My wife and I saw the second part of the extraordinary Billy Joel documentary last night, after seeing the first part last week. I've been a big fan of Billy Joel since "Piano Man". I thought and still think "Only the Good Die Young" was a masterpiece song, same for "Say Goodbye to Hollywood," and same for "Uptown Girl" which also has a masterpiece video. In fact, I can't really think of any Billy Joel recording I don't like, and the same only applies only to a dozen or so other artists beginning with The Beatles.
But as to his life, the person who wrote and recorded all those great songs, I never knew too much. I knew of course he'd been married to Christie Brinkley. I knew he'd been touring for a while with Elton John -- another piano man -- but that ended on an acrimonious note (they later reconciled). I heard him a few times on The Beatles Channel on Sirius/XM Radio -- talking about The Beatles and playing their records -- and I knew about his recent long run in Madison Square Garden. My wife and I were going to a lot of concerts prior to COVID, and I had in my mind that we should go so see Billy Joel, but that didn't (yet) happen.
But I didn't know much about his personal life, and how that related to his music, and And So It Goes -- directed by Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin -- does a brilliant job of telling that true story. Here are some of my takeaways (in no order of importance, because all are important):
- Billy Joel found writing lyrics somewhat of a burden. Given that his lyrics were uniquely descriptive, setting scenes and telling stories that seemed to splash out as naturally as the rain, I (as a songwriter as well as a fan) found that especially interesting.
- Billy Joel's manager, his one-time brother-in-law, robbed him of millions of dollars. As is clear in this documentary, Joel, in addition to being incredibly talented, is also highly intelligent, so I found that surprising as well. It's well known that doo-wop groups were regularly robbed of their royalties by record companies in the 1950s, but Joel's misfortunates happened 50 years later.
- Billy Joel always loved classical music. (His father, who abandoned his family when Billy was a boy, was a classically trained pianist.) I knew, of course, that Jeff Lynne and ELO did/do, but Billy Joel always seemed firmly rooted in rock 'n' roll.
- Billy Joel has always been quick to denounce his tone-deaf critics in the media. Good for him.
- Billy Joel was spoken for in the documentary by a cavalcade of musical stars that lit up the screen: Paul McCartney (who said Billy's "I Love You Just the Way You Are" was his answer when he was asked which song did he wish that he had written), Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Don Henley, Garth Brooks, Nas, Sting, and Pink)
- Billy Joel has been beset by demons all of his life -- which makes his extraordinary accomplishments even more impressive.
