Cold beer, hot lights, my sweet romantic teenage nights...
Growing up in the 80s, I was, of course, aware of Billy Joel. But I wasn't until later in high school and a little bit of college that I got exposed to more of Joel's catalogue than the MTV hits of the 80's. And a large part of my exposure to Billy Joel is credited to Mike Mastin, one of my best friends from high school and college roommate for a couple of years. He is an absolute Billy Joel freak, and even played "She's Got a Way" as the first dance at his wedding.
I almost forget about Billy Joel. He's just not someone in my regular rotation of tunes and I'm sure his inclusion on the playlist may have perplexed some of the blog followers (and by "blog followers" I mean my parents, who I am quite sure are the only loyal readers. God bless parents). Sure, Billy Joel had some cheesy tunes in the 80's, but who didn't? And as sort of corny as they sound today "Uptown Girl" and "Longest Time" are still great songs.
And Joel is a consummate performer, musician and songwriter. And on top of it all, a really fantastic story teller. Whether you think you do or not, I would almost guarantee that most anyone knows every word to "Piano Man." And tunes like "Goodnight Saigon" and "Ballad of Billy the Kid" are just great tunes, and great stories with some great musicianship behind them. Billy Joel just has an amazing knack for sing-along-songs that get stuck in your head.
But the moment I heard "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" all of Joel's other tunes just immediately paled in comparison to me. I love how the song is structured--there's some romance, some jazz, some rock, and some dramatic string arrangements. And Joel's lyrics about Brenda and Eddie are just superb. I am sure we all know a couple like Brend and Eddie from high school.
As an addendum, I once saw Chicago-based jamband Umphrey's McGee do a cover of this song at a show in Charleston, SC many years ago...and they absolutely nailed it.
Track 43 is for you, Mike!
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