You might not have wanted to bet on Billy Joel in the summer of 1977. For a guy whose career had started out promisingly, he'd undergone more setbacks than a wild-armed pitcher. In his teen years he was a session pianist on Shadow Morton-produced records (including, allegedly, the Shangri-Las' "Leader of the Pack"), but failed with his groups, including a heavy-metal duo. He followed his first Top 40 hit, "Piano Man," with a bitter second one, "The Entertainer" where he sang, "If I go cold I won't get sold I'll get put in the back In the discount rack/Like another can of beans," over an incongruous synthesizer track...He was considered a...
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Watch Billy Joel perform Just the Way You Are via YouTube :