Just the Way He Is

Reconsidering Billy Joel as he releases his first new song in 17 years

Greetings. I’m releasing my weekly post a day early, as I have a piece in today’s edition of Current on Billy Joel’s new single, “Turn the Lights Back On,” which will go wide later today. The song is a lush, meditative ballad with Joel’s customary classical burnish—really something he might have released any time in the last half-century. But if the sound is familiar, it also shows Joel hasn’t lost his touch—the melody has the accessibility and resonance of the best pop music (wouldn’t be surprised if it gets widely sampled and covered). As I indicate in my piece, I think Joel may have been wise to make a firm and lengthy retirement from recording following the release of River of Dreams in 1993, because I think he ran out of musical ideas (and I’m not sure how much his peer Bruce Springsteen has added to his voluminous body of work since then). But it’s really nice to encounter an old friend and hear what he’s been doing—and to hear that he still sounds good. I wish him well, and wide exposure.

Coming soon: a series of posts on the role of faith—broadly construed—in American life.