The 5 Best Billy Joel Songs Ever, Chosen by Billy Joel Himself

In a throwback video from a 2017 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Billy Joel ranked his own five best songs. Fans may have their own top five favorites, but here’s a definitive ranking from the Piano Man himself. After all, who knows Billy Joel’s music better than Billy Joel?

Billy Joel Ranks the Top Five Billy Joel Songs

When asked to rank the top five Billy Joel songs, Joel looked contemplative. He admitted, “I actually think about that when I’m on stage, what would I want to see me do,” adding, “I tend to like the album tracks, not the ones that are the hit singles.”

He chose “Vienna” as number five to start out the list. “Vienna” was released on the 1977 album The Stranger, as a B-side to “Just the Way You Are.” It has become a cult hit over the years, and is now Joel’s third most-streamed song on Spotify. He shared that he gives the audience a choice between “Vienna” and “Just the Way You Are,” and they usually pick “Vienna.”

“And So It Goes” came in at number four. Penned in 1983, it was released on the 1989 album Storm Front. This song is interesting, as it is written in iambic tetrameter, which is a poetic form consisting of four beats of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed. This year, at the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards, Joel picked “And So It Goes” as the definitive Billy Joel song.

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From the Popular “Vienna” to More Obscure Tracks

Next, he picked “You May Be Right” as number three. Released on the 1980 album Glass Houses, this song opens the album with the sound of breaking glass. It’s a blend of rock and roll with Joel’s signature pop melodies that became a hit in the U.S.

As number two, Joel named an “obscure song” called “She’s Right On Time.” It was released on the 1982 album The Nylon Curtain, and paints a picture of the speaker realizing that his lover is always “right on time”; she’s there for him through everything, but there’s a subtle sadness to the song as well, as if the speaker is considering the relationship to be losing the shine it once had.

With a drumroll, Billy Joel then named the most Billy Joel song ever. Seemingly wracking his brain for a moment, he concluded the list with “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.” Also released on the 1977 album The Stranger, this song is a romantic, clever narrative that paints a vivid picture of an Italian restaurant. It’s a still life in song form, masterfully crafted by a true artist.

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