York.
Los Angelenos ♪
All come from somewhere ♪
To live in sunshine ♪
Their funky ♪
Steven Hyden: I just imagine
that he must have felt
horribly out of place.
Just his attitude
does not seem
very California to me.
You know,
that sort of mellow,
let's all be friends-type
mentality.
That seems like a very
un-Billy Joel-type vibe.
Tanning out in the beaches
with their Mexican reefers ♪
No one ever has
to feel like a refugee ♪
Going into garages
for exotic massages ♪
Making up for all
the time gone by ♪
Ooh ooh ♪
Billy: The "Streetlife" album
was written in a hurry,
recorded in a hurry.
And there was
all this pressure.
It was like, "Okay,
well, you better come up
with a hit."
The song "The Entertainer,"
it was basically
autobiographical
about putting out
"Piano Man."
The magic number
in those days
to put out a single was
the three minute mark.
The original song
of "Piano Man"
was a much longer recording,
and they said,
"We gotta edit it."
I said, what do you mean
you gotta edit it?
I was very touchy about that.
Don't, don't be chopping
my song up.
I was starting
to become disenchanted
with the music business,
and "The Entertainer"
was my way
of complaining about it,
I suppose.
I am the entertainer ♪
And I know
just where I stand ♪
Another serenader ♪
In another
long-haired band ♪
Today I am
your champion ♪
I may have won
your hearts ♪
But I know the game
you'll forget my name ♪
And I won't be here
in another year ♪
If I don't stay
on the charts ♪
Elizabeth: When he wrote
"The Entertainer,"
it became such a negative
to a number of people
in the music business,
because they looked at,
"I'm out here
slogging away every day
"trying to get your records
on the radio,
and you say
these things about me."
And they stopped working
for him completely
because they were so mad
that they were doing
the best they could,
and this was
the gratitude they got.
I am the entertainer
I bring to you my songs ♪
I'd like to spend
a day or two ♪
But I can't stay
that long ♪
No, I got
to meet expenses ♪
I got to stay in line ♪
Gotta get those fees
to the agencies ♪
And I'd love to stay
but there's bills to pay ♪
Essentially,
the "Piano Man" song
was about a guy kvetching
about playing at a piano bar,
and this follow-up
is the guy kvetching
about having a hit record
in the music business.
So it's sort of like,
alright, I'm doing well,
let me screw this up somehow.
Ah, it took me years
to write it ♪
They were the best years
of my life ♪
It was a beautiful song
but it ran too long ♪
If you're going
to have a hit ♪
You gotta make it fit
so they cut it ♪
Down to 3:05 ♪
Elizabeth:
So "Streetlife" bombed.
Billy: Columbia Records
was pretty disappointed.
They wanted a hit.
Jackson: What people
were trying to do,
wherever they were,
whether it was Laurel Canyon
or it was Greenwich Village,
they were trying to find out
who they are.
And I think a lot
of that involves leaving
where you're from
and going somewhere else.
But I think what you find
is something
about where you're from.
And where Billy's from
is New York.
Streetlife serenader ♪
He was a bridge-and-tunnel
artist, you know?
As I count myself as,
you know?
We stuck to a lot
of where we came from
in, in what we wrote about,
but we wrote about it using
slightly different tools,
I would say.
I'm obviously more identified
with New Jersey,
so I probably came
more out of
a folk rock 'n' roll
background, you know.
Billy is still more
identified with New York.
Midnight
masquerader ♪
Bruce:
He had all that Broadway
and that Tin Pan Alley,
which is why Billy's melodies
are better than mine.
(laughs)
John Mellencamp:
With Billy, he's able
to walk in with a melody
and make it sound like
he just made it up
on his way into the room,
but I know he didn't.
His melodies
are unbelievably intricate.
I don't know
how he does it.
I've always thought
that was Billy's strong suit.
♪♪
Jackson:
When you listen to Billy,
you hear a lot
of the American songbook.
His influences are deep.
And so what I would say
is that he found his voice,
but it was not
a Californian voice.
Billy: It was an interesting
time in my life.
Things were in flux.
So I decided
I wanted to get back
to New York and make
more of
a rock 'n' roll album.
("Say Goodbye
to Hollywood" playing)
Say goodbye to Hollywood ♪
Say goodbye, my baby ♪
Say goodbye to Hollywood ♪
Say goodbye, my baby ♪
Billy: I was on a bus
on my way back
to Highland Falls, New York.
Elizabeth found us a house
up on the Hudson River,
and it was fall.
It was just gorgeous.
The colors were ablaze,
the trees were like gold
and red,
and I remember thinking,
this is the New York state
that I loved when I was a kid.
This is magic. We don't
have this in California.
And I wrote this love song
to New York on the bus.
Some folks like
to get away ♪
Take a holiday
from the neighborhood ♪
Hop a flight to Miami Beach
or to Hollywood ♪
But I'm taking
a Greyhound ♪
On the Hudson River line ♪
I'm in a New York
state of mind ♪
"Some folks like to get away.
"Take a holiday
from the neighborhood.
I'm in a New York
state of mind."
And the minute I got back
to this rented house
and I saw my wife, I said,
"Do we have a piano?"
"Yeah. It's upstairs."
Let me just go up
to the piano.
Ran up to the piano
and wrote the song
probably within
about an hour.
Uh, it just came out.
I'm needing ♪
And I don't want
to waste more time ♪
I'm in a New York
state of mind ♪
Nas:
"New York State of Mind,"
that one stood out.
It was a phrase
that I heard
my dad say all the time
with his friends,
and I thought it was
the most sophisticated,
brilliant phrase.
out of touch ♪
With the rhythm and blues ♪
Nas: It doesn't matter
who you are, what race,
ethnicity, whatever you
religion you come from.
In New York,
yeah, New York.
That's the religion.
And here's a song for you.
It's soothing, it's elegant,
and, you know,
it's-it's-it's the anthem
for New York.
You know, it comes
right down to reality ♪
And that's fine with me
'cause I have let it slide ♪
Don't care
if it's Chinatown ♪
Or on Riverside, no, no ♪
I don't have any reasons ♪
Steve Cohen:
Billy's a huge Sinatra fan.
He's a huge Tony Bennett fan.
And I think he wanted
to write a song
that was an homage
to that style.
But what ended up happening
was he wrote a song
that has lasted for decades.
I'm just taking
a Greyhound ♪
On the
Hudson River line ♪
(audience cheering)
I'm in a New York ♪
I'm in a New York ♪
in a New York ♪
I'm in a New York ♪
I'm in a New York ♪
I'm in a New York ♪
I'm in a New York ♪
We're in a New York ♪
I'm in a New York ♪
state of ♪
state of ♪
state of ♪
Mind ♪
Yeah, yeah! ♪
Billy: I grew up in New York.
I-I'm a New Yorker.
My speech patterns
are New York.
The music that I like,
it was all New York based.
That's what I think of
when I think of home.
It's my roots.
They say that these are not
the best of times ♪
But they're the only times
I've ever known ♪
Billy:
In 1949, my parents had
a rented apartment
in the Bronx,
and they moved
to Long Island
when I was a year old,
and that's where I grew up.
My mom was in love
with Long Island.
She grew up in Brooklyn,
so she saw Long Island
as this vast playground,
the 120 mile long beach.
And she would always
take us to the water.
And I fell in love
with boating because of that.
It was a mystical experience
for me.
♪♪
Everybody in my neighborhood
was Catholic,
Protestant, white.
But we were Jewish.
So it was a weird place
to grow up.
And right outside
of New York City,
which is the melting pot
of all places.
And here I am
in Hicksville.
I might as well have been
in Kansas or something.
My mom grew up in a,
in a family that all sang
in Gilbert
and Sullivan operettas.
She met my dad
in a production
of "The Mikado."
He was a piano player,
actually.
He assisted the conductor,
and that's how they met.
My mom would play records
of classical music,
Broadway shows,
Gilbert and Sullivan, jazz.
So I was always enchanted
with music
before I actually knew
how to play the piano.
And my mom was the one
who encouraged
taking
classical piano lessons.
When I was taking
piano lessons,
I started not wanting
to read the dots.
It was like homework.
And I thought, I wanted
to make up my own stuff.
But my mom knew
what Beethoven sounded like.
My mom knew
what Mozart sounded like.
She knew what Bach
sounded like.
I had to make stuff up like
Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven.
'Cause if it didn't sound
like them,
she'd go, "That doesn't
sound like Bach."
♪♪
And keep going
with stuff like that.
And my mother would be
in the kitchen cooking,
and she'd go, "Hey,
you're picking that one up
pretty quick."
I'd go, "Yeah,
I like this piece.
It's pretty easy."
And then the next day,
when it was time for me
to practice again,
I didn't remember
what I played the day before.
So I'd make up something else.
And she'd go, "What's that?"
I'd say, "Oh, that's
the second movement."
I started developing an ear.
So I just started
writing music.
That's when I think
I really started writing.
The piano teacher lived
right down the block
from where my house was.
She also taught ballet.
And there were a couple
of guys in the neighborhood
that used to call me out.
"Hey, Billy,
where's your tutu?"
And they'd knock the books
out of my hand and smack me.
So I took up boxing to learn
how to protect myself,
'cause I would get picked on
and I was tired of it.
I-I was never
really comfortable
with the rest of the world.
I felt like an outsider.
Let's put it that way.
Judy: He really didn't like
school very much.
He would get dressed,
and he would then wait
till my mother pulled
the car out and went,
went to work, and he would
go back into the house.
And he would then go up
into my closet,
and he'd bring books
and a pillow and a flashlight.
Billy had stacks
of books everywhere.
You'd almost break your neck
walking into the room.
He would read everything
he could get his hands on,
but he loved history.
So he was an avid reader,
and he would play
the piano all the time.
Billy:
My father was a pianist.
And we had a piano
in the house,
an old upright
that wasn't very good,
but my father could
make it sound good
because of the way he played.
I thought he was
a wonderful pianist,
but he didn't
teach me anything.
Judy:
My father, Howard,
he never really showed Bill
kindness and-and compassion
and understanding
towards his talent.
He-he didn't really see it.
And with Howard,
classical music,
it had to be strict
by the book.
Exactly how, say,
Beethoven wrote it.
Billy:
One thing I remember,
I was supposed to be playing
the "Moonlight Sonata."
Must have been
about eight years old,
and rock 'n' roll
was around at that point.
And I started playing
Instead of playing
(playing "Moonlight Sonata")
I started playing
(playing upbeat tune)
He came down the stairs.
Bam! I got whacked.
And I got whacked
so hard, I
he knocked me out.
I was unconscious
for, like, a minute.
And I remember
waking up going,
well, that got his attention.
Uh, and that was
my memory of
of his piano lessons.
So, he didn't teach me much.
You know, I don't remember
my mother
and my father together
having fun.
I saw stuff with them
when I was a little kid
that was not, not good.
Uh, things were very tense
between them.
In the '50s,
when I was about eight,
he left when my parents
got divorced,
and actually
my sister and I
were kind of relieved
when they got divorced,
because then there wasn't
going to be
any more arguments
or fighting
or any of that scary stuff.
So I was brought up
by my mother.
I didn't know much about him.
Judy: When Howard left,
it was a relief
in that my mother
felt more free,
but it did give her
a lot more stress
in that she had
to then work
work very, very hard
to keep the family going.
Wendy Greguski:
Judy, she was my best friend.
I was there
almost all the time.
I could walk
in their house anytime.
But a depression settled
over the house
after Howard was gone.
Roz, she was a young mother.
And suddenly,
she's left alone
to raise two children.
And it wasn't easy.
She didn't have beyond
a high school education,
and she worried about money.
Billy: My mother was
a very loving woman.
I was surrounded by love.
I was almost smothered by it.
(sniffles)
I think it was to try
to compensate
for my dad's lack of it.
But there were also some
troubling things about her.
She was very isolated.
She was lonely a lot.
And I think she drank
to assuage her loneliness.
Judy: I would see Mom
drinking very often.
And we would say,
"Mom, don't start,
you know how you get."
And she would be crying
and screaming for hours
and hours and hours.
Wendy: It was a difficult
household to grow up in,
because you never knew
if the mother you left
when you went to school
would be the same mother
that was there when you
came home from school.
Judy: We knew that there was
something very wrong,
that she was
most likely bipolar.
We didn't know the word
at the time.
Bertha Miller:
And in those days,
they didn't have
a lot of medicine for it,
you know?
When you're depressed
like that,
it affects
your mental state,
your physical state,
everything.
And the children naturally
were hurt by it, you know?
And I think they were
deeply affected.
Deeply.
Judy:
There wasn't peace,
because we knew that we had
to walk on eggshells.
That anything
could throw her off.
Billy:
Sometimes she drove me nuts,
and she was difficult
to live with.
And then sometimes
she was so loving
and she saved my life.
So, it's a dichotomy.
Yeah.
Judy: We felt
each other's pain and worry,
and we would get strength
from each other.
We're very close.
We are very close.
Yes, we-we had to be.
Billy:
We were kind of outcasts.
We were the divorced family
on the block.
We didn't have a new car.
We didn't have a dad.
We were the Jews.
We didn't have any money.
Sometimes we didn't have
any food.
So there were,
there were some struggles.
Philip Nyman was
my maternal grandfather,
my mother's father.
He was English.
He was dressed
so perfectly.
Always the perfect
English gentleman.
Billy: He was the dominant
male figure in my life.
Brilliant man.
He was a big influence on me.
And he would always be
quizzing me
about classical music.
He would take us to the
Brooklyn Academy of Music,
and he would sneak us in
by giving the guy at the door
a pack of cigarettes, because
he never had any money.
Wendy: Billy would come home
and tell us all about it,
and then he would sit down
on their clunky piano
and just play it
for us fully, completely.
I mean, as a child, I didn't
know that much about music,
but I knew
what he was playing
was what he had heard,
which to me was
absolutely amazing.
The piano was
an extension of Billy.
And that's, I think,
how he dealt
with Roz sometimes,
the moods that she displayed.
But she always did
the best she could.
She always had
their best interest at heart.
Judy: And no matter how poor
we were at the time
or how hard she had to work,
Mom, she knew
that Billy had
to have piano lessons,
that this had
to be nurtured.
She knew that he was going
to be something someday.
Billy:
Mom was my cheerleader.
Mom said,
"Anything you set
your mind out to do,
you can do."
And I-I credit my mom
with sticking with me.
She never gave up.
She was a, a believer.
I decided at that point
in my life,
I'm going to be a musician.
That was the year
I was supposed
to graduate high school.
I didn't.
Get my diploma.
I said to hell with it.
And my mom, she was worried.
She worried that I was going
to not going to be able
to get a job if I
didn't graduate high school,
at least to have a diploma.
At least have the ability
to go to college.
But I-I had already
written that off.
I said, I'm not going
to college.
As I recall,
what I said to her was
"You don't have
to worry about
"I'm not going
to Columbia University.
"I'm going to go
to Columbia Records.
And you don't need
a high school diploma there."
Elizabeth:
After "Streetlife Serenade,"
Bill needed a manager,
so we asked Columbia
who their favorite
managers were.
And one of the names
that they gave us
was Caribou Management.
And Jim Guercio,
he was part of the company.
Billy:
He was a famous producer.
He produced Chicago,
he produced the Beach Boys,
and he was going
to produce the next album.
The initial thing Jimmy
Guercio wanted me to do was,
"Okay, well,
you're a piano player.
"So the musicians who would be
good for you to work with
would be Elton's band."
Which I thought was
a terrible idea.
Why would I want to work
with the other well-known
piano player's band?
I mean,
the lack of imagination
was staggering.
And I was already having
critical issues
with people comparing me
to Elton.
I don't play
the same way he does.
Elton's style is-is, uh,
very rhythmic, you know?
Like
♪♪
You know? And, uh, my style
is probably, uh
it's more five-fingered.
♪♪
It's more movement stuff.
Um, I
It took a while for people
to get away from using
the Elton John comparison.
I think it's pretty much
died down at this point.
I hope so. Please!
Steve: If you knew anything
about Billy Joel,
the last thing in the world
he wanted to do
was make
an Elton John record,
and the furthest
he wanted to be
from any other artist
was Elton John.
But then he goes in the studio
with the Elton John band,
and it's awful.
I've seen the lights
go out on Broadway ♪
Billy:
They were good musicians,
but they didn't get it.
I saw the ruins
at my feet ♪
Billy: It sounded like Elton.
I said, I don't want
to sound like Elton.
I want to sound like me.
I left. I said
this isn't going to work.
I want to make my own sound.
And Jimmy Guercio is not
going to be the producer.
I wanted to put together
a group of New York musicians
who had had
New York experiences,
because that's what I had.
Well, the first member
of that band
was Doug Stegmeyer,
the bass player,
who really put the rest
of them together.
And he recommended
that I work with the drummer,
Liberty DeVitto.
Because I didn't want
polite drums.
I wanted nasty drums.
And then Richie Cannata
and Russell joined us.
And they were
from Long Island too.
That was the nucleus
of the band for a while.
So I went into the studio
with my guys
and we recorded "Turnstiles."
And I decided
to produce it myself.
And I don't know anything
about production.
We held the concert
out in Brooklyn ♪
But I wanted
some rock 'n' roll.
I wanted the volume
that we played at live.
I wanted that somehow
represented on a recording.
They turned
our power down ♪
And drove us underground ♪
But we went right on
with the show ♪
Oh ♪
Oh, oh, oh ♪
I've seen the lights
go out on Broadway ♪
Richie Cannata:
Nobody really gave
a shit about us, you know?
We were just these bunch
of guys from Long Island,
and then Billy decided
to use us
rather than Elton's band.
But we were the better fit.
He needed some grease.
He did not need boiled meat.
He needed pizza.
And we, we were the sauce.
They burned the churches
up in Harlem ♪
"Turnstiles,"
there was nobody
over our shoulders saying,
you know, what to do,
and everybody played
their ass off.
The flames were everywhere
but no one really ♪
Billy: You know,
they grew with the material
as I was writing it,
and they became part
of the recording process.
And there was
a formative aspect to it
that we were getting together
with the band
that you could hear.
We learned a lot together.
We grew together.
I've seen the rats
lie down on Broadway ♪
Oh, I watched
the mighty skyline fall ♪
Billy: The "Turnstiles"
album, it's not
the most well-produced album
in the world,
but the material has
a certain maturity to it.
And I feel like I kind of hit
my stride as a writer.
Elizabeth:
Bill was in the studio.
We're making a record.
Everything's great.
But now we had
a whole other problem.
We had to get
another manager.
I thought
all they cared about
was what Bill could do
for them
and not what
they could do for Bill.
And I saw that repeatedly
played out over and over
and over again,
and it drove me crazy.
Billy:
She understood the business.
She was watching
everybody else screw up.
And we would have
these discussions about it.
She took this all in.
She was a sponge.
And I realized I need
somebody who knows me.
Elizabeth was my wife.
Who knows me better
than she does?
Elizabeth:
And Bill just said,
"You know,
why don't you manage me?
"I mean,
you can't do any worse
than the rest of them."
And I thought, well, yeah.
And the story
he likes to tell
is that he woke up
the next morning,
and there were like,
you know, 15 super phones
on the main floor
of our apartment
and that there were
cabinets installed and, um
And that's not really true,
but it's close to true.
♪♪
Billy: And she was critical
at that point.
It was imperative that she
took over the management
because she knew
what needed to be done.
Elizabeth: I had no reason
for anybody to believe in me.
This back-breakin'
bone-shakin' ♪
Belly-achin', hard ♪
Elizabeth:
But I knew that we needed
a management company.
Yes, it's keeping me alive
doin' nine to five ♪
Elizabeth:
And I slowly but surely
put together
a team of people.
Billy: I have a different
management company.
You might not know
who they are.
Uh, I was with
another management company.
But the company I'm with now
is New York-based.
It's called Home Run.
Nothing to do with baseball.
It's a home-run agency.
Elizabeth: So we started
a little office
at Home Run,
and there was like
a little gang
called the Mean Bros.
And the guys
were like his brothers.
Billy: If you're friends
with somebody in New York,
you're always testing
your friendship.
You punch them in the shoulder
when you see them, and ow!
Or you insult them.
You know, that's how you know
somebody's your friend.
Steve: With Billy, I met him
in November of 1974,
and we've had
this incredible ride.
So, you know,
the Mean Brothers
and all of us,
we became close
as a little family.
Brian:
We've been at this forever.
We're like brothers,
you know? It's very tight.
You know, we protect him,
we watch him,
make sure he's okay.
Oh, baby ♪
I think you were lost
in the '70s ♪
Dennis Arfa: You know,
it's like he had a band,
and then he had
a band around him
that tried
to enhance his career.
We were like
a band of warriors,
and, uh, we were all
in the same boat.
There was a closeness
and a camaraderie
that still exists today.
Steve:
It's weird to be sitting here
50 years later,
like, reflecting
on this thing.
I remember the one time
I thought we really made it,
we were staying
at a Holiday Inn,
and they had on the marquee
at the Holiday Inn,
"Welcome, Billy Joel Band."
And we're like, we made it!
We're on the marquee!
We're getting top billing!
We all went by the sign
and took a picture,
look, Billy Joel band!
(laughter)
Billy: But we didn't have
a big hit album.
(crowd cheering)
"Turnstiles" came out
in 1976,
and then I went out
on the road again.
♪♪
Billy: We used to open up
for a lot of acts.
We used to open up
for the Doobie Brothers,
Olivia Newton-John,
Beach Boys.
Da, da, da, da. Everybody.
We opened up for everybody.
And if you're not good,
20,000 people are going to go,
"Get off the sta-- Boo!"
You know, they'd be yelling
for the other band,
so you got to get good
really quick.
♪♪
Dennis: By the time we got
to the "Turnstiles" tour,
he had both become
accomplished as a songwriter
as well as a performer.
He had a great sense
of drama.
He had the magic.
Russell: There's so many
nights I remember
Billy breaking
a bass piano string.
Who hits the piano that hard
that you can break
a piano string?
You know, and now,
all of a sudden,
we're coming into our own.
Billy: We were doing great
on the road.
The crowds were going crazy.
We were blowing headliners
off the stage.
But we weren't selling
any records.
"Turnstiles," it was
a total bust.
(whistling)
Billy: I had not had
that big hit record
that the record company wants
all their artists to have.
And I got a little worried,
so I started
to write new songs.
You know, it was like,
"Time for the follow-up.
"Let's go Bill,
get in that studio.
Make another album."
But I didn't have
a producer at that time.
Here comes the beat.
Billy: So, I talked
with George Martin,
who produced The Beatles.
He was my idol.
He was my hero.
Still to this day, I think,
is one of the greatest
producers that ever lived.
So Billy's looking
for somebody
to produce the next album.
And George Martin comes
to see us.
(audience cheering)
("Ain't No Crime" playing)
You got to open your eyes
in the morning ♪
Liberty: We were all excited.
Oh, my God.
The Beatles producer's coming.
This is amazing.
Ain't no crime ♪
Liberty:
So he watches the show.
Billy meets with them after
and they talk,
and we say, "What did he say?
What did he say?"
And Billy looks at us
and goes,
"He wants to produce me."
Great! That's great!
"But he doesn't want
to use the band.
He wants
to use studio guys."
We're like, "Oh, my God,
what did you tell him?"
Billy: I met with him,
and he didn't want
to work with my band.
He was like,
"Well, I'd like to work
with different musicians."
And I passed on working
with George Martin.
And Billy says, "I told him,
love me, love my band.
And I told him no."
As I wander
through the world ♪
Billy:
Love me, love my band.
Session guys are guys who can
come in and read the dots.
They can read the music,
but there's not necessarily
a chemistry
within that ensemble,
which is very,
very important.
You've got to have
the chemistry.
We were killing it live.
Let me use my guys.
Liberty:
This was an amazing
thing for someone
who was so focused
on making it,
to know that the band
is such a part
of what is happening here
that I can't lose them
just to get this guy
that produced the Beatles
to produce my records.
So the record company had
to be sitting there going,
wait a minute, he fired
the Caribou Management,
which was the biggest
management company
there was at the time.
He fired Jimmy Guercio
from being his producer.
Now he doesn't want to work
with the Beatles producer,
George Martin,
and his wife is managing him?
So you've got to imagine
the little red pencil
went through my name.
That's it for him.
That's it for this guy.
I was aware that if we didn't
have a big hit record,
I'd probably get dropped
by the label.
We'd go to bed at night,
and, you know,
we'd lie there just before
you'd fall asleep,
you'd think, oh, I hope
they don't drop us.
So it was stressful.
Dennis:
After "Streetlife" came out
and "Turnstiles" came out,
it looked like he was
in a very critical point
in his career,
because it could have
just gone away.
-(gentle piano music playing)
-(audience cheering)
Dennis:
But back in '76,
we had a base
that was just his fans,
whether it was
1,500 seats, 2,000,
that was based on how good
he is as a live entertainer.
Elizabeth:
The road is the thing
that made him successful.
He got broken on the road.
I've never seen anybody since
that worked as hard
as he did.
Liberty:
Dennis Arfa said,
"You guys shouldn't be
opening up
"for a bigger act.
You should be doing theaters."
Jon: When Billy decided that
he wanted to do Carnegie Hall
and they put
those tickets up for sale
and instantly sold out,
they saw that if he could
sell out Carnegie Hall,
there is something there.
And so Elizabeth,
she knew that Billy needed
a new producer
for the next record,
and that's where
Phil Ramone came in.
Liberty: Phil Ramone was
a staff producer
with Columbia Records.
Gentlemen, sorry,
but we're going
to run it once more.
Billy:
He was an engineer
early on
in the pop music industry.
He worked with Sinatra.
He worked with Ray Charles.
He worked with Bob Dylan.
He-he worked with Paul Simon.
He worked with everybody,
this guy.
Steve: So Elizabeth calls
Phil Ramone and says,
"I want you to come see Billy
at Carnegie Hall."
And the lines
were around the block.
And Billy saw this and said,
"This is really a big deal."
interviewer:
You sold it out three nights?
Billy:
Yeah, three nights.
interviewer:
Did you get a special feeling
walking out on that stage?
Yeah, well,
it's Carnegie Hall.
-interviewer: Yeah.
-You walk backstage
and there's pictures
of Tchaikovsky
and Rachmaninoff.
And, you know,
you go to the bathroom,
and, uh, Liszt was
on this can, you know.
I was a little awe-inspired
by the whole thing.
Liberty: So we do
a show at Carnegie Hall.
And Phil Ramone
is in the audience
to come and see us.
And I remember, Billy,
he looked at me, he goes,
"Let's do it. 110%.
Let's go for it."
And so it's time ♪
To change our ways ♪
But I've loved these days ♪
Billy: Phil, he saw
the audience go crazy.
He goes, "We've got
to get this recorded."
Well, they're going to have
to drag me off this stage.
(audience cheering)
Phil Ramone:
There's something magical
about the band and him.
And I felt
we should capture that.
And that started it.
It started
on that simplistic term.
(funky upbeat music playing)
Jackson:
For a musician, eventually
you find your family,
and you find the person
that can champion you
and get you what you need.
And, of course, with Billy,
that was Phil Ramone.
Liberty: He goes, "I want to
take you guys in the studio
"and I want you to be
the rock 'n' roll animals
that you are."
Amazing. He loves us. (laughs)
The first song we recorded
was "Movin' Out."
-Phil: Okay, here we go.
-band member: One, two, three.
("Movin' Out" playing)
Liberty: And when
we came back in
to listen to the playback,
Phil had these
gigantic speakers.
He used
to play it so loud.
And you could hear it like,
oh, my God, that's so good.
Anthony works
in the grocery store ♪
Savin' his pennies
for someday ♪
Mama Leone left
a note on the door ♪
She said, "Sonny" ♪
Billy:
I hit it off right away
with Phil Ramone.
He was as crazy as we were.
It was like having
another musician
behind the control board.
I'm movin' out ♪
I'm movin' out ♪
Billy: If the musicians
are having fun,
you can hear it.
It wasn't smooth.
It wasn't polished.
But it was unique.
Phil kind of liked
that aspect of it.
He said, "It's kind of rough,
but that's your sound."
Phil:
It felt great in here, man.
Come in here, Billy?
Billy: And he would
point out things
that we weren't even
aware of,
like when we did
"The Stranger."
It starts off with
"The Stranger" theme.
It goes
-(mellow piano music playing)
-(whistling)
And I'd, I'd whistle that.
And then I'd go into
the studio and ask Phil,
so what instrument
should do that?
He says, "You just did it.
You whistled it."
(whistling)
(audience cheers)
I never even thought of that.
A whistle. Oh, okay.
And that's how
it ended up on the recording.
So stuff like that
would happen all the time.
Spontaneous things
that you don't really do
a lot of deep thinking about.
They just kind of happen
naturally.
So I felt it was finally not
like pulling teeth to record.
It was chemistry.
Phil: We're both
easily stimulated
by each other, you know,
and have a lot of fun
and are very straight ahead
about what the music
is about.
And he trusted me.
Billy:
This is a brand new song.
This is called "Scenes from
an Italian Restaurant."
(audience cheering)
Billy: And Phil,
he got the concept
of "Scenes from
an Italian Restaurant."
I always wanted to write
a cinematic type of song
about the lives of people
I knew in high school,
people who peaked too early.
A bottle of white ♪
A bottle of red ♪
It was actually three
or four,
maybe five, song ideas
that I had not developed.
They were just fragments.
We'll get a table
near the street ♪
Liberty: Phil put together
Billy's songs.
Billy would have
three different ideas,
and Phil would say,
"Let's put this here
and put this one here"
and create the arrangement
of the song and how it goes.
Brenda and Eddie were
the popular steadies ♪
And the king
and the queen of the prom ♪
Riding around with the car
top down and the radio on ♪
Nobody looked any finer ♪
Or was more of a hit
at the Parkway Diner ♪
Billy's songs are built
like the Rock of Gibraltar.
They are simply
incredibly well put together.
And one of Billy's gifts
was his ability
as the great storyteller.
Well, they got an apartment
with deep pile carpets ♪
And a couple of paintings
from Sears ♪
A big water bed
they bought with the bread ♪
They had saved
for a couple of years ♪
They started to fight
when the money got tight ♪
And they just didn't count
on the tears ♪
Whoa, whoa ♪
(Billy exclaims)
Bruce: People want
to hear those stories
over and over again.
So his lyrical ability
was just a part of who he was
and where he came from.
And I think
people relate to that.
Well, they lived for a
while in a very nice style ♪
But it's always
the same in the end ♪
They got a divorce
as a matter of course ♪
Billy: So we figured out
a way to record this thing
where it was going
to all flow together,
even the time signature
changes in the middle of it,
which is really difficult
to get back
into the regular time.
♪♪
Yeah, yeah, yeah ♪
Billy:
I would say there's a lot
of autobiographical stuff
in my music.
band member:
One, two, three.
Billy:
They say write what you know.
So I wrote what I knew.
A lot of the songs
were based on Elizabeth.
Don't go changing ♪
To try and please me ♪
You never
let me down before ♪
Phil: We were
really short of a song.
Here comes this song.
And he said,
"I don't like it.
"It's like a wedding song.
I'm not going
to play this."
And I tell you,
it was a battle.
And I don't
see you anymore ♪
-Phil: That part.
-Billy: It don't feel right.
If it don't feel right,
it ain't going to sound right.
Phil: Billy,
if it feels uncomfortable,
just stay out of it.
Just sing the song.
Just try it, I don't think
it can hurt.
Phil Ramone was the one who
was pushing to have that song.
But it just didn't
feel right to me.
It was too mushy.
Ed Sciaky: Did you think
that that particular song
was something special
when you, when you did it?
-Billy: It was okay. You know.
-Ed: What did--
what did it sound like?
Could you give a little bit
of what it would sound like?
Just
Well, we used to do it
in a different beat.
-Ed: Mm-hmm.
-And then Phil came in
and he said
to Liberty DeVitto,
who's the drummer, he said,
"Why don't you play this
backwards Samba?"
(chuckles) Liberty's going,
"What's a Samba?"
You know,
he's a rock and roll guy,
he didn't know from Samba.
Phil:
Hey, Lib? You can play
a tom tom thing in there,
you know?
You can hit the tom.
It's just creative
in here too, you know.
And Phil said,
"How about boom, da doom cha."
Phil:
Everybody with him.
♪♪
So Liberty went, okay.
Boom, da doom cha.
"Okay, that works."
And Phil Ramone
came up with that.
band member: Let's do it then.
One, two, three, four.
I said I love you ♪
That's forever ♪
And this I promise
from the heart ♪
Mm, mm, mm ♪
I couldn't love you ♪
Any better ♪
I love you just
the way you are ♪
Billy: I heard
the playback and went,
okay, it's a nice recording,
well-written song,
but I don't think
it should be on the album.
So Phil, he brings in
a couple of people.
And they're listening to it
and they're looking
at each other like
And I came back
into the control room.
I said, I don't know.
What do you think?
"That's one of the best songs
we ever heard."
I said, I don't really want
to put it on the album.
"You're crazy!
That's got to be
on the album. It's a big hit."
I said, it is?
And it was Linda Ronstadt
and Phoebe Snow.
And they were right.
Elizabeth: I loved the music
before I ever heard a lyric.
But artists are artists,
and they,
they take
a little bit of this
and a little bit of that,
and they shake it together
and they make magic.
And magic struck
with that song.
I just want someone ♪
That I can talk to ♪
I want you just
the way you are ♪
Ooh ♪
(audience cheering)
Elizabeth:
When "The Stranger"
was finished and mastered,
we thought it was
a masterpiece.
We were, like, thrilled.
It has hard rock.
It has soft rock.
It has love
and sadomasochism.
And even has food.
"The Stranger."
(whistling)
Elizabeth:
The first time anybody
really heard the record
was at the listening party
at CBS.
tradin' in his Chevy ♪
For a Cadillac
ac-ac-ac-ac-ac ♪
Everyone goes south ♪
you just
the way you ♪
remember those days
hangin' out ♪
Slow down ♪
Whoa, whoa, whoa ♪
She takes care of herself ♪
Oh ♪
Elizabeth: And the room
was dead silent.
The first person
that spoke up said,
"Well, you know, um,
it's very nice,
but I don't hear any singles."
And so I said, "Well,
you better find a single
because we're not
changing one note."
She can kill with a smile ♪
She can wound
with her eyes ♪
Brian: Everything Billy wrote,
he would stand by.
And if the record company
didn't like it,
he would still do it.
And she would fight for that.
Yeah, she would.
She hides like a child ♪
But she's always
a woman to me ♪
Liberty: They said
they don't hear a single,
and she said, "You're wrong."
She's telling these people,
the president
of Columbia Records,
that they're wrong.
But she was very powerful.
Always was.
Arlyne Willcox:
Billy wasn't a schmoozer.
He did not want
to play the game.
Elizabeth really had
the street smarts,
the sensibilities,
of dealing
with a corporate environment.
And she really never let
Billy fall off
anybody's radar.
She can wait if she wants ♪
She's ahead of her time ♪
Liberty: Elizabeth, she had
to negotiate for Billy.
Had to be a babysitter
for us.
(laughs)
Elizabeth:
Hey, Liberty!
Ah! Ah!
-Speak into the microphone.
-Hello?
-Is this on? Is this on?
-Yes.
You're talking to America
right now.
-Hello, America.
-Put your lips right on it.
(laughter)
Richie: It was tough
to hang around us.
(chuckles) It wasn't easy.
You know, doing donuts
in a car and driving it
into the lobby of a hotel
and ending up in jail.
I don't like this hotel.
I don't like it.
Elizabeth: They were,
you know, basically,
they were a bunch of hooligans
from Long Island.
Richie: You know,
we were just this bunch
of twenty-something
year-old guys.
Had no idea
what we were doing.
And she, she molded us.
Fifteen minutes.
band member: in the cars
in 15 minutes.
Okay.
Steve: With Billy
and Elizabeth as the duo,
her real talent
was understanding
how important
it was for her
to be able to create
a landing field
for this talent.
Billy: We'd never broken
through with a recording.
We needed, you know,
the backing
of the record company
to help us break through.
And now was the time.
It was either now or never.
Liberty: Elizabeth tells
the president of CBS,
"You've gotta be crazy
not to hear a single on that."
Elizabeth says, "You can pick
the first single,
whatever you think, as long as
I can pick the second single."
He picks "Movin' Out."
If that's what
it's all about, Mama ♪
Elizabeth: Columbia released
"Movin' Out,"
which did well,
but not terribly well.
I'm movin' out ♪
She picks
"Just The Way You Are."
we never could
have come this far ♪
Mm, mm ♪
I took the good times ♪
I'll take the bad times ♪
I'll take you just
the way you are ♪
Paul McCartney: When I first
heard Billy, it was like,
oh, wait a minute,
he's good. Who's this?
You know, like you do,
your ears prick up.
some new fashion ♪
Don't change
the color of ♪
The song that really
made me know
that that was happening
was "Just The Way You Are."
unspoken passion ♪
Paul:
And where I get asked,
"Is there a song
that you wish you'd written?"
And I always
That's the one I always say.
I don't want
clever convers ♪
Dennis:
"Just The Way You Are,"
it was one of those songs
that changed the landscape.
And I remember we had
a programming director
in Atlanta,
and he calls me up
and he says,
"Hey, we just played
this track,
'Just The Way You Are,'
and it's exploding."
I want you just
the way you are ♪
Elizabeth: "Just The Way
You Are" was on
in every station,
heavy rotation, Top 40.
You couldn't stand the song
at the end of the time,
but we'd sold
a million units.
Billy: I couldn't recognize
a hit if I stepped on it.
You know,
I got to give her credit
because I didn't pick
"Just The Way You Are."
That is what put Billy
over the top.
Dennis:
It took Billy
from three nights
at Carnegie Hall
to three nights
at Madison Square Garden.
And that's what happened
all around the world.
(audience cheering,
applauding)
Elizabeth: There were
105 performances that year
in different parts
of the country,
different parts of the world.
It was intense.
Billy:
After "The Stranger"
album came out,
we went on the road
and by the time
we finished the tour,
we ended up playing
in these huge coliseums
and people were going,
wahh!
And we're looking
at each other like,
what's going on here?
We really didn't know.
And by the end
of the tour, we
I guess we knew
it was a big album.
And then he wins two Grammys.
Okay, and the Song
of the Year is
The Record of the Year is
"Just The Way You Are,"
Billy Joel, songwriter.
Billy Joel,
"Just The Way You Are."
Phil Ramone, producer.
And then things
really took off.
Out on Long Island is having
their reunion tonight.
And one alumnus
will not be there
because he's here
as my special guest.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Billy Joel.
(audience cheers)
Come out, Virginia ♪
Don't let me wait ♪
You Catholic girls
start much too late ♪
Aw, but sooner or later
it comes down to fate ♪
I might as well be
the one ♪
"Only The Good Die Young,"
it was put out as a single.
But it ended up being banned
by the Catholic Church.
Rebecca Sobel: Billy Joel
is a rock performer.
And though
he may be popular,
a Catholic school
has banned
a familiar song of his
because of its references
to Catholic girls.
die young ♪
Billy:
And it wasn't selling
all that well.
And then as soon as
they banned the sale of it,
kids went out in droves
to buy this thing.
What can't we have?
What shouldn't we hear?
So I wrote a letter to
the Archdiocese of St. Louis
who banned it.
I said, please ban
my next record
because, you know, I'm coming
out with a new single soon.
But that never hurt
no one ♪
So come on, Virginia
show me a sign ♪
Send up a signal
I'll throw you the line ♪
The stained-glass curtain
you're hiding behind ♪
Never lets in the sun ♪
Darlin',
only the good die young ♪
That's what I said ♪
Only the good die young ♪
Only the good
die young ♪
You got
a nice white dress ♪
And a party
on your confirmation ♪
Billy: Well, it turned out
that "The Stranger" became
the best-selling album
Columbia Records
had ever put out,
which we had
never conceived of.
got enough information ♪
Russell: I mean,
we started off in rent-a-cars
and-and buses.
Now, you know,
by the end,
it's private planes
and whatever.
You feel the enormity
of the situation
starting to grow.
-(upbeat music playing)
-(audience cheering)
Sean: After
the arena shows started,
I saw how many people
there were,
and that record was
really hitting hard.
And it was exhilarating
and exciting.
But, you know, there was
a bittersweet to it.
Because that's really
the moment
I knew that
we're going to lose him.
Like, this is going to change.
And things did change.
Elizabeth: Before I started
to be a manager,
I had no idea
what I was getting in for.
And as much as Bill,
this is what he wanted,
this was his dream.
I don't think
he ever imagined
what it would be like.
Billy: I wasn't used
to being, like, a star.
As a matter of fact, I wasn't
all that comfortable with it.
And then I realized
after a while, well, you are.
So stop knocking
yourself down.
You know, get used to it.
♪♪
Mark Goodman: I guess
when you talk about
widespread popularity
for Billy Joel,
the record that did it
for him was "The Stranger."
Steve Edwards:
The Stranger in 1977
sold well over
five million copies.
Joel Siegel: His last album
had five hit singles,
and no one's done that
since The Beatles.
Jared Martin: "The Stranger"
was the album
that helped Billy Joel
on his way
to becoming one of
the most successful artists
in the history of rock music.
Elizabeth:
I remember saying to Bill,
we just had a monster hit,
and now we need
another monster hit.
The pressure was enormous.
But it was thrilling to see
his progression as an artist
who was now learning to hold
onto the reins of fame.
Billy: The fact that "The
Stranger" was as successful
as it was gave me
the self-confidence.
I'm not going to pay any
attention to record company
executives,
the music biz.
I'm going to write for me.
"52nd Street" was
a very confident album.
I didn't want to repeat
"The Stranger."
You can't stay
in the same place.
You must grow.
And I was trying to think,
What's the theme
of this album?
As I was writing it.
What is this album?
Where are we?
52nd Street ♪
Our studio
where we recorded
was right on 52nd Street.
The street,
52nd Street, was
a very famous street
at one time, you know.
In the '40s and the '50s,
it was called Swing Street.
And Charlie Parker
had a club,
and every musician had
a jazz club on 52nd Street.
And we were sitting there,
what are we going
to call this album?
Well, it's kind of got
a New York flavor.
Let's call it "52nd Street."
Elizabeth:
52nd Street is so important
in the history of music.
But when they were recording,
you know, the neighborhood
was pretty grim.
(saxophone playing)
(distant siren wailing)
Billy: In the late '70s,
there was a lot of crime.
A lot of drug problems.
The city was filthy.
They weren't picking up
the garbage.
It-it was not
a pleasant atmosphere.
But there was something
about it that was gritty.
Something that was real.
And we found that
to be the theme.
And that's where we went.
We went into
this kind of New York thing.
Okay, here we go.
("Big Shot" playing)
Billy: It was done
with a full band
and me singing live
all in one shot.
I wanted that live energy
to be translated
to a recording.
Well, you went uptown
ridin' in your limousine ♪
With your fine
Park Avenue clothes ♪
You had the Dom Pérignon
in your hand ♪
And the spoon
up your nose ♪
Ooh, and when you
wake up in the morning ♪
With your head on fire ♪
Billy: "Big Shot" was
a hangover song.
I don't know how many times
I woke up in the morning
realizing I was an idiot
the night before.
Felt like hell.
Had a hangover.
And you looked in the mirror
and you go,
you had to be a big shot,
didn't you?
You had to open up
your mouth
to be a big shot.
You had to be a big shot
didn't you? ♪
All your friends
were so knocked out ♪
Billy:
I'm yelling at myself,
you idiot!
Why do I feel so terrible?
Why? Because you drank
too much.
I did a lot of my own
research for "Big Shot."
It's partly about me,
and it's partly about,
uh, somebody else.
It's often been remarked
that that song is about me.
You know, just because I might
have worn a Halston dress
and, you know, the people
that I knew at Elaine's
and all that stuff.
Well, they were
all impressed ♪
With your Halston dress ♪
And the people
that you knew at Elaine's ♪
And the story
of your latest success ♪
Kept 'em so entertained ♪
But in my opinion,
that song is about him.
you're not sure
that you wanna know ♪
Billy: We were just starting
to taste the good life
from whatever success
that I had had.
We were new to it.
And "52nd Street" turned out
to be this huge,
constantly growing thing.
Elizabeth:
I think "52nd Street,"
any doubters that were left
in the business were gone.
You cannot argue
with the number one album.
Smokey Robinson:
And the album
of the year is
Envelope! Oh.
Ah, "52nd Street,"
Billy Joel.
Phil Ramone, producer.
Elizabeth:
After that Grammy,
there was no time off.
There was a world tour.
And my job as his manager,
you need to make sure
everybody shows up
in the same place
on the same night,
and they're 100%
ready to work.
There's nobody driving
the train if you do not have
a strong, efficient,
effective manager.
In fact, some of my friends
called me The General.
Billy: You know,
her management style,
she could be tough
as an executive,
as a boss, as a manager.
Liberty:
We were friends,
and we had a lot
of fun together,
but she was forceful
when it came time
to make decisions
of what we were going to do.
With total respect
to her, um,
I-I'm not going to say
that I was afraid of her,
but I was afraid of her.
Billy:
I felt bad for people
because she, she had
to crack the whip,
I suppose,
and make things work
and make people do
what they're supposed to do.
I wasn't always comfortable
with her doing that.
But the truth is,
a lot of the things she did
were on my behalf.
Arlyne:
Elizabeth never made a plan
that he didn't approve,
but being a woman,
Elizabeth had to be tough.
People would see
that toughness
and misinterpret it.
If a man is strong
and assertive, it's all good.
But if you're a woman
who makes a decision
that people don't like, the
gendered language comes out.
Bunny Freidus: You know,
some people got upset,
especially a lot
of these macho guys
didn't like the idea
of some woman coming in
and telling them
what had to happen.
And she got some
bad mouthing about her.
Wouldn't have happened
if she was a guy.
Liberty: The hard part was
being married to the artist,
because if she had an idea
that he didn't want to do
and she thought
it was a good idea,
that's a hard rub.
Elizabeth: And by that point,
the boundaries were so loose
and crossed over,
and it just became clear
to me that,
oh, this is tricky stuff.
And so I would like
to talk about
one of my favorite songs
of all time,
which is "Stiletto."
Now, what is that
What does that rhythm imply?
To me,
it kind of implied stabbing.
I don't know why.
Maybe it was the nature
of my relationship,
uh, at the time,
but I came up
with these lyrics,
uh, about being emasculated
by a relationship.
She cuts you once
she cuts you ♪
It's kind of a nasty song.
Once the song was finished,
I listened back to it,
I said, that's kind of heavy.
But it got written.
("Stiletto" playing)
She cuts you once
she cuts you twice ♪
But still you believe ♪
Steve Edwards:
Although he has churned out
several tender tunes
on the topic
of womanhood,
he has been called sexist
because of songs
like "Stiletto."
Sexist? The point
of the song is okay,
the woman is a sadist,
but the guy's a masochist.
I don't think that's sexist.
Then she says
she wants forgiveness ♪
It's such
a clever masquerade ♪
Oh! She's so good
with her stiletto ♪
Elizabeth: If somebody's
going to take shots
about him being misogynist,
I am living proof
that he's not that.
I mean, he hired me,
way ahead of the curve,
to take care of his career
and what was
most important to him.
Oh, she cuts you hard,
she cuts you deep ♪
Oh, she's got
so much skill ♪
Elizabeth:
To me, it's another song
that is about a marriage.
And it's not just about
our relationship,
but some of it was.
You've been left there
to bleed ♪
You wanna run away ♪
But you know
you're gonna stay ♪
'Cause she gives you
what you need ♪
Elizabeth:
And sometimes with couples,
there are things that happen.
There's disloyalties.
And thinking, oh, yeah,
I'm going to say this,
and that's really going
to get them going.
She's so good
with her stiletto ♪
Billy: I don't remember
thinking, this'll show her,
this is
this is about her.
Um
And that's all I've got
to say about that.
(laughter)
Oh, good God almighty ♪
(indistinct)
(audience cheering)
Billy: Well, by the time
we had finished
the "52nd Street" tour,
one of the things I realized
about arenas and coliseums
was you got to have
the music
that works
in those kind of venues.
I wanted an album
of power pop
just to go bang,
bang, bang, bang
to play in arenas.
Tom Hoving: It's been
almost 15 years now
since Billy didn't graduate
from Hicksville High School.
He's moved into a modern
glass house on Long Island,
a stone's throw from
where he used to live.
Billy: throw a rock
through that window.
Tom: His picture window
is on the cover
of his latest album,
"Glass Houses."
Billy: And I was throwing
a rock at my own image,
which was balladeer,
you know, singer-songwriter.
And I thought, we're going to
try something different here.
It's just a fantasy ♪
Oh ♪
It's not the real thing ♪
Oh ♪
It's just a fantasy ♪
Oh ♪
You are such a prisoner
of prizes you receive ♪
Is that too poetic?
Purple prose-y?
No, not really. I think
if you come out of it alright.
-If it comes out--
-And I am just a ♪
Bradshaw Leigh:
Working with Billy,
I got to see his process
in the studio.
He would start by writing
a few rough ideas,
a verse here,
a chorus there,
and stitch them together
pretty quickly.
Billy: Everybody's waiting
for me to finish these songs.
It's like squeezing
a lemon.
Bradshaw: I remember
we were cutting the album,
and it was pretty much done.
And then Billy came up with
"Still Rock and Roll to Me."
Billy: Well, I wrote
the lyrics in the car
on the way into the studio.
I had an idea
for a rhythmic pattern.
Dunk, gudunk, gudunk, gudunk,
gudunk, gudunk,
gudunk, da da dun.
Bradshaw: They came in,
and they cut it.
And that's a simple song.
They lay it down,
Billy doubles
some vocals,
and it's over.
And I'm sitting there going,
this is the hit.
What's the matter ♪
With the clothes
I'm wearing? ♪
Can't you tell
that your tie's too wide? ♪
Well, maybe I should buy
some old tab collars? ♪
Welcome back
to the age of jive ♪
Where have you been
hidin' out lately, honey? ♪
You can't dress trashy ♪
Till you spend
a lot of money ♪
Everybody's talkin'
'bout the new sound ♪
Funny, but it's still rock
and roll to me ♪
What's the matter with ♪
"Glass Houses" obliterated
everyone's expectations.
-Billy Joel, "Glass Houses."
-(audience cheering)
Are you gonna cruise
a miracle mile? ♪
Elizabeth:
That was the third hit
that Bill had had in a row.
And that really
doesn't happen.
cool punk,
even if it's old junk ♪
It's still rock
and roll ♪
Tom: A lot
of people think Billy Joel
is the best songwriter
and performer
in the United States today.
In the past eight years,
Billy Joel has sold
more than 12 million albums,
won four Grammy Awards,
grossed more than
$80 million dollars,
and sells out
every concert performance.
Everybody's talkin'
'bout the new sound ♪
Funny, but it's still rock
and roll to me ♪
Billy: I think I was
perceived as a balladeer
until we did that album.
And when we did the album,
there was a lot
of criticism of,
"He's trying to be punk
and new wave."
Edna: It was curious
to me that he was,
you know,
kind of a contrast
to what
his music sounded like.
I mean, he was born
in the Bronx
and grew up in Hicksville.
Was, you know,
kind of a scrappy,
confrontational kid.
I mean, if it were a novel,
the next step would have been
to become a punk rocker.
But instead,
his music was polished
and there was
this underpinning
of accessibility.
And a lot of what was complex
and articulate about him
and his music was overlooked
because he was topping
the charts.
Billy:
When everything's going good,
I tend to worry about, okay,
when's the other shoe
going to drop?
When is the end of this
great run going to happen?
Because it's going to happen.
Steven: You know, when you
look at Billy Joel's career,
he really hits the mainstream
in 1977 with "The Stranger."
And I think it's important
to remember, like,
what else was going on
in the music world,
especially in
the critical community.
There was a big embrace
of punk music at that time.
You know, 1977,
you have The Talking Heads.
Psycho Killer
qu'est-ce que c'est? ♪
Steven:
And Suicide.
Whoo! ♪
Steven: And it's this
very confrontational,
anti-authoritarian
type music.
And it was very easy,
I think, to paint someone
like Billy Joel
as the authority.
You know,
he's with Columbia Records.
He's the biggest-selling
artist at that moment
in time.
So I think Billy Joel was
a very convenient target
for, "This is everything
that we're against."
"You don't belong here.
You know, like, get out."
Steve Edwards: To this
in Paul Nelson's review
of the album "Glass Houses"
in "Rolling Stone,"
"His material is catchy,
but then so is the flu."
interviewer: "It's Still Rock
and Roll to Me,"
your first American
number one single,
named worst
Rock 'n' Roll Single
of the Year
by "Rolling Stone" Magazine.
Billy:
With the critics,
a lot of it
was self-inflicted.
I used to court battles
with the press,
which was stupid.
What is it? You don't get
into a pissing contest
with someone who orders ink
by the barrel.
Anna Chavez: One LA critic,
who on this particular day
wrote that Billy Joel was
the great spoiled brat
of rock.
Liberty:
Make way for the brat.
Okay, uh,
where's the Brat Room?
Liberty: Billy always took
things personally, you know.
He used to review
the reviewer.
He would read the review
that the reviewer gave,
and if it was a bad review,
he'd rip up
the paper on stage.
So I ripped up the reviews.
I said this is what
I think it's worth.
Now, it was
a mistake to do that
because there could be
five good reviews.
What did I pay attention to?
The one bad review.
But I had a chip
on my shoulder.
I think the chip
on the shoulder thing comes
from being a Long Islander.
I got into fights,
and I had to learn
how to defend myself.
I can't say
there was ever a time
where I wasn't struggling
with something.
There's always a struggle,
to the end.
And so, I learned life
is a fight.
And it was a good lesson
to learn.
After "Glass Houses"
came out,
I was always on the road.
Working, working.
I look back on that guy,
I don't even know
who he was.
He had to be so ambitious
to work that hard
and work that much.
So, it must've not been easy
to be married
to me at the time.
(audience cheering)
Elizabeth: The toll
that fame and celebrity
was taking on everybody
was at this point palpable.
You know, everyone thinks
that fame is
something special.
And there was
a lot of nice things
about the life we had.
But, you know,
the sense of humor
of the Gods is fantastic
because you get this,
and this is what
you pay for it.
And living with someone
who is so firmly planted
in the public eye
is the antithesis
of what I wanted.
I wasn't asking him
to change,
but I just did not want
to live like that.
My response to it was to get
a place in New York City
where you can enjoy
anonymity.
And so it wasn't so much
as we separated.
But we started to get
a little bit isolated
from one another.
And I also knew
that he wasn't
in a good place.
(poignant music playing)
We were all under
a lot of stress.
All of us dealt with our
stresses in different ways.
And so there was, you know,
a lot, a lot of alcohol use.
And eventually,
a lot of drug use.
Steve: Elizabeth was concerned
about everybody's drinking,
but she was really concerned
about Billy's drinking.
She realized that there was
some alcoholism in this group.
Liberty:
Billy, like the rest of us,
we were very destructive
to ourselves.
It was our second career.
You know, we used
to go out to dinners,
and if anybody left drinks
as I was walking out,
I would just drink
everybody's drink
no matter what it was
on the way out.
We loved our alcohol.
(indistinct chatter)
Arlyne: I don't think
that he was unaware
of the damage
he was doing to himself.
But as you become
a superstar,
the pressure doesn't abate.
And then you've got
to keep beating
and doing better
than your last album.
And it's very hard to deal
with that kind of pressure.
Liberty:
You know, I remember
telling band members,
I-I can't stand watching
my friend kill himself.
It's my whole world
right here,
and it's crumbling.
Billy: I remember Elizabeth
came on the road with us.
She was uncomfortable
being there.
I was uncomfortable
with her being there.
The band was uncomfortable.
It was uncomfortable
for everybody.
And there was more fighting
an-an-and more negativity
than there was fun.
The fun was gone.
Elizabeth:
It was just out of control
in a way that I was,
I was frightened.
My life was so different
than the band and the crew
because I had a child,
and I was not going
to do anything
that would hurt him,
leave him without a mother.
I was a very young user
of drugs and alcohol.
I was going down
the very same roads
that all those guys were,
'cause I looked up to them.
I think she kind of saw,
like, I gotta get out
for this kid.
Elizabeth:
That was my guiding force
and my guiding light.
And so it became
an insurmountable reality.
And then
I kind of decided,
I'm going to step back
from this business of music.
Liberty: She didn't want
anybody to try to talk her
into staying.
She just wanted to go away.
Elizabeth: I started
to interview candidates
to take my place.
And then Bill gets
this idea in his head
that he wants
to hire Frank Weber,
who is my brother.
At family events,
they always talked
to each other.
And I was like,
I understand you like him,
Frank's a nice guy,
but I don't see it.
Billy:
Frank started working
at Home Run.
Must have been '77, '78.
Eventually, I became
more familiar with Frank,
and we ended up discussing
more about the business,
and he represented himself
to be pretty straight ahead
and understanding my point
of view about things.
Elizabeth: I didn't like it
for a myriad of reasons,
but Bill wanted Frank
and that's who we hired.
Warm tears ♪
Arlyne:
Elizabeth and Billy,
they were still very involved
with each other.
Their lives were completely,
totally mixed.
But the drinking was
a very big problem.
Every day,
Elizabeth kept saying,
you know, "Tomorrow is
the day he's going to stop."
Elizabeth: I think he was so
constrained in his own life
that he was pushing
the envelope
in the places that he could.
♪♪
Hey ♪
Come on ♪
Billy: I always
romanticized motorcycles.
There's something about it.
I feel like I could be
completely disconnected
from the world.
There's a sense
of freedom about that.
But I just remember hearing,
"The insurance company
doesn't want you
"to ride motorcycles,
"and the record company
doesn't want you
to ride motorcycles."
And I was like, fuck them.
sleeping with
the television on ♪
(motorcycle engines rumbling)
You getting this?
You gotta get this, man.
This is the thing.
Elizabeth: So, when Bill
had a motorcycle,
I was hearing
he was in this place
or he'd been drinking here
and he was going there.
And so I was scared
all the time.
I, on many occasions,
said to him,
you know, you can't do this.
This is dangerous.
Billy:
One, two, three, four!
"You May Be Right,"
I wrote that
one night, it was four o'clock
in the morning.
I was coming back
from a bar.
It was raining out.
I was on a bike.
I had no headlight.
There were no street lights.
I was wearing a suit,
and it was raining.
And I got into the house,
and I made it home
in one piece.
I should have been splattered
all over the road.
And my wife looked at me
and she said,
"You're out of your mind.
You're crazy.
I don't believe you're alive."
I said,
"Well, I made it, didn't I?
I'm here in one piece."
And she said, "Yeah, but that
only proves you're crazy,
because only a crazy man
would have made it home."
And that's where
I got the idea from.
Even rode my motorcycle
in the rain ♪
And you told me
not to drive ♪
But I made it home alive ♪
So you said
that only proves ♪
That I'm insane ♪
You may be right ♪
Elizabeth: And there was
a line that's like,
"Turn out the lights.
Don't try to save me."
You know, really,
to me at that time,
really said it all.
Well, turn out the lights ♪
Don't try to save me ♪
You may be wrong
for all I know ♪
But you may be right ♪
Billy:
Elizabeth had warned me.
"Just be careful, be careful.
Because you're going
to have an accident."
And I was riding
with a couple of other people
on other bikes,
and we got
to an intersection,
and the light
turned green for me,
so I went through
the intersection.
But a woman had run
a red, red light
and crossed
right in front of me.
It was too late
to stop the bike.
I was wearing a helmet
and boots and gloves
and a leather jacket.
I smashed into her car.
The bike went like that.
It dislocated this wrist.
It yanked my wrist
out of my socket
and crushed this thumb
against the tank.
So this thumb got smashed.
And I flipped over the car.
I landed on my back.
Hit the helmet
on the pavement. Kaboom.
I was amazed
that I was still alive.
I should have died
in that accident.
And I laid there in shock
for a couple of minutes,
and I went to the hospital
right after that.
Arlyne:
He gets into the hospital.
They immediately take him
into surgery,
and nobody knew
the extent of the damage.
It was a great concern.
They-they only knew
that it was very serious
and that it was his hands
and his head.
You know, everybody
standing around going,
oh, my God,
what's going to happen?
Didn't know if he'd ever
be able to play music again.
This arm was broken,
this leg was broken,
this wrist was broken.
And I think a lot of the time
that I was in that hospital,
I wasn't aware
of what was going on.
I was just out of it.
Arlyne:
I was in the room every day
while he was
in the hospital.
Dealt with the press.
Whatever had to be done.
One day,
Elizabeth comes in
and he overhears her
telling me
that I should hire
private nurses
to go home with him.
And he says to her
"Well, aren't you going
to be there?"
She says
"I'm not going back
with you. I live in the city."
Elizabeth:
I would've stayed.
I would've been able,
like so many women
before me,
to make that accommodation
for someone you love.
But there was no way
that I could stand by
and watch him kill himself.
I just didn't have that in me.
And I, I felt very strongly
that that's where
it was going.
Arlyne: She slipped
the key to the house
off of her keychain
and put it on the tray,
that hospital tray
that goes over the bed.
I remember him looking
at that key.
She was his muse.
And he made
some comment about,
"She's not going to be there
to hear my music anymore."
Billy:
It wasn't going to work
as much as I wanted it to.
I didn't want to fail.
Arlyne:
Billy, I sometimes say,
e-even with
his amazing talent,
without her know-how,
he might not be Billy Joel.
And Elizabeth,
with all of her brilliance,
if she had represented
somebody with no talent,
you know, what was the point?
And they did love each other
because they more
or less grew up together.
They matured
from teenage years
to young adulthood.
Elizabeth:
And I said, you know,
someday they may write
about us.
And I hope that they say
that we really did something.
And his rejoinder was,
"I hope they could say
we went all the way."
And that was that was it.
That really was
the final, um
That was it.
Um yeah. That was the end.
It was sad.
Sean: When they split up,
when it was over,
I don't think there was a,
"Hey, uh, I'm really going
to miss you. Good luck."
Yeah, there was
no closure with Billy.
But I think if he could
communicate about feelings,
I don't know
whether he would be able
to create the songs
and the feelings
that they all convey.
And that's where
(clears throat)
I have to look and go,
alright,
whatever he didn't do,
whatever his
shortcomings were,
he did do that.
And that's powerful.
That's that moves people.
Elizabeth: I still have room
in my heart.
I love Bill. I always will.
I love the memories
of the family life
that he and Sean
and I shared.
And so those memories
are personal,
and they belong to me
and to Sean and to Bill.
But what doesn't belong to us
is the achievement
that we had working together.
We together were greater
than the sum of the parts.
And I am really proud of that.
("Surprises" playing)
Billy: I've had a lot
of hard lessons in my life.
Break all the records ♪
Burn the cassettes ♪
I'd be lying
if I told you ♪
That I had no regrets ♪
There were
so many mistakes ♪
And what
a difference it makes ♪
But still it shouldn't
surprise you at all ♪
You know ♪
Billy:
I've realized that life
doesn't always have
a happy ending.
I was alone again
and going into the unknown.
You were so young
and naive ♪
I know it's hard
to believe ♪
But now it shouldn't
surprise you at all ♪
You know ♪
No, it shouldn't
surprise you at all ♪
You know ♪
("Zanzibar" playing)
Ali dances
and the audience applauds ♪
Though he's bathed
in sweat ♪
He hasn't lost his style ♪
Ali, don't you
go downtown ♪
You gave away
another round for free ♪
Whoa ♪
Me, I'm just
another face at Zanzibar ♪
But the waitress always
serves a secret smile ♪
Whoa ♪
She's waiting out
in Shantytown ♪
She's gonna pull
the curtains down for me ♪
For me ♪
I've got
the old man's car ♪
I've got a jazz guitar ♪
I've got a tab
at Zanzibar ♪
Tonight, that's where ♪
I'll be ♪
I'll be ♪
♪♪