"THE DOWNEASTER 'ALEXA'" BILLY JOEL (1989)

For the month of November, I’ll be selecting songs in conjunction with the music Twitter challenge: #WelcomeToTheOccupation.

This song will always be a fond memory for me as a music fan. The Storm Front tour show at Giants Stadium, NJ was my first rock concert. Being outside in the spring air with my high school buddies to see the Piano Man play classic after classic was an unforgettable experience. I still remember our seats. I remember the air. I remember the songs that made our bodies move. And then there were songs that we preferred to enjoy in our seats. “The Downeaster Alexa” was one of them.

As a master storyteller, many of Billy Joel’s songs are gripping, novel-like narratives. “The Downeaster ‘Alexa” is one of his finest songs, recounting the plight of a fisherman—with local references like Block Island Sound, Nantucket, Montauk and Gardiner’s Bay. The song is named after Joel’s own boat. But more strikingly, the story sounds like his own as well. Seeing Billy perform it live, I felt like my very hands were on the wheel of the Alexa. A visual song is a powerful one.

“But I've got people back on land who count on me. So if you see my Downeaster Alexa and if you work with the rod and the reel, tell my wife I am trolling Atlantis.”

"BIG MAN ON MULBERRY STREET" BILLY JOEL (1986)

For October, the Mental Jukebox is dialing it way back to the eighties and going deep. Deep cuts have always been an important element of music listening to me because they’re often the songs that resonate with me most. Deep cuts are usually the ones that the true fans appreciate most. I like my singles and hits, but I love my deep cuts.

There are few artists more associated with New York than Billy Joel. It’s not just the artist’s hometown. It’s his inspiration – and often the state, the city and its people have been a key subject in his songs. “New York State of Mind”, “Summer, Highland Falls”, “The Downeaster Alexa”, “Miami 2017” and many other songs all reference New York in some shape or form. Another example of this is the deep cut off The Bridge, “Big Man On Mulberry Street”.

Jazz-influenced and featuring Ron Carter on acoustic bass, “Big Man On Mulberry Street” has plenty of big band moments as well as low-key meanderings. It feels like a big production in every way – from Joel’s piano playing to the horn section flourishes. Who is this big man on Mulberry Street? He can’t seem to stay out of trouble. He comes alive at night. He’s always making an impression. And Joel found just the right words to become him for five and a half minutes. When he writes about New York, he can't go wrong.

“Sometimes I panic, What if nobody finds out who I am?”

"SCENES FROM AN ITALIAN RESTAURANT" BILLY JOEL (1977)

This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.

Billy Joel will always hold a special place in my journey as a music fan. Seeing him on the Storm Front tour at Giants Stadium was my first concert experience. What a night. He played all the songs I wanted to hear. And there are a lot of them. All these years later, he still plays many of those same songs, including “Movin’ Out”, “Miami 2017”, “Allentown”, “Big Shot”, “Uptown Girl”, “New York State Of Mind” and, of course, “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant”.

It’s one of the standouts in the mammoth Billy Joel canon and current live set list. Lately, it has preceded “Piano Man” to help close out his first sets. Chances are, most music fans still remember all the words. I know I do. It’s karaoke-worthy in that sense. The verses flow like bottles of red and white. The drum hits, spicy and garlicky. The saxophone solo, done al dente. It’s not just about Brenda and Eddie, it’s a song about love, life and loss.

“A bottle of red, a bottle of white, Whatever kind of mood you're in tonight I'll meet you anytime you want In our Italian Restaurant.”

"PRESSURE" BILLY JOEL (1982)

This month on Twitter, @sotachetan hosts #BrandedInSongs – which is a head-on collision of my personal world of music and my professional world of branding and advertising. The challenge is to simply pick a song with a brand name in its lyrics or title. I added one more criteria to my picks, which is this: the songs themselves must be as iconic as the brands they mention. No filler here.

“Pressure” is one of the first Billy Joel songs I heard. I was an MTV kid, and the visual storytelling of the song’s video added a whole new dimension to the song for me. It made me like the music that much more. Fast forward a few years and now I’m at Giants Stadium hearing Billy Joel perform the song live. It’s my first concert, so already the moment was euphoric. But hearing the song in a concert setting just brought me back to my childhood days.

The song is like a time machine. It’s not my favorite Billy Joel song (that distinction probably goes to “Miami 2017”). But it’s probably the most nostalgic track for me. Lyrically, the song is pure pop perfection. “Now here you are with your faith – and Peter Pan advice.” But musically is where the song takes some risks, showing Billy’s underrated prog tendencies. The bridge alone proves it, as well as the iconic synthesizer hook that seems more comfortable in a Broadway show than on radio. It’s these small experimental risks that define the song.

“All your life is Channel 13. Sesame Street, What does it mean?”

"MIAMI 2017" BILLY JOEL (1976)

You can get off to a fast start. You can sustain your opener with the main course, not filler. But can you end on a high note? Sometimes I wonder if recording a strong closer is the most difficult thing to pull off when it comes to album rock. When it comes to the cream of the crop in music, I can think of more strong openers than strong closers. Nonetheless, I still have my favorites which I’ll be featuring on Mental Jukebox all month.

As a New Yorker, the music of Billy Joel has always resonated with me on a deeper level than with the average casual fan. My first show was a Billy Joel concert at Giants Stadium. An Innocent Man, The Bridge and Storm Front were the albums of my youth, but my favorite album from the Piano Man is Turnstiles. It is a quintessential New York album. A record that signals Joel’s return to New York after his time in Hollywood. Several songs reference New York, including the apocalyptic masterpiece “Miami 2017 (I’ve Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)” – a prog rock anomaly and a hell of a closer from the Piano Man.

It might be my favorite Billy Joel song because even as it portrayed the downfall of New York City, it seemed to celebrate it with a sense of pride and nostalgia that can’t be fathomed with any other city. The song is narrated by a grandfather telling his grandchildren about the fictitious fall of NYC in the 70’s as he sits in his retirement home in Miami some forty years later. “Miami 2017” did something very few art forms are able to accomplish. It used a fictitious story to remind us of the things in reality that we really love and the things we might even die for.

“THEY SENT A CARRIER OUT FROM NORFOLK. AND PICKED THE YANKEES UP FOR FREE. THEY SAID THAT QUEENS COULD STAY. THEY BLEW THE BRONX AWAY. AND SANK MANHATTAN OUT AT SEA.”

"SUMMER, HIGHLAND FALLS" BILLY JOEL (1976)

I generally gravitate to the music first before the lyrics. But as a writer, I still marvel at well-spun verses and choruses. This month, I’m joining the music Twitter community in #31DaySongLyricChallenge

Day 1

Words worthy of sentimental yearbook write-ups and tearjerker slideshows. Turnstiles is my favorite Billy Joel album – and “Summer, Highland Falls” is one of the standouts from a lyrical and piano playing perspective.

“They say that these are not the best of times But they're the only times I've ever known. And I believe there is a time for meditation in cathedrals of our own.

Now I have seen that sad surrender in my lover's eyes And I can only stand apart and sympathize For we are always what our situations hand us It's either sadness or euphoria.”

"MIAMI 2017" BILLY JOEL (1976)

One of the most powerful things about music is that it is the soundtrack of our lives. Fellow music fanatic Sharon Hepworth started a music challenge on Twitter for the month of July. Each day, fans around the world will select a song from their life and describe what it means to us. These are my songs. #SoundtrackToYourLife

Day 9

As a New Yorker, the music of Billy Joel has always resonated with me on a deeper level than with the average casual fan. My first show was a Billy Joel concert at Giants Stadium. An Innocent Man, The Bridge and Storm Front were the albums of my youth, but my favorite album from the Piano Man is Turnstiles. It is a quintessential New York album. A record that signals Joel’s return to New York after his time in Hollywood. Several songs reference New York, including the apocalyptic masterpiece “Miami 2017 (I’ve Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)” – a prog rock anomaly from the Piano Man.

It might be my favorite Billy Joel song because even as it portrayed the downfall of New York City, it seemed to celebrate it with a sense of pride and nostalgia that can’t be fathomed with any other city. The song is narrated by a grandfather telling his grandchildren about the fictitious fall of NYC in the 70’s as he sits in his retirement home in Miami some forty years later. “Miami 2017” did something very few art forms are able to accomplish. It used a fictitious story to remind us of the things in reality that we really love and the things we might even die for.

“They sent a carrier out from Norfolk. And picked the Yankees up for free. They said that Queens could stay. They blew the Bronx away. And sank Manhattan out at sea.”

"MIAMI 2017" BILLY JOEL (1976)

The decade in which I was born has given me a strange perspective on its music. I discovered pretty much all of the 70’s sounds – from prog rock to punk to disco – well after they came into the world. It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I discovered what I was missing. I would characterize the decade as one where budding genres leaped off their inspiration pads and came to fruition. For the month of February, Mental Jukebox will feature some of these gems with a different 70’s song each day. #28DaysOf70sSongs

As a New Yorker, the music of Billy Joel has always resonated with me on a deeper level than with the average casual fan. My first show was a Billy Joel concert at Giants Stadium. An Innocent Man, The Bridge and Storm Front were the albums of my youth, but my favorite album from the Piano Man is Turnstiles. It is a quintessential New York album. A record that signals Joel’s return to New York after his time in Hollywood. Several songs reference New York, including the apocalyptic masterpiece “Miami 2017 (I’ve Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)”.

It might be my favorite Billy Joel song because even as it portrayed the downfall of New York City, it seemed to celebrate it with a sense of pride and nostalgia that can’t be fathomed with any other city. The song is narrated by a grandfather telling his grandchildren about the fictitious fall of NYC in the 70’s as he sits in his retirement home in Miami some forty years later. “Miami 2017” did something very few art forms are able to accomplish. It used a fictitious story to remind us of the things in reality that we really love and the things we might even die for.

“They sent a carrier out from Norfolk. And picked the Yankees up for free. They said that Queens could stay. They blew the Bronx away. And sank Manhattan out at sea.”

"THE DOWNEASTER 'ALEXA'" BILLY JOEL (1989)

Billy Joel is not only the piano man, he’s a master storyteller—with countless songs that tell gripping, novel-like narratives. And “The Downeaster ‘Alexa’” was one of his finest, recounting the plight of a fisherman—with local references like Block Island Sound, Nantucket, Montauk and Gardiner’s Bay. Seeing Billy perform it live on the Storm Front tour at Giants Stadium, I felt like my very hands were on the wheel of the Alexa. That’s a powerful song.

“But I've got people back on land who count on me. So if you see my Downeaster Alexa and if you work with the rod and the reel, tell my wife I am trolling Atlantis.”