“Piano Man”
by Billy Joel
from the album Piano Man
1973
Buy the album on Amazon

Likely the only time Billy Joel will be on this blog, but never say never. This is one of my favorite, A-list songs to sing. Counting just as much towards the final grade is that this is one of the most universal songs I sing, which means if I’m in a new mixed crowd, this is on the shortlist as a safe song. That happened a few nights ago in fact (more on that later).

I have no idea how I ever got the idea to add this to my rotation. I probably overheard it in a grocery store or something a few years ago, and it rang some distant bell of recollection so I added a note to look it up and see if it would be suitable. I probably didn’t even know it was a Billy Joel song at the time (my main association with Billy Joel is digging the Uptown Girls video when I was a kid). Once I tried it though, I realized it fit me like a glove. It’s completely in my range, it lends itself to a bit of improvisation (which I rarely do with songs, but it totally works to change, for example, the day in the lyrics or the bartender’s name to fit the situation), and I actually really like the lyrics (I love the story/imagery and that whole life wasted theme). And I sing it with passion, damnit. I think this is on the (hopefully) short list of songs I do that Lance isn’t a fan of, but I think he at least appreciates the effort.

I was at a Meetup for American ex-pats in Canada a few nights ago, celebrating the 4th, and on the way into the bar my eye of course immediately noticed the sign saying that there was karaoke at the bar later. I was engrossed in talking with people but once I knew it was 10, my heart was halfway in the next area with the karaoke machine. A friend in the group knows I love karaoke, and was telling a couple of other people that I was a nut about it, so they goaded (they didn’t have to try hard) me into going over and singing something. I warned them that being a good singer and being a person who loves singing are two very different things, and I am firmly in the second group, but I got mostly because I was dying to (I haven’t been since February!). Again – safe/universal list, plus the people I was with were a bit older, so figured this might be the only one they would know. After I finished, they gave their obligatory “good job”s, but then a random guy came up to me and shook my hand and said it was great.

Still got it.