The making of Billy Joel: Inside his struggling songwriter years

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25th July, 2024 marked my final electrifying performance at home, the iconic Madison Square Garden. This 150th show brought to an end a residency that had its roots back in December 14, 1978. With a fresh single (“Turn The Lights Back On”) fueling my excitement, I was eager to hit the road once more, with a star-studded lineup joining me – Sting, Rod Stewart, and Stevie Nicks among them.

By May 2025, Joel received a diagnosis for Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH), a health issue that impacts his hearing, balance, and vision. Regrettably, all performances have been postponed from May 23rd onwards, with no resumption expected before 2026 at the earliest.

On July 16th, exactly two days before the premiere of HBO’s two-part documentary, “Billy Joel: And So It Goes,” one of the film’s directors, Susan Lacy, spoke on ABC’s Good Morning America. According to her report, Billy Joel is currently undergoing physical therapy, making progress in his recovery, and working diligently towards getting better.

Billy Joel had to work his way through early-career failure

Growing up in Hicksville, Long Island, Billy Joel had no choice but to mature quickly. He took up boxing and honed his skills as a fighter. As an amateur boxer with the Golden Gloves, Joel amassed a remarkable record of 22 wins and 2 losses.

In the rawest form of self-expression, I found myself tapping into my emotions through the keys, almost like a boxer in the ring. At just 21, with my boxing days behind me due to a shattered nose, I stepped out from the shadows and embraced my new identity – a songwriter.

Following his collaborations with The Hassles on United Artists and creating early Heavy Metal music with Jon Small in Attila, Billy Joel had already pushed the boundaries of his talent. Desperate and penniless, Joel resorted to odd jobs such as shucking oysters. In time, he found himself back at the piano, composing songs for others to perform.

From those somber times, Joel penned the tunes that made up his first release, Cold Spring Harbor (1971). Unfortunately, due to a mistake during mastering and subsequent overdubs to rectify errors, the finest parts of the album can now be found in various sources.

Exactly one week following the launch of their record, on the 9th of November, 1971, Joel and his band conducted a brief recording session at Ultrasound Studios in Hempstead, New York. This recording was transmitted live over AOR radio station, WLIR.

The opening track, “Everybody Loves You Now,” showcases his powerful voice, filled with a controlled gravel, and his talent for seamlessly transitioning to melodic moments to alleviate tension (the genuine sentiment of “between you, me, and the Staten Island Ferry…so do I”). His debut single, “She’s Got A Way,” is reminiscent of McCartney’s style, and the album ends with an early version of “Captain Jack.

Among the standout tracks on the album “Cold Spring Harbor” (1971) is the Badfinger-inspired song “You Can Make Me Free.” This tune beautifully showcases Joel’s affection for the Beatles, particularly evident in the harmonies, and it serves as an early indication of his growing talent as a performer and leader. Interestingly, the 1983 Artie Ripp remake truncated the song in half, even though many radio singles during that period exceeded the four-minute mark.

On February 10, 1972, Joel and his band had a recording session for WSIU’s “The Session”, which took place on the Southern Illinois University campus. The song “Long, Long Time” showcases the elements that would eventually propel him to success, similar to James Taylor’s style, five years later.

Although the lyrics are melodious with a sense of prolonged darkness (“A very long, unending night”), the music adds an element of adventure through transitions between verses and a “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant”-like interlude that rejuvenates the song.

The tune is catchy but the rhythm changes and has a break like “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant,” making it exciting again.

After spending several months playing at any location he could find, Joel eventually got his big chance. On April 15, 1972, a live radio concert on WMMR in Philadelphia led him to Sigma Sound Studios. In this studio, Joel had an entire hour for music and dialogue, which allowed him to captivate the audience. The station chose “Captain Jack” for airplay, and the phone requests poured in for the following year.

News regarding this phenomenon eventually reached Clive Davis, the president of Columbia Records, who would later become the home for all of Joel’s music and the platform that would ultimately label him as “Piano Man”.

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2025-07-17 18:00