Why Billy Joel Is Embarrassed by His Iconic Hit “Piano Man”

On the run from a dishonest record label and a bum contract, multi-platinum, grammy award-winning, rock hall of Famer Billy Joel dropped off the grid and hid out in a dive bar in LA. There under an alias, he spent six months on the down low playing music for down-and-out crowds. It didn’t pay much, and there was no glory in it, but it was a life-altering decision. That’s because it taught him how to take his song-craft to a new level and gave him the inspiration to write the signature song all signature songs are judged by…Piano Man. It would break him into the mainstream and make him a superstar. It’s a song that generations of fans have turned into a go-to karaoke classic and an essential track for any Saturday night and years later Joel would find out he initially made only about 8 grand off of it even though it’s one of the biggest songs ever. The story of a 70s classic is next.

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