# Does Billy Joel have a bad song that exists? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 6, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-billy-joel-have-a-bad-song-that-exists/595417 "2011-09-06T18:18:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![StephenG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@StephenG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StephenG)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-billy-joel-have-a-bad-song-that-exists/595417/61 "2011-09-08T00:33:50Z")
I like most of the man’s work, even (especially) a lot of the songs derided above. I think _Only the Good Die Young_ is overplayed, and_Uptown Girl_ is verging on that, but I still like them. I can’t stand _You May Be Right (I May Be Crazy)_, or whatever that song is. I hated it as the theme song to the Dave Barry show, and I hate it on the radio. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-billy-joel-have-a-bad-song-that-exists/595417/62 "2011-09-08T00:45:05Z")
> [@DooWahDiddy](#): > > Yeah but you can’t really fault him for that one, since everyone in that song is a real person. And according to Billy, he didn’t even change the names… John really was the bartender, and Davy really was in the Navy (and probably still is). Like hell I can’t fault him. The fact that it’s based on a real person has \*nothing at all \*to do with whether it is a good lyric. I’m just thankful he didn’t also know an Irene who’s still a marine, because he would have worked that in as well. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-billy-joel-have-a-bad-song-that-exists/595417/63 "2011-09-08T02:47:54Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > And Billy Joel is one of the five best lyricists in rock. You’re my castle, you’re my cabin, you’re my instant pleasure dome? That line makes Davy who’s still in the Navy look brilliant by comparison. > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I’m just thankful he didn’t also know an Irene who’s still a marine, because he would have worked that in as well. Or Gerard, who’s still in the Coast Guard. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-billy-joel-have-a-bad-song-that-exists/595417/64 "2011-09-08T10:02:44Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > You’re my castle, you’re my cabin, you’re my instant pleasure dome? > > That line makes Davy who’s still in the Navy look brilliant by comparison. > > \ LOL. Well, OK, that line is strained in order to get the next line, which I think is very sweet: I need you in my house 'cause your my home. ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-billy-joel-have-a-bad-song-that-exists/595417/65 "2011-09-08T13:12:48Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > Or Gerard, who’s still in the Coast Guard. Here we see Irv He’s in the reserves And probably doing Dave’s wife. I didn’t see anyone mention [C’Etait Toi (You Were the One)](http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,335213,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-billy-joel-have-a-bad-song-that-exists/595417/66 "2011-09-08T13:26:50Z")
Since **silenus** covered it, I’ll avoid giving my thoughts on the actual OP and just make unwitty remarks. Tip your waitress, etc. > [@Gyrate](#): > > Yes, _Uptown Girl_ has dated very, very badly. My understanding was that the dating was OK, but the actual marriage didn’t work out… > [@Jackmannii](#): > > Among his non-good songs is “She’s Always A Woman”, which I found reassuring in that it would be horrifying to have a girlfriend who suddenly metamorphosed into a rabid raccoon. Horrifying, or **Awesome**? OK rabies sucks, but what if she was a non-rabid racoon? ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-billy-joel-have-a-bad-song-that-exists/595417/67 "2011-09-08T16:59:28Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > For the life of me, I can’t think of one. > > Someone earlier told me that he’s one of the rare singers that she likes every song by. I find that’s true for me, too. > > Anyone here not like one of his songs (and if so, which one)? It would be easier for me to list the songs that I _do_ like. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-billy-joel-have-a-bad-song-that-exists/595417/68 "2011-09-09T01:43:29Z")
> [@SiXSwordS](#): > > Here we see Irv > He’s in the reserves > And probably doing Dave’s wife. He’s sitting with Neal The ex-navy seal Whose vocals can cut like a knife mmm ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-billy-joel-have-a-bad-song-that-exists/595417/69 "2011-09-09T12:54:13Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > … > Whose vocals can cut like a knife At the back table is Ray He once was a great Green Beret Then he got far to bold he asked and he told And they told him to please go away Oh! La-di-da diddy-da … ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-billy-joel-have-a-bad-song-that-exists/595417/70 "2011-09-09T13:51:12Z")
So sing us a song, you’re the piano man! Sing us a song tonight. 'Cause each of our names Rhyme with our claims to fame And that is the way that you write ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-billy-joel-have-a-bad-song-that-exists/595417/71 "2011-09-11T11:12:15Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > “It’s Still Rock n’ Roll to Me”: lounge lizard thinks he can sound like a punk rocker, fails miserably. I’m surprised nobody’s brought up “I Go to Extremes”, which has the desperate whiff of a has-been trying to convince the kids that he’s really a hardcore badass. Umm…No. And it should be noted that in [this](http://www.amazon.com/Worst-Rock-Roll-Records-Time/dp/0806512318/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315739411&sr=1-2) highly entertaining and lucid book, there’s an extended, very well-written argument about how Joel is the Worst Rocker Ever. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-billy-joel-have-a-bad-song-that-exists/595417/72 "2011-09-11T12:30:21Z")
Listening to Billy Joel makes me think of Tom Hanks dressed in drag. Then it makes me want to get drunk and crash my car into a tree. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-billy-joel-have-a-bad-song-that-exists/595417/73 "2011-09-11T16:04:04Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Lol, I agree, that line from Piano Man is truly wretched! Also: “and the piano it sounds like a carnival…and the microphone smells like a beer.” It doesn’t just smell like beer, it smells like A beer. Piano Man is a good song but it is despite some horrible rhyming and lyrics (e.g. “I’m talking’ with Davy who’s still in the Navy”. Nobody knows what a real estate novelist is either. Read the lyrics some time. They wouldn’t earn a B in an 8th grade English class. I listen to Billy Joel most days but I despise “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant”. It just reeks of cheesy trying to pass off as classy or romantic. I just picture rejects from The Jersey Shore going on an awkward date when I hear it. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-billy-joel-have-a-bad-song-that-exists/595417/74 "2011-09-11T16:18:57Z")
Shag - I thought that “Real Estate Novelist” was a pretty good lyric, at least in the context of “Piano Man”. It means someone who wants to be a Writer, but hasn’t finished a novel much less got one published, and is selling Real Estate to get by. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-billy-joel-have-a-bad-song-that-exists/595417/75 "2011-09-12T17:39:48Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > …I just picture rejects from The Jersey Shore going on an awkward date when I hear it. So the song has produced exactly the effect it was designed to? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![M.L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@M.L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/M.L)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2015, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-billy-joel-have-a-bad-song-that-exists/595417/76 "2015-02-01T20:32:42Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > For the life of me, I can’t think of one. > > Someone earlier told me that he’s one of the rare singers that she likes every song by. I find that’s true for me, too. > > Anyone here not like one of his songs (and if so, which one)? In my opinion, while he has written an impressive number of memorable songs, the vast majority of his work is forgettable. Notice that I chose the words “memorable” and “forgettable” rather than “good” or “bad”. I just don’t find Joel’s music intense enough or interesting enough to speak of loving or hating it. He’s got some good songs but nothing that would compel me to buy an album of his. He’s more the sort of artist who has some good songs spread out over their catalogue but not the sort of artist who put out albums full of great songs. He was very much a pop artist (he hasn’t made any new music in over 20 years), each album containing a few songs intended to be “hits” and the rest being filler material. He doesn’t have an “Abbey Road” or “Sgt. Pepper’s” album like The Beatles did where basically every song on the album is great. That said, I think there was a very noticeable drop in quality starting with “An Innocent Man”. He was always very commercial of course, but songs like “Tell Her About It” just seem to exude that shallow, soulless, uber-commercial pop sound that made the 80s such a bleak period for music. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2015, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-billy-joel-have-a-bad-song-that-exists/595417/77 "2015-02-01T21:53:12Z")
Since you brought this thread back from the dead, it gives me the chance to link the Adult Swim [“Piano God.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL8cgDQybOs) ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2015, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-billy-joel-have-a-bad-song-that-exists/595417/78 "2015-02-01T22:03:05Z")
_Pressure_ is such a fantastically terrible song that I secretly like it. _I’m sure you have some cosmic rash…anale_ _All your life is channel 13, Sesame Street, what does it mean?_ **PRESSURE** It’s just awesome in it’s awful. [The music video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyv905Q2omU) is all kinds of 80’s goodness too. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2015, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-billy-joel-have-a-bad-song-that-exists/595417/79 "2015-02-01T23:59:12Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > It’s too bad he’s only been represented by **Movin’ Out** , with Twyla Tharpe’s absolutely horrendous choreography and nothing much going for it storywise. Movin’ Out retroactively destroyed Joel’s entire catalogue. Those of us who had the misfortune to see it can never like him again. It was truly _that_ bad. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2015, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-billy-joel-have-a-bad-song-that-exists/595417/80 "2015-02-02T00:49:22Z")
“It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me” - do not like! Most of his other stuff is tolerable to good, I can’t find it in me to hate. He’s coming to our town - again - for a huge concert - again, so he has lots of baby boomer fans. I notice his tour dates in Madison Square Garden seem to be sold out for the whole year. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-billy-joel-have-a-bad-song-that-exists/595417.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-billy-joel-have-a-bad-song-that-exists/595417.md?page=5)