Artist:Billy Joel
Song:Uptown Girl
Album:The Essential Billy Joel
After the success of the 1977 single Just the Way You Are, Billy Joel became one of the most successful singer songwriters of the 80s. The 1983 album An Innocent Man and the singles Tell Her About It and Uptown Girl were his greatest success. For the most part, Joel's early albums were influenced by doo wop and 60s pop. His first #1 hit It's Still Rock and Roll to Me was in that vein. For the 1982 album The Nylon Curtain, Joel strayed from that and wrote topical songs about politics. When album sales were disappointing and no singles cracked the top ten, Joel decided that the 1983 album An Innocent Man would be original songs in tribute to his favorite performers. There were two hit singles. Tell Her About It (a Motown tribute) topped the Billboard Hot 100. Though it only reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, Uptown Girl was probably a bigger hit. It was a tribute to Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Joel wrote Uptown Girl as tribute to then girlfriend Elle McPherson. And then he married Christie Brinkley and she appeared in the music video. Uptown Girl is about a schlub (Joel) surrounded by beautiful women. Uptown Girl was #3 for five weeks while Say Say Say by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson was #1 for five weeks. Uptown Girl was Joel's only British #1 hit. So the two songs are about even. An Innocent Man was certified 2XPlatinum. Joel wasn't as successful after that. The 1993 album River of Dreams is his most recent album of new songs. He still tours but he isn't writing anything new. This 2CD comp covers his entire career. Here's the video for Uptown Girl by Billy Joel.
I have a CD of his album "The Stranger." And love that one. For me there are a lot of good songs on that CD for me. I liked his work during the 80's.
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