Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
| "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Side-A label of U.S. vinyl single | ||||
| Single by Billy Joel | ||||
| from the album The Stranger | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | November 1, 1977 | |||
| Recorded | 1977 | |||
| Genre | Rock, pop rock[1] | |||
| Length | 3:28 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Billy Joel | |||
| Producer(s) | Phil Ramone | |||
| Billy Joel singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" on YouTube | ||||
"Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" is a song written and recorded by Billy Joel originally appeared on his 1977 album The Stranger. The track details the singer's disgust with the upwardly mobile bourgeois aspirations of working- and lower-middle-class New Yorkers who take pride in working long hours to afford the outward signs of having "made it".[2] Characters have stereotypically ethnic names (Anthony, Mama Leone, Sergeant O'Leary, Mr. Cacciatore) and blue-collar jobs. Joel considers their rejection of their working-class roots (trading a Chevy for a Cadillac and buying a house in Hackensack, New Jersey) ultimately futile. Near the end of the recording is the sound of a car starting up and driving away; the bass player Doug Stegmeyer's 1960s Corvette was used.
According to Joel, Anthony is not a real person, but rather "every Irish, Polish, and Italian kid trying to make a living in the U.S."[citation needed]
Live performances of the song can be heard on 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert and 12 Gardens Live.
Reception
Billboard described "Movin' Out" as an "upbeat narrative that is sort of a commentary on upward mobility."[3] Cash Box said that "growling cellos and a pulsating rhythm section set the mood for Joel's threatening indictment of middle-class values" and that it has "one of the best choruses he has written in some time, combined with unusual echo effects, a yapping horn section, and a melodic guitar finale that wraps it all up nicely."[4]
Versions
The 45RPM single slightly differs from the album version as the sound effects of the car near the end of the song were removed.
Personnel
- Billy Joel – lead and backing vocals, piano
- Steve Khan and Hiram Bullock – electric guitars
- Richie Cannata – saxophones
- Doug Stegmeyer – bass guitar
- Liberty DeVitto – drums
Broadway musical
The Twyla Tharp Broadway dance musical Movin' Out, featuring the songs of Billy Joel, opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City on October 24, 2002, and played 1,307 performances before closing in December 2005. The show's lead piano player and singer was Michael Cavanaugh. It toured the US extensively from 2004 to 2007, with Darren Holden as lead Piano Man, and Matt Wilson, James Fox and Matthew Friedman as second Piano Men. The show transferred to the Apollo Victoria Theatre in the West End of London on April 10, 2006; James Fox played lead piano and sang, with Darren Reeves as second piano man. It closed early, on May 22, owing to poor ticket sales.[citation needed]
Movin' Out is also the title of the original Broadway cast album taken from the musical.
Track listing
- Europe
- "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" – time: 3:28
- "She's Always A Woman" – time: 3:21
- UK
- "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" – time: 3:28
- "Vienna" – time: 3:34
- United States
- "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" – time: 3:28
- "Everybody Has A Dream" – time: 4:36
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[12] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/52nd-street-195243/
- ^ a b Dean, Maury (2003). Rock N' Roll Gold Rush. Algora. p. 348. ISBN 0-87586-207-1.
- ^ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. March 18, 1978. p. 87. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
- ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. October 8, 1977. p. 24. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 156. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM". Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 2012-10-23. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
- ^ "Image : RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
- ^ NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, 28 May 1978
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 6/03/78". Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- ^ "Image : RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
- ^ "American single certifications – Billy Joel – MOVIN' OUT (ANTHONY'S SONG)". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
