BILLY JOEL - TURN THE LIGHTS BACK ON
Growing up in the early-mid 2000s, I was raised on music from No Doubt, The Black Eyed Peas, Eminem, Coldplay, Outkast, and those alike. For the most part, it was just whatever was on the radio at the time. One particular artist that is considered an “oldie” that I did grow up on, though, has become a very vital foundation in not only who I am as an individual but also who I am as a music enjoyer. That artist would be the piano man himself: Billy Joel. Billy Joel doesn’t necessarily need an introduction, as he’s earned his spot amongst the greats of rock and even jazz, but I’ve come to find that my generation tends to sleep on his work (most of that era’s work, if I’m being blunt), and who would I be as a writer to deprive my audience of the extensive and legendary knowledge I hold regarding him?
Billy Joel first rose to fame in the 1970s for his 1973 album Piano Man. The title track became a staple in American music culture and obviously earned him that famous nickname. He didn’t stop there, though. Following Piano Man, Joel would go on to release hit after hit such as Vienna, Only the Good Die Young, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, We Didn’t Start the Fire, My Life, and my personal favorite: Big Shot. He rose as a prominent figure in the rock scene and is now recognized as an icon and an impactful advocate for mental health due to his trials and tribulations with Bipolar Disorder.
Now, in 2024, Billy Joel has released his first song in over a decade at the age of seventy four years old. Turn the Lights Back on came out on February 1st and already, it is shaking the rock community in a seismic way. The genre itself has been on the up and up for a couple of years now but this last year in particular has really shown that rock never died; in fact, it is stronger than ever.
Turn The Lights Back On is slow and intimate much like Joel’s The Stranger era that reeked of jazz over everything else. The leading instrument is, naturally, the piano but there is also an elegant orchestral arrangement layered with it that gives the song a more deep-seated ambience than if it were simple drums, guitar, and bass. The song’s words match this established vibe as well; possessing obvious themes of love, forgiveness, and longing. The lyrics’ narrative seem to be directed at a lover, perhaps Joel’s wife Alexis Roderick, as he sings “I'm late, but I'm here right now. Though I used to be romantic, I forgot somehow. Time can make you blind, but I see you now as we're laying in the darkness. Did I wait too long to turn the lights back on?” in the chorus.
An element that cannot go unnoticed within this piece is Joel’s voice, specifically how healthy and unchanged it is. With about 99.999% of rock vocalists that were stars during the golden age of said music, it’s become apparent that the wear and tear of time has slowly chipped away at the decadence of their vocals. But with Joel, his voice seems to have been preserved somehow. He sounds nearly identical to how he did in the 1970s and 1980s despite the fact that the man is inching towards the age of 75 this coming spring and it’s not just impressive, it’s borderline insane. The power of the Piano Man is something even I can’t wrap my head around.
After the release of Turn the Lights Back on, Joel will be touring various cities such as New York City, Chicago, Denver, St. Louis, and more to do what he’s been doing since the 70s: put on a kickass rock n roll show. This new single could mean many things: a goodbye album, more tour dates, or perhaps it is Joel’s way of passing the torch onto “new” rock artists to carry on his legacy and impact.
Nobody can be too sure, and that is part of the Piano Man magic.