[dfwgator]

I’d find it hard to top “Vienna” or “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” for writing. And “Allentown” notwithstanding, “The Nylon Curtain” had loads of great songs on it.

[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

Both great songs, as are “Summer Highland Falls”, “Miami 2017”, “I’ve Loved These Days”, “The Entertainer”, “Ballad of Billy the Kid”, etc..

And I don’t care what any rock critic says, the man’s a terrific pianist. That alone sets him apart from 99% of the rock/pop performers that have come and gone over the years.

[Caramelgal]

I’d find it hard to top “Vienna” or “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” for writing. And “Allentown” notwithstanding, “The Nylon Curtain” had loads of great songs on it.

The Stranger and 52nd Street are among the very best albums of the 70’s IMO. The early Billy Joel stuff was some great music, insightful lyrics and story telling and some great melodies and musicianship and I don’t care one wit what some pretentious, self important, so called journalist from Slate, someone who has probably never written a single song himself or even played any instrument, has to say on the subject.

Billy Joel - Vienna (with lyrics)

Billy Joel - Scenes From An Italian Restaurant

A New York State of Mind

I think the hallmark of a really great pop song is that it really doesn’t ever sound dated.