Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
| "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||
| Single by Billy Joel | ||||
| from the album The Stranger | ||||
| Released | November 1, 1977 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | 1977 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 3:28 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Phil Ramone | |||
| Billy Joel singles chronology | ||||
|
||||
"Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" is a song written and recorded by Billy Joel. The track details the singer's disgust with the upwardly-mobile bourgeois aspirations of working and lower-middle class New Yorkers who take pride at working long hours in order to afford the outward signs of having "made it".[1] Named characters have stereotypically ethnic names (Anthony, Mama Leone, Sergeant O'Leary, Mr. Cacciatore) and their jobs are blue-collar. Joel considers their rejection of their working-class roots (trading a Chevy for a Cadillac and buying a house in Hackensack, New Jersey) to be ultimately futile; in the end, the rewards are a "heart attack" or "a broken back". Near the end of the recording is the sound of a car starting up and driving away, and it was actually the bass player's (Doug Stegmeyer) 1960s Corvette that was used. However, in the single mix, the car engine sound was removed.
According to Joel, Anthony isn't a real person, but rather "every Irish, Polish, and Italian kid trying to make a living in the U.S."
The song originally appeared on his 1977 album, The Stranger. A live performance of it can be heard on 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert.
Contents |
[edit] Broadway musical
The Twyla Tharp Broadway dance musical Movin' Out, featuring the songs of Billy Joel, opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, New York, on October 24, 2002, and played 1,307 performances before closing in December 2005. The lead piano player and singer of the show was Michael Cavanaugh. It toured the US extensively from 2004 through 2007, featuring Darren Holden as lead Piano Man, and Matt Wilson,[disambiguation needed 
] James Fox and Matthew Friedman as second Piano Men. The show transferred to London's West End on April 10, 2006, at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, where James Fox played lead piano and sang, with Darren Reeves as second piano man. However, it closed early on May 22 due to poor ticket sales.
Movin' Out is also the title of the original Broadway cast album taken from the above musical.
[edit] Covers
The song has been covered by:
- The Format (live)
- Indie band The Pale Pacific
- Ska band The Supervillains
- Bethany Joy Galeotti (during the 'One Tree Hill Tour').
- Comedy group Stella has performed a comedic version with altered lyrics
- Juelz Santana featuring Cam'ron - You Oughta Know (produced by The Heatmakerz)
- Das Racist - You Oughta Know
[edit] Chart positions
| Chart (1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 99 |
| Canadian Singles Chart[2] | 11 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 31 |
| UK Singles Chart | 35 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[1] | 17 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 40 |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Dean, Maury (2003). Rock N' Roll Gold Rush. Algora. p. 348. ISBN 0-87586-207-1.
- ^ http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.4578a&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=o44utr2skf3ci9l36vl9mglvm5
