Top 10 Billy Joel Songs You've Never Heard

Billy Joel turns 65 today. He was born on May 9, 1949, a “Cold War kid in McCarthy time,” as he once sang. It has actually been over 20 years since his last full album of original pop songs, but he still draws crowds during tours as the greatest living greatest hits machine in the world.

Even though it has been so long since River of Dreams was released, Joel did build up a large catalog of songs in his 20 years of recording in the studio. That means that he has plenty of obscure material to mine through. Some of those songs have made it on the stage, while others languish on the studio albums that they were released on.

For his birthday today, rather than rehashing how great songs like “Piano Man,” “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” or “New York State of Mind,” I will be looking at the songs you would only hear if you’ve gone to his shows or if you have his albums. These are songs that may have been forgotten but are ripe for rediscovery. After all, Joel isn’t making any new music any time soon, so that gives you plenty of time to catch up.

Without any further delay, here’s a look at some songs in the attic.

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10. “A Minor Variation” - River of Dreams, 1992

River of Dreams was a very personal way for Joel to leave the pop music industry. While the title track may deceive you, the rest of the album is filled with much tougher material. “A Minor Variation” is a good example of that. Check out the horns on this track.

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9. “State of Grace” - Storm Front, 1989

The lyrics on Joel’s next-to-last album are laughable at best (don’t be me started on “When in Rome”) and “State of Grace” isn’t a lost masterpiece. But it’s probably one of the best songs on the album that wasn’t played to death in 1989.

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8. “All For Leyna” - Glass Houses, 1980

Joel always had something to prove to his detractors and Glass Houses was an attempt to prove that he could actually play rock ‘n’ roll. Obviously, “It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me” was the most obvious expression of that, but “All For Leyna” is the best track on that album.

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7. “This Night” - An Innocent Man, 1983

A slow waltz inspired by Beethoven, this appeared on An Innocent Man. Like many of the tracks on that album, it’s inspired by doo-wop and 1950’s vocal groups.

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6. “Ballad of Billy The Kid” - Paino Man, 1973

This is probably the best-known song included here because a live version was included on Songs in the Attic, Joel’s first live album. Throughout his first four albums, you can actually hear him trying to find his footing as a solo artist. “Ballad of Billy the Kid” is a preview of the ambitious material to come in the late 1970s.

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5. “Souvenir” - Streetlight Serenade, 1974

Short, sweet and to the point. The penultimate track on Streetlight Serenade is one of the better songs on an otherwise middling album. This was used in How I Met Your Mother’s final season and a rarity Joel continues to perform.

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4. Side Two of The Nylon Curtain, 1982

This is a cheat, but The Nylon Curtain is my favorite album from Joel. While the first side is all of the album’s singles with “Laura” in the middle, the second side is brimming with creativity. The Nylon Curtain was clearly influenced by Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The five songs on side two are completely unrelated, but but are best listened to together. From the baroque piano opening to “She’s Right on Time” through the end of “Where’s The Orchestra?,” side two holds some of Joel’s best writing.

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3. “Prelude/Angry Young Man” - Turnstiles, 1976

Turnstiles is Joel’s coming out party after he realized that Los Angeles wasn’t the place for him. So, he said goodbye to Hollywood and got in a “New York State of Mind.” While that track is the most remembered song on the eight-track album, “Prelude/Angry Young Man” is my favorite.

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2. “Stiletto” - 52nd Street, 1978

Now, this is a crazy song and one I was shocked to hear when I saw Joel in Boston a few years ago. It’s about a man hopelessly obsessed with one dangerous woman. The whole track plays out like a movie and it’s a 52nd Street highlight.

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1. “Vienna” - The Stranger, 1977

The Stranger is Joel’s most popular album. In fact, six of the nine tracks were featured on his Greatest Hits Vol. I & II album. One of the three not included is “Vienna,” the side two opener. This is one of Joel’s best songs.

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