Miller Mobley for BillboardBilly Joel currently graces the cover of Billboard magazine. Now, in a video for the publication, he reveals his most meaningful lyric, the song he has to play every time, the artist he’d most like to jam with and the craziest thing that’s ever happened to him onstage — and the answers may surprise you.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer tells Billboard that his favorite song to play in concert is “You May Be Right,” but what he considers to be his most meaningful lyric tends to change.
“That’s tough. I wrote the lyrics to all of my songs, so they all mean a lot to me, ’cause they were all a pain in the a** to write!” he jokes. “Depends on what day it is. Today I would probably say ‘Summer, Highland Falls.’ Tomorrow, it’ll probably be something different.
“Summer, Highland Falls,” from Joel’s 1976 album Turnstiles, was never a single, but it’s a huge fan favorite.
As for which song he’d can’t leave the stage without playing, well, it’s obvious.
“Duh!” notes Billy. “It’s ‘Piano Man!’ We can’t do a show without doing that song.”
Joel, who’s had legends like Tony Bennett, Paul McCartney and Aerosmith‘s Steven Tyler join him in concert over the years, says the one artist he’d really like to bring onstage with him is no longer with us.
“I would probably bring Jimi Hendrix onstage and just sit back and shut the f*** up,” he declares.
Asked what album he’d like to play live in concert, he chooses The Beatles‘ 1965 classic Rubber Soul, adding, “I dunno how much piano they have, but I’ll figure something out.”
Finally, asked to name the craziest thing that’s happened to him onstage, Billy cracks, “People just keep coming to see me! Which is insane!”
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