I think this has been minimized, but it hits home. Never mind why.
But songs about bars and lonely guys are nothing new. I’m reminded of a Harry Chapin song, “A Better Place to Be”:
It was an early morning barroom, and the place just opened up, And the little man came in so fast, and he started at his cup, And the broad who served the whiskey, she was a big old friendly girl, Who tried to fight her empty nights by smilin’ at the world, And she said, "Hey Bud, it’s been a while, since you been around, Where the hell you been hidin’, and why you look so down?"
I figure it’s a locals’ bar, kind of like my local pub. Actually pretty busy most weekdays with the lunch crowd, and some evenings, but Saturdays can sometimes be really dead. More than once, I’ve been the only one there for an hour or two on a Saturday evening, and just a few regulars is pretty common.
In case nobody’s seen this yet, here’s Joel’s own analysis of the song - mostly in musical terms - from his legendary appearance on Inside the Actors’ Studio:
I’ve always loved this interpretation - that “Bill” is playing at a gay bar and hasn’t realized it yet, that John has a secret crush on him which is why he gives him free drinks, and that Paul who “never had time for a wife” was hitting on Davey in the Navy. It’s obviously not the original intended narrative, but it’s fun.
Also:
Yeah, I thought this one was pretty straightforward.
I agree. And I’m reminded of the old man in Ralph McTell’s really depressing “Streets of London”:
In the all night cafe
At a quarter past eleven
Same old man
Sitting there on his own
Looking at the world
Over the rim of his tea cup
Each tea lasts an hour
And he wanders home alone
“All I wanna do is have a little fun before I die” Says the man next to me out of nowhere It’s apropos of nothing, he says his name is William I’m sure he’s Bill or Billy or Mac or Buddy And he’s plain ugly to me And I wonder if he’s ever had a day of fun in his whole life
Wouldn’t Bill be playing on the busy nights when he could actually get paid and garner tips?
Totally off the wall: There was a time when someone could make a decent living putting out paperback originals (for newspaper racks at, say, the airport or your local 7-11 — I believe the term used was “cannon fodder”). One of the earlier Stephen King stories had a main character who did just that. I don’t remember particulars, but would Steve-o lie to us?
Nope. The manager at the local pub only books music acts on Fridays and Saturdays, specifically to try to draw more business. He doesn’t have to spend money on a band the other nights, because the pub is mostly full with things like sports teams having a post-game drink, or people watching sports on the TVs.
Weekends are particularly slow in the summer because many regulars go up to their cottages/trailers for the weekend.
Maybe that old man should be sittin’ in Miami, pourin’ blended whisky down:
"Old dogs care about you even when you make mistakes God bless little children while they’re still too young to hate" When he moved away, I found my pen and copied down that line 'Bout old dogs and children, and watermelon wine
. . .
That night I dreamed in peaceful sleep of shady summertime Of old dogs and children and watermelon wine.
(“Old Dogs and Children and Watermelon Wine,” by Tom T. Hall.)
Point is, that there can occasionally be a bright spot in those bars.
If Billy Joel says it’s in 6:8 time and not the more familiar 3:4 time it’s his song and he still calls it a waltz and says he was surprised it was released.
My father and I were listening to it on the car radio on the way from his machine shop when I wiorked with him in the early 80’s. As far as rock & roll he was partial to songs with harmonica and the rare accordion. And us being Long Islanders he probably knew of Billy Joel.
“That’s a waltz” he says. And my stupid teenager self says “no it’s not”
“1, 2, 3… 1, 2, 3”. Of course it is and you can’t unhear it as such. There are a surprising number of “rock songs” that have the same time signature. Paul Simon’s 'America;,Allman Brothers ‘Dreams’ etc…
It’s exactly this. The guys who play the bar circuit aren’t making a lot of money. You do it when young to get your foot in the door, but if you’re still doing it a decade later, then that’s just a job. You’re not going to be a huge star. It’s the musical equivalent of being in the Navy for life.
I recently saw where Joel said the real estate novelist refers to the idea that Paul sells real estate, but wants to write the great American novel. He also said his intention was not that Paul and Davy are gay, but when the idea was pointed out to him, he surely can see why that connection might be made.
