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Just the Way You Are (Billy Joel song)

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"Just the Way You Are"
Song
B-side"Get It Right the First Time"

"Just the Way You Are" is a love song from Billy Joel's 1977 pop rock album, The Stranger. It was written as a birthday gift to Joel's first wife, Elizabeth Weber. After they divorced, Joel said that when performing the song, he would imagine what he would eat for dinner or what he would do after the show, or even accidentally sing alternate lyrics written by Liberty DeVitto ("She took the dog, the house, the car"). "Just the Way You Are" was Joel's first US Top 10 (reaching #3) and UK Top 20 single, as well as Joel's first Gold single in the US. "Just the Way You Are" won the 1978 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

Joel has gone on record stating that he personally dislikes the song and was originally going to leave it off the album.[1] However, at the request of both Linda Ronstadt and Phoebe Snow (both were recording in other studios in the same building at the time), Joel and Ramone agreed to leave it on the album.

Since its initial release, the song has been covered by such notable performers as Barry White, Diana Krall, Ahmad Jamal, Shirley Bassey, Frank Sinatra, Isaac Hayes, Will Martin, and Harry Connick, Jr..

Single and album edits

When "Just the Way You Are" was released as a single, it was shortened by over a minute. The differences are the removal of the second verse and an earlier fade.

Music video

A live performance of the song was used as a music video. On February 18, 1978, Billy Joel performed a shorter version of the song as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live (along with "Only the Good Die Young").

Track listing

7" US & UK single (1977)

  1. "Just the Way You Are" - 3:27
  2. "Get It Right the First Time" - 3:54

Chart positions

Chart (1978) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart 6
Irish Singles Chart 7
New Zealand Singles Chart 6
UK Singles Chart 19
US Billboard Hot 100 3
US Billboard Easy Listening[2] 1

See also

References

  1. ^ [1] Billy Joel - The Republican Interview
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 127.
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