This Funny Fan Theory About Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” Will Make You Think Twice About the Song

“Piano Man” is one of Billy Joel’s most iconic songs, and helped cement him as the Piano Man himself. We all think we know the story—piano player performing at a late night bar to patrons with wild life stories. However, have you ever thought about an alternate theory for the origins of “Piano Man”? There’s one out there that fits so well with the song it might make you think twice.

[RELATED: Billy Joel Recalls the “Odd Situation” That Inspired His Breakout Hit “Piano Man”]

A Convincing Theory About the Story Behind “Piano Man”

There’s a Reddit thread floating around where Billy Joel fans have discussed the possible story behind the song. Not necessarily the origins of “Piano Man,” but what the song’s really about. The narrative, so to speak. In this thread, people posit that the titular piano man is actually playing in a gay bar. Everyone in the bar is gay except the piano man. However, he’s utterly clueless and doesn’t realize it. This theory is most notable in the line “They sit at the bar and put bread in my jar / and say ‘Man, what are you doing here?’” because the piano man is so hopelessly straight.

However, it’s the full culmination of all the verses that really paints the picture. It all comes down to the patrons who inhabit the world of the piano man.

Exploring Billy Joel’s Characters

John at the Bar is a little vague. He’s most likely the bartender, as he “gets me my drinks for free.” The line “‘Well I’m sure that I could be a movie star / if I could get out of this place’” shows that he has greater aspirations than being a bartender. Of course, this isn’t inherent for working as a bartender at a gay bar. Though, John is vague in the sense that a personality can be projected onto him. He’s more of a blank screen than any of the other characters, who seem more established.

In the verse about Paul the real estate novelist, the inclusion of the line “who never had time for a wife” is an interesting choice by Billy Joel. This could be taken literally, as in he actually never had time to date. Or it could mean that Paul didn’t want to get married to a woman.

In the same verse, Davy who’s still in the Navy plays into the outdated stereotype of sexual preference in the U.S. and Royal navies. Not to say Billy Joel is being derogatory. Still, he could be playing into the outdated stereotype with Davy’s character, as the song did come out in the 1970s.

In the final verse, Billy Joel sings, “He knows that it’s me that they’re coming to see.” This could be taken as the patrons think he’s a good piano player, as they then exclaim, “‘Man, what are you doing here?’” However, for this theory, we could posit that the patrons all think the piano man is attractive as well as a good musician. However, they know he’s hopelessly straight and clueless, and so they cajole him and “put bread in my jar.”

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