When we left off, Billy Joel had just released the album An Innocent Man, which I felt was a slight step down from some of his previous work, but was still successful. Following this, he participated in “We Are the World” in 1985 and released the first two volumes of his greatest hits compilation, including two new singles: “You’re Only Human (Second Wind)” and “The Night Is Still Young.” These albums sold extremely well, with “You’re Only Human (Second Wind)” reaching Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the album selling over 11.5 million copies.
The Bridge
Rating: 7/10.
Favorite Song: “Baby Grand.”
Billy Joel released his tenth album, The Bridge, in 1986. This album was another major tonal shift, from the doo-wop of An Innocent Man to much more new-wavy and jazz-inspired tracks. This album was less successful than his previous works, as the highest-charting single only reached No. 10 (“A Matter of Trust”). In general, Joel himself did not really like this album, and felt that his collaborations with other artists in it were not beneficial to its overall feel. Because of these reasons and the further shift from his earlier musical styles, the album had mixed reviews, with Joel later saying that he agreed with some of the criticisms.
However, this album also was the final one produced with a “Family Productions” logo, which had to be on all of the albums he had released to this point because of Joel’s very first contract, signed with Artie Ripp and Family Productions. If you remember, way back in Part I, Joel signed a contract with them, but after they misprinted his first album, he was able to get Columbia Records to make a deal and produce his album. However, as a result of his first contract, he had to include the Family Productions logo on many of his following albums. Joel himself directly references these predatory contracts he signed at the beginning of his career and their continuing effect on his career in the final song.
I somewhat enjoyed this album, especially since it was an interesting stylistic change compared to his previous work. However, there are some places in the album where a little more refinement and honing in on this particular musical style might have added something. My favorite song in the album is “Baby Grand,” a slower duet with Ray Charles.
After the release of The Bridge, Joel went on tour of Europe, playing a large number of concerts at lower-cost venues. He then went on a trip around the Soviet Union, which also became the first live rock radio broadcast in the USSR. However, this ended up costing them money, so many live performances were recorded. They were released in a live album, Kohuept / Концерт / Kontsert in 1987, including covers of “The Times They Are a-Changing” and “Back in the U.S.S.R.”
Storm Front
Rating: 8.5/10.
Favorite Song: “I Go To Extremes.”
Joel’s grueling tour series in Europe came to an end in 1987, and he had a short break before recording Storm Front between 1988 and 1989, finally releasing it on October 17, 1989. This album was a bit of a commercial rebound from the previous one, featuring “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” a No. 1 hit and one of Joel’s most famous and recognizable songs. The album also had “I Go to Extremes,” which reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.
This album featured many different members of his backing band, including three new members. This may have influenced the change in style that once again occurred on this album. However, the fact that Joel had longer to work on it may have allowed him to build the inspiration which connects most of the tracks in the album in a unique way. In my opinion, this change makes this album one of his best.
The backing band wasn’t the only part that changed going into this album. Only about two months before the album was released, Joel fired Frank Weber, his longtime manager, because of his somewhat “creative” accounting. Joel later sued him for fraud and breach of fiduciary duty, receiving a $2 million settlement.
However, it is not just the main tracks which help this album feel whole and complete in a unique way. The other tracks, such as “Storm Front” and “When in Rome,” are enjoyable listens and balance out the singles. Every song in this album was an enjoyable listen—with one exception: “We Didn’t Start the Fire” is just a list. Although it is interesting to hear what is included and what is not, the song does go on for almost five minutes, and I find myself either paying too much attention to the lyrics (what even is Dien Bien Phu? [Ed. Note—we do not have the time to get into this here]) or wanting to skip the song. The idea of an incoming storm front can be seen in almost every song in the album, which ties them together.
Three years after Storm Front, Joel filed suit against Allen Grubman, one of his former lawyers, charging him with various financial offenses. Eventually, he was paid $3 million out of court by Sony, who had other artists working with Grubman.
River of Dreams
Rating: 9/10.
Favorite Song: “Famous Last Words.”
Work on Joel’s next album began in 1992, leading to completion and release in 1993. This album is likely his most controversial one in every aspect.
At first, Joel wrote, played and produced the songs by himself, but did not like the songs which resulted, so he hired Danny Kortchmar to help produce the album with the help of session musicians.
Eventually the album was released to mixed critical reviews. On the commercial side, the album also had mixed results; it did reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in total, but only had one really successful single.
This album was generally intended by Joel to be his final rock studio album, as evidenced by his decision to call the final track “Famous Last Words.” This finality was also cemented by the fact that the singles did not succeed as well as Joel had hoped, giving him no reason to continue producing songs if they were not being enjoyed, as he disliked writing, recording, and producing songs.
Even the cover artwork—a painting of Joel and small scenes from each of the album’s songs, done by his wife Christie Brinkley—was controversial. At the time, Rolling Stone gave it the Top Picks Award for “The Best Album Cover of the Year.” However, 30 years later, the very same Rolling Stone placed it last among “The 50 Worst Album Covers of All Time.”
As far as I can tell, this album is fairly controversial among fans of Joel, with some saying that it is an interesting creative change of pace and enjoyable set of songs. However, others disagree, saying that it was too pretentious and did not improve on Joel’s style.
Personally, I absolutely love this album, and I think that every song here is a banger. I had trouble choosing which one to put as my favorite: it was almost a three-way tie between “Shades of Grey,” “Two Thousand Years,” and “Famous Last Words.” It is probably my second or third favorite Billy Joel album, and a great way to end his career on a high note. I really enjoy the different musical techniques employed in this album and really wish that there were many more songs similar to it. I especially like “Famous Last Words” because I feel it is one of the best send-off songs in music history. It really encapsulates Joel’s career and provides a fitting conclusion to his writing pop albums.
After he “retired” from writing and producing albums, Joel continued to tour around the world, and especially in the US. He eventually released a Greatest Hits Volume III album in 1997, including two singles, one of which was a cover. He also released the classical album Fantasies and Delusions in 2001.
Billy Joel had many memorable touring moments over the following decades, including a Millennium concert at Madison Square Garden on December 31st, 1999. On December 1st 2007, Joel released the single “Christmas in Fallujah,” which was sung by Cass Dillon, his first new pop song since the greatest hits albums. He played the final concerts at Shea Stadium before it was torn down, alongside many guests. In 2014, Billy Joel began a residency at Madison Square Garden where he would play once a week, which lasted for over a decade until July of 2024.
At the beginning of 2024, Joel announced that he would be releasing “Turn the Lights Back On,” a pop single. This would be only the third new single he wrote since River of Dreams in 1993. (It was also the only song he released in my lifetime.) I genuinely enjoyed this song, and even though River of Dreams was an excellent send-off, I am not angry that he released another single. This song was also the original reason why I decided to begin writing this series in the first place: after listening to the new track, I wanted to look back on his career as a musician.
Although this basically brings the story full circle, a couple more updates have occurred with Joel since early last year. First of all, he had to cancel a number of his concerts because he was suffering from normal pressure hydrocephalus. A documentary about Joel titled Billy Joel: And So It Goes was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival and later released onto HBO and HBO Max. I have not had the opportunity to watch it, but it does sound interesting.
Thank you for coming along with me on this journey through Billy Joel’s career. I hope you enjoyed these articles.