The Entertainer (song)

For other uses, see The Entertainer (disambiguation).

"The Entertainer"
Single by Billy Joel
from the album Streetlife Serenade
B-side	"The Mexican Connection"
Released	1975
Format	7"
Recorded	A & R Recording, Inc., New York City
Genre	Rock
Length	3:48
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Billy Joel
Producer	Phil Ramone
Billy Joel singles chronology
"Travelin' Prayer" (1974) "The Entertainer" (1975) "New York State of Mind" (1976)

"The Entertainer" is a single by singer Billy Joel released as the only single from his 1974 album Streetlife Serenade. The song peaked at #34 on the US charts, a Top 40 hit for Joel that year. The song is a cynical and somewhat satirical look at the fleeting fame of a musician and fickle public tastes ("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."); this theme would be examined in the later song "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me". Another verse in the song references the shortening of Joel's song, "Piano Man", from 5 minutes and 38 seconds to 3 minutes and 5 seconds to fit a radio slot, referenced by the lyrics "It was a beautiful song, / but it ran too long. / If you're gonna have a hit, you gotta make it fit. / So they cut it down to 3:05." Additionally, the timing printed on the label of the 7" release of "The Entertainer" was 3:05, although the actual 45 length was 3:11 (while the LP length was 3:39). In the single version, Verse 3 (which starts at 1:02) is edited out, and Verse 2 (which starts at 0:40) contains a steel guitar in its second half, which is not present on the album mix.

On some of the singles released for "The Entertainer" the song was b-sided with "The Mexican Connection".

Chart positions

Chart (1975)	Peak position
Australian Singles Chart	89
Canadian Singles Chart	30
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	34
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	30