Joel had Top 10 hits in the '70s, '80s, and '90s, is a six-time Grammy Award winner and has sold in excess of 150 million records worldwide. He was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame (Class of 1992), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Class of 1999), and the Long Island Music Hall of Fame (Class of 2006). Joel retired from recording pop music in 1993 but continued to tour (sometimes with Elton John).
In 2001 he subsequently released Fantasies & Delusions, a CD of classical compositions for piano. In 2007 he returned to recording with a single entitled "All My Life".
Piano Man (1973)
His experiences in Los Angeles connected him with record company executives, who bought out his contract with Ripp with the condition that the "Family Productions" logo be displayed alongside the Columbia logo for the next five albums. Also in the contract was the agreement that Family Productions would receive a 25 cent royalty for every album Joel sold, which would come back to haunt him when he hit it big. His brief tenure in Los Angeles also inspired his signature song "Piano Man." The album Piano Man was released in late 1973 and was certified Gold. To this day it has sold over four million copies. However, due to the large sums of money involved in the legal tangles of the contract buyout, Joel netted less than $7,000 in profit from his certified Gold record. Although this album is best known for its title track, several other future gems include "Captain Jack," "The Ballad of Billy the Kid," and "You're My Home" (the b-side of the "Piano Man" single, which would later be covered by Helen Reddy, who would release it as the flipside of her single Keep On Singing), all of which would become staples of Joel's live shows.
As of January 2007, the song Piano Man is still in the top 100 rock songs on iTunes.
Daniel
Elton John and Billy Joel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can see the red taillights headin' for Spain
Oh, and I can see Daniel wavin' goodbye
God, it looks like Daniel
Must be the clouds in my eyes
They say Spain is pretty, though I've never been
Well, Daniel says it's the best place he's ever seen
Lord, I miss Daniel
Oh, I miss him so much
Oh, Daniel, my brother, you are older than me
Do you still feel the pain of the scars that won't heal?
Your eyes have died, but you see more than I
Daniel, you're a star in the face of the sky
Oh, Daniel, my brother, you are older than me
Do you still feel the pain of the scars that won't heal?
Your eyes have died, but you see more than I
Daniel, you're a star in the face of the sky
Daniel is travelin' tonight on a plane
I can see the red taillights headin' for Spain
Oh, and I can see Daniel wavin' goodbye
God, it looks like Daniel
Must be the clouds in my eyes
Oh God, it looks like Daniel
Must be the clouds in my eyes
The song "Daniel" by Elton John is a melancholic ballad about a man named Daniel who is traveling by plane to Spain. The opening lines of the song convey the singer’s melancholic thoughts as he watches the red taillights of the airplane disappear. He also feels like he cannot properly see his brother waving goodbye due to the clouds in his eyes. The song evokes a sense of distance and separation, as the singer misses his brother and wonders what he is feeling as he travels.
Elton John describes the beauty of Spain through second-hand accounts from Daniel, who has previously been there. Despite never having been to Spain himself, the singer feels like he knows the country because of Daniel’s stories. The chorus of the song highlights the age gap between the two brothers, as the singer addresses Daniel as “my brother, you are older than me”. He wonders if his brother still feels the pain of old scars, although he is unable to see it because of the cloud in his eyes. He holds his older brother in high esteem and sees him as a star in the sky.
The song ends just as it begins, with Elton John watching the plane with Daniel flying away, suggesting that there are things that are out of our control and that we cannot help but ruminate and feel melancholic about them.
Line by Line Meaning
Daniel is travelin' tonight on a plane
Daniel is flying to Spain tonight.
I can see the red taillights headin' for Spain
The plane's red taillights can be seen going towards Spain.
Oh, and I can see Daniel wavin' goodbye
The singer can see Daniel waving goodbye as the plane takes off.
God, it looks like Daniel
Must be the clouds in my eyes
The singer is unsure because the clouds are obstructing the view.
They say Spain is pretty, no, I've never been
The singer has never been to Spain but has heard that it's beautiful.
Well Daniel says it's the best place that he's ever seen
Daniel has been to Spain and thinks it's the best place he's ever been to.
Oh, and he should know, he's been there enough
Since Daniel has been to Spain many times, he would have a good idea of how it is.
Lord, I miss Daniel
Oh, I miss him so much
The singer misses Daniel a lot.
Oh, Daniel, my brother, you are older than me
Do you still feel the pain of the scars that won't heal?
Your eyes have died, but you see more than I
Daniel, you're a star in the face of the sky
The singer refers to Daniel as his brother and asks if he still feels the pain of past emotional wounds. Even though Daniel has lost the ability to see, he has gained insight that the singer doesn't possess. The singer sees Daniel as a shining star.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Vladimir Cort, Elton John, Bernie Taupin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@missymarie2698
Oh geez. I am so sorry for your loss.
Idk his/your story…but the struggle w/depression/ mental illness seems to be the norm these days 😢
so I just said a prayer that you are doing the best as you possibly can given the situation, and that you will have the strength to get through anything which crosses your path both mentally and physically. 🙏💪
This life is ever so brief, tho holding on still tends to be quite the feat,
I don’t have the right words for you, but please know I will keep you in my prayers ❤️
This place is just full of dismal and is tough to get thru every day, so having AND keeping faith are absolutely vital, as even our DNA proves we were designed by God to have and use that faith!
🙏✝️❤️✌️
@randasy7535
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"
When are you gonna come down?
When are you going to land?
I should have stayed on the farm
I should have listened to my old man
You know you can't hold me forever
I didn't sign up with you
I'm not a present for your friends to open
This boy's too young to be singing the blues
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah, ah
So goodbye yellow brick road
Where the dogs of society howl
You can't plant me in your penthouse
I'm going back to my plough
Back to the howling old owl in the woods
Hunting the horny-back toad
Oh, I've finally decided my future lies
Beyond the yellow brick road
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah, ah
What do you think you'll do, then?
I bet they'll shoot down the plane
It'll take you a couple of vodka and tonics
To set you on your feet again
Maybe you'll get a replacement
There's plenty like me to be found
Mongrels who ain't got a penny
Sniffing for tidbits like you on the ground
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah, ah
So goodbye yellow brick road
Where the dogs of society howl
You can't plant me in your penthouse
I'm going back to my plough
Back to the howling old owl in the woods
Hunting the horny-back toad
Oh, I've finally decided my future lies
Beyond the yellow brick road
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah, ah
@PimpleEyeRoblox
this is the one time i actually like the live version of a song more than the studio version
@bluerazor7049
If you want a masterpiece, check out any of the 1984 or 1997 performances of the song, such as Winston-Salem '97.
@N0RM0jn
listen to led zeppelin
@Anita-ee4bs
Same, it’s my favourite version
@juniorsamarripas4516
Agreed. 2 legends singing together and killing it
@kempy2
There are few times people do. And I agree this is perfect
@MrReed314
To see these two legends singing together, I swear to God I am going to cry that I wasn't there.
@samanthnikoses503
+MrReed314 the same for me too.
@John231984
I saw the face to face. It was great.
@Sarfnic
Don’t simp