Talk:Billy Joel

Geographical References

I've added a "citation needed" link to the part about Angelo's Restaurant. There are numerous claims to Christiano's in Syosset as being the restaurant in "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" including, if I remember correctly, a note on the menus themselves. I'll be visiting the area next week and I'll double-check to see if this is still the case, but does anyone know for sure? Claude (talk) 16:32, 10 February 2008 (UTC)

Billy joels child hood

Many of you know about the famous Billy Joel. He is in fact stil playing today. Most people said he was the new Ray Charles. However Billy joel wasn't his real name which is William Martin Joel.

Billy, While he was a kid at the age of four took up piano lessons until he was 14. Billy told us that his dad and mom both had musical influeneces in his life.Billy said that his dad although being an electrician with General electric wouldn't let him Quit his piano lessons.

After a long period of time Billy's parents Divorced and their mom was granted custody of both him and his sister Judy. His mom was now stuck with supporting them both so she became a secretary/book keeper. Joel not having a father figure in his life looked to his grandfather as one. [[Image:<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rZ1_M_L_RSI"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rZ1_M_L_RSI" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>]]

A biased and poorly worded short worded summary with no refrences to reliable sources isn't appropriate for Wiki. Eatspie (talk) 11:32, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

Feel better about yourself now, jerk? You could have stated the obvious in a less than haughty manner. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.156.160.65 (talk) 19:32, 30 March 2011 (UTC)

Joel's intrests

Joel stated the fact that he liked to read and both write books. He at first wanted to become a history teacher. Billy was also in trouble a lot of school for skipping. Billy said that he was doing that because of bullies. Billy told us that he also Idolized bands such as the beatles.

Their is alot more about billy joel but i'm too tired to write any more but you cna find out about him at this URL http://billyjoel.8k.com/billyjoel.htm

Pipe organ

Billy also plays pipe organ. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.145.240.19 (talk) 00:08, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Early Years

Never heard of "deposessed" nor could I find it in the dictionary. It seems that the intended word might be "dispossessed". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.81.226.30 (talk) 05:47, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Family Productions

The section of the article about the Piano Man album states: Joel's experiences in Los Angeles connected him with record company executives, who bought out his contract with Ripp with the condition that the "Family Productions" logo be displayed alongside the Columbia logo for the next five albums. The next five albums would have been Piano Man, Streetlife Serenade, Turnstiles, The Stranger, and 52nd Street. But the section about The Bridge says: It was also the last Billy Joel album to carry the "Family Productions" logo. That would seem to mean that the Family Productions logo was kept on Joel's albums for eleven releases instead of the originally scheduled five. Does anyone have an explanation for this? --Metropolitan90 (talk) 01:31, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

Metropolitan90, While it's true Billy was signed to Columbia Records however Family Productions (Artie Ripp) still retained the publishing rights to Billy's songs until 1986-7 thus the family logo's on his releases until then

Politics

I added the bit about his politics based on his campaign donations. 18986486545 16:13, 23 August 2008 user:Wesley M. Curtus

Citation for Scenes from an Italian Restaurant

This is my first foray into Wikipedia, so be kind until I get the hang of this.

I noticed that there is a note for a citation needed at 20, for the location for Scenes in an Italian Restaurant. I've got a good source, sort of. See, many years ago, one of my buddies who was a DJ at our college found a bootleg tape from one of Joel's concerts. In it, Joel not only premiered the song, but also said it about Christiani's. The problem is, because it's a bootleg, it wasn't labeled as to a date or place, but there is no doubt it's Joel. He and the band were practicing for "The Stranger."

So, is this info good enough for the citation or is it still heresay? I mean, it's a first source, but only kind of.

Sionell89 (talk) 02:40, 26 August 2008 (UTC)Sionell

I have corrected the reference - as per this from an article in USA Today July 9, 2008:

"There was a restaurant right across the street from Carnegie Hall called Fontana di Trevi. It was for the opera crowd, but the Italian food was really good. They didn't really know who I was, which was fine with me, but sometimes you would have a hard time getting a table. Well, I went there when the tickets had gone on sale for (my dates at) Carnegie Hall, and the owner looks at me and he goes (in an Italian accent), 'Heyyy, youra that guy!' And from then on, I was always able to get a good spot."

NVM.

Where does it say he played trumpet?

The only thing I've ever seen or heard of Joel and Trumpet is his picture on the cover of 52nd Street. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.206.239.241 (talk) 13:43, 6 October 2008 (UTC)

I agree. I will remove from infobox. WWGB (talk) 00:05, 7 October 2008 (UTC)

Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs

There's no note of Chuck Klosterman's analysis of Billy Joel in Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs. He essentially said that music critics were inaccurate since because he had no cool or un-cool image and his songs were so radio-friendly, he came off as edgeless light rock. Any of the regular editors object to adding something along these lines?--Loodog (talk) 14:57, 22 October 2008 (UTC)

What would that add to the article? Asher196 (talk) 21:22, 22 October 2008 (UTC)

Insight into Billy Joel.--Loodog (talk) 21:46, 22 October 2008 (UTC)

Please be more specific. Asher196 (talk) 03:03, 23 October 2008 (UTC)

Insight into the public perception of Billy Joel as light pop rock.--Loodog (talk) 03:12, 23 October 2008 (UTC)

Riverside in "New York State of Mind" is a Manhattan Reference, not a Queens Reference

I always took the line in "New York State of Mind" that goes "Don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside" to mean Riverside Drive in Manhattan, not Riverside Queens like the author of this article suggests. Joel is making references to Manhattan with Chinatown, not to the other boroughs in that part of the song.

Katie Lee- Culinary Artist?

Seriously? A "culinary artist"? Her page names her as a "chef", as well as television personality. The term "culinary artist" to describe Mrs.Joel is inappropriate, misleading, and pretentious. its not as the term "chef" has any negative connotations that would invite euphamy, or isn't an accurate reflction of either what she does, or for describing one who practices culinary arts. Im changing it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.187.251.194 (talk) 04:47, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Introduction

There is way Billy Joel is 89 years old! Where did you get this information? He is al least in his 60's thought. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Cooly123 (talk • contribs) 19:41, 30 January 2009 (UTC)

Concerts

No list pof any of his concerts? Why? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Cooly123 (talk • contribs) 22:04, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

Fantasies and Delusions

the style of music in this album is mostly classical/romantic. i'm not a wikipedia expert and i worry i might format it wrong... could someone else add Romantic Music to his genres? ~♫☆PianoWizzy☆♫~ that Elton John obsessed insano (talk) 02:42, 4 July 2009 (UTC)

Phil Woods

Phil Woods played the sax solo on "Just the Way you are" in all its incarnations. It's a famous jazz world story; it was a first take, and Phil was offered either a percentage of the song or $600, and took the latter (he'd never heard of Billy Joel, having been called in as a session guy.). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.6.159.136 (talk) 06:00, 11 July 2009 (UTC)

genres

Billy also composes classical music, alright if I add that to his bio? Tmmulv (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 23:29, 16 July 2009 (UTC).

Greatest Hits Vol 1 + 2

You say in the article, and you are right, that a couple of the songs ("My life" "Just the Way You Are" etc.) are shortened in the set. However, the included booklet does not provide the full-length lyrics.Tmmulv (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 23:36, 16 July 2009 (UTC).

Photo

Can someone find a more flattering photo of the man? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Zpql (talk • contribs) 05:03, 29 July 2009 (UTC)

"Flattering" is not a term one normally associates with photos of Billy Joel ;-) WWGB (talk) 05:47, 29 July 2009 (UTC)

There are plenty of good recent photos on the web. Including on his own site. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Zpql (talk • contribs) 13:59, 1 August 2009 (UTC)
But why do we want a recent photo? Doesn't it just reinforce the image everyone has of this guy who wrote soft rock songs once, and is now a nostalgia act with big white teeth and a big round belly? Joel was a rocker when he was younger, and I feel it would be more appropriate to have a picture from the late seventies. (82.36.196.108 (talk) 01:09, 30 August 2009 (UTC))

Joel is only 60, and the standard on Wikipedia is to put current, decent photos at the top until he passes away. Only then will we reflect on his life and may come to the conclusion that the 1970's Billy Joel is the one that mattered the most; but we shouldn't be making that determination while he is still young (see WP:CRYSTAL). Additionally, we only may use what photos are available in the creative commons. -->David Shankbone 13:46, 28 September 2009 (UTC)

New alternative photos for article

• 

  a

• 

  b

• 

  c

• 

  d

• 

  e

• 

  f

• 

  g

categories

does anyone know why there are categories called "Category:Billy Joel songs" and "Category:Songs written by Billy Joel"? seems kinda redundant... --Viennaiswaiting (talk) 02:35, 6 January 2010 (UTC)

Pronunciation

I've variously heard Billy's surname pronounced as /ˈdʒəʊ^əl/, matching the usual pronunciation of the name, or as /dʒəʊˈɛl/. Can we find a credible source on which is correct? -- Smjg (talk) 00:07, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Weren't healthy young amateur boxers draft eligible during the Vietnam War?

Any first question that needs to be asked and addressed about Billy Joel is: Weren't healthy, young, virile amateur boxers eligible for the draft during the Vietnam war, and if so, how did this walking morsel of shit -- boarded by the heartfelt charity of his manager and yet sneak-screwed his manager's wife while others Joel's age and educational status were fighting and dying in 'Nam -- dodge his military obligation?

Although I really like Billy Joel's music and acknowledge his enormous talent, throughout my four year enlistment and thirteen month Tet Offensive tour in Vietnam (1967-68), I've met dozens of talented American musicians in pickup bands -- marines, sailors, airmen and soldiers alike -- on R&R in Hong Kong and Singapore that were as good as or even better than Billy Joel...some of them dead at the tender ages of between 18 and 21.

Billy Joel's layabout shiftlessness as a high school dropout in particular is what has me going here. I think there should be something mentioned in here about Joel's draft status (dodged or exempted) showing that John Fogarty's music of the same genre and same era might not see totally eye-to-eye with Joel's Favorite Son fortune in Levittown.

97.100.162.215 (talk) 13:12, 19 November 2010 (UTC) Carlo Rossi

    Deltona, Florida

Methinks the explanation given at snopes appears to be correct; it is consistent with our own article about the Draft lottery: his draft number simply never came up. Until October 17, 2009, the article contained a different explanation that was then removed after it had been unsourced for more than 18 months.[1] Lupo 12:42, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

aka "Piano Man"?=

The infobox states Mr. Joel is also known as "Piano Man". Has he ever really been been known by this name? Additionally, shouldn't "Bill Martin" be added as he performed under this name while playing piano bars in LA? Wkharrisjr (talk) 13:28, 23 November 2010 (UTC)

Merging individual song articles with their albums?

I notice a fairly widespread problem. There are a ton of stub song articles, some of which haven't been touched in years. I looked at the advice from the notability criteria for songs, and this caught my eye.

Notability aside, a separate article on a song is only appropriate when there is enough verifiable material to warrant a reasonably detailed article; articles unlikely ever to grow beyond stubs should be merged to articles about an artist or album.

I feel that most of the individual song articles are unlikely to ever grow beyond stubs. The early ones, especially, probably don't have any newspaper coverage, since Billy wasn't really known then.

A contemporaneous problem is that many of the albums are in fairly poor shape. The simple solution would be merging a lot of these stub articles into the album articles, thus getting rid of the stubs and making the albums better.

Certainly, some of the songs are notable (particularly the ones that people actually know in everyday life, like Piano Man, Just the Way You Are, Uptown Girl, Tell Her About It, Still Rock and Roll to Me, We Didn't Start the Fire). A great majority, however, no one knows about but true Billy Joel fans.

Below is a list of the song articles, organized by album (which themselves are in bad shape). Bolded means they were not a single. Given what poor shape the albums are in, I really feel this should be discussed. ♫ Hurricanehink (talk) 06:23, 23 December 2010 (UTC)

• Cold Spring Harbor
  • She's Got a Way - stub
  • Tomorrow is Today (song) - stub
• Piano Man
  • The Ballad of Billy the Kid - stub
  • Captain Jack (GA)
  • Piano Man (song) - C
  • You're My Home - stub
• Streetlife Serenade - stub
  • Root Beer Rag - stub
  • The Entertainer (song) - stub
• Turnstiles
  • Say Goodbye to Hollywood - stub
  • New York State of Mind - start
  • Prelude/Angry Young Man - stub (completely unsourced)
  • Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) - start (not a single)
• The Stranger
  • Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) - start
  • The Stranger (song) - stub
  • Just the Way You Are (Billy Joel song) - start
  • Scenes from an Italian Restaurant - stub
  • Vienna (Billy Joel song) - stub
  • Only the Good Die Young - stub
  • She's Always a Woman - stub
• 52nd Street
  • Big Shot (song) - stub
  • Honesty (Billy Joel song) - stub
  • My Life (Billy Joel song) - start
  • Until the Night - stub
• Glass Houses
  • You May Be Right (song) - stub
  • Sometimes a Fantasy - stub
  • Don't Ask Me Why (Billy Joel song) - stub
  • It's Still Rock and Roll to Me - stub
  • All for Leyna - stub
• The Nylon Curtain
  • Allentown (song) - start
  • Pressure (Billy Joel song) - stub
  • Goodnight Saigon - stub
• An Innocent Man
  • An Innocent Man (song) - stub
  • The Longest Time - stub
  • This Night (Billy Joel song) - stub
  • Tell Her About It - stub
  • Uptown Girl - start
  • This Night (Billy Joel song) - stub
  • Leave a Tender Moment Alone - stub
  • Keeping the Faith (song) - stub
• Greatest Hits
  • You're Only Human (Second Wind) - start
  • The Night Is Still Young (Billy Joel song) - stub
• The Bridge
  • This Is the Time (song) - stub
  • A Matter of Trust - stub
  • Modern Woman - stub
  • Baby Grand - B
  • Big Man on Mulberry Street - stub
• Storm Front
  • That's Not Her Style - stub
  • We Didn't Start the Fire - C
  • The Downeaster Alexa - stub
  • I Go to Extremes - C
  • Shameless (song) - start
  • Leningrad (song) - stub
  • And So It Goes - stub
• River of Dreams
  • No Man's Land (Billy Joel song) - stub
  • All About Soul - stub
  • Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) - stub
  • The River of Dreams - stub

Billy Joel trademarked his name

Billy Joel(tm) trademarked his name in the early 1980s in three filings with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (www.uspto.gov). Not many artists do this - is it worth mentioning in the main article? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.113.108.153 (talk) 15:50, 5 February 2011 (UTC)

youtube atheist reference

There is a ref for his claim to be an atheist that links to a Howard Stern interview on youtube. This should be removed for copyright reasons. See wp:youtube. I would remove the url, but I'm not sure how to maintain the reference. I never cited a radio show before. Thanks. --CutOffTies (talk) 00:40, 19 February 2011 (UTC)

Lawsuit?

I think there should be a section on Billy Joels page regarding the lawsuit against his former brother-in-law. Apparently his former brother-in-law was his business manager, and stole over $10 million from Joel. Joel was not able to recover most of it and has stated that he had basically had to start from scratch in the 1990's. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.136.161.35 (talk) 15:11, 14 March 2011 (UTC)

Additional Primary Source - BJ Interview 1982

I just came across a fascinating series of YouTube videos from a Question & Answer session broadcast on MTV in 1982, where Billy Joel is in front of a large crowd from which he takes questions, and discusses things like how he writes music, starting out in the business, etc. Editors may want to review the series of four videos beginning at Billy Joel Night School part 1 of 4 to find additional information for the article. -- Eliyahu S ^Talk 11:35, 28 March 2011 (UTC)

No mention of bankruptcy or other financial troubles??

How come none of Billy's financial problems are mentioned? Were they deleted for some reason or has anyone ever added this info to the article? I've read that he has filed bankruptcy multiple times, but I don't see any dates of these filings on the web & nothing is mentioned in the article about that. Even if he hasn't filed BK, he has surely had financial troubles that ought to be mentioned if this is a true encyclopedia article & not a fanzine page. PhilOSophocle (talk) 21:24, 29 October 2011 (UTC)