YouTube Tuesday: My Bily Joel Problem

No one's perfect, least of all musical artists.

Billy Joel is a shining example. He can give you the chills with "Captain Jack" . . . then make you shake your head with tired hackwork like "Still Rock 'N' Roll To Me." Brilliant satire ("The Entertainer," "Angry Young Man") stands elbow to elbow in the catalog with "She's Always A Woman To Me," perhaps the single worst song by an otherwise good artist in modern musical history. That the same person created "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" and "Uptown Girl" is baffling, and somehow sad.

That's My Bill Joel Problem. But the good outweighs the bad, certainly. Tonight's clip is Joel's brilliant "Ballad Of Billy The Kid." The clips from classic Westerns are a little bonus.

"Well, he never traveled heavy
Yes, he always rode alone
And he soon put many older guns to shame
And he never had a sweetheart
But he finally found a home
Underneath the boothill grave that bears his name"


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

What's the problem? "She's Always A Woman' is a brilliant song about the paradox of relationships, 'It's Still Rock and Roll To Me' is a satirical jab at the pomposity of rock critics, and 'Uptown Girl' is a clever homage to Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons which was done totally tongue-in-cheek. Why not just enjoy the eclectic range of an adventurous songwriter?

Lenora said...

We'll have to agree to disagree about those three songs.

Overall, I enjoy Billy's work. For whatever reasons the songs I see as his clunkers really stick out, perhaps because the good stuff is so very good.

Anonymous said...

You were spot on about the songs! I've had the same exact problem with him for years. I just needed you to point out that it was a problem. Thank you.