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.
Just The Way You Are
Elton John and Billy Joel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You never let me down before, mmm-hmm
I don't imagine you're too familiar
And I don't see you anymore
I would not leave you in times of trouble
We never could have come this far
I took the good times, I'll take the bad times
Don't go trying some new fashion
Don't change the color of your hair, mmm-hmm
You always have my unspoken passion
Although I might not seem to care
I don't want clever conversation
I never want to work that hard, mmm-hmm
I just want someone that I can talk to
I want you just the way you are
I need to know that you will always be
The same old someone that I knew
Oh, what will it take 'til you believe in me
The way that I believe in you?
I said I love you, that's forever
And this I promise from the heart, mmm-hmm
I couldn't love you any better
I love you just the way you are
Wait
I don't want clever conversation
I never want to work that hard, mmm-hmm
I just want someone that I can talk to
I want you just the way you are
The song "Just The Way You Are" by Elton John and Billy Joel is a heartfelt tribute to unconditional love. The lyrics describe a lover reassuring their partner that they don't need to change anything about themselves in order to be loved. The first verse captures this sentiment perfectly, as the singer tells their partner not to change to try and please them because they have never let them down before. They take the good times and the bad times, and they love their partner just the way they are.
The second verse further emphasizes this idea of unconditional love. The singer tells their partner not to change their appearance, but rather to stay the same and never lose the passion that they feel for each other. They don't want clever conversation or someone who works too hard; they just want someone they can talk to and be themselves around. The bridge of the song expresses the singer's desire for their partner to believe in them as much as they believe in their partner. The final chorus brings the song full circle, affirming the singer's everlasting love for their partner and how they don't need to change to be loved.
Overall, the lyrics of "Just The Way You Are" convey a powerful message of unconditional love and acceptance. The song encourages listeners to embrace their true selves and not worry about conforming to someone else's expectations in order to be loved.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't go changing to try and please me
I don't want you to change who you are just to make me happy.
You never let me down before, mmm-hmm
I have complete faith in you and your ability to always be there for me.
I don't imagine you're too familiar
I don't think we know each other very well yet.
And I don't see you anymore
I haven't had a chance to see you lately.
I would not leave you in times of trouble
I wouldn't abandon you when things get tough.
We never could have come this far
Our relationship wouldn't have lasted this long if we weren't meant to be together.
I took the good times, I'll take the bad times
I'm willing to go through both the good and the bad times with you.
I'll take you just the way you are
I accept you for who you are and wouldn't want you to change.
Don't go trying some new fashion
I don't want you to change your style just because trends change.
Don't change the color of your hair, mmm-hmm
I don't want you to change your appearance just to try and impress me.
You always have my unspoken passion
I always have deep feelings for you that I express without saying anything.
Although I might not seem to care
Even if I don't always show it, my feelings for you are real.
I don't want clever conversation
I don't want complicated, intellectual conversations that require effort.
I never want to work that hard, mmm-hmm
I don't want our relationship to involve too much effort and stress.
I just want someone that I can talk to
I want someone I can easily speak to and connect with.
I want you just the way you are
I love you just the way you are and wouldn't want you to change.
I need to know that you will always be
I need to feel secure in knowing that you'll always be there for me.
The same old someone that I knew
I want you to remain the same person that I fell in love with.
Oh, what will it take 'til you believe in me
What can I do to prove to you how much I care?
The way that I believe in you?
I believe in you with all my heart, and I want you to feel the same way about me.
I said I love you, that's forever
My love for you is eternal and will never fade.
And this I promise from the heart, mmm-hmm
I promise you from the bottom of my heart that my love for you is genuine.
I couldn't love you any better
I love you the most I possibly can and couldn't love you any more than I already do.
I love you just the way you are
I love every part of you and wouldn't want you to change.
Wait
Pause for a moment.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Billy Joel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Thevolumex
Dear Linda... these are the billy Joel hits in Austria: 5 in Top50 (Elton 25) and only 2top10. http://austriancharts.at/search.asp?search=billy%20joel&cat=s
Here you look in Germany: 7 top100 (Elton's 50!) and only 2top10. https://www.offiziellecharts.de/suche
Here in France: 1 top50
http://www.lescharts.com/search.asp?search=billy+joel&cat=s
Here in Switzerland 2 Top50
http://hitparade.ch/song/Billy-Joel/The-River-Of-Dreams-2678
Here in Uk: 15 top50 (elton are 80)
http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/16696/billy-joel/
Here in New Zealand. 5 top50
http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20rianz&qartistid=1073#n_view_location
Here in Australia: 4 top50
http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Billy+Joel&titel=The+River+Of+Dreams&cat=s
Here in Belgie: 10 top50 (Elton are 45 top50) and only 3 top10
http://www.ultratop.be/nl/search.asp?search=billy%20joel&cat=s
Here in Norvegian market. 2 top50
http://norwegiancharts.com/search.asp?search=billy+joel&cat=s
Here in Italy: 2 Top50 (Elton are 38)
http://www.hitparadeitalia.it/indici/per_interprete/aj.htm
@JudyMeibach100
What could be better than Elton John and Billy Joel together and singing each others'songs!
@CBT5777
Rob Halford singing Iron Maiden and Bruce Dickinson singing Judas Priest. That would be amazing!
@huntinger
Go to one of his concerts and watch him, at 65 years old, singing live for almost 3 hours without a break. Then say he can't sing anymore. He consistently sings live all around the world and can still sell out stadiums just him and the piano, he's certainly got something special that artists these days haven't had to work quite as hard for.
@donaldcruse3402
I just saw him last week. He’s now 75! My report: he’s better than ever. Sounded amazing and his presence was out of this world. A true talent.
@huntinger
@@donaldcruse3402 yeah I saw him in 2019 and again in 2023 rescheduled because of covid.
@patricknedz
Here will area in 2022 and I’m seeing both Elton and Billy separately and they still do amazing. Can’t wait to see them.
@satyabratamishra4670
@@huntingerhes doing way better than 2019 now in 2023 hes sounded better than he did a decade ago. last time i think he sounded this consistently good was 2010-2013
@SpeegBJ
God I went to a concert with these two in 2011, God Lord it was massively wonderful. Every single tune of both an exquisite mind-blower; as they sang each other's tunes down through time....I cried so many tunes away.....Good Lord Heaven!
@pattyricciardi8662
elton ÷ billy= real music
@spongebobsquarepants8403
This equation confused my calculator