Album of the Week: Billy Joel's The Stranger (1977)

I was supposed to write another piece today, but after the news of Billy Joel's hydrocephalus diagnosis (this is sad news, and I wish him and his family well), I thought I would pay my tribute to what I believe to be his opus and one of the greatest albums of all time, 1977's The Stranger. Rolling Stone put the record at No. 169 of their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, which is way too low...like about 150 spots too low. So let's break it down, track-by-track.

1. "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)"

The driving force behind Billy Joel's music is an everyman-ism - it's pop music for the working fella, the Long Island to Springsteen's New Jersey. This is a Regular Joe Anthem.

2. "The Stranger"

This song is a solid representation of Joel's musical sensibilities at the time. It's a pop tune used symphonically, a whistling preface and epilogue sandwich a funky rock song that's used again later in the record in a reprise of sorts. That's the difference between an album and an album.

3. "Just The Way You Are"

This song won the Grammy for Song of the Year, but Billy hates playing it because he hates his ex-wife. So it goes, I suppose.

4. "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant"

Billy Joel thinks this is the best Billy Joel song and while I can understand that, I can't agree. I might not even put it in the Top 20. But then again, I was talking to Taylor about Billy's news and she just blurted out, "You love 'Scenes From an Italian Restaurant'" and I was like, "DO I?" so maybe I do...

5. "Vienna”

It's become sort of basic to see yourself in this song because everyone sees themself in this song. It's a staple of middle school talent shows and Pinterest boards and bad tattoos. If it makes you cry, that's because it's a great song written to be as vaguely universal as possible, not because Vienna waits for you.

6. "Only the Good Die Young"

When we saw Billy live in 2023, I was struck by how upbeat this song felt. Sure, it's lively on the record, but the concert performance was like horny jambalaya. It was messy and aggressive and loud and did I mention horny?

7. "She's Always A Woman"

This song felt so adult to me when I was a kid. It would play on Q99, a station with the slogan "The best music from the '70s, '80s, '90s, and today" because in the early '00s that was all of the decades. It just felt like This is what being an adult means.

8. "Get It Right The First Time"

I've never had much of an inclination to reach for this song (or the next and final song on the record) and I'm aware that the two hurt my "contender for greatest record ever" claim. It's not bad by any means, and honestly, it's pretty damn fun. But after seven-ish all-timers in a row, even the greats are fallible.

9. "Everybody Has A Dream"

Without this final tune, you could argue that this record is perfect. This is really the outlier. Although it works as a good closer for the album, few listen to songs like that anymore, instead opting for Spotify's singular song system. It's a skippable track for me. Maybe that's why Rolling Stone put The Stranger at 169...