From Piano Man to The Entertainer: Billy Joel’s ‘Streetlife Serenade’ turns 50
Friday marks the 50th anniversary of Billy Joel’s third studio album, Streetlife Serenade, which was a top 40 hit for the future Rock & Roll Hall of Famer.
Released Oct. 11, 1974, the album is best known for the song “The Entertainer,” which had Billy clapping back after his classic track “Piano Man” was cut for radio. In it he sings, “If you’re gonna have a hit, you gotta make it fit, so they cut it down to 3:05.”
While “The Entertainer” went on to become a fan favorite and a staple at Joel’s live shows, he says the song is often misunderstood. It features lyrics that appear to have Joel complaining about being a music superstar, although they’re actually meant to be sarcastic, something Joel says fans, and DJs, didn’t often get.
“The disc jockey saying, ‘OK, first he’s a piano man. He’s b******* about playing in a piano bar. He’s moaning about his life,’” Billy said in a video about the album made for his website. “’Now he’s got a successful record. Now he’s b******* about being successful.’”
Streetlife Serenade was the follow-up to his 1972 breakthrough Piano Man, and even Billy admits he wasn’t at his best. He says the quality suffered because he was too busy opening for other acts on the road, sharing he “didn’t really have a lot of time to write new material.”
“But there was a lot of pressure to put out another album after Piano Man and I just didn’t have a lot of stuff,” he said. “There’s even two instrumentals and when’s the last time, you know, a singer-songwriter put out an instrumental?”
Streetlife Serenade went on to sell over 1 million copies and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.
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