With 13 studio albums, five Grammy Wins, and over 50 years in the industry Billy Joel has truly built a name for himself. At 73 years old, he is a music sensation that has lasted generations and will last many more with hits such as “Piano Man,” “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” and “Vienna” still streaming everywhere as he continues to perform them all around the world.
The man who has famously been nicknamed the Piano Man, after one of his greatest hits, released his first solo album in 1971 and since then has gone on to accomplish great things in the music industry. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, received a Kennedy Center Honor, and created multiple scholarship opportunities for those looking to pursue a career in music.
While he has done many things throughout his career, when I think of the legacy Billy Joel has built, I think of his residency at Madison Square Garden (MSG). Billy Joel first played the famous arena back in 1978, well before he would make history as the first artist to ever make residency at MSG.
Joel would go on to agree to play a show once a month at MSG starting in January 2014 as long as the fans wanted him to be there. He has since then gone on to play his 90th residency show and an overall number of 137th as of May 2023. He holds the record for being the artist to perform the most shows at the arena and continues to announce monthly shows currently scheduled until September 2023. Over the past nine years, the fans have clearly shown their desire for Billy to continue his residency by continuously selling out MSG month after month.
Joel is an amazing performer, but none of this would be possible without his songwriting ability. His songs each tell a story, whether it’s about love or what’s going on in the world. His song “Goodbye Saigon” while not the most well-known song, has a story behind it that meant a lot to some of Joel’s closest friends. This song is written about soldiers’ experiences during the Vietnam War, based on some of the songwriter’s friends who served in the war. Billy Joel has also written many songs about his ex-wives including “She’s Always a Woman” and “Uptown Girl.”
Personally, my favorite Billy Joel moment was New Year’s 2017. Billy Joel was performing in Miami and he got to perform his song “Miami 2017” which was released in 1976. While this song is about a futuristic apocalyptic New York City, having it performed right after midnight in the city and year was a historic moment for Billy Joel and his fans and I am thrilled that I got to witness it live.
While many may just think of Billy Joel as another musician, there is no doubt that he has built a legacy bound to last much longer than the artist could have ever imagined.
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