View source for Billy Joel

{{short description|American singer, songwriter, and pianist (born 1949)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = 
| image              = BillyJoelHydeP070723 (57 of 112) (53031688782) (cropped).jpg
| caption            = Joel in 2023
| alt                = A close-up picture of Joel smiling
| other_names        = 
| birth_name         = William Martin Joel
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1949|5|9}}
| birth_place        = New York City, U.S.<!--No boroughs/neighborhoods, just cities per format.-->
| occupation         = {{flatlist|
* Singer
* songwriter
* pianist
}}
| years_active       = 1965–present
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{Marriage|Elizabeth Weber Small|1973|July 20, 1982|end=div}}
* {{Marriage|[[Christie Brinkley]]|March 1985|August 26, 1994|end=div}}
* {{Marriage|[[Katie Lee (chef)|Katie Lee]]|October 2, 2004|June 17, 2009|end={{abbr|div.|}}}}
* {{Marriage|Alexis Roderick|July 4, 2015}}
}}
| children           = 3, including [[Alexa Ray Joel|Alexa Ray]]
| relatives          = {{plainlist|
<!-- "include only if independently notable and particularly relevant." -->
* [[Alexander Joel (conductor)|Alexander Joel]] (half-brother)
* [[Karl Amson Joel]] (grandfather)
}}
| website            = {{URL|billyjoel.com}}
| module             = {{Infobox musical artist|embed=yes
| origin             = [[Hicksville, New York]], U.S.
| instrument         = {{flatlist|
* Vocals
* piano
* harmonica
 <!--- If you think an instrument should be listed, a discussion to reach consensus is needed first per: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Infobox_musical_artist#instrument Don't need to list "vocals" for singers, since it is redundant. --->
}}
| genre             = {{flatlist|
* [[Pop music|Pop]]
* [[Rock music|rock]]
* [[pop rock]]
* [[soft rock]]
}}
| label             = {{flatlist|
* [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] 
* [[Artie Ripp#Family Productions|Family Productions]]
* [[Sony Classical]]
}}
| current_member_of = [[Billy Joel Band]]
| past_member_of    = {{flatlist|
* The Lost Souls
* [[The Hassles]]
* [[Attila (rock band)|Attila]]
}}
}}
| signature          = Billy Joel signature.svg
}}

'''William Martin Joel''' ({{IPAc-en|dʒ|oʊ|l|}}; born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "[[Honorific nicknames in popular music|Piano Man]]" after his [[Signature song|signature]] 1973 [[Piano Man (song)|song of the same name]],<ref name="RSDec2022">{{cite magazine |last1=Kreps |first1=Daniel |title=Billy Joel Postpones Madison Square Garden Show Due to Viral Infection and Vocal Rest |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/billy-joel-postpones-madison-square-garden-show-viral-infection-1234649519/ |access-date=December 28, 2022 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=December 18, 2022 |archive-date=December 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228134112/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/billy-joel-postpones-madison-square-garden-show-viral-infection-1234649519/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="NBCBostonDec2022">{{cite news |last1=Fortier |first1=Marc |title=Billy Joel, Stevie Nicks to Play Gillette Stadium in 2023. Here's How to Get Tickets |url=https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/billy-joel-stevie-nicks-to-play-gillette-stadium-in-2023-heres-how-to-get-tickets/2915220/ |access-date=December 28, 2022 |work=NBC Boston |date=December 8, 2022 |archive-date=December 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228134115/https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/billy-joel-stevie-nicks-to-play-gillette-stadium-in-2023-heres-how-to-get-tickets/2915220/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Joel has had a successful career as a solo artist since the 1970s. From 1971 to 1993, he released 12 studio albums spanning the genres of pop and rock, and in 2001 released a one-off studio album of classical compositions. With over 160 million records sold worldwide, Joel is one of the world's [[List of best-selling music artists|best-selling music artists]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Gamboa |first=Glenn |date=September 12, 2013 |title=Billy Joel named Kennedy Center honoree |work=[[Newsday]] |url=http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/backstage-pass-1.811987/billy-joel-named-kennedy-center-honoree-1.6060431 |url-status=live |access-date=October 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922061840/http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/backstage-pass-1.811987/billy-joel-named-kennedy-center-honoree-1.6060431 |archive-date=September 22, 2013}}</ref> and is the fourth-best-selling solo artist in the United States.<ref name="RIAA">{{cite web |title=Top Selling Artists |url=http://riaa.com/goldandplatinum.php?content_selector=top-selling-artists |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110815024116/http://riaa.com/goldandplatinum.php?content_selector=top-selling-artists |archive-date=August 15, 2011 |access-date=June 8, 2012 |publisher=[[Recording Industry Association of America]]}}</ref> His 1985 compilation album, ''[[Greatest Hits – Volume I & Volume II]]'', is one of the [[List of best-selling albums in the United States|best-selling albums in the U.S]].<ref name="RIAA-2">{{cite web |title=Top Selling Albums |url=http://riaa.com/goldandplatinum.php?content_selector=top-100-albums |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604050421/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinum.php?content_selector=top-100-albums |archive-date=June 4, 2011 |access-date=September 11, 2012 |publisher=Recording Industry Association of America}}</ref>

Joel was born in [[the Bronx]] in New York City and grew up in [[Hicksville, New York|Hicksville]] on [[Long Island]], where he began taking piano lessons at his mother's insistence. After dropping out of high school to pursue a music career, Joel took part in two short-lived bands, [[the Hassles]] and [[Attila (rock band)|Attila]], before signing a record deal with Family Productions and embarking on a solo career with his debut album, ''[[Cold Spring Harbor (album)|Cold Spring Harbor]]'' (1971). In 1972, Joel caught the attention of [[Columbia Records]] after a live radio performance of "[[Captain Jack (Billy Joel song)|Captain Jack]]" became popular in [[Philadelphia]], prompting him to sign a new record deal with the company, through which he released his second album, ''[[Piano Man (Billy Joel album)|Piano Man]]'' (1973). After ''[[Streetlife Serenade]]'' (1974) and ''[[Turnstiles (album)|Turnstiles]]'' (1976), Joel achieved his critical and commercial breakthrough with ''[[The Stranger (album)|The Stranger]]'' (1977). It became Columbia's best-selling release, selling over 10 million copies and spawning the hit singles "[[Just the Way You Are (Billy Joel song)|Just the Way You Are]]", "[[Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)]]", "[[Only the Good Die Young]]", and "[[She's Always a Woman]]", as well as the concert staples "[[Scenes from an Italian Restaurant]]" and "[[Vienna (Billy Joel song)|Vienna]]".

Joel's ''[[52nd Street (album)|52nd Street]]'' (1978) was his first album to reach No. 1 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]. ''[[Glass Houses (album)|Glass Houses]]'' (1980) was an attempt to further establish himself as a rock artist; it featured "[[It's Still Rock and Roll to Me]]" (Joel's first single to top the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]), "[[You May Be Right]]", "[[Don't Ask Me Why (Billy Joel song)|Don't Ask Me Why]]", and "[[Sometimes a Fantasy]]". ''[[The Nylon Curtain]]'' (1982) stemmed from a desire to create more lyrically and melodically ambitious music. ''[[An Innocent Man]]'' (1983) served as an homage to genres of music that Joel had grown up with in the 1950s, such as [[rhythm and blues]] and [[doo-wop]]; it featured "[[Tell Her About It]]", "[[Uptown Girl]]", and "[[The Longest Time]]", three of his best-known songs. After ''[[River of Dreams]]'' (1993), Joel largely retired from producing studio material, although he went on to release ''[[Fantasies & Delusions]]'' (2001), featuring classical compositions composed by him and performed by British-Korean pianist [[Richard Hyung-ki Joo]]. Joel provided voiceover work in 1988 for the [[Walt Disney Feature Animation|Disney]] [[animated film]] ''[[Oliver & Company]]'', performing the song "Why Should I Worry?", and contributed to the soundtracks to several films, including ''[[Easy Money (1983 film)|Easy Money]]'' (1983), ''[[Ruthless People]]'' (1986), ''[[A League of Their Own]]'', and ''[[Honeymoon in Vegas]]'' (both 1992).<ref>{{cite news |last=Takiff |first=Jonathan |date=September 22, 1992 |title=When movies get note-worthy |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/philadelphia-daily-news-when-movies-get/186247525/ |url-access=limited |newspaper=[[Philadelphia Daily News]] |page=33 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> Joel returned to composing new music with the 2024 single "[[Turn the Lights Back On]]".

Joel has had a successful touring career, holding live performances across the globe. In 1987, he became one of the first artists{{citation needed|date=December 2025}} to hold a rock tour in the [[Soviet Union]]. Joel has had 33 Top 40 hits in the U.S.,<ref name="Paumgarten">{{cite magazine |last=Paumgarten |first=Nick |date=October 27, 2014 |title=Thirty-Three-Hit Wonder |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/10/27/thirty-three-hit-wonder |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |volume=90 |issue=33 |pages=54 ''ff'' |access-date=July 19, 2018 |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612164420/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/10/27/thirty-three-hit-wonder |url-status=live}} (Online article dated October 20).</ref> three of which ("It's Still Rock and Roll to Me", "Tell Her About It", and "[[We Didn't Start the Fire]]") topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. He has been nominated for 23 [[Grammy Award]]s, winning six, including [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]] for ''52nd Street''. Joel was inducted into the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]] in 1992, the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 1999<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/billy-joel |title=Billy Joel |website=Rock & Roll Hall of Fame |language=en |access-date=January 19, 2017 |archive-date=October 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008201943/https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/billy-joel |url-status=live }}</ref> and the [[Long Island Music Hall of Fame]] in 2006. He received the 2001 [[Johnny Mercer]] Award from the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.songhall.org/awards/winner/Billy_Joel|title=Billy Joel: Johnny Mercer Award|website=Songwriters Hall of Fame|access-date=July 21, 2017|archive-date=July 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726071820/https://www.songhall.org/awards/winner/Billy_Joel|url-status=live}}</ref> and was recognized at the 2013 [[Kennedy Center Honors]].<ref>{{cite web| title=Billy Joel| work=[[The Kennedy Center]]| url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/j/jo-jz/billy-joel/}}</ref>

== Early life, family and education ==
William Martin Joel was born on May 9, 1949, in the [[The Bronx|Bronx]], [[New York City|New York]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last=White |first=Timothy |author-link=Timothy White (writer) |title=Billy Joel: A Portrait of the Artist |date=December 3, 1994 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZwgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA13 |location=New York |issn=0006-2510 |pages=14–16 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> At age one, he moved with his family to [[Hicksville, New York|Hicksville]] in the town of [[Oyster Bay (town), New York|Oyster Bay]] on [[Long Island]]. Joel and his cousin Judy, whom his parents adopted,<ref>{{Cite web |title=A long-lost Billy Joel song surfaces on 'This Is Us' |url=https://987theriver.iheart.com/content/2017-10-11-a-long-lost-billy-joel-song-surfaces-on-this-is-us/ |access-date= October 15, 2022 |website= 987theriver.iheart.com | publisher= 98.7 The River |language=en| archive-date= August 16, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816183512/https://987theriver.iheart.com/content/2017-10-11-a-long-lost-billy-joel-song-surfaces-on-this-is-us/ | url-status=dead}}</ref> were raised in a nondescript house similar to those in nearby [[Levittown, New York|Levittown]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Tamarkin |first=Jeff |author-link=Jeff Tamarkin |date=1984 |title=Billy Joel: From Hicksville to Hitsville |url=https://archive.org/details/billyjoelfromhic0000tama/page/8/mode/1up |url-access=registration |location=Port Chester, NY |publisher=Cherry Lane Books |page=8 |isbn=0895242281 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

His mother, Rosalind (1922–2014),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/billy-joel-s-mother-rosalind-nyman-joel-dead-at-92-1.8799868|title=Billy Joel's mom dies at 92| website=Newsday|access-date= October 3, 2020|archive-date= September 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922235322/https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/billy-joel-s-mother-rosalind-nyman-joel-dead-at-92-1.8799868|url-status=live}}</ref> was born in [[Brooklyn]] to [[Jews|Jewish]] parents, Philip and Rebecca Nyman, who emigrated from England.{{sfnp|Bego|2007|p=[https://archive.org/details/billyjoelbiograp00bego/page/13 13]}} Billy's father, Howard (born Helmut) Joel (1923–2011), an accomplished amateur classical pianist<ref name= CRose /><ref name="TS">{{cite web| url= http://www.wnyc.org/shows/heresthething/2012/jul/30/transcript|title=Billy Joel|date= July 30, 2012|access-date=August 3, 2012|work= Here's The Thing | publisher= [[WNYC]] |format= transcript |quote= I grew up on the Island, in the Levittown section of Hicksville. We had a Levitt house, Cape Cod, on the quarter acre. ... My father was a classically trained pianist. He grew up in Nuremberg, Germany, and he also went to school in Switzerland. His father was quite well off. They had a mail-order textile business, Joel Macht Fabrik ... |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120804181324/http://www.wnyc.org/shows/heresthething/2012/jul/30/transcript/ |archive-date=August 4, 2012 }}</ref> and businessman, was born in [[Nuremberg|Nuremberg, Germany]]<ref name="TS" /> to a Jewish family, the only child of merchant and manufacturer [[Karl Amson Joel]], and educated in [[Switzerland]]. In 1928, Karl Joel set up a prosperous mail-order textile company, Joel Macht Fabrik, which within 10 years had become the second largest of its type in Germany. Escaping the [[Nazi Germany|Nazi regime]], Karl, his wife and young son emigrated to Switzerland.{{sfnp|Bego|2007|pp=[https://archive.org/details/billyjoelbiograp00bego/page/1 1–7]}} Following the passing of laws which prevented Jews from owning property and businesses, in 1938 he was forced to sell his company to [[Josef Neckermann]] for a fraction of its true value.{{sfnp|Smith|2007|pp=[https://archive.org/details/igotoextremesbil0000smit/page/11/mode/1up 11–13]}} As direct entry to the United States was difficult for [[History of the Jews in Germany|German Jews]] due to strict quotas imposed by the [[Immigration Act of 1924]], the family reached the country via [[Cuba]], where they arrived in early 1939 and stayed for nearly two years.<ref name="TS" />{{sfnp|Schruers|2014|pp=12–13}} In the United States, Howard became an engineer but always loved music.

Joel's parents met in 1942, whilst taking part in a production of [[Gilbert and Sullivan]]'s comic opera ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]'' at the [[City College of New York]].{{sfnp|Schruers|2014|page=16}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=admin |date=2014-07-14 |title=Billy's Mom Rosalind Nyman Joel Dies At 92 |url=https://www.billyjoel.com/news/rosalind-nyman-joel-2/ |access-date=2025-07-31 |website=Billy Joel Official Site |language=en-US}}</ref> He has said that neither of his parents talked much about [[World War II]]. It was not until later that Joel learned more about his father's family. After Rosalind and Howard Joel divorced in 1957, Howard returned to Europe, as he had never liked the United States: he considered the people uneducated and materialistic.<ref name="TS" /> Howard settled in [[Vienna]], Austria, and later remarried. Joel has a half-brother, [[Alexander Joel (conductor)|Alexander Joel]], born to his father in England, who became a classical conductor in Europe and was the chief musical director of the [[Staatstheater Braunschweig]] from 2001 to 2014.<ref name=Villager>{{cite news| last= Tallmer| first= Jerry |date= July 22, 2003| url= http://www.thevillager.com/villager_12/billyjoel.html |title= Billy Joel grapples with the past| work= [[The Villager (Manhattan)|The Villager]]| volume= 73| number= 11| access-date= December 7, 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110612095056/http://www.thevillager.com/villager_12/billyjoel.html |archive-date= June 12, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.alexanderjoel.com/biography| title= Biography| website= alexanderjoel.com| publisher= Alexander Joel| access-date= May 29, 2015| archive-date= March 21, 2015| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150321111037/http://www.alexanderjoel.com/biography| url-status=live}}</ref>

At age four, Joel began taking piano lessons reluctantly at his mother's insistence, after he started banging on the piano in the family home.<ref name= CRose /> He continued with formal tuition until about the age of 16,<ref name="TS"/> his teachers including the noted American pianist [[Morton Estrin]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Van Gelder |first=Lawrence |author-link=Lawrence Van Gelder |date=April 27, 1986 |title=A Pianist Finds 88 Keys to Happiness |department=Long Island Weekly |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/27/nyregion/long-islanders-a-painist-finds-88-keys-to-happiness.html |volume=135 |issue=46757 |page=2 |access-date= December 20, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 30, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180630190132/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/27/nyregion/long-islanders-a-painist-finds-88-keys-to-happiness.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and musician Timothy Ford.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Halfond |first=Irwin |title=Billy Joel {{!}} Research Starters {{!}} EBSCO Research |url=https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/music/billy-joel#early-life |access-date=2025-12-13 |website=EBSCO |language=}}</ref> When learning a new piece, he would sometimes improvise in the style of its composer to avoid reading the music.<ref name="Schwartz">{{cite magazine |last=Schwartz |first=Tony |date=December 11, 1978 |title=Billy the Kid |url=https://archive.org/details/newsweek92novnewy/page/n784/mode/1up |url-access=registration |magazine=[[Newsweek]] |volume=92 |issue=24 |location=Livingston, NJ |pages=67–73 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> Joel has said that he is a better organist than a pianist.{{sfnp|Bordowitz|2005|p=[https://archive.org/details/billyjoellifetim00bord/page/26 26]}} As a teenager, Joel took up [[boxing]] and competed on the amateur [[Golden Gloves]] circuit as a [[welterweight]].<ref name=HollywoodWalkofFame/>{{sfnp |Soocher |1999 |p=[https://archive.org/details/theyfoughtlawroc0000sooc/page/23/mode/1up 23]}} He abandoned the sport after his nose was broken, having won 22 of his 26 fights.{{sfnp|Smith|2007|pp=[https://archive.org/details/igotoextremesbil0000smit/page/52/mode/1up 52–53]}}<ref>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=May 1982 |title=Playboy Interview: Billy Joel |url=https://www.playboy.com/magazine/articles/1982/05/playboy-interview-billy-joel |url-access=subscription |magazine=[[Playboy]] |volume=29 |issue=5 |location=Chicago, IL |issn=0032-1478 |pages=71–96}}</ref>

Although Joel's parents were Jewish, he did not grow up in the religion. Joel stated: "I was not brought up Jewish in any religious way. My [[circumcision]] was as Jewish as they got."{{sfnp|Bego|2007|p=[https://archive.org/details/billyjoelbiograp00bego/page/15/mode/1up 15]}} He attended [[Catholic Church|a Roman Catholic church]] with friends. At age 11, Joel was baptized in a [[Churches of Christ|Church of Christ]] in Hicksville. He now identifies as a [[Jewish atheism|Jewish atheist]].<ref name="Paumgarten"/><ref>{{cite web| title=Billy Joel |url= http://www.celebatheists.com/wiki/Billy_Joel |work= celebatheists.com | publisher= Celebrity Atheists List |access-date= May 22, 2015| archive-date=May 24, 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524233059/http://www.celebatheists.com/wiki/Billy_Joel| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/25/living/gallery/atheists/?hpt=hp_c4| publisher= [[CNN]]| title=Photos: Famous atheists and their beliefs| access-date=May 27, 2013| archive-date=June 8, 2013| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130608220324/http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/25/living/gallery/atheists/?hpt=hp_c4| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.blender.com/guide/66688/dear-superstar-billy-joel.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090822225600/http://www.blender.com/guide/66688/dear-superstar-billy-joel.html |archive-date=August 22, 2009 |title=Dear Superstar: Billy Joel|work= [[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]|date=July 15, 2001|first=Rob| last=Tannenbaum |access-date= November 26, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine| url=https://www.newsweek.com/atheist-day-2018-billy-joel-stephen-hawking-and-more-why-god-may-not-exist-868074| magazine=[[Newsweek]]| title='Atheist Day' 2018: Billy Joel, Emma Thompson and More On Why God May Not Exist| first=Anna| last=Menta| date=April 1, 2018| access-date=July 11, 2020| archive-date=July 26, 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726234337/https://www.newsweek.com/atheist-day-2018-billy-joel-stephen-hawking-and-more-why-god-may-not-exist-868074| url-status=live}}</ref>

Joel attended [[Hicksville High School (New York)|Hicksville High School]] until 1967 but did not graduate with his class. He was playing at a piano bar to help support himself, his mother and sister, and missed a crucial English exam after playing a late-night gig the evening before.<ref name= CRose>{{cite interview |last=Joel |first=Billy |date=October 7, 1993 |title=Billy Joel |work= [[The Charlie Rose Show]] |interviewer-last=Rose |interviewer-first=Charlie |interviewer-link=Charlie Rose |publisher=[[PBS]] |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdTQeghB158 |via=YouTube |access-date= January 9, 2020 |archive-date= March 13, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200313005749/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdTQeghB158&gl=US&hl=en |url-status= live}}</ref> Although Joel was a comparatively strong student, at the end of his senior year, he did not have enough credits to graduate. Rather than attend summer school to earn his diploma, Joel decided to begin a music career: "I told them, 'To hell with it. If I'm not going to [[Columbia University]], I'm going to [[Columbia Records]], and you don't need a high school diploma over there'."{{sfnp|Bordowitz|2005|p=[https://archive.org/details/billyjoellifetim00bord/page/22 22]}} In 1992, he submitted essays to the school board in lieu of the missed exam. They were accepted, and he was awarded his diploma at Hicksville High's annual graduation ceremony 25 years after leaving.<ref name= Chronicle1992>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/26/style/chronicle-419092.html |title= Chronicle |work= The New York Times |date= June 26, 1992 |access-date= August 19, 2011 |first= Nadine |last= Brozan |archive-date= May 14, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130514150120/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/26/style/chronicle-419092.html |url-status= live }}</ref>

==Music career==
===1964–1970: Early career===
Although Joel's compositions are infused with references to [[classical music]],<ref name="Aziz">{{cite journal |last=Aziz |first=Andrew |date=2022 |title=Billy Joel's Enharmonic Duplicity |url=https://www.mtosmt.org/issues/mto.22.28.2/mto.22.28.2.aziz.html |journal=Music Theory Online |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=20–35 |doi=10.30535/mto.28.2.1 |doi-access=free |issn=1067-3040}}</ref> his music mostly encompasses [[Pop music|pop]] and [[Rock music|rock]],<ref name="bio-allmusic1"/> fitting into the subgenres of [[pop rock]]<ref name="concert archives">{{cite web|url=https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/billy-joel--5|work=Concert Archives|title=Billy Joel's Concert History|access-date=October 18, 2020|archive-date=November 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108053223/https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/billy-joel--5|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[soft rock]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ripitup.co.nz/music/new-article-page/ |last=Johnstone |first=Andrew |date=February 6, 2015 |work= [[Rip It Up (New Zealand)|Rip It Up]] |title=A General Guide to Soft Rock |access-date=January 26, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150928174505/http://www.ripitup.co.nz/music/new-article-page/ |archive-date=September 28, 2015 }}</ref> Furthermore, Joel's tightly structured melodies and down-to-earth songwriting betray the influence of early [[rock & roll]] and [[rhythm & blues]] artists, including [[Elvis Presley]] and the [[The Everly Brothers|Everly Brothers]].<ref name="Tamarkin-2001">{{cite book |last=Tamarkin |first=Jeff |editor-last=Sadie |editor-first=Stanley |editor-link=Stanley Sadie |date=2001 |chapter=Joel, Billy |chapter-url=https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/display/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000046857 |chapter-url-access= subscription |title=The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians |edition=Second |volume=13 |location=New York |publisher=Macmillan |pages=134–135 |isbn=1561592390}}</ref> However, it was only after seeing the [[The Beatles|Beatles]] on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' that he decided to pursue a career in music. As he later commented:<ref>{{cite news| last=Crandall| first=Bill| url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/10-musicians-who-saw-the-beatles-standing-there/| title=10 musicians who saw the Beatles standing there| publisher=CBS News| date=February 6, 2014| access-date=April 16, 2020| archive-date=February 7, 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140207051338/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/10-musicians-who-saw-the-beatles-standing-there/| url-status=live}}</ref>

{{blockquote|That one performance changed my life{{nbsp}}... Up to that moment I'd never considered playing rock as a career{{nbsp}}... (W)hen I saw four guys who didn't look like they'd come out of the Hollywood star mill, who played their own songs and instruments, and especially because you could see this look in [[John Lennon]]'s face—and he looked like he was always saying: '---- you!'—I said: 'I know these guys, I can relate to these guys, I am these guys. This is what I'm going to do—play in a rock band'.}}

At age 16, Joel joined the Echoes,<ref name="sing365">{{cite web |url= http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Billy-Joel-Biography/B5E6E558FEF8C8D1482568700013A7BC |title= Billy Joel Biography |work= Sing365.com |access-date= November 2, 2010 |archive-date= December 2, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101202131305/http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Billy-Joel-Biography/B5E6E558FEF8C8D1482568700013A7BC |url-status= live }}</ref> a group which specialized in [[British Invasion]] covers. The Echoes began recording in 1965. Joel played piano on several records released through [[Kama Sutra Records|Kama Sutra Productions]] and on recordings produced by [[Shadow Morton]]. He played on a [[Demo (music)|demo]] version of "[[Leader of the Pack]]", which in 1964 became a major hit for [[the Shangri-Las]],<ref>{{cite episode |last=Stern |first=Howard |author-link=Howard Stern |date=November 16, 2010 |title=Billy Joel Dreams in Music {{bracket|Interview}} |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1-kLcvMLiY&list=PL-HzNWxgD9K6Rg98I41fnVIzk-OiVDYP4&index=1 |series=[[The Howard Stern Show]] |network=[[SiriusXM]] |location=New York |access-date=August 7, 2025 |via=[[YouTube]]}}<!--Episode details obtained August 2025 from https://www.howardstern.com/show/2010/11/16/billy-joel-dreams-in-music-rundownshow-379/--></ref> and has said that he was also on the demo or [[Mastering (audio)|master]] recording of their song "[[Remember (Walking in the Sand)]]".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=White |first=Timothy |title=Billy Joel: 1994 Recipient of The Century Award |date=December 3, 1994 |magazine=Billboard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZwgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA13 |location=New York |issn=0006-2510 |page=13 |via=Google Books}}</ref> The released single included a co-producer credit for [[Artie Ripp]],<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Leiber – Stoller – Goldner Present The Shangri-Las ''[advertisement]''|magazine=Billboard|date=August 15, 1964|page=5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QUUEAAAAMBAJ&q=artie%20ripp&pg=PA5|access-date=October 28, 2015|archive-date=July 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727113029/https://books.google.com/books?id=QUUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA5&q=artie%20ripp|url-status=live}}</ref> who later was the first to sign and produce Joel as a solo artist after [[Michael Lang (producer)|Michael Lang]], who had given Joel a monetary advance, passed Joel along to Ripp to focus his attentions elsewhere.{{sfnp|Schruers|2014|pp=72–73}}

In late 1965,{{citation needed|date=August 2025}} the Echoes changed their name briefly to the Emeralds, and then to the Lost Souls.{{sfnp|Bordowitz|2005|p=[https://archive.org/details/billyjoellifetim00bord/page/20/mode/1up 20]}} Joel left the band in 1967 to join [[the Hassles]], a Long Island group that had signed with [[United Artists Records]].<ref name= OxfordMO>{{cite web| last= Tamarkin| first= Jeff| author-link= Jeff Tamarkin| title= Joel, Billy| url= https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/epm/13981?q=Billy+Joel&search=quick&pos=2&_start=1 |url-access= registration| work= Oxford Music Online |publisher= Oxford University Press| access-date= October 5, 2015}}</ref> Over the next year and a half, they released four singles and two albums (''The Hassles'' and ''Hour of the Wolf''). However, all were commercial failures. Joel and drummer Jon Small, who would eventually direct his music videos starting in the late 1970s, left the Hassles in 1969 to form the duo [[Attila (rock band)|Attila]], releasing an [[:wikt:eponym|eponymous]] debut album in July 1970. The duo disbanded the following October when Joel began an affair with Small's wife, Elizabeth. The pair later married.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p3587|title=Attila|publisher=AllMusic|first=Stacia|last=Proefrock|access-date=November 2, 2010|archive-date=February 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203025637/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p3587|url-status=live}}</ref>

===1970–1974: ''Cold Spring Harbor'' and ''Piano Man''===
Joel signed a contract with the record company Family Productions,<ref name= CRose /><ref name= "Goodman">{{cite magazine |last=Goodman |first=Fred |date=March 1991 |title=An Innocent Man |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G6J2BiVlRBkC&pg=PA73 |magazine=[[Spy (magazine)|Spy]] |location=New York |pages=72–75 |via=Google Books}}</ref> with which he recorded his first solo album, ''[[Cold Spring Harbor (album)|Cold Spring Harbor]]'', named for [[Cold Spring Harbor, New York|Cold Spring Harbor, a hamlet]] on his native [[Long Island]]. Artie Ripp, owner of Family Productions, states that he spent US$450,000 developing Joel;<ref name="Goodman"/> nevertheless, the album was mastered at too high a speed and was a technical and commercial disappointment.<ref name=AllMusic-ColdSpringHarbor>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/cold-spring-harbor-mw0000194331 |title=Cold Spring Harbor Review |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=September 10, 2023 |first=Stephen Thomas |last=Erlewine |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |archive-date=October 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003134646/https://www.allmusic.com/album/cold-spring-harbor-mw0000194331 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The popular songs "[[She's Got a Way]]" and "[[Everybody Loves You Now]]" were first released on this album, but went largely unnoticed until live versions were included on ''[[Songs in the Attic]] ''(1981). Columbia released a remastered version of ''Cold Spring Harbor'' in 1983, with certain songs shortened or re-orchestrated.<ref name=AllMusic-ColdSpringHarbor />

Joel began his ''Cold Spring Harbor'' tour in the fall of 1971, touring with his band, consisting of [[Rhys Clark]] on drums, Al Hertzberg on guitar, and [[Larry Russell (bassist)|Larry Russell]] on bass guitar, throughout the mainland United States and Puerto Rico, opening for such artists as [[the J. Geils Band]], [[the Beach Boys]], [[Badfinger]] and [[Taj Mahal (musician)|Taj Mahal]]. Joel's performance at the Puerto Rican [[Mar y Sol Pop Festival]] was especially well-received; and although recorded, Joel refused to have it published on the Mar Y Sol compilation album ''[[Mar Y Sol: The First International Puerto Rico Pop Festival (album)|Mar Y Sol: The First International Puerto Rico Pop Festival]]''. Nevertheless, interest in his music grew.{{sfnp|Bordowitz|2005}}

[[File:Nieuwste artiesten bij Phonogram, Billy Joel, Bestanddeelnr 925-8727.jpg|thumb|left|Joel performing in September 1972]]
On April 15, 1972, [[WMMR]]-FM radio in [[Philadelphia]] featured a live broadcast of Joel performing 12 songs, and a recording of the set was played several times by station [[Disk jockey|DJ]] Jonathan Takiff on his late-night weekend show. As a result, "[[Captain Jack (Billy Joel song)|Captain Jack]]" became the most requested track in the station's history, and after receiving regular airplay, was soon an underground hit on the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]].{{sfnp|Schruers|2014|pp=95–96}}{{sfnp|Bego|2007|p=[https://archive.org/details/billyjoelbiograp00bego/page/61/mode/1up 61]}} Herb Gordon, a [[Columbia Records]] executive, heard Joel's music and brought him to the attention of company president [[Clive Davis]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Davis |first=Clive |author-link=Clive Davis |date=2013 |title=The Soundtrack of My Life |location=New York |publisher=Simon & Schuster |pages=144–145 |isbn=978-1476714783}}</ref> Joel signed a recording contract with the label in 1972 and moved to Los Angeles, where he lived for the next three years.<ref name="bio-allmusic1">{{cite web | last= Erlewine| first= Stephen Thomas| author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine| year= 2006| title= Billy Joel Biography| publisher= [[AllMusic]]| url= https://www.allmusic.com/artist/billy-joel-mn0000085915/biography| access-date= December 7, 2008| archive-date= September 9, 2013| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130909081102/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/billy-joel-mn0000085915/biography| url-status= live}}</ref><ref name= Villager /> For six months, Joel worked at The Executive Room [[piano bar]] on [[Wilshire Boulevard]] as "Bill Martin".<ref name= CRose /> Whilst not playing his own material, it was during this period that he composed his signature song "[[Piano Man (song)|Piano Man]]", about the bar's patrons.<ref>{{cite episode |last=Lipton |first=James |author-link=James Lipton |date=November 14, 1999 |title=Billy Joel |url=https://archive.org/details/itas-billy-joel-1999 |series=Inside the Actors Studio |series-link=Inside the Actors Studio |network=[[Bravo (American TV network)|Bravo]] |time=23:48 |time-caption=Segment begins at time |via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Not stayed--> |date=April 12, 2017 |title=An Interview with Billy Joel |url=https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/BillyJoelInterview.pdf |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=[[Library of Congress]] |access-date=September 14, 2025}}</ref>

Although now signed to Columbia, Joel was still obliged to pay Artie Ripp and Michael Lang a share of his royalties from album sales. In 1981, when his contract was renegotiated, the company agreed to cover these payments itself. President of [[CBS]]/Columbia Records [[Walter Yetnikoff]] also bought the publishing rights to Joel's songs owned by Ripp,{{sfnp|Bego|2007|p=[https://archive.org/details/billyjoelbiograp00bego/page/178/mode/1up 178]}} which he then gave to the artist as a birthday gift. Yetnikoff noted in the 2010 documentary ''[[The Last Play at Shea]]'' that he had to threaten Ripp to close the deal.<ref>''The Last Play at Shea'' (documentary film). 2010. Interview with Yetnikoff.{{when|date=October 2012}}<!-- at what point in the film? --></ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Holden |first=Stephen |date=October 29, 2010 |title=Brenda, Eddie, Billy and Friends Bury a Ballpark |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/29/movies/29last.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120630134640/http://movies.nytimes.com/2010/10/29/movies/29last.html |archive-date=June 30, 2012 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

[[File:Billy Joel "Piano Man" 1973 press photo.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|A 1973 promotional photo of Joel for ''Piano Man'']]
Joel's first album with Columbia was ''[[Piano Man (Billy Joel album)|Piano Man]]'' (1973). Despite modest sales, the album's title track became his signature song, ending nearly every concert. That same year, Joel's touring band changed. Guitarist Al Hertzberg was replaced by Don Evans, and bassist Larry Russell by Patrick McDonald, himself replaced in late 1974 by [[Doug Stegmeyer]],{{citation needed|date=September 2025}} who stayed with Joel until 1989.{{sfnp|Smith|2007|p=[https://archive.org/details/igotoextremesbil0000smit/mode/1up 106]}} Rhys Clark returned as drummer and Tom Whitehorse as banjoist and pedal steel player; [[Johnny Almond]] joined as saxophonist and keyboardist. The band toured the U.S. and Canada extensively, appearing on popular music shows. Joel's songwriting began attracting more attention; in 1974, [[Helen Reddy]] recorded the ''Piano Man'' track "[[You're My Home (song)|You're My Home]]".

===1974–1977: ''Streetlife Serenade'' and ''Turnstiles''===
In 1974, Joel recorded his second Columbia album in Los Angeles, ''[[Streetlife Serenade]]''. His manager at the time was Jon Troy, an old friend from New York's [[Bedford-Stuyvesant]] neighborhood; Troy was soon replaced by Joel's wife Elizabeth.{{sfnp|Schruers|2014|p=104}} ''Streetlife Serenade'' contains references to [[suburbia]] and the [[inner city]]. It is perhaps best known for "[[The Entertainer (Billy Joel song)|The Entertainer]]", a No. 34 hit in the U.S. Upset that "Piano Man" had been significantly cut for radio play, Joel wrote "The Entertainer" as a sarcastic response: "If you're gonna have a hit, you gotta make it fit, so they cut it down to 3:05." Although ''Streetlife Serenade'' was viewed unfavorably by critics,<ref>{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]|publisher=[[Ticknor & Fields]]|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: J|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=J&bk=70|access-date=February 27, 2019|via=robertchristgau.com|archive-date=May 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525101409/https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=J&bk=70|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |newspaper=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=December 5, 1974 |issue=175 |first=Stephen |last=Holden |author-link=Stephen Holden |title=Billy Joel ''Streetlife Serenade'' > Album Review |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/streetlife-serenade-19741205 |url-status=live |access-date=November 29, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080503104018/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/billyjoel/albums/album/200781/review/5942638/streetlife_serenade |archive-date=May 3, 2008 }}</ref> it contains the notable songs "Los Angelenos" and "[[Root Beer Rag]]", an [[instrumental]] that was a staple of his live set in the 1970s.

In late 1975, Joel played piano and organ on several tracks on [[Bo Diddley]]'s ''The 20th Anniversary of Rock 'n' Roll'' all-star album.

Not long after the release of ''Streetlife Serenade'', Joel began working on his next album, ''[[Turnstiles (album)|Turnstiles]]'', at [[Caribou Ranch]] studio in [[Colorado]]. The difficult project began with [[Michael Stewart (musician)|Michael Stewart]] as producer, then [[James William Guercio]] took over before Stewart was brought in again. Using members of [[Elton John]]'s backing band [[Dee Murray]] and [[Nigel Olsson]], as well as [[session musician]]s, half the songs had been recorded when Joel decided the results were less than satisfactory. Also disenchanted with Los Angeles, where he encountered anti-New York sentiment, he returned to the East Coast [[metropolis]] in 1975, seeking inspiration in the [[History of New York City (1946–1977)#1970s|city's troubles]].{{sfnp|Bego|2007|p=[https://archive.org/details/billyjoelbiograp00bego/page/78/mode/1up 78–79]}}{{sfnp|Bordowitz|2005|p=[https://archive.org/details/billyjoellifetim00bord/page/80/mode/1up 80]}} Now with himself as producer, he rerecorded and completed the album, which when released in 1976, was the first to feature his [[Billy Joel Band|regular touring band]].{{sfnp|Schruers|2014|pp=119–120}}

"[[Say Goodbye to Hollywood]]" was a minor hit, covered by [[Ronnie Spector]] and Nigel Olsson. During a 2008 radio interview, Joel said that he no longer performs the song because singing it in its high original key "shreds" his [[vocal cords]]; however, Joel did finally play it live for the first time since 1982 when he sang it at the [[Hollywood Bowl]] in May 2014. Although never released as a single, "[[New York State of Mind]]" became one of Joel's best-known songs; [[Barbra Streisand]] recorded a cover and [[Tony Bennett]] performed it as a duet with Joel on ''[[Playing with My Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues]]''. Other notable songs from the album include "[[Summer, Highland Falls]]"; "[[Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)]]" and "[[Prelude/Angry Young Man]]", a concert mainstay.

===1977–1979: ''The Stranger'' and ''52nd Street'' ===
[[File:Billy Joel, Lehigh Epitome 1978 page 125.jpg|thumb|right|Joel performing in December 1977]]

During the ''Turnstiles'' tour, Joel's wife Elizabeth phoned [[George Martin]] in an attempt to recruit him as the producer for Joel's next album, but having seen the artist play live at [[Rowan University|Glassboro State College]] in [[New Jersey]], Martin declined the invitation. Prior to the tour, Joel had expressed to his wife a desire to work with [[Phil Ramone]] at some point. She now contacted the legendary producer, who attended Joel's concert at New York's [[Carnegie Hall]] on June 2, 1977 (as did [[Don DeVito]] from Columbia Records, who brought with him a recording truck to tape the show). Impressed by what he saw, Ramone went on to produce all seven studio albums Joel recorded from 1977 to 1986.{{sfnp|Smith|2007|p=[https://archive.org/details/igotoextremesbil0000smit/page/148/mode/1up 148–149]}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ramone |first1=Phil |author-link1=Phil Ramone |last2=Granata |first2=Charles L. |date=2007 |title=Making Records: The Scenes Behind the Music |location=New York |publisher=Hyperion |isbn=978-0786868599 |pages=71–73}}</ref>

Their first collaboration, [[The Stranger (Billy Joel album)|''The Stranger'']] (1977), was an enormous commercial success and "established Joel as a household name".<ref name="Duchan-2016">{{harvc |last=Duchan |first=Joshua S. |year=2016 |chapter=Depicting the working class in the music of Billy Joel |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/cambridge-companion-to-the-singersongwriter/depicting-the-working-class-in-the-music-of-billy-joel/AD7CBB8404D7B809EA759D656574ECBB |url-access=subscription |in1=Williams |in2=Williams |pages=137–143 |doi=10.1017/CCO9781316569207.013}}</ref>
{{sfn|Wadleigh|1957}} The album yielded four Top-25 hits on the ''Billboard'' charts: "[[Just the Way You Are (Billy Joel song)|Just the Way You Are]]" (No. 3), "[[Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)|Movin' Out]]" (No. 17), "[[Only the Good Die Young]]" (No. 24) and "[[She's Always a Woman]]" (No. 17). Joel's first Top Ten album, ''The Stranger ''reached number two on the charts and was certified multi-platinum, besting [[Simon & Garfunkel]]'s ''[[Bridge over Troubled Water]]''<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS154750+31-Jul-2008+PRN20080731 |title=The Return of 'The Stranger' – 30th Anniversary Legacy Edition of Billy Joel's Top-Selling... |date=July 31, 2008 |work=Reuters |access-date=March 17, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120726115257/https://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS154750%2B31-Jul-2008%2BPRN20080731 |archive-date=July 26, 2012}}</ref> as Columbia's previous bestselling album. "Just the Way You Are" — written for Joel's first wife, Elizabeth Weber{{sfnp|Schruers|2014|p=130}} — was inspired by a dream<ref>{{cite book |last=Webb |first=Craig |date=2016 |title=The Dreams Behind the Music: Learn Creative Dreaming As 100+ Top Artists Reveal Their Breakthrough Inspirations |url=http://dreamsbehindthemusic.com/ |page=76 |access-date=October 31, 2016 |archive-date=November 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161101041229/http://dreamsbehindthemusic.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and won [[Grammy]] awards for [[Record of the Year]] and [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]].<ref name=billyjoelgrammy>[https://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=%22Billy+Joel%22&field_nominee_work_value=&year=All&genre=All Billy Joel Grammy Awards] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208160833/https://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=%22Billy+Joel%22&field_nominee_work_value=&year=All&genre=All |date=December 8, 2015 }} at [[The Recording Academy]]</ref> On tour in Paris, Joel learned the news late one night in a hotel room.<ref name="sing365" />  It also featured "[[Scenes from an Italian Restaurant]]", an [[album-oriented rock]] classic, which has become one of his best-known songs. It is one of Joel's favorite of his own songs, which has become a firm staple of his live shows,<ref>{{Cite web| url= https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/billy-joel/billy-joel-talks-scenes-from-an-italian-restaurant-i-couldn-t-do-a-show-without-it-1.10695315| title= Joel on 'Scenes': I couldn't do a show without it| website= Newsday| language= en| access-date= June 6, 2019| archive-date= June 7, 2019| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190607003406/https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/billy-joel/billy-joel-talks-scenes-from-an-italian-restaurant-i-couldn-t-do-a-show-without-it-1.10695315| url-status= live}}</ref> and "[[Vienna (Billy Joel song)|Vienna]]", also one of Joel's personal favorites,<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/arts/music/13barr.html?pagewanted=1 | work=The New York Times | first=Dan | last=Barry | title=Just the Way He Is | date=July 13, 2008 | access-date=February 12, 2023 | archive-date=February 12, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212102327/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/arts/music/13barr.html?pagewanted=1 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.billyjoel.com/news/billy-joels-top-5-favorite-songs-playlist/ | title=Billy Joel's Top 5 Favorite Songs Playlist | date=January 11, 2017 | access-date=February 12, 2023 | archive-date=February 12, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212102329/https://www.billyjoel.com/news/billy-joels-top-5-favorite-songs-playlist/ | url-status=live }}</ref> and one of his most streamed songs on the internet as of 2022.<ref name = Grierson>{{cite news|url = https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/billy-joel-vienna-song-history|title = How Billy Joel's 'Vienna' Went from a Deep Cut to His Most Popular Song|date = April 17, 2022|access-date = April 25, 2022|work = [[MEL Magazine]]|last = Grierson|first = Tim|archive-date = April 28, 2022|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220428040558/https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/billy-joel-vienna-song-history|url-status = live}}</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' later ranked ''The Stranger'' the 70th greatest album of all time.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/billy-joel-the-stranger-19691231 |title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Billy Joel, 'The Stranger' |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=September 16, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718102518/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/billy-joel-the-stranger-19691231 |archive-date=July 18, 2012}}</ref>

[[File:Billy Joel "52nd Street" (1978 Columbia publicity photo) (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|A 1978 promotional photo of Joel for ''52nd Street'']]
Joel released ''[[52nd Street (album)|52nd Street]]'' in 1978, naming it after Manhattan's [[52nd Street (Manhattan)|52nd Street]], which, at the time of its release, served as the world headquarters of [[CBS Records International|CBS/]] [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]. The album sold over seven million copies, propelled to number one on the charts by the hits "[[My Life (Billy Joel song)|My Life]]" (No. 3), "[[Big Shot (song)|Big Shot]]" (No. 14) and "[[Honesty (Billy Joel song)|Honesty]]" (No. 24). A cover of "My Life" by Gary Bennett became the theme for the television sitcom ''[[Bosom Buddies]]''. ''52nd Street'' also won Grammy awards for [[Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male]] and Album of the Year.

In 1978, Joel gave his first of what would go on to be at least 150 shows at New York City's [[Madison Square Garden]]. In 2025, Joel described playing at the arena as being a "dream come true".<ref name=joelmsg>{{cite news|url=https://people.com/billy-joel-calls-playing-madison-square-garden-a-dream-come-true-in-documentary-11777182|title=Billy Joel Calls Playing Madison Square Garden a 'Dream Come True' in Part 2 of Documentary (Exclusive)|first=Lizzie|last=Hyman|publisher=People|date=July 24, 2025|access-date=July 27, 2025}}</ref> He currently dominates the record for most concerts performed at Madison Square Garden.<ref name=msgrecord>{{cite web|url=https://www.msgentertainment.com/the-greatest-arena-run-of-all-time-to-come-to-an-end/|title=The Greatest Arena Run of All Time to Come to an End|publisher=Madison Square Garden Entertainment|date=June 1, 2023|access-date=July 27, 2025}}</ref>

In 1979, Joel traveled to [[Havana|Havana, Cuba]], to participate in the historic [[Havana Jam]] festival from March 2–4, alongside [[Rita Coolidge]], [[Kris Kristofferson]], [[Stephen Stills]], the CBS Jazz All-Stars, the [[Trio of Doom]], [[Fania All-Stars]], [[Billy Swan]], [[Bonnie Bramlett]], Mike Finnegan, [[Weather Report]], and an array of Cuban artists including [[Irakere]], [[Pacho Alonso]], [[Tata Güines]] and [[Orquesta Aragón]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://storage.people.com/people/archive/jpgs/19790319/19790319-750-35.jpg |title=article on Havana Jam |work=People |date=March 19, 1979 |access-date=September 11, 2012 |archive-date=November 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121120205041/http://storage.people.com/people/archive/jpgs/19790319/19790319-750-35.jpg |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Arnold |first=Christine |date=March 6, 1979 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald-havana-jamming/186247599/ |url-access=limited |title=Havana Jamming: Joel Finds Crowd Ready to Rock |newspaper=[[The Miami Herald]] |volume=69 |issue=96 |page=4B |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Although Joel's performance was for many the highlight of the weekend,<ref>{{cite news |last=Rockwell |first=John |author-link=John Rockwell |date=March 6, 1979 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/03/06/archives/pop-billy-joel-brings-cuban-crowd-to-its-feet.html |url-access=subscription |title=Pop: Billy Joel Brings Cuban Crowd to Its Feet |newspaper=The New York Times |volume=128 |issue=44148 |page=C11 |access-date=August 27, 2025}}</ref> CBS were unable to record or film it as planned because his wife objected to the fact that a specific deal had not been agreed with them in advance.{{sfnp|Schruers|2014|pp=146–148}} He was interviewed about his experience of playing at the event for Ernesto Juan Castellanos's documentary ''Havana Jam '79''.{{citation needed|date=August 2025}}

''52nd Street'' was the first commercially released album on the then-new compact disc format, in 1982.<ref>{{cite web |last=Giles |first=Jeff |date=October 1, 2012 |title=How Billy Joel's '52nd Street' Became the First Compact Disc Released |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/the-first-compact-disc-released/ |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |access-date=April 7, 2021 |archive-date=July 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706021629/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/the-first-compact-disc-released/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===1979–1983: ''Glass Houses'' and ''The Nylon Curtain''===
The success of his piano-driven ballads like "Just the Way You Are", "She's Always a Woman" and "Honesty" led some critics to label Joel a "[[ballad]]eer" and "[[soft rock]]er". He thought these labels were unfair and insulting, and with ''[[Glass Houses (album)|Glass Houses]]'', Joel tried to record an album that proved that he could rock harder than his critics gave him credit for, occasionally imitating and referring to the style of [[New wave music|new wave]] rock music that was starting to become popular.{{citation needed|date=August 2025}} Joel stated that the album cover, which pictured him wearing a leather jacket and about to throw a rock at a window of his [[Long Island]] home, was intended as a riposte to his image as a "mellow balladeer".{{sfnp|Smith|2007|p=[https://archive.org/details/igotoextremesbil0000smit/page/171/mode/1up 171]}}

''Glass Houses'' spent six weeks at the top of the ''Billboard'' album chart,{{sfnp|Bordowitz|2005|p=[https://archive.org/details/billyjoellifetim00bord/page/128/mode/1up 128]}} yielding the hits "[[You May Be Right]]" (No. 7, May 1980), "[[It's Still Rock and Roll to Me]]", (No. 1, July 1980), "[[Don't Ask Me Why (Billy Joel song)|Don't Ask Me Why]]" (No. 19, September 1980) and "[[Sometimes a Fantasy]]" (No. 36, November 1980).{{citation needed|date=August 2025}} The latter song gave its name to a 15-minute promotional film featuring both music and dialog, which as Joel's first venture of this kind, he wrote and directed himself.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=December 20, 1980 |title=Joel Movie Promo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GyUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT51 |magazine=Billboard |volume=92 |number=51 |location=Los Angeles |page=52 |via=Google Books}}</ref> "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" was his first number one on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]],{{sfnp|Bordowitz|2005|p=[https://archive.org/details/billyjoellifetim00bord/page/127/mode/1up 127]}} where it spent 11 weeks in the top 10 and became the ninth biggest-selling single of the year.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=December 20, 1980 |title=Number One Awards – Pop Singles |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GyUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT63 |department=Talent in Action Year End Charts |magazine=Billboard |volume=92 |number=51 |location=Los Angeles |page=TA-10 |via=Google Books}}</ref> His five sold-out shows at [[Madison Square Garden]] in 1980 earned him the venue's [[Madison Square Garden Gold Ticket Award|Gold Ticket Award]] for selling more than 100,000 tickets.<ref name="BJ Kozak">{{cite magazine |last=Kozak |first=Roman |date=August 9, 1980 |title=Singer Alters Summer Tour: Double LP Set For November? |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eyQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PAPA4 |magazine=Billboard |volume=92 |number=32 |location=Los Angeles |page=35 |via=Google books}}</ref><ref name="BJ Melhuish">{{cite news |last=Melhuish |first=Martin |title=The Pringle Column |agency=[[Sun Media]] |newspaper=The Interior News |location=Smithers, British Columbia |date=September 10, 1980 |page=b7 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30084182/the_interior_news/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=March 30, 2019 |archive-date=March 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330205924/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30084182/the_interior_news/ |url-status=live }}{{free access}}</ref>

''Glass Houses'' won the 1981 Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male.{{sfnp|Bordowitz|2005|p=135}} It also won the [[American Music Award]] for Favorite Album, Pop/Rock category. The album's closing song, "Through the Long Night" ([[B-side]] of the "It's Still Rock & Roll to Me" single), was a lullaby that featured Joel harmonizing with himself in a song he says was inspired by [[the Beatles]]' "[[Yes It Is]]".{{citation needed|date=August 2025}} In a recorded [[master class]] at the [[University of Pennsylvania]], Joel recalled that he had written to the Beatles asking them how to get started in the music industry. In response, he received a pamphlet about Beatles merchandise. This later led to the idea of Joel conducting Q&A sessions around the world answering questions that people had about the music industry.<ref>{{cite AV media |last=Joel |first=Billy |date=October 6, 2001 <!--Earliest broadcast date found by search on Newspapers.com (August 2025)--> |title=Billy Joel: In His Own Words |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwV-vs0B-Sc |publisher=[[A&E (TV network)|A&E Network]] |via=[[YouTube]]}} (Original broadcast split into 12 parts).</ref>

Joel's next release, ''[[Songs in the Attic]]'', was composed of live performances of lesser-known songs from the beginning of his career. It was recorded at larger US arenas and in intimate nightclub shows in June and July 1980. This release introduced many fans, who discovered Joel when ''The Stranger'' became a smash in 1977, to many of his earlier compositions.{{sfnp|Smith|2007|pp=[https://archive.org/details/igotoextremesbil0000smit/page/176/mode/1up 176–178]}} The album reached No. 8 on the ''Billboard'' chart and produced two hit singles: "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" (No. 17), and "She's Got a Way" (No. 23). It sold over three million copies. Although not as successful as some of his previous albums, it was still considered a success by Joel.{{sfnp|Bordowitz|2005}}

The next wave of Joel's career commenced with the recording of ''[[The Nylon Curtain]]''. With it, Joel became more ambitious with his songwriting, which included highly topical songs like "[[Allentown (song)|Allentown]]" and "[[Goodnight Saigon]]". Joel has stated that he wanted the album to communicate his feelings about [[the American Dream]] and how changes in American politics during the [[Presidency of Ronald Reagan|Reagan administration]] meant that "all of a sudden you weren't going to be able to inherit [the kind of life] your old man had."<ref name="ncvideo">{{cite video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pqc4U8uWTRU  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/Pqc4U8uWTRU| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live|title=Billy Joel on The Nylon Curtain – from The Complete Albums Collection |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He also tried to be more ambitious in his use of the recording studio. Joel said that he wanted to "create a sonic masterpiece" on ''The Nylon Curtain''. So he spent more time in the studio, crafting the sound of the album, than he had on any previous album.<ref name="ncvideo" /> Production of ''The Nylon Curtain'' began in the fall of 1981, but was delayed for several months after Joel was involved in a serious motorcycle accident on April 15, 1982. The bone in his left thumb was crushed and his other wrist dislocated in the incident, when he hit and was flipped over a car which had run a red light at an intersection on Long Island.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/billy-joel-motorcycle-accident/|title=35 Years Ago: Billy Joel Injures Both Hands in Motorcycle Accident|website=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=April 15, 2017 |access-date=July 14, 2017|archive-date=July 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701011826/http://ultimateclassicrock.com/billy-joel-motorcycle-accident/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Seate">{{cite magazine |last=Seate |first=Mike |date=April 2010 |title=The Ballad of Billy Joel |magazine=[[Motorcyclist (magazine)|Motorcyclist]] |issue=1357 |location=El Segundo, CA |issn=0027-2205 |pages=84–89}}</ref>

In October 1982, Joel embarked on a [[The Nylon Curtain Tour|brief tour]] to support the album,<ref>{{cite news |last=McCarthy |first=Tom |date=October 26, 1982 |title=Billy Joel gives his all during Salt Lake stop |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-billy-joel-gives-h/186247635/ |url-access=limited |newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |volume=226 |issue=12 |page=B8 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> and recorded his first video special, ''Live from Long Island'', at the [[Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum]] in [[Uniondale, New York]] on December 29. This was first broadcast on [[HBO]] on July 24, 1983, before being released on [[VHS]].<ref>
{{cite news |last=Criblez |first=David J. |date=September 4, 2022 |title=From Uniondale to HBO |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-from-uniondale-to-hbo/186247683/ |url-access=limited |newspaper=Newsday |volume=83 |issue=2 |location=Melville, NY |page=C2 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> At the following year's Grammy Awards,it was nominated for the [[Grammy Award for Best Music Film|Best Video Album]].<ref>{{cite book |last=O'Neil |first=Thomas |date=1999 |title=The Grammys: The Ultimate, Unofficial Guide to Music's Highest Honor |url=https://archive.org/details/grammys0000onei/page/390/mode/1up |url-access=registration |edition=Revised and Updated |location=New York |publisher=Perigree |page=390 |isbn=0399524770 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>{{sfnp|Bego|2007|p=[https://archive.org/details/billyjoelbiograp00bego/page/216/mode/1up 216]}}

''The Nylon Curtain'' went to No. 7 on the charts, partially due to heavy airplay on MTV for the videos to the singles "Allentown" and "[[Pressure (Billy Joel song)|Pressure]]", both directed by [[Russell Mulcahy]].

===1983–1988: ''An Innocent Man'' and ''The Bridge'' ===
Joel's next album moved away from the serious themes of ''The Nylon Curtain'' and struck a much lighter tone. ''[[An Innocent Man]]'' was Joel's tribute to [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]] and [[doo wop]] music of the 1950s and 1960s and resulted in Joel's second ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' number-one hit, "[[Tell Her About It]]", which was the first single off the album in the summer of 1983. The album itself reached No. 4 on the charts and No. 2 in UK. It also boasted six top-30 singles, the most of any album in Joel's catalog. The album was well received by critics, with [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]], senior editor for AllMusic, describing Joel as being "in top form as a craftsman throughout the record, effortlessly spinning out infectious, memorable melodies in a variety of styles."<ref>{{cite web |last=Thomas |first=Stephen |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/an-innocent-man-mw0000190510 |title=An Innocent Man – Billy Joel : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=September 12, 2012 |archive-date=August 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120828050638/http://www.allmusic.com/album/an-innocent-man-mw0000190510 |url-status=live }}</ref>

At the time that the album was released, [[WCBS-FM]] began playing "[[Uptown Girl]]" both in regular rotation and on the ''Doo Wop Live''.<ref>Billy Joel's Interview on Howard Stern. 2011.{{which|date=October 2012}}</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=September 2025}} The song became a worldwide hit when released as a single. Originally entitled "Uptown Girls", it was inspired by a chance encounter with [[Christie Brinkley]], [[Whitney Houston]], and [[Elle Macpherson]], who were on a modelling assignment in the [[Caribbean]] when they approached Joel whilst he was playing the piano in the bar of their hotel (where he was a holiday guest).{{sfnp|Bego|2007|pp=[https://archive.org/details/billyjoelbiograp00bego/page/197/mode/1up 197–198]}}<ref name="Heatley">{{cite book |last1=Heatley |first1=Michael |author-link1=Michael Heatley |last2=Hopkinson |first2=Frank |date=2011 |title=The Girl in the Song: The Real Stories Behind 50 Rock Classics |url=https://archive.org/details/girlinsongtruest0000heat/page/138/mode/1up |url-access=registration |publisher=[[Chicago Review Press]] |pages=138–141 |isbn=978-1569765302}}</ref> The accompanying music video featured Brinkley as a high-society girl who pulls her [[Rolls-Royce Limited|Rolls-Royce]] into the gas station where Joel's character is working. At the end of the video, Joel's "grease monkey" character drives off with his "uptown girl" on the back of a motorcycle.{{sfnp|Bego|2007|p=[https://archive.org/details/billyjoelbiograp00bego/page/211/mode/1up 211–212]}} When Brinkley went to visit Joel after being asked to star in the video, the first thing Joel said to her upon opening his door was "I don't dance". Brinkley had to walk him through the basic steps he does in the video. Their work together on this video shoot sparked a relationship between the two which led to their marriage in 1985.{{citation needed|date=August 2025}}

In December, [[An Innocent Man (song)|the title song]] was released as a single and it peaked at No. 10 in the U.S. and No. 8 in the UK, early in 1984. That March, "[[The Longest Time]]" was released as a single, peaking at No. 14 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. That summer, "[[Leave a Tender Moment Alone]]" was released and it hit No. 27 while "[[Keeping the Faith (song)|Keeping the Faith]]" peaked at No. 18 in January 1985.{{citation needed|date=August 2025}} In the video for "Keeping the Faith", Brinkley appears as a passenger in a [[convertible]] [[Chevrolet]].{{sfnp|Bego|2007|p=[https://archive.org/details/billyjoelbiograp00bego/page/212/mode/1up 212]}} ''An Innocent Man'' was also nominated for the Album of the Year Grammy, but lost to [[Michael Jackson]]'s ''[[Thriller (Michael Jackson album)|Thriller]]''.

[[File:USA For Africa 1985 (US Press Kit 001).jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|left|Joel (second row, second from left) with other musicians for the recording of "[[We Are the World]]", January 1985]]

Joel participated in the USA for Africa "[[We Are the World]]" project in 1985. Following ''An Innocent Man'', Joel was asked about releasing an album of his most successful singles. This was not the first time this topic had come up, but Joel had initially considered [[greatest hits album]]s as marking the end of one's career. This time he agreed, and ''[[Greatest Hits (Billy Joel albums)|Greatest Hits Vol. 1 and 2]]'' was released as a four-sided album and two-CD set, with the songs in the order in which they were released. The new songs "[[You're Only Human (Second Wind)]]" and "[[The Night Is Still Young (Billy Joel song)|The Night Is Still Young]]" were recorded and released as singles to support the album; both reached the top 40, peaking at No. 9 and No. 34, respectively. ''Greatest Hits'' was highly successful and it has since been certified [[Diamond album|double diamond]] by the [[RIAA]], with over 11.5 million copies (23 million units) sold. It is one of the [[List of best-selling albums in the United States|best-selling albums in American music history]], according to the RIAA.

Coinciding with the ''Greatest Hits'' album release, Joel released a two-volume ''Video Album'' that was a compilation of the promotional videos he had recorded from 1977 to that time. Along with videos for the new singles off the ''Greatest Hits'' album, Joel also recorded a video for his first hit, "Piano Man", for this project.

Joel's next album, ''[[The Bridge (Billy Joel album)|The Bridge]]'' (1986), did not achieve the level of success of his previous albums, but it yielded the hits "[[A&nbsp;Matter of Trust]]" and "[[Modern Woman]]" (both No. 10) from the film ''[[Ruthless People]]'', a dark comedy from the directors of ''[[Airplane!]]''. The ballad "[[This Is the Time (Billy Joel song)|This is the Time]]" also charted, peaking at No. 18. On November 18, 1986, an extended version of "[[Big Man on Mulberry Street]]" was used on a Season&nbsp;3 episode of ''[[Moonlighting (TV series)|Moonlighting]]''.''The Bridge'' was Joel's last album to carry the Family Productions logo, after which he severed his ties with Artie Ripp. Joel was unsatisfied with most of the songs on ''The Bridge'', but his record company denied a request for time to produce better material.{{sfnp|Schruers|2014|pp=182–183}} In a 2008 interview, he described it as "not a good album'.<ref name="Neal">{{cite magazine|last=Neal |first=Chris |date=July–August 2008 |title=Stranger in Paradise |url=https://performingsongwriter.com/articles-interviews/cover-artist-interviews/billy-joel/ |url-access=subscription |format=PDF |magazine=Performing Songwriter |issue=111 |location=Nashville, TN |pages=57–62 |issn=1068-9664}}</ref>

In October 1986, Joel and his team started planning a trip to the [[Soviet Union]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/24/arts/extra/24artsextra-joel.html |title=At Garden, Billy Joel Is Out to Prove He's in Control |first=Laura |last=Sinagra |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=April 18, 2014 |date=January 24, 2006 |archive-date=May 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240509161449/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/24/arts/extra/at-garden-billy-joel-is-out-to-prove-hes-in-control.html |url-status=live }}</ref> This was realized the following July, when he arrived in the country with his wife, daughter Alexa, and full touring band. Following an improvised performance in [[Tbilisi]], Joel gave six concerts at indoor arenas in Moscow and [[Saint Petersburg|Leningrad]], to a combined audience possibly in excess of 100,000 people.{{sfnp|Schruers|2014|pp=186–187}}<ref name="Brown">{{cite book |last=Brown |first=Nicholas Alexander |editor-last1=Dunkel |editor-first1=Mario |editor-last2=Nitzsche |editor-first2=Sina A. |date=2018 |chapter=Becoming a Blue-Collar Musical Diplomat: Billy Joel and Bridging the US-Soviet Divide in 1987 |title=Popular Music and Public Diplomacy: Transnational and Transdisciplinary Perspectives |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/1004723/page/175/mode/1up |url=https://archive.org/details/1004723/ |location=transcript Verlag |publisher=Bielefeld |pages=175–196 |isbn=978-3837643589 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> The entourage was filmed for television and video to offset the cost of the trip, and the concerts were simulcast on radio around the world. Joel's Russian tour was the first live rock radio broadcast in Soviet history.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.hewlettanderson.com/bio.html|title=Pete Hewlett| last=Hewlett| first=Anderson| website=Hewlett Anderson: Bios| access-date=July 11, 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304082859/http://www.hewlettanderson.com/bio.html| archive-date=March 4, 2016}}</ref> The tour was later cited frequently as one of the first fully staged pop rock shows to come to the Soviet Union, although in reality other artists had previously toured in the country<!-- not a stadium shows! -->, including Elton John, [[James Taylor]], and [[Bonnie Raitt]].<ref name="Rocked the USSR">{{cite magazine| title=Billy Joel rocked the USSR in 1987| url=https://ew.com/article/1996/08/09/billy-joel-rocked-ussr-1987/| first=Michael| last=Sauter| date=August 9, 1996| magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]| access-date=December 14, 2019| archive-date=December 14, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214073359/https://ew.com/article/1996/08/09/billy-joel-rocked-ussr-1987/| url-status=live}}</ref>

Most of that audience took a long while to warm up to Joel's energetic show, something that had never happened in other countries he had performed in. According to Joel, each time the fans were hit with the bright lights, anybody who seemed to be enjoying themselves froze. In addition, people who were "overreacting" were removed by security.<ref name=SeattelWeekly>{{cite web |title=Letters to the Editor |date=November 14, 2007 |url=http://www.seattleweekly.com/2007-11-14/news/letters-to-the-editor.php?page=full |newspaper=[[Seattle Weekly]] |access-date=December 8, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117165213/http://www.seattleweekly.com/2007-11-14/news/letters-to-the-editor.php?page=full |archive-date=January 17, 2008}}</ref> During this concert, Joel, enraged by the bright lights, flipped his electric piano and snapped a microphone stand while continuing to sing.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-07-27-mn-4135-story.html |title=Billy Joel Blows His Cool, Upsets Piano in Moscow |agency=Associated Press |date=July 27, 1987 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=June 3, 2013 |archive-date=December 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206022907/http://articles.latimes.com/1987-07-27/news/mn-4135_1_billy-joel |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="MM">{{cite web| url=https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/bjxq74/30-years-ago-billy-joel-had-a-meltdown-in-moscow| title=30 Years Ago, Billy Joel Had a Meltdown in Moscow| last=Ozzi| first=Dan| date=July 27, 2017| magazine=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]| language=en-US| access-date=May 6, 2019| archive-date=May 6, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506231555/https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/bjxq74/30-years-ago-billy-joel-had-a-meltdown-in-moscow| url-status=live}}</ref> Joel later apologized for the incident.<ref name="MM" />

The concerts in Russia came after an intensive series of European shows and after doing interviews during the day, Joel found himself playing at venues where the [[Public address system|PA&nbsp;system]] was "second rate at best".{{sfnp|Schruers|2014|pp=186–187}} Released against his wishes in October 1987, ''[[Kohuept]]'' (Russian for "Concert"), a live [[double album]] recorded during the tour, included cover versions of [[Bob Dylan]]'s "[[The Times They Are a-Changin' (song)|The Times They Are a-Changin]]" and "[[Back in the U.S.S.R.]]" by the Beatles. The latter was released as a single but failed to make the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, and the album was Joel's first since ''Cold Spring Harbor'' not to achieve gold disc status.{{sfnp|Bego|2007|p=[https://archive.org/details/billyjoelbiograp00bego/page/236/mode/1up 236]}}{{sfnp|Bordowitz|2005|p=[https://archive.org/details/billyjoellifetim00bord/page/161/mode/1up 161]}} Singer Pete Hewlett was brought in to hit the high notes on his most vocally challenging songs, like "An Innocent Man". It has been estimated that Joel lost more than US$1&nbsp;million of his own money on the trip and concerts, but he has said the goodwill he was shown there was well worth it.{{citation needed|date=August 2025}}

===1988–1993: ''Storm Front'' and ''River of Dreams'' ===
The animated film ''[[Oliver & Company]]'' (1988) features Joel in a rare [[voice acting]] role as Dodger, a sarcastic [[Jack Russell Terrier|Jack Russell]] based on [[Dickens]]'s [[Artful Dodger]]. The character's design is based on Joel's image at the time, including his trademark Wayfarer sunglasses. Joel also sang his character's song "Why Should I Worry?".

The recording of ''[[Storm Front (album)|Storm Front]]'', which commenced in 1988, coincided with major changes in Joel's career and inaugurated a period of serious upheaval in his business affairs. In August 1989, just before the album was released, Joel dismissed his manager (and former brother-in-law) Frank Weber after an audit revealed major discrepancies in Weber's accounting. Joel subsequently sued Weber for US$90 million, claiming fraud and breach of fiduciary duty, and in January 1990, Joel was awarded US$2 million in a partial judgment against Weber; in April, the court dismissed a US$30 million countersuit filed by Weber.<ref>{{cite web |author=Pore-Lee-Dunn Productions |url=http://www.classicbands.com/joel.html |title=Billy Joel |publisher=Classicbands.com |date=February 4, 2007 |access-date=August 19, 2011 |archive-date=September 18, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100918190851/http://classicbands.com/joel.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The first single for the album, "[[We Didn't Start the Fire]]", was released in September 1989 and it became Joel's third—and most recent—US number-one hit, spending two weeks at the top. ''Storm Front'' was released in October, and it eventually became Joel's first number-one album since ''Glass Houses'', nine years earlier. ''Storm Front'' was Joel's first album since ''Turnstiles'' to be recorded without Phil Ramone as producer. For this album, he wanted a new sound, and worked with [[Mick Jones (Foreigner)|Mick Jones]] of [[Foreigner (band)|Foreigner]]. Joel is also credited as one of the keyboard players on Jones's 1988 self-titled solo album, and is featured in the official video for Jones's single "Just Wanna Hold"; Joel can be seen playing the piano while his then-wife Christie Brinkley joins him and kisses him. Joel also revamped his backing band, dismissing everyone but drummer [[Liberty DeVitto]], guitarist David Brown, and saxophone player [[Mark Rivera]], and bringing in new faces, including multi-instrumentalist [[Crystal Taliefero]].

''Storm Front''{{'s}} second single, "[[I Go to Extremes]]" reached No. 6 in early 1990. The album was also notable for its song "[[Leningrad (song)|Leningrad]]", written after Joel met a clown in the Soviet city of that name during his tour in 1987, and "[[The Downeaster Alexa]]", written to underscore the plight of fishermen on Long Island who are barely able to make ends meet. Another well-known single from the album is the ballad "[[And So It Goes]]" (No. 37 in late 1990). The song was originally written in 1983, around the time Joel was writing songs for ''An Innocent Man''; but "And So It Goes" did not fit that album's retro theme, so it was held back until ''Storm Front''. Joel said in a 1996 master class session in Pittsburgh that ''Storm Front'' was a turbulent album and that "And So It Goes", as the last song on the album, portrayed the calm and tranquility that often follows a violent thunderstorm.

In September 1992, Joel filed a US$90 million lawsuit against his former lawyer Allen Grubman, alleging a wide range of offenses including fraud, breach of fiduciary responsibility, malpractice and breach of contract.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fabrikant |first=Geraldine |date=September 24, 1992 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/24/business/billy-joel-takes-his-lawyers-to-court.html |title=Billy Joel takes his lawyers to court |newspaper=The New York Times |volume=142 |issue=49099 |pages=D1, D5 |access-date=August 19, 2011 |archive-date=November 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111128114750/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/24/business/billy-joel-takes-his-lawyers-to-court.html |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfnp|Soocher|1999|p=[https://archive.org/details/theyfoughtlawroc0000sooc/page/36/mode/1up 36–37]}} The case was settled out of court in the fall of 1993 for US$3 million paid to Joel by third party [[Sony Corporation of America|Sony America]], to protect its subsidiary [[Sony Music]]'s interests, as it had several other artists also using Grubman's law firm.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fabrikant |first=Geraldine |date=May 3, 1995 |title=A Tangled Tale of a Suit, A Lawyer and Billy Joeln |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/03/business/the-media-business-a-tangled-tale-of-a-suit-a-lawyer-and-billy-joel.html |newspaper=The New York Times |volume=144 |issue=50050 |page=D5 |access-date=April 17, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140103105348/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/03/business/the-media-business-a-tangled-tale-of-a-suit-a-lawyer-and-billy-joel.html |archive-date=January 3, 2014}}</ref>{{sfnp|Soocher|1999|p=[https://archive.org/details/theyfoughtlawroc0000sooc/page/39/mode/1up 39–40]}}

In 1992, Joel inducted the R&B duo [[Sam & Dave]] into the [[Rock & Roll Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Morse |first=Steve |date=January 16, 1992 |title=Rock awards have some singing the blues |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-rock-awards-have-some-s/186247733/ |url-access=limited |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |volume=241 |issue=16 |pages=29, 33 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> That year, Joel also started work on ''[[River of Dreams]]'', finishing the album in early 1993. Its cover art was a colorful painting by [[Christie Brinkley]] that was a series of scenes from each of the songs on the album. The [[The River of Dreams|eponymous first single]] was the last top 10 hit Joel has penned to date, reaching No. 3 on ''Billboard''{{'s}} Hot 100 and ranking at No. 21 on the 1993 year-end chart. In addition to the title track, the album includes the hits "[[All About Soul]]" (with [[Color Me Badd]] on backing vocals) and "[[Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)]]", written for his daughter, [[Alexa Ray Joel|Alexa]]. A radio remix version of "All About Soul" can be found on ''[[The Essential Billy Joel]]'' (2001), and a demo version appears on ''My Lives'' (2005).

The song "The Great Wall of China" was written about his ex-manager Frank Weber and was a regular in the setlist for Joel's 2006 tour. "2000 Years" was prominent in the millennium concert at [[Madison Square Garden]], December 31, 1999, and "Famous Last Words" closed the book on Joel's pop songwriting for more than a decade.

===1994–2013: Touring and new singles===
[[File:Billy Joel 1994.jpg|thumb|Joel performing in June 1994]]
Beginning in 1994, Joel toured extensively with [[Elton John]] on a series of "Face to Face" tours, making them the longest running and most successful concert tandem in pop music history.<ref>[http://tampabay.metromix.com/music/concert/billy-joel-and-elton-downtown-area/808679/content Concerts: Billy Joel & Elton John] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115042336/http://tampabay.metromix.com/music/concert/billy-joel-and-elton-downtown-area/808679/content |date=January 15, 2009 }}. tampabay.metromix.com. Retrieved December 8, 2008.</ref> During these shows, the two played their own songs, sang each other's songs, and performed duets. They grossed over US$46 million in just 24 dates in their sold out<ref name=livedaily>Evans, Rob (December 2, 2008). "[http://www.livedaily.com/news/15308.html Elton John, Billy Joel plan more 'Face 2 Face' time] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206101418/http://www.livedaily.com/news/15308.html |date=December 6, 2008 }}". [[LiveDaily]]. Retrieved December 8, 2008.</ref> 2003 tour. Joel and John resumed their Face to Face tour in March 2009<ref name=livedaily /> and it continued until March 2010, where it ended in [[Albany, New York]], at the [[Times Union Center]]. In February 2010, Joel denied rumors in the trade press that he canceled a summer 2010 leg of the tour, claiming there were never any dates booked and that he intended to take the year off.<ref>{{cite web <!--N.B. For author see archived version--> |last=DeRogatis |first=Jim |author-link=Jim DeRogatis |date=February 26, 2010 |title=Billy Joel: "There was never a tour booked this summer!" |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2010/2/26/18608895/billy-joel-there-was-never-a-tour-booked-this-summer |website=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |access-date=March 10, 2010 |archive-date=March 1, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100301122610/http://blogs.suntimes.com:80/derogatis/2010/02/billy_joel_there_was_never_a_t.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Joel told ''[[Rolling Stone]]'': "We'll probably pick it up again. It's always fun playing with him."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Scaggs |first=Austin |author-link=Austin Scaggs |date=February 26, 2010 |title=Billy Joel Dismisses Rumors He Yanked Tour With Elton John |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/billy-joel-dismisses-rumors-he-yanked-tour-with-elton-john-20100226 |url-access=subscription |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |location=New York |access-date=February 16, 2024 |archive-date=April 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419054649/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/billy-joel-dismisses-rumors-he-yanked-tour-with-elton-john-106507/}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

[[File:Billy Joel with guitar 1994.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|Joel performing in June 1994]]
Joel and Christie Brinkley announced on April 13, 1994, that they had separated, and their divorce was finalized in August 1994. The two remained friends.<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://ew.com/article/2001/04/20/matter-trust-2/|title=A Matter Of Trust|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]| first= Eileen|last=Clarke|date= April 20, 2001 |access-date=February 20, 2019|archive-date=February 20, 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190220170009/https://ew.com/article/2001/04/20/matter-trust-2/| url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Billy Joel perfoming Piano Man at Madison Square Garden on Christmas, circa 1995.jpg|thumb|Joel performing at [[Madison Square Garden]], {{Circa|1995}}]]

Joel's ''[[Greatest Hits Volume III (Billy Joel album)|Greatest Hits Volume III]]'' yielded "[[To Make You Feel My Love]]" (a [[Bob Dylan]] cover) and "[[Hey Girl (Freddie Scott song)|Hey Girl]]". During his [[Central Park]] concert in 1997, Joel performed with [[Garth Brooks]], who had reached No. 1 on ''Billboard''{{'s}} country charts in 1991 with a recording of the song "[[Shameless (Billy Joel song)|Shameless]]" from Joel's 1989 album.  On March 15, 1999, Joel was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] by [[Ray Charles]]. In his speech, Charles mentioned "[[Baby Grand]]", the duet Joel had written for the them which appeared on his 1986 album ''[[The Bridge (Billy Joel album)|The Bridge]]''.{{sfnp|Schruers|2024|pp=241–243}}

On October 4, 1997, two classical piano pieces composed by Joel, "The Soliloquy" and "Reverie", were first heard in public. Both played by Yuliya Gorenman at the [[Tanglewood|Seiji Ozawa Hall]] in [[Lenox, Massachusetts]], a recording of her performance of "Reverie" was broadcast nine days later on [[WNYC-FM]] and [[WSHU-FM]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Rogovoy |first=Seth |date=October 6, 1997 |title=A premiere for the 'Piano Man' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-berkshire-eagle-a-premiere-for-the/186247772/ |url-access=limited |newspaper=[[The Berkshire Eagle]] |location=Pittsfield, MA |pages=B1,B5 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Goodman |first=Peter |date=October 13, 1997 |title=Classical Music Is No Mere 'Reverie' for Joel |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-nassau-edition-classical-music/186247829/ |url-access=limited |newspaper=Newsday |edition=Nassau |volume=58 |issue=41 |location=Melville, NY |page=B25 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

On December 31, 1999, Joel performed at New York's [[Madison Square Garden]]. At the time, Joel said that it would be his last tour and possibly his last concert. Two of his performances from that night, "[[We Didn't Start the Fire]]" and "[[Scenes from an Italian Restaurant]]" were filmed and featured that night as part of ABC's special New Year's Y2K coverage. The concert (dubbed The Night of the 2000 Years) ran for close to four hours and was later released as ''[[2000 Years: The Millennium Concert]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Newman |first=Melinda |date=April 29, 2000 |title=Live Billy Joel On Columbia 2-CD Set |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_EA8EAAAAMBAJ/page/n5/mode/1up |magazine=Billboard |volume=112 |issue=18 |location=New York |pages=5, 95 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

In 2001, Joel released ''[[Fantasies & Delusions]]'', a collection of classical piano pieces composed by Joel and performed by [[Hyung-ki Joo]]. Joel often uses bits of these pieces as interludes in live performances, and some of them are part of the score for the hit show ''[[Movin' Out (musical)|Movin' Out]]''. The album topped the classical charts at No. 1. Joel performed "New York State of Mind" live on September 21, 2001, as part of the [[America: A Tribute to Heroes]] benefit concert, and on October 20, 2001, along with "[[Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)]]", at [[the Concert for New York City]] in Madison Square Garden. That night, he also performed "[[Your Song]]" with Elton John.{{citation needed|date=September 2025}}

In 2003, Joel inducted [[The Righteous Brothers]] into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, noting that his song "[[Until the Night]]" from the album ''52nd Street'' was a tribute to the duo.

In 2005, Columbia released a box set, ''[[My Lives]]'', which is largely a compilation of demos, b-sides, live/alternative versions, and even a few Top 40 hits. The compilation also includes the software that permits people to remix "Zanzibar" and a live version of "I Go to Extremes" with their PC. A DVD of a show from the ''River of Dreams'' tour is included.

On January 7, 2006, Joel began a tour across the U.S. Having not released any new songs in 13 years, he featured a sampling of songs from throughout his career, including major hits as well as deep cuts like "Zanzibar" and "[[All for Leyna]]".<ref>{{cite news |last=Gamboa |first=Glenn |date=January 9, 2006 |title=Piano man rallies after a curious twist |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-piano-man-rallies-after-a-curiou/186247885/ |url-access=limited |newspaper=Newsday |volume=66 |issue=128 |location=Melville, NY |page=A10 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Between January 23 and April 24, his 12 performances at Madison Square Garden broke the venue's record for the most consecutive sold-out concerts by an artist during the same tour (the previous best was 10 shows, set by [[Bruce Springsteen]] in 2000). This achievement earned Joel the first [[retired number]] (12) in the arena's history to be given to a non-athlete.<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.billyjoel.com/tour-history/?tour_year=2006|title=Billy Joel Tour History - 2006|publisher=billyjoel.com|access-date=July 27, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Gamboa |first=Glenn |date=April 20, 2006 |title=His number's up – at MSG |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-suffolk-edition-his-numbers-u/186247929/ |url-access=limited |newspaper=Newsday |location=New York |page=A12 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The same honor has been bestowed on Joel at [[Xfinity Mobile Arena]] (formerly the Wells Fargo Center) in [[Philadelphia]], where a banner in the colors of the [[Philadelphia Flyers]] is hung honoring Joel's 48 sold-out Philadelphia shows. On June 13, 2006, Columbia released ''[[12 Gardens Live]]'', a double album containing 32 live recordings from a collection of the 12 different shows at Madison Square Garden during Joel's 2006 tour.

Joel visited the United Kingdom and Ireland for the first time in many years as part of the European leg of his 2006 tour. On July 31, 2006, Joel performed a free concert in [[Rome]], with the [[Colosseum]] as the backdrop.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/entertainment/joel-and-adams-in-free-rome-concert-270269.html|title=Joel and Adams in free Rome concert|date=August 1, 2006|work=Irish Examiner|access-date=January 28, 2017|archive-date=February 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202055650/http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/entertainment/joel-and-adams-in-free-rome-concert-270269.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Billy Joel performing in Jacksonville, Florida, 2007.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Joel performing in [[Jacksonville, Florida]] in February 2007]]
Joel toured South Africa, Australia, Japan and Hawaii in late 2006, and subsequently toured the Southeastern U.S. in February and March 2007 before hitting the Midwest in the spring of 2007. A new song, titled "[[All My Life (Billy Joel song)|All My Life]]", was Joel's newest single (with second track "[[You're My Home (song)|You're My Home]]", live from Madison Square Garden 2006 tour) and was released in stores on February 27, 2007.<ref>Cohen, Jonathan (January 30, 2007).{{cite magazine |url=https://billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003539391 |title=Bily Joel Returns To Pop With New Single |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=December 9, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012145708/http://billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003539391 |archive-date=October 12, 2007 }}. ''Billboard''. Archived from the [https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1055567/billy-joel-returns-to-pop-with-new-single original] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819204017/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1055567/billy-joel-returns-to-pop-with-new-single |date=August 19, 2020 }} on October 12, 2007.</ref> On February 4, Joel sang the national anthem for [[Super Bowl XLI]], becoming the second to sing the national anthem twice at a [[Super Bowl]], after [[Aaron Neville]].

On December 1, 2007, Joel premiered his new song "[[Christmas in Fallujah]]".<ref>{{cite press release| date= November 30, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080207165801/http://www.billyjoel.com/pressrelease_fallujah.html | archive-date=February 7, 2008 |title=Emerging Singer-Songwriter Cass Dillon Premiers New Billy Joel Song, 'Christmas in Fallujah', Exclusively on iTunes Beginning Tuesday, December 4| website= billyjoel.com| publisher= Billy Joel| url= http://www.billyjoel.com/pressrelease_fallujah.html }}</ref> The song was performed by [[Cass Dillon]], a new Long Island based musician, as Joel felt it should be sung by someone in a soldier's age range (though he himself has played the song occasionally in concert.) The track was dedicated to servicemen based in Iraq. Joel wrote it in September 2007 after reading numerous letters sent to him from American soldiers in Iraq. "Christmas in Fallujah" is only the second pop/rock song released by Joel since 1993's ''River of Dreams''. Proceeds from the song benefited the Homes For Our Troops foundation.<ref>{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Stephen |date=November 30, 2007 |title=A boost from Billy |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-a-boost-from-billy/186248006/ |url-access=limited |newspaper=Newsday |location=New York |page=A10 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

[[File:WellsFargoCenterPhila 08.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|left|A banner at [[Xfinity Mobile Arena]] in [[Philadelphia]], commemorating Joel's 48 consecutive sold-out concerts at the Philadelphia venue as of 2008]]

On January 26, 2008, Joel performed with the [[Philadelphia Orchestra]] at the city's [[Academy of Music (Philadelphia)|Academy of Music]] 151st anniversary concert. The event premiered an orchestral version of his classical piano piece "Waltz No. 2 (Steinway Hall)" from ''Fantasies & Delusions'', arranged by [[Brad Ellis]] and the composer. Accompied throughout by the orchestra, Joel's 44-minute set included some of his lesser-known songs, such as "Scandinavian Skies" and "Where's the Orchestra?" from ''The Nylon Curtain'', as well as "Uptown Girl", which he had largely dropped from his live repertoire.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gehman |first=Geoff |date=February 2, 2008 |title=Billy Joel and the Philadelphia Orchestra |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-morning-call-billy-joel-and-the-phil/186248077/ |url-access=limited |newspaper=The Morning Call |issue=42145 |location=Allentown, PA |page=D3 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Dobrin |first=Peter |date=January 27, 2008 |title=Billy Joel headlines night of music, money |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer-billy-joel-hea/186248105/ |url-access=limited |newspaper=The Philadelphia Enquirer |volume=179 |issue=241 |page=B5 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The concert and associated ball were part of the academy's fund-raising efforts to establish a "Billy Joel Fund for Music Education", to which the singer donated his fee for the evening.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stewart |first=Caroline |date=January 30, 2008 |title=The Academy Ball |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer-the-academy-ba/186248135/ |url-access=limited |newspaper=The Philadelphia Enquirer |volume=179 |issue=244 |page=D10 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

On March 10, 2008, Joel inducted his friend [[John Mellencamp]] into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Joel sold out 10 concerts at the [[Mohegan Sun Casino]] in [[Uncasville, Connecticut]] from May to July 2008. The casino honored him with a banner displaying his name and the number 10 to hang in the arena.{{citation needed|date=August 2025}} On June 19, 2008, Joel played a concert at the grand re-opening of [[Caesars Windsor]] (formerly Casino Windsor) in [[Windsor, Ontario|Windsor]], Ontario, Canada, to an invite-only crowd for Casino VIPs. His mood was light and joke-filled, even introducing himself as "Billy Joel's dad" and stating "you guys overpaid to see a fat bald guy". He also admitted that Canadian folk-pop musician [[Gordon Lightfoot]] was the musical inspiration for "She's Always A Woman".<ref>{{cite news |last=Shaw |first=Ted |date=June 20, 2008 |title=Piano man rocks Caesars in style |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-windsor-star-piano-man-rocks-caesars/186248176/ |url-access=limited |newspaper=[[The Windsor Star]] |page=A2 |location=Windsor, ON |issn=0839-2277 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

On July 16 and 18, 2008, Joel played the final concerts at [[Shea Stadium]] before its demolition. His guests included [[Tony Bennett]], [[Don Henley]], [[John Mayer]], [[John Mellencamp]], [[Steven Tyler]], [[Roger Daltrey]], [[Garth Brooks]] and [[Paul McCartney]]. The concerts were featured in the 2010 documentary film ''[[Last Play at Shea]]''. The film was released on DVD on February 8, 2011. The CD and DVD of the show, ''[[Live at Shea Stadium: The Concert|Live at Shea Stadium]]'', were released a month later on March 8.

On December 11, 2008, Joel recorded his own rendition of "Christmas in Fallujah" during a concert at [[Acer Arena]] in Sydney and released it as a live single in Australia only. It is the only official release of Joel performing "Christmas in Fallujah", as Cass Dillon sang on the 2007 studio recording and the handful of times the song was played live in 2007.,Joel sang the song throughout his December 2008 tour of Australia.

[[File:Billy Joel 5 Shankbone Metropolitan Opera 2009.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Joel in 2009]]
On May 19, 2009, Joel's former drummer, [[Liberty DeVitto]], filed a lawsuit in [[Judiciary of New York|New York City]] claiming he was owed over 10 years of royalty payments by Joel and Sony Music. DeVitto had never been given songwriting or arranging credit on any of Joel's songs, but he claimed that he helped arrange some of them, including "Only the Good Die Young".<ref name="Joel's Former Drummer Sues for Payments">{{cite web |url= http://www.musicnewsnet.com/2009/05/billy-joels-former-drummer-to-file-lawsuit.html |title=Billy Joel's Former Drummer Files Lawsuit, Liberty DeVitto Says He's Owed $$$ |first=Mal |last=Westerly |publisher=MusicNewsNet.com |date=May 24, 2009 |access-date=May 24, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615234343/http://www.musicnewsnet.com/2009/05/billy-joels-former-drummer-to-file-lawsuit.html |archive-date=June 15, 2009 }}</ref> In April 2010, it was announced that Joel and DeVitto amicably resolved the lawsuit.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.musicnewsnet.com/2010/04/billy-joel-and-former-drummer-liberty-devitto-settle-lawsuit.html |title=Billy Joel and Former Drummer, Liberty Devitto Settle Lawsuit |publisher=MusicNewsNet.com |date=April 22, 2010 |access-date=April 25, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100427084650/http://www.musicnewsnet.com/2010/04/billy-joel-and-former-drummer-liberty-devitto-settle-lawsuit.html |archive-date=April 27, 2010 }}</ref>

To mark the 40th anniversary of the release of Joel's debut album, ''[[Cold Spring Harbor (album)|Cold Spring Harbor]]'', it was announced on his official website that Columbia/Legacy Recordings planned "to celebrate the occasion with a definitive reissue project of newly restored and expanded Legacy editions of Joel's complete catalog, newly curated collections of rarities from the vaults, previously unavailable studio tracks and live performances, home video releases and more", although this project was never fully realized.<ref name="Billy Joel's Website">{{cite press release |url= http://www.billyjoel.com/news/billy-joel-catalog-be-reissued-commemorative-cdsdvds-be-released |title= Billy Joel Catalog To Be Reissued, Commemorative CDs/DVDs To Be Released |work= billyjoel.com |date= October 20, 2010 |access-date= August 19, 2011 |archive-date= August 22, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110822150441/http://www.billyjoel.com/news/billy-joel-catalog-be-reissued-commemorative-cdsdvds-be-released |url-status= live }}</ref> ''[[Piano Man (Billy Joel album)|Piano Man]]'' was re-released in a two-disc Legacy edition in November 2011, with Joel's 1972 live radio concert at WMMR-FM in Philadelphia comprising the second disc.<ref name="Billy Joel's Website" /><ref name="De Leon">{{cite news |last=De Leon |first=Jesse |date=November 18, 2011 |title='Piano Man' put Joel and his alter ego on the map |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/corpus-christi-caller-times-piano-man/186248228/ |url-access=limited |newspaper=[[Corpus Christi Caller Times]] |volume=129 |issue=302 |location=Corpus Christi, TX |page=36 |issn=0894-5365 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

In 2012, Joel signed an exclusive worldwide publishing agreement with [[Universal Music Publishing Group]] (UMPG) and its subsidiary Rondor Music International, who together replaced [[EMI Music Publishing]] in managing his catalog outside the US. Additionally, the agreement marked the first time since Joel regained control of his publishing rights in the 1980s that he began to use an administrator to handle his catalog within the U.S. The agreement's focus is on increasing the use of Joel's music in movies, television programs and commercials.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Christman |first1=Ed |date=September 8, 2012 |title=Piano Man Plays for UMPG |url=https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/publishing/1083985/exclusive-billy-joel-signs-global-publishing-deal-with-rondor|access-date=July 17, 2015 |magazine=Billboard |location=New York |page=6 |issn=0006-2510 |archive-date=July 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715111437/http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/publishing/1083985/exclusive-billy-joel-signs-global-publishing-deal-with-rondor|url-status=live}}(Published online on August 30, 2012 under a different title).</ref>

On December 12, 2012, Joel performed as part of [[12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief]] at [[Madison Square Garden]], a concert held for all the victims of [[Hurricane Sandy]]. He changed the lyrics to "Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)" to make it relate to all the damage caused by Sandy.

In May 2013, it was announced that Joel would hold his first ever indoor Irish concert at the [[The O2, Dublin|O<sub>2</sub>]] in Dublin on November 1. He subsequently announced his return to the UK for the first time in seven years to perform in October and November. Joel played in [[Manchester]] and [[Birmingham]] as well as London's [[Hammersmith Apollo]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Manzoor |first=Sarfraz |author-link=Sarfraz Manzoor |date=October 25, 2013  |title=Piano Man remains as proudly unhip as ever  | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108245889/billy-joel-2013-manchester/ |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |issue=49272 |location=London |page=33 |access-date=August 24, 2022 |archive-date=August 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220824205508/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108245889/billy-joel-2013-manchester/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Helen |date=November 7, 2013 |title=Billy Joel delivers a knock-out show |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108245778/bill-joel-2013-london-birmingham/ |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |issue=49283 |location=London |page=36 |access-date=August 24, 2022 |archive-date=August 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220824205518/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108245778/bill-joel-2013-london-birmingham/ |url-status=live}}</ref> In October, Joel held a surprise concert on Long Island at The Paramount ([[Huntington, New York]]) to benefit Long Island Cares. The venue holds a capacity of 1,555 and sold out in five minutes. Joel headlined a solo arena concert in New York City for the first time since 2006 when he performed at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on December 31, 2013.

In December 2013, Joel would be named as Madison Square Garden's first ever music "franchise."<ref name=msgrecord /> With this honor, Joel would also join the New York Knicks, New York Rangers and [[New York Liberty]] in being recognized as an original Madison Square Garden franchise.<ref name=msgrecord /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.msgentertainment.com/msgs-first-music-franchise-billy-joel-at-the-garden-continues/|title=MSG's First Music Franchise Billy Joel at The Garden Continues|publisher=Madison Square Garden Entertainment|date=October 11, 2017|access-date=July 27, 2025}}</ref>

=== 2014–2025: Madison Square Garden residency, "Turn the Lights Back On", and recent health updates ===
[[File:BillyJoel2016MSG.jpg|thumb|Joel performing at Madison Square Garden in April 2016]]
Joel announced a concert residency at Madison Square Garden, playing one concert a month indefinitely, starting January 27, 2014.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2013/12/03/billy-joel-will-be-first-music-franchise-at-madison-square-garden/3769651/ |work=USA Today |title=Meet Madison Square Garden's new franchise: Billy Joel |first=Elysa |last=Gardner |date=December 3, 2013 |access-date=August 21, 2017 |archive-date=October 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161003135127/http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2013/12/03/billy-joel-will-be-first-music-franchise-at-madison-square-garden/3769651/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The first MSG show also launched the [[Billy Joel in Concert]] tour, which continued at the [[Amway Center]] (in [[Orlando, Florida]]) where Joel performed several cover songs such as Elton John's "[[Your Song]]", [[Billy Preston]]'s "[[You Are So Beautiful]]" (in tribute to [[Joe Cocker]]), the Beatles' "[[With a Little Help from My Friends]]", "[[Can't Buy Me Love]]" and "[[When I'm 64]]", [[Robert Burns]]' "[[Auld Lang Syne]]" and [[AC/DC]]'s "[[You Shook Me All Night Long]]" (with [[Brian Johnson]]). Joel also performed an unusual set, including the song "Souvenir" (from 1974's ''[[Streetlife Serenade]]'') and excluding "[[We Didn't Start the Fire]]".<ref>{{cite web |date=<!--Not stated--> |title=Billy Joel At Amway Center Orlando, FL – December 31, 2014 (Photo 1) |url=https://www.billyjoel.com/photo/billy-joel-amway-center-orlando-fl-december-31-2014-photo-1/ |website=Billy Joel |access-date=August 2, 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105221912/https://www.billyjoel.com/photo/billy-joel-amway-center-orlando-fl-december-31-2014-photo-1/ |archive-date=November 5, 2018}}</ref>

In January 2015, Joel broke the previous record he set in 2006 for most consecutive shows at Madison Square Garden after performing his 13th consecutive show, which also resulted in a new banner being raised to the Madison Square Garden rafters.<ref name=msgrecord /> Throughout 2015, Joel performed 21 concerts in addition to his monthly Madison Square Garden residency. His August 4, 2015, engagement at [[Nassau Coliseum]] was the final concert prior to the arena undergoing a US$261 million renovation.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gamboa |first=Glenn |date=August 5, 2015 |title=Billy Joel gives Nassau Coliseum epic sendoff |url=http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/billy-joel/billy-joel-gives-nassau-coliseum-epic-sendoff-1.10709635 |website=Newsday |location=New York |access-date=August 7, 2015 |archive-date=August 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150807165931/http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/billy-joel/billy-joel-gives-nassau-coliseum-epic-sendoff-1.10709635 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Joel returned to Nassau Coliseum on April 5, 2017, to play the first concert at the newly renovated venue.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Unterberger |first=Andrew |date=April 6, 2017 |title=Movin' Back In: Billy Joel Plays First Concert at Renovated Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/billy-joel-nassau-coliseum-opening-concert-recap-7751694/ |magazine=Billboard |location=New York |access-date=November 27, 2018 |archive-date=November 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181127121946/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/7751694/billy-joel-nassau-coliseum-opening-concert-recap |url-status=live}}</ref> Later that month, he played the first concert at [[Atlanta]]'s new [[SunTrust Park]], the suburban home of the [[Atlanta Braves]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ajc.com/blog/music/billy-joel-show-prompts-mixed-reviews-suntrust-park-concert-venue/oYatfsTSTWu4gVDcvG719M/ |title=Billy Joel show prompts mixed reviews of SunTrust Park as concert venue |newspaper=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] |access-date=September 1, 2019 |archive-date=September 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190901220924/https://www.ajc.com/blog/music/billy-joel-show-prompts-mixed-reviews-suntrust-park-concert-venue/oYatfsTSTWu4gVDcvG719M/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On June 24, Joel returned to Hicksville High School 50 years after his would-be graduating class received their diplomas,<ref>{{cite web |last=Brodsky |first=Robert |date=June 24, 2017 |title=Fifty years later, Billy Joel addresses Hicksville High grads |url=http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/billy-joel/fifty-years-later-billy-joel-to-address-hicksville-high-grads-1.13759575 |website=Newsday |location=New York |access-date=June 28, 2017 |archive-date=June 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170626131326/http://www.newsday.com:80/entertainment/music/billy-joel/fifty-years-later-billy-joel-to-address-hicksville-high-grads-1.13759575 |url-status=dead}}</ref> to deliver the honorary commencement address. It was also the 25th anniversary of receiving his own diploma from the same high school.

On October 7–8, 2016, [[Colorado College]] in [[Colorado Springs]] hosted the first academic conference on Joel. Entitled "'It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me': The Music and Lyrics of Billy Joel", the event was open to the public, and the singer participated by giving an hour-long phone interview for the benefit of the 300 attendees.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Bañagale |first1=Ryan Raul |last2=Duchan |first2=Joshua S |date=2017 |title=A Public Musicology Conference on Billy Joel |url=https://www.american-music.org/resource/resmgr/docs/bulletin/vol431.pdf  |magazine=[[Society for American Music|The Bulletin of the Society for American Music]] |volume=43 |issue=1 |pages=4–5 |access-date=September 1, 2025 |archive-date=September 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929045319/https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.american-music.org/resource/resmgr/docs/bulletin/vol431.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><!--Note that difference between URL and archive URL is due to redirect – please keep URL as it appears on SAM website-->

[[File:Billy Joel perfoming Zanzibar at Madison Square Garden.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.85|Joel at Madison Square Garden in June 2019]]
In 2019, Joel announced a concert at [[Camden Yards]], home of the [[Baltimore Orioles]], marking the first-ever concert at the baseball stadium.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-camden-yards-concert-20190109-story.html| title=Billy Joel to hold first concert in Camden Yards history| newspaper=[[The Baltimore Sun]]| date=January 10, 2019| access-date=January 11, 2019| archive-date=January 12, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190112145944/https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-camden-yards-concert-20190109-story.html| url-status=live}}</ref> Joel was forced to postpone his concerts between March 2020 and August 2021 due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].

Joel and [[Stevie Nicks]] jointly announced plans to perform a series of concerts across the United States in 2023, tentatively beginning with [[SoFi Stadium]] outside Los Angeles on March 10.<ref name="joelnicks">{{cite magazine | last=Bowenbank | first=Starr | title=Billy Joel & Stevie Nicks to Co-Headline 2023 Stadium Concerts: How to Buy Tickets | magazine=Billboard | date=November 11, 2022 | url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/billy-joel-stevie-nicks-coheadline-2023-concerts-1235165641/ | access-date=November 23, 2022 | archive-date=November 23, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221123231002/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/billy-joel-stevie-nicks-coheadline-2023-concerts-1235165641/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:BillyJoelHydeP070723 (64 of 112) (53032270931).jpg|thumb|Joel performing at a [[British Summer Time (concerts)|British Summer Time]] concert in [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]] in July 2023]]
On June 1, 2023, Joel announced that his residency at Madison Square Garden would end in July 2024 with his 104th performance in the series, marking his 150th lifetime performance at the venue.<ref name="Sisario2023">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/01/arts/music/billy-joel-ending-msg-residency.html|title=Billy Joel Will End Madison Square Garden Residency in 2024|last=Sisario|first=Ben|work=The New York Times|date=June 1, 2023|access-date=June 1, 2023|archive-date=June 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601161044/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/01/arts/music/billy-joel-ending-msg-residency.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On January 22, 2024, Joel announced his first new pop single in years (and only his second pop song in more than two decades), "[[Turn the Lights Back On]]", which was released on February 1.<ref name="lights">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/billy-joel-first-new-song-in-years-turn-the-lights-back-on-1235585987/ |magazine=Billboard |title=Billy Joel to Release First Pop Single in Years |last=Newman |first=Melinda |date=January 22, 2024 |access-date=January 22, 2024 |archive-date=January 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240122190842/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/billy-joel-first-new-song-in-years-turn-the-lights-back-on-1235585987/amp/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="RCM 2024">{{cite web |title=New Billy Joel: Stream "Turn the Lights Back On," His First New Song in Decades — Playing the Grammys Sunday, Feb. 4 |date=February 2024 |url=https://rockcellarmagazine.com/billy-joel-turn-the-lights-back-on-new-song-listen/ |access-date=February 1, 2024 |archive-date=February 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240202205931/https://rockcellarmagazine.com/billy-joel-turn-the-lights-back-on-new-song-listen/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On May 23, 2025, Joel canceled every concert on his itinerary following a diagnosis of [[normal pressure hydrocephalus]].<ref name="nphydrocephalus-rs">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/billy-joel-cancels-tour-normal-pressure-hydrocephalus-1235346714/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |title=Billy Joel Cancels All Concerts After Brain Disorder Diagnosis |author=Andy Greene}}</ref> By July 2025, Joel told ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'', as well as [[Bill Maher]], that he felt better.<ref name=joelpeopleupdate>{{cite magazine|url=https://people.com/billy-joel-not-deathly-ill-after-brain-condition-diagnosis-exclusive-11775883|first=Rachel|last=DeSantis|ref=none|title=Billy Joel Reassures Fans He's Not 'Deathly Ill', Gives Rare Update After 'Scary' Brain Condition Diagnosis (Exclusive)|magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|date=July 21, 2025|access-date=July 27, 2025}}</ref><ref name=mentions>{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/billy-joel-brain-disorder-update-podcast-1236324601/|title=Billy Joel Breaks Silence About Brain Disorder: 'I Feel Good'|first=Etan|last=Vlessing|publisher=The Hollywood Reporter|date=July 21, 2025|access-date=July 27, 2025}}</ref>

On June 4, 2025, the first installment of ''[[Billy Joel: And So It Goes]]'', a two-part HBO documentary about Joel, premiered at the opening night of the 24th [[Tribeca Festival|Tribeca Film Festival]], New York.<ref>{{cite news |last=Yahr |first=Emily |date=June 5, 2025 |title=The Billy Joel movie premiere was sad, sweet and yet incomplete |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2025/06/05/billy-joel-documentary-illness/ |url-access=subscription |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=September 2, 2025}}</ref> It aired on HBO and [[HBO Max]] on July 18, with the second part being shown a week later.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2025/07/24/nx-s1-5472369/hbo-billy-joel-documentary|title=I didn't know I needed the new Billy Joel documentary|first=Linda|last=Holmes|publisher=NPR|date=July 24, 2025|access-date=July 27, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2025/film/news/billy-joel-elton-john-rehab-documentary-1236471179/|title=Billy Joel Says Elton John's Rehab Comments Were 'Rock Bottom' for Him in HBO Documentary: 'There Was Bad Blood for a Little While'|first=Giana|last=Levy|publisher=Variety|date=July 26, 2025|access-date=July 27, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://people.com/billy-joel-and-so-it-goes-documentary-trailer-watch-11770747|title=Billy Joel Says 'Life Is a Fight' in And So It Goes Documentary Trailer — Watch!|first=Marina|last=Watts|magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|date=July 11, 2025|access-date=July 27, 2025}}</ref> Shortly afterwards, a 155-track [[playlist]], comprising 115 songs plus audio clips from the documentary, was released on [[Streaming media|streaming services]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Snider |first=Mike |date=July 27, 2025 |title=115-song Billy Joel 'And So It Goes' playlist hits YouTube, Spotify, streaming sites |url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2025/07/27/billy-joel-playlist-documentary/85390423007/ |website=USA Today |location=New York |access-date=September 2, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cashmere |first=Paul |date=2025-07-28 |title=Billy Joel Releases 155 Track Soundtrack To And So It Goes Documentary |url=https://www.noise11.com/news/billy-joel-releases-155-track-soundtrack-to-and-so-it-goes-documentary-20250728 |access-date=2025-07-28 |website=Noise11.com |language=en-US}}</ref> This included previously unreleased live and demo recordings, such as Joel's first live performance of "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |date=July 26, 2025 |title=Billy Joel Drops Massive 115-Song 'And So It Goes' Companion Playlist |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/billy-joel-and-so-it-goes-companion-playlist-1235394673/ |url-access=subscription |magazine=Rolling Stone |location=New York |access-date=September 2, 2025}}</ref>

== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|-
! scope="col" |Year
!scope="col"|Title
!scope="col"|Role 
!scope="col" class="unsortable" |Notes
|-
| 1988
! scope="row"|''[[Oliver & Company]]''
| Dodger
| Voice role, also song "Why Should I Worry?"
|-
| 2025
! scope="row"|''[[Billy Joel: And So It Goes]]''
| Himself
| HBO Documentary
|}

== Other ventures ==

In 1996, Joel merged his long-held love of boating with his desire for a second career. He and Long Island boating businessman Peter Needham formed the Long Island Boat Company.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2004/09/20/381144/index.htm |publisher=CNN |title=The Piano Man Builds His Dream Boat Billy Joel has always loved watercraft. But now he has commissioned—and is helping design—a fantastic commuter yacht straight out of the golden age of powerboats |first=Timothy K. |last=Smith |date=September 20, 2004 |access-date=August 3, 2020 |archive-date=November 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125151319/https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2004/09/20/381144/index.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>
[http://www.dipity.com/legacyrecordings/Billy_Joel_Timeline Billy Joel Timeline] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305135751/http://www.dipity.com/legacyrecordings/Billy_Joel_Timeline |date=March 5, 2010 }}. Dipity.com. Retrieved November 8, 2010.</ref>

In November 2010, Joel opened 20th Century Cycles, a vintage motorcycle customization business and museum in [[Oyster Bay (hamlet), New York|Oyster Bay, Long Island]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.antonnews.com/oysterbayenterprisepilot/news/12950-billy-joel-adds-to-ob-mix-as-chamber-members-chat.html |title=Billy Joel Adds to OB Mix As Chamber Members Chat |work=Oyster Bay Enterprise Pilot |date=January 21, 2011 |access-date=February 4, 2011 |author=Karppi, Dagmar Fors |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320062202/http://www.antonnews.com/oysterbayenterprisepilot/news/12950-billy-joel-adds-to-ob-mix-as-chamber-members-chat.html |archive-date=March 20, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Gamboa |first=Glenn |date=November 7, 2010 |title=Joel riding high with new motorcycle shop |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-joel-riding-high-with-new-motorc/186248268/ |url-access=limited |newspaper=Newsday |location=New York |page=A12 |issn=0278-5587 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

In 2011, Joel announced that he was releasing an autobiography that he had written with Fred Schruers, titled ''The Book of Joel: A Memoir''. The book was originally going to be released in June 2011, but, in March 2011, Joel decided against publishing the book and officially canceled his deal with [[HarperCollins]]. ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' noted, "HarperCollins acquired the book project for US$3 million in 2008. Joel is expected to return his advance on that sum to the publisher."<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Matthew |last=Perpetua |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/billy-joel-scraps-plans-to-release-memoir-20110331 |title=Billy Joel Scraps Plans to Release Memoir |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=March 31, 2011 |access-date=April 18, 2014 |archive-date=July 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140717220551/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/billy-joel-scraps-plans-to-release-memoir-20110331 |url-status=live }}</ref> According to ''Billboard'', "the HarperCollins book was billed as an 'emotional ride' that would detail the music legend's failed marriage to [[Christie Brinkley]], as well as his battles with substance abuse."<ref>{{cite magazine |author=[[Nekesa Mumbi Moody]] |date=March 31, 2011 |title=Billy Joel Cancels 'Book of Joel' Memoir |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/472267/billy-joel-cancels-book-of-joel-memoir |url-status=live |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630094526/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/472267/billy-joel-cancels-book-of-joel-memoir |archive-date=June 30, 2013 |access-date=August 19, 2011}}</ref> In explaining his decision to cancel the book's release, Joel said, "It took working on writing a book to make me realize that I'm not all that interested in talking about the past, and that the best expression of my life and its ups and downs has been and remains my music."<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.billyjoel.com/us/news/billy-joel-cancels-book-joel |title=Billy Joel Cancels 'Book of Joel' |publisher=Billyjoel.com |date=March 31, 2011 |access-date=August 19, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930062928/http://www.billyjoel.com/us/news/billy-joel-cancels-book-joel |archive-date=September 30, 2011 }}</ref> In 2014, Schruers published a biography, simply titled ''Billy Joel'', based on his extensive personal interviews with Joel.<ref>{{cite magazine| url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6296990/billy-joel-book-review-biography| title=Book Review: Billy Joel Biography Contains Lots of Juice But Many Skeletons Stay Closeted| magazine=Billboard| access-date=January 28, 2017| archive-date=February 2, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202131120/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6296990/billy-joel-book-review-biography| url-status=live}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
===Marriages and family===
[[File:AlexaBracelet20101117.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Joel's eldest daughter, [[Alexa Ray Joel]], born to Joel and [[Christie Brinkley]] in 1985]]
Joel's first wife was Elizabeth Weber Small. When their relationship began, she was married to Jon Small, his music partner in the short-lived duo [[Attila (rock band)|Attila]], with whom she had a son. When the affair was revealed, Weber severed her relationships with both men. Weber and Joel later reconciled and married in 1973, and she then became his manager. They divorced on July 20, 1982.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Who Is Billy Joel's First Wife? All About Elizabeth Weber (and Why She's Breaking Her Silence on Their Marriage Now) |url=https://people.com/who-is-elizabeth-weber-billy-joel-first-wife-11749850 |access-date=July 21, 2025 |website=People.com |language=en}}</ref>

Joel married a second time, to model [[Christie Brinkley]], in March 1985.<ref name=latimes-alexa /> Their daughter, [[Alexa Ray Joel]], was born December 29, 1985.<ref name=latimes-alexa>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-12-30-mn-29823-story.html "Brinkley, Joel Parents of 'Uptown Girl'"] . ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', December 30, 1985. p. 2. "The {{frac|6|1|2}}-pound girl, as yet unnamed, was born in a Manhattan hospital at about 11:45 pm Sunday, said the spokeswoman, Geraldine McInerney." "They were married last March aboard a yacht in New York Harbor."</ref><ref name="atl1">"Joel and his 'uptown girl' have a girl". ''[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]'', December 31, 1985. p. A3. "Model Christie Brinkley has given her husband – singer-songwriter Billy Joel – something new to sing about, a {{frac|6|1|2}}-pound daughter, a spokesman for the family said Monday."</ref> Alexa was given the middle name of Ray after [[Ray Charles]], one of Joel's musical idols.<ref>Stout, Gene (December 3, 1986). "[http://www.seattlepi.com/archives/1986/8601270264.asp Billy Joel Delivers – Few Surprises]". seattlepi.com. Retrieved December 8, 2008. [https://archive.today/20200227211527/https://www.webcitation.org/5rZMr8MOU?url=http://www.seattlepi.com/archives/1986/8601270264.asp Archived copy] at [[WebCite]] (July 28, 2010).</ref> Joel and Brinkley divorced on August 26, 1994.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/billy-joel/8-big-billy-joel-moments-in-august-della-rose-joel-was-born-christie-brinkley-divorce-and-more-1.10718822|title=Big Billy Joel moments in August: Della Rose Joel was born, Christie Brinkley divorce and more|work=[[Newsday]]|location=[[Long Island]], New York|date=August 1, 2017|access-date=January 28, 2017|archive-date= November 5, 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181105234828/https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/billy-joel/big-billy-joel-moments-in-august-della-rose-joel-was-born-christie-brinkley-divorce-and-more-1.10718822|url-status=live}}</ref> They remain friends, and Joel is the godfather of Brinkley's two youngest children, Jack and [[Sailor Brinkley Cook]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Belus |first=Amber |date=February 16, 2018 |title=Sailor Brinkley Cook Details Her Relationship With Billy Joel |url=https://www.closerweekly.com/posts/sailor-brinkley-cook-billy-joel-154154/ |access-date=September 30, 2024 |website=Closer Weekly |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Christie Brinkley Shares Video of Daughter Sailor, 25, Giving 'Uncle Billy' Joel Pointers Before His Concert |url=https://people.com/christie-brinkley-video-daughter-sailor-with-billy-joel-backstage-nyc-concert-8641919 |access-date=September 30, 2024 |website=People.com |language=en}}</ref>

On October 2, 2004, Joel married chef [[Katie Lee (chef)|Katie Lee]], his third wife.<ref>{{cite news |last=Barker |first=Olivia | date=October 4, 2004 |title=Another wedding march for tunesmith Billy Joel |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/usa-today-another-wedding-march-for-tune/186248299/ |url-access=limited |newspaper=USA Today |volume=23 |issue=14 |issn=0734-7456 |page=2D |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> At the time of the wedding, Lee was 23 and Joel was 55. Joel's daughter, Alexa Ray, then 18, served as the [[Bridesmaid|maid of honor]]. Joel's second wife, Christie Brinkley, attended the union and gave the couple her blessing. On June 17, 2009, they announced their [[Legal separation|separation]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/06/17/2009-06-17_billy_joel_and_wife_katie_lee_split.html | title=Billy Joel and wife Katie Lee split | location=New York | work=Daily News | first=George | last=Rush | date=June 17, 2009 | access-date=June 17, 2009 | archive-date=October 27, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101027180322/http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/06/17/2009-06-17_billy_joel_and_wife_katie_lee_split.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

On July 4, 2015, Joel married a fourth time, to Alexis Roderick, an equestrian and former [[Morgan Stanley]] executive, at his Oyster Bay estate on [[Long Island]]. He was 66 and she was 33. [[Governor of New York]] [[Andrew Cuomo]] conducted the ceremony.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ca.celebrity.yahoo.com/post/126526847393/billy-joel-becomes-a-father-again-at-66 |title=Billy Joel Becomes a Father Again — at 66 |work=Celebrity Gossip & News – Yahoo Celebrity Canada |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904042630/https://ca.celebrity.yahoo.com/post/126526847393/billy-joel-becomes-a-father-again-at-66 |archive-date=September 4, 2015 }}</ref> The couple has been together since 2009.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.people.com/article/billy-joel-married-alexis-roderick |title=Billy Joel Marries Alexis Roderick in Surprise Wedding at His Estate |magazine=People |date=July 4, 2015 |access-date=July 4, 2015 |archive-date=July 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705064153/http://www.people.com/article/billy-joel-married-alexis-roderick |url-status=live }}</ref> On August 12, 2015, the couple had a daughter, Della Rose Joel.<ref>{{cite news|title=Billy Joel Welcomes Daughter Della Rose|url=https://people.com/parents/billy-joel-welcomes-daughter-della-rose/|access-date=August 12, 2015|work=People|archive-date=August 24, 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180824104437/https://people.com/parents/billy-joel-welcomes-daughter-della-rose/|url-status=live}}</ref><!--name and date released to media by parents' official representative--> Their second daughter, Remy Anne Joel, was born on October 22, 2017.<ref>{{cite news|title=Billy Joel Welcomes Third Daughter Remy Anne: See the First Photo!|url=http://people.com/babies/billy-joel-welcomes-third-baby-daughter-remy-anne/|access-date=October 23, 2017|work=People|first=Jeff|last=Nelson|date=October 23, 2017|archive-date=October 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024053427/http://people.com/babies/billy-joel-welcomes-third-baby-daughter-remy-anne/|url-status=live}}</ref> His two younger daughters attend school in Florida, where the family now lives.<ref>{{cite news |last=Callimachi |first=Rukmini |date=October 10, 2024 |title=Billy Joel Is Selling the Mansion He First Saw While Dredging Oysters |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/10/realestate/billy-joel-mansion-long-island.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Rk4.aaI9.DU6dVVucpeZS |access-date=October 12, 2024 |work=The New York Times |quote=As fans of the working-class nostalgia embedded in his songs filled up Madison Square Garden again and again, Mr. Joel headed to the arena by helicopter — a 13-minute ride from tail up to tail down — from his helipad.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Dresdale |first=Andrea |date=July 26, 2024 |title=Billy Joel ends historic Madison Square Garden residency with epic show |url=https://abcnews.go.com/culture/story/billy-joel-ends-historic-madison-square-garden-residency/?id=112301643 |access-date=October 12, 2024 |work=ABC News}}</ref><!--name and date released to media by parents' official representative-->

=== Homes ===

Following the birth of their daughter Alexa, in 1986 Joel and his wife Christine Brinkley moved to a house in [[Amagansett, New York]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kubasik |first1=Ben |last2=Mulcahy |first2=Susan |last3=Scaduto |first3=Anthony |author-link3=Anthony Scaduto |date=April 1, 1986 |title=Inside New York – Commodore and Mrs. Joel |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-inside-new-york-commodore-and/186248370/ |url-access=limited |newspaper=Newsday |volume=46 |issue=208 |location=New York |page=6 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name="Bleyer">{{cite news |last=Bleyer |first=Bill |date=December 26, 1995 |title=Billy Joel's Romance with the Sea |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-billy-joels-romance-with-the-se/186248402/ |url-access=limited |newspaper=Newsday |volume=56 |issue=114 |location=New York |pages=B4–B5 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> for which it was reported that he paid US$2.9 million.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kubasik |first1=Ben |last2=Mulcahy |first2=Susan |last3=Scaduto |first3=Anthony |date=April 29, 1986 |title=Inside New York – A Place in the Sun |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-inside-new-york-a-place-in-the/186248432/ |url-access=limited |newspaper=Newsday |volume=46 |issue=236 |location=New York  |page=6 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> In 2002, he sold the property to comedian [[Jerry Seinfeld]] for US$32.5 million (then the most expensive house purchase in the history of [[New York (state)|New York State]]).{{sfnp|Schruers|2014|pp=249–250}}

In 2002, Joel bought an estate in [[Centre Island, New York]] in the town of [[Oyster Bay, New York|Oyster Bay]] for US$22 million. He also owns a house in [[Sag Harbor, New York|Sag Harbor]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Anorim |first1=Kevin |title=A Billy Joel Tour of Long Island |url=https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/a-billy-joel-tour-of-long-island-1.6476344 |newspaper=Newsday |access-date=September 5, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150303024031/https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/a-billy-joel-tour-of-long-island-1.6476344 |archive-date=March 3, 2015}}</ref> In 2023, Joel put his Oyster Bay estate on the market for $49 million.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Clarke |first=Katherine |date=May 12, 2023 |title=Billy Joel Is Movin' Out of His $49 Million Long Island Mansion |language=en-US |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/billy-joel-is-movin-out-of-his-49-million-long-island-mansion-db0116f3 |access-date=August 8, 2023 |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=August 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230808024133/https://www.wsj.com/articles/billy-joel-is-movin-out-of-his-49-million-long-island-mansion-db0116f3 |url-status=live }}</ref> The listing was pulled as the main house was undergoing renovations. The mansion, with its guest houses, pool, beach, and helipad on 26 acres, was again offered for sale in September 2024, asking $49.9 million.

In 2015, Joel purchased a home in [[Manalapan, Florida|Manalapan]], Florida. The waterfront residence went on the market in November 2015 for $19.5 million<ref name="FH">{{Cite web |date=May 1, 2018 |title=See Inside Billy Joel's Florida Home |url=https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/real-estate/g20112829/billy-joel-florida-house/ |access-date=August 8, 2023 |website=Town & Country |language=en-US |archive-date=September 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230908030304/https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/real-estate/g20112829/billy-joel-florida-house/ |url-status=live }}</ref> but it was taken off the market and re-listed in 2017 with an asking price of $18.5 million.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kallergis |first=Katherine |date=April 9, 2018 |title=Billy Joel sells waterfront Manalapan property; His mansion next door is asking $16.9M |url=https://therealdeal.com/miami/2018/04/09/billy-joel-sells-waterfront-manalapan-property/ |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703232044/https://therealdeal.com/miami/2018/04/09/billy-joel-sells-waterfront-manalapan-property/ |archive-date=July 3, 2019 |access-date=August 8, 2023 |website=[[The Real Deal (magazine)|The Real Deal]] |language=en}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The property was further reduced to $16.9 million in 2018.<ref name="FH" /> In January 2020, the 13,200-square-foot property sold for US$10.3 million.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hofheinz |first=Darrell |date=November 30, 2022 |title=Did Billy Joel's company pay $9M for a Palm Beach townhome? That's what records suggest |url=https://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/story/business/real-estate/2022/11/30/florida-real-estate-did-billy-joels-company-pay-9-million-palm-beach-townhouse/10794297002/ |access-date=December 20, 2023 |website=Palm Beach Daily News |archive-date=May 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240509161450/https://subscribe.palmbeachdailynews.com/restricted?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.palmbeachdailynews.com%2Fstory%2Fbusiness%2Freal-estate%2F2022%2F11%2F30%2Fflorida-real-estate-did-billy-joels-company-pay-9-million-palm-beach-townhouse%2F10794297002%2F&gps-source=CPROADBLOCKDH&sltsgmt=0051v2_A |url-status=live}}</ref>

Having worked on an [[oyster]] dredger as a teenager, Joel has a longstanding interest in nautical matters. In 2009, it was reported that he owned a small flotilla of vessels, overseen by a full-time captain. Several of the craft were based on rough designs by Joel, including a {{convert|57|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} boat with a top speed of {{convert|50|mph|km/h|1|abbr=on}} which he had built to commute from Oyster Bay to [[Manhattan]].<ref name="Knapp">{{cite magazine |last=Knapp |first=Lisa Hoogerwerf |date=July 2009 |title=Rock the Boat: Billy Joel |url=https://archive.org/details/Yachts_International_2009-07_08/page/n46/mode/1up |magazine=Yachts International |volume=13 |issue=3 |location=Fort Lauderdale, FL |pages=48–50 |issn=1095-1091 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

===Health issues===
In 1970, a career decline and personal tragedies led Joel to a [[Major depressive episode|deep depressive period]]. It was revealed in the 2025 documentary ''[[Billy Joel: And So It Goes]]'' that he attempted suicide twice. <ref name="auto1">{{cite web |last1=Sarner |first1=Lauren |title=Billy Joel attempted suicide twice after affair with friend's wife |url=https://nypost.com/2025/06/06/entertainment/billy-joel-attempted-suicide-twice-after-affair-with-friends-wife/ |date=6 June 2025}}</ref> After Joel's affair with Elizabeth Weber Small resulted in the breakup of Attila, and his estrangement from his best friend Jon Small, Joel was evicted from Small's house.<ref name="auto">{{cite magazine |last1=Kreps |first1=Daniel |title=Billy Joel Reveals Suicide Attempts Following Affair With Best Friend's Wife in New Doc |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/billy-joel-suicide-attempts-affair-best-friends-wife-doc-1235357797/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=6 June 2025}}</ref> "I had no place to live. I was sleeping in laundromats and I was depressed, I think to the point of almost being psychotic," said Joel.<ref name="auto"/> Joel's sister, Judy Molinari, who was a medical assistant at the time, had previously given him sleeping pills to help him sleep.<ref name="auto1"/> Joel's first suicide attempt occurred when he planned to take an overdose of all the pills. This resulted in Joel falling into a coma for several days. When he awoke, Joel was disappointed that his attempt failed, and swore he would "do it right" the second time around.<ref name="auto"/> Joel then left a [[suicide note]] and attempted to kill himself a second time by drinking furniture polish. Joel later said, "I drank furniture polish. It looked tastier than [[bleach]]."{{sfnp|Bordowitz|2005|p=[https://archive.org/details/billyjoellifetim00bord/page/39 39]}} Jon Small rushed him to the hospital. Joel checked into [[Nassau University Medical Center|Meadowbrook Hospital]], where he was put on [[suicide watch]] and received treatment for depression.<ref>{{cite web |author=Courtesy of Columbia |url=http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/joel_billy/artist.jhtml#bio |title=Billy Joel |publisher=MTV |access-date=December 12, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091227085849/http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/joel_billy/artist.jhtml#bio |archive-date=December 27, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Joel would later pen the song "[[Tomorrow Is Today (song)|Tomorrow Is Today]]", which he describes as a suicide note.{{sfnp|Bordowitz|2005}}

In 1985, Joel recorded "[[You're Only Human (Second Wind)]]" as a message to help prevent teen suicide.<ref name="Campbell">{{cite news |last=Campbell |first=Mary |date=September 5, 1985 |title=Billy Joel sees self as working homebody |work=[[Kentucky New Era]] |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YIsvAAAAIBAJ&pg=1560,403216 |access-date=April 13, 2011 |archive-date=February 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207151116/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YIsvAAAAIBAJ&pg=1560,403216 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2002, Joel entered [[Silver Hill Hospital]], a [[substance abuse]] and [[Psychiatry|psychiatric]] center in [[New Canaan, Connecticut]], where he underwent treatment for 10 days.<ref>{{Cite news |newspaper=[[Tampa Bay Times]] |date=June 20, 2002 |page=32 |title=Billy Joel Checks into Hospital |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/tampa-bay-times-billy-joel-checks-into-h/175038346/ |access-date=June 22, 2025 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> In March 2005, Joel checked into the [[Betty Ford Center]],<ref>{{cite news| agency=Associated Press| date=March 16, 2005| url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/billy-joel-in-rehab-again/| title=Billy Joel In Rehab Again| publisher=CBS News| access-date=December 8, 2008| archive-date=December 5, 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205102605/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/16/entertainment/main681053.shtml| url-status=live}}</ref> where he spent 30 days for the treatment of [[alcohol abuse]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 13, 2005 |title=Billy Joel leaves US rehab clinic |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4439343.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060314151747/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4439343.stm |archive-date=March 14, 2006 |access-date=December 8, 2008 |work=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In 2025, Joel was diagnosed with [[normal pressure hydrocephalus]],<ref name="nphydrocephalus-rs" /> leading to problems with his hearing, vision, and balance. The diagnosis led to Joel cancelling all his upcoming planned concerts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Burke |first=Minyvonne |date=2025-05-23 |title=Billy Joel cancels U.S. tour dates after being diagnosed with a brain disorder|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/billy-joel-cancels-u-s-tour-dates-after-being-diagnosed-with-a-brain-disorder/ar-AA1FmJGJ?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=a08b86c08c8c4adca4cea3d7e604625e&ei=13|access-date=2022-04-25 |website=MSN|language=en-US}}</ref> In July 2025, he stated in interviews ''People'' and on [[Bill Maher]]'s podcast that he was improving, with his condition being treatable.<ref name=mentions /><ref name=joelpeopleupdate />

Joel has admitted to having a history of [[alcoholism]], though he eventually became sober and has stated that some details regarding his alcohol addiction, such as the claim that Joel reached the point where he received DUI arrests, were exaggerated.<ref name=mentions /><ref name=callsout>{{cite magazine|url=https://people.com/billy-joel-slams-rumors-he-has-had-duis-that-never-happened-11779440|title=Billy Joel Slams Rumors He Has Had DUIs: 'That Never Happened'|first1=Brenton|last1=Blatchet|first2=Rachel|last2=DeSantis|magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|date=July 27, 2025|access-date=July 27, 2025}}</ref>

===Political views and contributions===
Although Joel has donated money to [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] candidates,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Billy Joel's Federal Campaign Contribution Report |url=http://newsmeat.com/celebrity_political_donations/Billy_Joel.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080920122501/http://www.newsmeat.com/celebrity_political_donations/Billy_Joel.php |archive-date=September 20, 2008 |access-date=December 8, 2008 |website=NEWSMEAT}}</ref> he has never publicly affiliated himself with the Democratic Party. Joel rarely publicly endorses political candidates; however, he did play a benefit with his friend [[Bruce Springsteen]] to raise money for [[Barack Obama]]'s [[Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign|presidential campaign in 2008]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/10/16/2008-10-16_bruce_springsteen_billy_joel_headline_ba.html |title=Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel headline Barack Obama midtown cash bash |work=Daily News|location=New York |date=October 17, 2008 |last1=Rush |first1=George |last2=Hutchinson |first2=Bill |access-date=February 15, 2011 |archive-date=January 31, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090131222513/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/10/16/2008-10-16_bruce_springsteen_billy_joel_headline_ba.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Joel has performed at benefit concerts that have helped raise funds for political causes. However, about celebrities endorsing political candidates, Joel has said, "People who pay for your tickets, I don't think they want to hear who you're going to vote for and how you think they should vote."<ref>{{cite magazine| first1=Paul| last1=Bedard| first2=Nikki| last2=Schwab| title=Billy Joel: Change of Heart and an Obama Endorsement| magazine=[[U.S. News & World Report]]| date=October 23, 2008| url=https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2008/10/23/billy-joel-change-of-heart-and-an-obama-endorsement| access-date=August 19, 2011| archive-date=January 20, 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110120160029/http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2008/10/23/billy-joel-change-of-heart-and-an-obama-endorsement| url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2016, after his sarcastic dedication of "The Entertainer" to then-[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] candidate [[Donald Trump]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Polus |first=Sarah |date=May 31, 2016 |title=Did Billy Joel just diss Donald Trump? Probably |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/reliable-source/wp/2016/05/31/did-billy-joel-just-diss-donald-trump-probably/ |url-access=subscription |newspaper=The Washington Post |issn=2641-9599 |access-date=April 21, 2017 |archive-date=May 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170518102920/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/reliable-source/wp/2016/05/31/did-billy-joel-just-diss-donald-trump-probably/ |url-status=live}}</ref> was taken as a serious endorsement, Joel told the ''[[New York Daily News]]'' in an email that he would be voting for [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/exclusive-billy-joel-voting-hillary-clinton-article-1.2859661| title=EXCLUSIVE: Billy Joel is voting for Hillary Clinton| work=Daily News|location=New York| access-date=April 21, 2017| archive-date=April 22, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170422033256/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/exclusive-billy-joel-voting-hillary-clinton-article-1.2859661| url-status=live}}</ref>

Joel endorsed [[Andrew Cuomo]]’s candidacy for the [[2025 New York City mayoral election]].<ref>Oreskes, Benjamin (June 24, 2025). "With Hours Left in the Primary, the Stars Come Out for Mamdani". The New York Times. Retrieved June 24, 2025. Other high-profile figures who have backed Mr. Mamdani include the singer Maggie Rogers, the actress and activist Laverne Cox, the comedian John Early and the leftist podcaster Stavros Halkias [. . .] Several notable older New Yorkers have backed Mr. Cuomo, including the former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, the singer Billy Joel and the fashion designers Michael Kors and Tory Burch.</ref>

===Support for fishermen===

In January 1992, Joel announced that he would donate some of the proceeds from "The Downeaster Alexa" to defend 11 [[East Hampton (village), New York|East Hampton]] fishermen accused of selling [[striped bass]] illegally.<ref>{{cite news |last=Evans |first=Julie |date=January 5, 1992 |title='Alexa' may get baymen off hook |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-alexa-may-get-baymen-off-ho/186248503/ |url-access=limited |department= Long Island |newspaper=Daily News |volume=71 |issue=36 |location=New York |page=1 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> On July 28, he then joined a related protest by fishermen who claimed regulations were threatening their way of life, saying that he had taken the decision to risk arrest reluctantly but would "hate to see these people disappear."<ref>{{cite news |last=McDonald |first=John |date=July 29, 1992 |title=Striped-bass protest nets Joel a Summons |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-nassau-edition-striped-bass-pr/186248533/ |url-access=limited |department=Long Island Special |newspaper=Newsday |edition=Nassau / Oyster Bay South |volume=52 |issue=330 |location=Melville, NY |pages=7, 31 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
Along with 29 other fishermen and local officials, he was charged by the state [[New York State Department of Environmental Conservation|Department of Environmental Conservation]] (DEC) with fishing out of season and using the banned method of [[Seine fishing|haul seining]].<ref>{{cite news |last=McDonald |first=John |date=July 26, 1992 |title=Angling for Some Civil Disobedience |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-suffolk-edition-angling-for-so/186248582/ |url-access=limited |department=Long Island Special |newspaper=[[Newsday|Sunday Newsday]] |edition=Suffolk / North Shore |volume=52 |issue=327 |location=Melville, NY |page=2 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Cassidy |first1=Billy |last2=Sheridan |first2=Dick |date=July 29, 1992 |title=Billy Joel reeled in |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-billy-joel-reeled-in/186248645/ |url-access=limited |department= |newspaper=Daily News |edition=International |location=New York |page=2C |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Although the arguments put forward by the defense<ref>{{cite news |last=Freedman |first=Mitchell |date=February 25, 1993 |title=Lawyers Offer Raft Of 'Bass' Defenses |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-suffolk-edition-lawyers-offer/186248689/ |url-access=limited |department=Long Island Special |newspaper=Newsday |edition=Suffolk / North Shore |volume=53 |issue=175 |location=Melville, NY |page=29 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> were rejected by the judge hearing the case, in March 1993 he found that DEC had cited the wrong law when filing it and therefore dismissed the charges against all defendants.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=March 16, 1993 |title=Illegal fishing charge against Joel dropped |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cincinnati-post-illegal-fishing-char/186248733/ |url-access=limited |newspaper=[[The Cincinnati Post]] |volume=112 |issue=64 |page=2B |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

== Tours ==
'''Tours'''

{{col div}}
* Cold Spring Harbor Tour (1972)
* Turnstiles Tour (1976)
* The Stranger Tour (1977)
* 52nd Street Tour (1978)
* [[The Nylon Curtain Tour]] (1982)
* [[An Innocent Man Tour]] (1984)
* [[The Bridge Tour]] (1986–87)
* [[Storm Front Tour]] (1989–91)
* [[River of Dreams Tour]] (1993–95)
* [[Face to Face 1994]] <small>(with [[Elton John]])</small> (1994)
* [[Face to Face 1995]] <small>(with Elton John)</small> (1995)
* An Evening of Questions and Answers (1996)
* [[Face to Face 1998]] <small>(with Elton John)</small> (1998)
* [[Face to Face 2001]] <small>(with Elton John)</small> (2001)
* [[Face to Face 2002]] <small>(with Elton John)</small> (2002)
* [[Face to Face 2003]] <small>(with Elton John)</small> (2003)
* 2006 Tour (2006)
* 2007 Tour (2007)
* 2008 Tour (2008)
* [[Face to Face 2009]] <small>(with Elton John)</small> (2009)
* [[Face to Face 2010]] <small>(with Elton John)</small> (2010)
* [[Billy Joel in Concert]] (2014–2025)
* Two Icons – One Night (2023)
* Two Icons – One Night (2024)
{{col div end}}

'''Residency'''

* Billy Joel at the Garden (2014–2024)

==Discography==
{{Main|Billy Joel discography}}
{{Columns-list|colwidth=30em|
*''[[Cold Spring Harbor (album)|Cold Spring Harbor]]'' (1971)
*''[[Piano Man (Billy Joel album)|Piano Man]]'' (1973)
*''[[Streetlife Serenade]]'' (1974)
*''[[Turnstiles (album)|Turnstiles]]'' (1976)
*''[[The Stranger (album)|The Stranger]]'' (1977)
*''[[52nd Street (album)|52nd Street]]'' (1978)
*''[[Glass Houses (album)|Glass Houses]]'' (1980)
*''[[The Nylon Curtain]]'' (1982)
*''[[An Innocent Man]]'' (1983)
*''[[The Bridge (Billy Joel album)|The Bridge]]'' (1986)
*''[[Storm Front (album)|Storm Front]]'' (1989)
*''[[River of Dreams]]'' (1993)
*''[[Fantasies & Delusions]]'' (2001)
}}

== Awards and achievements ==
[[File:Secretary_Kerry_and_Mrs._Heinz_Kerry_Meet_With_the_Kennedy_Center_Honor_Award_Recipients_(11277365345).jpg|thumb|U.S. Secretary of State [[John Kerry]] and his wife [[Teresa Heinz Kerry]] with the 2013 [[Kennedy Center Honors]] recipients (left to right): [[Shirley MacLaine]], [[Martina Arroyo]], Billy Joel, [[Carlos Santana]], and [[Herbie Hancock]]]]
[[File:Billy Joel Doctorate SU.jpg|thumb|Joel receiving an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from [[Syracuse University]] in 2006]]
Joel graduated well after his high school peers because of a missed English exam.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ramson |first=Stuart |date=May 14, 2006 |title=Joel serenades 5,000 Syracuse graduates |url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2006-05-14-joel-syracuse_x.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081103111750/http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2006-05-14-joel-syracuse_x.htm |archive-date=November 3, 2008 |access-date=December 8, 2008 |work=[[USA Today]] |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> His high school diploma was finally awarded by the school board 25 years later.<ref name= Chronicle1992 /> Joel has been presented with multiple honorary doctorates:<ref>{{cite web | url= http://billyjoel52ndstreetserenade.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/for-longest-time.html | title= 52nd Street Serenade | author= Cosmic Rationale | work= billyjoel52ndstreetserenade.blogspot.co.uk | access-date= May 26, 2015 | archive-date= June 26, 2015 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150626104711/http://billyjoel52ndstreetserenade.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/for-longest-time.html | url-status= live }}</ref>
* Doctor of Humane Letters from [[Fairfield University]] (1991)<ref>{{cite news |last=Blowen |first=Michael |date=April 16, 1991 |title=Downtown doctor |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-downtown-doctor/186248770/ |url-access=limited |department=Names and Faces |newspaper=The Boston Globe |page=66 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> 
* Doctor of Music from [[Berklee College of Music]] (1993)<ref>{{cite news |last=Whalen |first=Tom |date=May 9, 1993 |title=Hit the high notes, Billy Joel tells grads |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-hit-the-high-notes-bil/186248798/ |url-access=limited |newspaper=The Boston Globe |page=24 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
* Doctor of Humane Letters from [[Hofstra University]] (1997)
* Doctor of Music from [[Southampton College]] (2000)
* Doctor of Fine Arts from [[Syracuse University]] (2006)<ref>
{{cite web| url= http://sunews.syr.edu/story_details.cfm?id=3216 |title= Syracuse University to present five honorary degrees at its 152nd Commencement| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060614123941/http://sunews.syr.edu/story_details.cfm?id=3216 |archive-date= June 14, 2006 | website= SUNews.syr.edu| publisher= Syracuse University| date= April 17, 2006| access-date= December 8, 2008}}</ref>
* Doctor of Musical Arts from the [[Manhattan School of Music]] (2008)
* Doctor of Music from [[Stony Brook University]] (2015)

In 1986, Joel was on the site selection committee for the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] board. Seven members of the committee voted for the Hall to be located in San Francisco, and seven voted for [[Cleveland]], Ohio; this tie was broken when Joel voted for Cleveland. Joel was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland in 1999 by one of his chief musical influences, [[Ray Charles]], with whom Joel also collaborated on his song "Baby Grand" (1986).

Joel was also named [[MusiCares Person of the Year]] for 2002,<ref>{{cite news| last= Friedman| first= Roger |date= February 26, 2002| url= http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,46559,00.html |title= Joel Gets Special Award at Grammy Kickoff| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090210015051/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,46559,00.html |archive-date= February 10, 2009 | publisher= Fox News| access-date= December 8, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Higgins |first=Bill |date=February 28, 2002 |title=The Ballad of Billy Joel |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Daily Variety]] |volume=274 |issue=65 |location=Los Angeles |page=14 |issn=0011-5509}}</ref> an award given each year at the same time as the [[Grammy Awards]]. At the dinner honoring him, various artists performed versions of Joel's songs, including [[Nelly Furtado]], [[Stevie Wonder]], [[Jon Bon Jovi]], [[Diana Krall]], [[Rob Thomas (musician)|Rob Thomas]] and [[Natalie Cole]].

Joel has won six Grammy Awards, including [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]] for ''52nd Street'' and [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]] and [[Record of the Year]] for "Just the Way You Are".

[[File:Billy Joel star.jpg|thumb|left|Joel's star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]].]]
In 1993, Joel was the second entertainer out of 30 persons to be inducted into the [[List of Madison Square Garden Walk of Fame Inductees|Madison Square Garden Walk of Fame]].<ref name="Billy Club">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30710234/daily_news/ |title=Sound Bites: Billy Club |date=October 8, 1993 |work=Daily News|location=New York |access-date=April 17, 2019 |page=19 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=April 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430041527/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30710234/daily_news/ |url-status=live }}{{free access}}</ref> On September 20, 2004, he received a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]], for his work in the music industry, located at 6233 [[Hollywood Boulevard]].<ref name=HollywoodWalkofFame>{{cite web| url=http://www.walkoffame.com/billy-joel| title=Billy Joel| website=Hollywood Walk of Fame| access-date=September 11, 2016|archive-date=April 3, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403103756/http://walkoffame.com/billy-joel| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/billy-joel/| title=Billy Joel| website=Hollywood Star Walk: Los Angeles Times| access-date=September 11, 2016| archive-date=June 3, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603084028/http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/billy-joel/| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3675272.stm| title=Billy Joel in Walk of Fame honour| date=September 21, 2004| publisher=BBC| access-date=September 11, 2016| archive-date=January 2, 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180102014439/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3675272.stm| url-status=live}}</ref> Joel was inducted into the [[Long Island Music Hall of Fame]] on October 15, 2006.

Joel is the only performing artist to have played both [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee]] and [[Shea Stadium]]s, as well as [[Giants Stadium]], [[Madison Square Garden]], and [[Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum]]. Joel has banners in the rafters of the [[MVP Arena]], Nassau Coliseum, Madison Square Garden, [[Mohegan Sun Arena]] in Uncasville, Connecticut, [[Xfinity Mobile Arena]] in Philadelphia, [[Hartford Civic Center]] in Hartford, and the [[JMA Wireless Dome]] in Syracuse.

In 2003, ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|500 Greatest Albums of All Time]] list included ''[[The Stranger (album)|The Stranger]]'' at number 67,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/the-stranger-billy-joel-19691231|title=The Stranger ranked no. 67|magazine=Rolling Stone|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902125059/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/the-stranger-billy-joel-19691231|access-date=November 27, 2021|archive-date=September 2, 2011}}</ref> and ''[[52nd Street (album)|52nd Street]]'' at number 352.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/52nd-street-billy-joel-19691231|title=52nd Street ranked no. 352|magazine=Rolling Stone|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902124000/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/52nd-street-billy-joel-19691231|access-date=November 27, 2021|archive-date=September 2, 2011}}</ref> On their [[The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|500 Greatest Songs of All Time]] list, ''Rolling Stone'' included "[[Piano Man (song)|Piano Man]]" at number 421.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs/page/5|title=Rolling Stone: 500 Greatest Songs of All Time 2004 401-500|magazine=Rolling Stone|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080620035749/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs/page/5|access-date=November 27, 2021|archive-date=June 20, 2008}}</ref>

Joel has also sponsored the Billy Joel Visiting Composer Series at [[Syracuse University]].<ref>{{cite press release| url=http://vpa.syr.edu/news/vpa-continues-billy-joel-visiting-composer-series-residency-scottish-composer-judith-weir| title=VPA continues Billy Joel Visiting Composer Series with residency by Scottish composer Judith Weir| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309200722/http://vpa.syr.edu/news/vpa-continues-billy-joel-visiting-composer-series-residency-scottish-composer-judith-weir| archive-date=March 9, 2014| publisher=Syracuse University| date=February 14, 2008| access-date=July 11, 2020}}</ref>

On December 12, 2011, Joel became the first non-classical musician honored with a portrait in [[Steinway Hall#57th Street (1925–2014)|Steinway Hall]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gamboa |first=Glenn |date=December 12, 2011 |title=Billy Joel honored by Steinway |url=http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/celebrities/billy-joel-honored-by-steinway-1.3385000 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111121235/http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/celebrities/billy-joel-honored-by-steinway-1.3385000 |archive-date=January 11, 2012 |website=[[Newsday]]}}</ref>

On December 29, 2013, in Washington, D.C., Joel received [[Kennedy Center Honors]], the nation's highest honor for influencing American culture through the arts.<ref name=Billboard20131208>{{cite news|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5819922/billy-joel-carlos-santana-herbie-hancock-receive-kennedy-center-honors-watch |title=Billy Joel, Carlos Santana, Herbie Hancock Receive Kennedy Center Honors |agency=Associated Press |date=December 8, 2013 |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211220637/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5819922/billy-joel-carlos-santana-herbie-hancock-receive-kennedy-center-honors-watch |archive-date=December 11, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On July 22, 2014, the [[Library of Congress]] announced that Joel would be the sixth recipient of the [[Gershwin Prize for Popular Song]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/07/22/billy-joel-to-receive-gershwin-prize-for-popular-song-from-library-of-congress/| title=Billy Joel to receive Gershwin Prize for Popular Song from Library of Congress| newspaper=The Washington Post| access-date=October 8, 2014| first=Neely| last=Tucker| date=July 22, 2014| archive-date=October 18, 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018024546/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/07/22/billy-joel-to-receive-gershwin-prize-for-popular-song-from-library-of-congress/| url-status=live}}</ref> He received the prize at a performance ceremony in November 2014 from [[James H. Billington]], the Librarian of Congress, and Supreme Court Justice [[Sonia Sotomayor]].<ref name="PBS">{{Cite web |date=2014 |title=The Gershwin Prize Billy Joel |url=https://www.pbs.org/gershwin-prize/shows/gershwin-prize-billy-joel/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817230052/http://www.pbs.org/gershwin-prize/shows/gershwin-prize-billy-joel/ |archive-date=August 17, 2017 |website=The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize |publisher=PBS |language=en}}</ref>

On July 18, 2018, Governor [[Andrew Cuomo]] proclaimed the date to be Billy Joel Day in New York state to mark his 100th performance at Madison Square Garden.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/billy-joel/billy-joel-madison-square-garden-1.19904208| title=Joel: 100th MSG show beyond 'wildest expectations'| last=Gamboa| first=Glenn| newspaper=Newsday| date=July 19, 2018| access-date=July 11, 2020| archive-date=July 26, 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726231428/https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/billy-joel/billy-joel-madison-square-garden-1.19904208| url-status=live}}</ref>

On October 19, 2023, a section of Audrey Avenue near Joel's motorcycle museum in his hometown of Oyster Bay was given the ceremonial name "Billy Joel Way" in honor of the musician.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/billy-joel-way-unveiled-oyster-bay-long-island/ |title='Billy Joel Way' unveiled on Long Island |date=October 20, 2023 |publisher=[[CBS News]] |access-date=February 4, 2024 |archive-date=February 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204045519/https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/billy-joel-way-unveiled-oyster-bay-long-island/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Solnik |first=Claude |date=December 1, 2024 |title=Signs of respect |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-signs-of-respect/186248837/ |url-access=limited |newspaper=Newsday |edition=Long Island |volume=85 |issue=90 |location=Melville, NY |page=E4 |issn=0278-5587 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

On April 14, 2024, Joel was featured on CBS in commemoration of his 100th performance at Madison Square Garden.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Greco |first=Lisa Del |date=February 12, 2024 |title='The 100th: Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden' Airs April 14, 2024 |url=https://www.billyjoel.com/news/the-100th-billy-joel-at-madison-square-garden-airs-april-14-2024/ |access-date=April 14, 2024 |website=Billy Joel Official Site |language=en-US |archive-date=April 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240414163954/https://www.billyjoel.com/news/the-100th-billy-joel-at-madison-square-garden-airs-april-14-2024/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The network broadcast an encore presentation of the concert special five nights later, on April 19.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gularte |first=Alejandra |date=April 16, 2024 |title=CBS Is Turning the Lights Back On for Billy Joel |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/cbs-rebroadcast-billy-joel-100th-msg-concert-special.html |access-date=April 20, 2024 |website=Vulture |language=en |archive-date=April 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240417160605/https://www.vulture.com/article/cbs-rebroadcast-billy-joel-100th-msg-concert-special.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2024, Joel was honored in "Group C Premiere: Billy Joel Night," on [[The Masked Singer (American TV series) season 11|''The Masked Singer'' Season 11]]. The contestants that night sang songs by Joel.

=== Awards and nominations ===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="width:89%;"
|-
! scope="col" style="width:19%;"| Award
! scope="col" style="width:4%;"| Year
! scope="col" style="width:28%;"| Nominated work
! scope="col" style="width:34%;"| Category
! scope="col" style="width:8%;"| Result
! scope="col" style="width:4%;" class="unsortable"| {{Abbr|Ref.|References}}
|-
! scope="row"| [[American Music Awards]]
| [[American Music Awards of 1981|1981]]
| ''[[Glass Houses (album)|Glass Houses]]''
| [[American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Album|Favorite Pop/Rock Album]]
| {{won}}
| style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theamas.com/winners-database/?winnerKeyword=&winnerYear=1981|title=Winners Database {{pipe}} 1981|publisher=[[American Music Awards]]|access-date=December 19, 2022|archive-date=December 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221219120617/https://www.theamas.com/winners-database/?winnerKeyword=&winnerYear=1981|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="3"| [[Brit Awards]]
| [[Brit Awards 1984|1984]]
| Himself
| [[Brit Award for International Artist|International Artist]]
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brits.co.uk/artist/billy-joel|title=Billy Joel {{pipe}} Artist Profile|publisher=[[British Phonographic Industry]]|access-date=December 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025055245/http://www.brits.co.uk/artist/billy-joel|archive-date=October 25, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| [[Brit Awards 1990|1990]]
| "[[We Didn't Start the Fire]]"
| [[Brit Award for British Video of the Year|British Video of the Year]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Brit Awards 1994|1994]]
| Himself
| [[Brit Award for International Male Solo Artist|International Male Solo Artist]]
| {{nom}}
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="24"| [[Grammy Awards]]
| rowspan="2"| [[21st Annual Grammy Awards|1979]]
| rowspan="2"| "[[Just the Way You Are (Billy Joel song)|Just the Way You Are]]"
| [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year|Record of the Year]]
| {{won}}
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="16"| <ref name="Grammy">{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/billy-joel/12071|title=Billy Joel {{pipe}} Artist |publisher=[[The Recording Academy]]|access-date=December 19, 2022|archive-date=September 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220911054450/https://www.grammy.com/artists/billy-joel/12071|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]]
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[22nd Annual Grammy Awards|1980]]
| rowspan="2"| ''[[52nd Street (album)|52nd Street]]''
| [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance|Best Male Pop Vocal Performance]]
| {{won}}
|-
| "[[Honesty (Billy Joel song)|Honesty]]"
| [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[23rd Annual Grammy Awards|1981]]
| rowspan="2"| ''[[Glass Houses (album)|Glass Houses]]''
| [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance|Best Male Rock Vocal Performance]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[25th Annual Grammy Awards|1983]]
| ''[[The Nylon Curtain]]''
| rowspan="2"| [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[26th Annual Grammy Awards|1984]]
| ''[[An Innocent Man]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| "[[Uptown Girl]]"
| [[Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance|Best Male Pop Vocal Performance]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[27th Annual Grammy Awards|1985]]
| ''Billy Joel Live from Long Island''
| [[Grammy Award for Best Music Film|Best Video Album]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[32nd Annual Grammy Awards|1990]]
| rowspan="3"| "[[We Didn't Start the Fire]]"
| [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year|Record of the Year]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance|Best Male Pop Vocal Performance]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[33rd Annual Grammy Awards|1991]]
| ''[[Storm Front (album)|Storm Front]]''
| [[Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance|Best Male Pop Vocal Performance]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| Himself
| [[Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical|Producer of the Year, Non-Classical]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Grammy Legend Award]]
| {{won}}
| style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/legends|title=The Grammy Legend Award |website=Grammy.com|publisher=[[The Recording Academy]]|access-date=December 19, 2022|archive-date=December 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221219115938/https://www.grammy.com/awards/legends|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[33rd Annual Grammy Awards|1992]]
| ''Live at Yankee Stadium''
| [[Grammy Award for Best Music Film|Best Long Form Music Video]]
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="7"| <ref name="Grammy"/>
|-
| "[[When You Wish Upon a Star]]"
| [[Grammy Award for Best Music Video|Best Short Form Music Video]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="4"| [[36th Annual Grammy Awards|1994]]
| ''[[River of Dreams]]''
| [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3"| "[[The River of Dreams]]"
| [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year|Record of the Year]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance|Best Male Pop Vocal Performance]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[44th Annual Grammy Awards|2002]]
| "[[New York State of Mind]]"
| [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals|Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals]]
| {{nom}}
|-
! scope="row"| [[MTV Video Music Awards]]
| [[1984 MTV Video Music Awards|1984]]
| "[[Uptown Girl]]"
| [[MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video|Best Male Video]]
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/mtv/tubescan/vma_archive/1984.html|title=1984 MTV Video Music Awards Winners and Nominees|publisher=[[MTV]]|access-date=December 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000301211539/http://www.mtv.com/mtv/tubescan/vma_archive/1984.html|archive-date=March 1, 2000|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"| [[New York Emmy Awards]]
| 2018
| ''Billy Joel: New York State of Mind''
| rowspan="2"| Entertainment: Program/Special
| {{won}}
| style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nyemmys.org/media/files/files/49ae676a/61st-ny-emmy-awards-winners-press-release-2.pdf|title=The 61st Annual New York EMMY® Award Winners|publisher=[[National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences]]|access-date=December 19, 2022|archive-url=https://archive.today/20221219114702/https://www.nyemmys.org/media/files/files/49ae676a/61st-ny-emmy-awards-winners-press-release-2.pdf|archive-date=December 19, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| 2020
| ''White Hot Spotlight: Billy Joel and the Greatest Arena Run of All Time''
| {{won}}
| style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nyemmys.org/media/files/files/5e9147f0/2020-winners-press-release-version-11.pdf|title=The 63rd Annual New York EMMY® Award Winners|publisher=[[National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences]]|access-date=December 19, 2022|archive-url=https://archive.today/20221219115001/https://www.nyemmys.org/media/files/files/5e9147f0/2020-winners-press-release-version-11.pdf|archive-date=December 19, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"| [[Primetime Emmy Awards]]
| [[54th Primetime Emmy Awards|2002]]
| ''Billy Joel: In His Own Words''
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program|Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program]]
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.emmys.com/bios/billy-joel|title=Billy Joel – Emmy Awards, Nominations and Wins|publisher=[[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]]|access-date=November 13, 2025|archive-date=December 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221219115945/https://www.emmys.com/bios/billy-joel|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| [[76th Primetime Emmy Awards|2024]]
| ''Billy Joel: The 100th - Live at Madison Square Garden''
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)|Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)]]
| {{nom}}
|-
! scope="row"| [[Tony Awards]]
| [[57th Tony Awards|2003]]
| ''[[Movin' Out (musical)|Movin' Out]]''
| [[Tony Award for Best Orchestrations|Best Orchestrations]]
| {{won}}
| style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/2003-tony-awards-winners-70678/|title=2003 Tony Awards Winners|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=June 9, 2003|access-date=December 19, 2022|archive-date=December 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221219115945/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/2003-tony-awards-winners-70678/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|}

== See also ==

* [[List of Billy Joel band members|Billy Joel Band]]
* [[List of best-selling music artists]]
* [[List of highest-grossing live music artists]]
{{clear}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===

* {{cite book |last=Bego |first=Mark |author-link=Mark Bego |date=2007 |title=Billy Joel: The Biography|url=https://archive.org/details/billyjoelbiograp00bego |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=Thunder's Mouth Press |isbn=978-1560259893}}
* {{cite book |last=Bordowitz |first=Hank |date=2005 |title=Billy Joel: The Life and Times of an Angry Young Man |url=https://archive.org/details/billyjoellifetim00bord |url-access=registration |location=New York | publisher=Billboard Books |isbn=0823082504}}
* {{cite book |last=Schruers |first=Fred |date=2014 |title=Billy Joel: The Definitive Biography |location=New York |publisher=Crown Archetype |isbn=978-0804140195}}
* {{cite book |last=Smith |first=Bill |date=2007 |title=I Go to Extremes: The Billy Joel Story |url=https://archive.org/details/igotoextremesbil0000smit |url-access=registration |location=London |publisher=Robson Books |isbn=978-1861058904}}
* {{cite book |last=Soocher |first=Stan |date=1999 |title=They Fought the Law: Rock Music Goes to Court |url=https://archive.org/details/theyfoughtlawroc0000sooc/ |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=Schirmer Books |isbn=0028647319}}
* {{cite book |editor-last1=Williams |editor-first1=Katherine |editor-last2=Williams |editor-first2=Justin A. |name-list-style=amp |date=2016 |title=The Cambridge Companion to the Singer-Songwriter |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/cambridge-companion-to-the-singersongwriter/8B37A00F9D6BD3C3FCA5A1B9170A97A8 |url-access=subscription |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1107063648 |doi=10.1017/CCO9781316569207.013}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website}}
* [https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/billyjoel/ Billy Joel on Instagram], archived at Ghostarchive.org. Archived from [https://instagram.com/billyjoel the original]
* {{IMDb name|0005055}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{AllMusic|id=p4615|label=Billy Joel}}

{{Billy Joel}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Billy Joel
|list =
{{American Music Award of Merit}}
{{Gershwin Prize}}
{{Grammy Award for Album of the Year 1980s}}
{{Grammy Award for Record of the Year 1970s}}
{{Grammy Award for Song of the Year 1970s}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance}}
{{Grammy Legend Award}}
{{Kennedy Center Honorees 2010s}}
{{MusiCares Person of the Year}}
{{1999 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}
{{TonyAward Orchestrations}}
}}
{{Billboard Year-End number one albums 1970–1989}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joel, Billy}}
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