The Billy Joel Lyric Inspired by a Friend’s Stand-Up Comedy Dreams

When he was on top of his game, Billy Joel possessed a knack for telling slice-of-life stories that hit home with his audience, many of whom were going through similar situations. Once in a while, those stories held a ring of authenticity, in part because Joel was talking about people he knew and experiences they’d undergone.

Joel partially derived his 1978 hit “My Life” from a friend’s decision to try something new in his life, something that wasn’t guaranteed to bring him success. From that specific story, Joel managed to create a song that spoke to the need for people to take hold of their own personal autonomy, regardless of the opinions of others around them.

“Life” Lessons

Billy Joel found his commercial groove on the 1977 album The Stranger. Up until that point, even his most well-known songs, such as “Captain Jack” and “Piano Man,” were more regional affairs than nationwide smashes. The Stranger, which churned out several big hits, changed all that.

Joel didn’t change his formula much on his 1978 follow-up album 52nd Street. He once again worked with producer Phil Ramone, while recording with his steady backing band. And he continued to write songs that spoke to the fellow members of his generation, people who were making big life decisions without assurance of the outcome.

“My Life,” which features a slinky mid-tempo groove and a catchy piano hook, gets a lot done in just a few verses and some highly melodic middle eights. The centerpiece of the song is a verse which Joel wrote after learning of a life choice made by one of his friends, as he explained to his biographer Fred Schruers:

“The song ‘My Life’ is based on Tony Lawrence, a guy I knew who had a job on the East Coast but decided to be a comic and move out West to live out his dream,” Joel said. “It’s essentially about people who are making a transition in their life, who are moving out of a particular rut that they think they’re in.”

Examining the Lyrics to “My Life”

One of the aspects of Joel’s songwriting that has always proven unique is his characters aren’t afraid to get their dander up when challenged. We’d all like to think we’re noble enough to rise above the fray, but standing one’s ground is useful as well. In “My Life,” the narrator doesn’t want any unwanted intrusions into his decision-making process, and he makes that abundantly clear.

To illustrate that, he tells the tale of his friend whose life path took him away from what was expected. Got a call from an old friend, we used to be real close / Said he couldn’t go on the American way. In other words, he didn’t want to cycle through a typical 9 to 5 existence, instead chasing his dreams, however far-fetched they might have seemed to others.

Joel ties that story to the way some people stick their noses into the personal business of others. His second verse goes on about the different attitudes some folks held toward sexual freedom in that era. In the end, the narrator just shrugs his shoulders at all of it: Either way, it’s OK, you wake up with yourself.

In the bridge, the narrator tells his companion he never expected anything from them, nor is he complaining about his lot in life: I never said I was a victim of circumstance. But he’s not about to put up with any second-guessing: You can speak your mind, he warns them. But not on my time.

The chorus, one of Joel’s most memorable, states his case with no equivocation: I don’t care what you say anymore, this is my life / Go ahead with your own life leave me alone. “My Life” might not have existed if not for some funny business, but those lines are a serious declaration of independence.

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