The 1993 song Billy Joel wanted to bow out on: “These are the last words I have to say”
You almost forget that Billy Joel hasn’t actually released any new music since the start of the millennium, don’t you?
There’s no surprise in saying that this is because of just how present he has remained despite his lack of time in the studio. Performing was and always has been his first love, and so his decision to leave the recording booth and head more or less permanently for the stage was one not of sacrifice, but of sheer commitment to his craft.
Along the way, there surely must have been moments where he’s been tempted back to create something more, not least for the fact that the Gen Z TikTok masses would lap up every word he says with his recent resurgence on there – but when those times have come creeping up, Joel has always remembered the promise that he made to himself in 1993.
Strictly speaking, River of Dreams was the last conventional album Joel ever made, notwithstanding the classical compositions which made up Fantasies and Delusions in 2001. But if you were looking for the rock and roll Piano Man that everyone knows and loves, the former record would be where you would find it, with him giving his swan song to his life and loss.
Given that, on the whole, Joel’s classic back catalogue was largely of an upbeat disposition, it was important to listen to River of Dreams more closely as his state of mind took a more serious turn. Then, when it got to the end, there was an overwhelming feeling that what was done was done.
“When I got to the end of this recording I wrote a song called ‘Famous Last Words’,” he said.
It might seem a little on the nose to some, but really, there was no better way of putting it. “I felt like I had reached a point where I wasn’t going to write songs anymore,” Joel mused. “It was sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy since these are the last words I have to say. But that’s the story of my life and it just seemed like, ‘This is the time to write that song and I’m going to close the book’.”
As much as the moment was charged with emotion and symbolism for Joel, sadly for him it felt like the rest of the world didn’t respond in the same way. River of Dreams did receive its flowers in certain respects – it was nominated for ‘Album of the Year’ at the Grammys – and the title track was a hit with similar accolades, but beyond that, there seemed to be tumbleweed.
Beyond feeling like he was done with writing songs, this was a state of affairs that left Joel quite unsatisfied. As he later recalled in 2018, “It was as if the business had left me behind because there are substantial songs on that album that never went anywhere. So I said, ‘What’s the point of putting myself through writing and recording if it doesn’t mean what it’s supposed to mean out there in the world?’”
It was a ringing indictment that added more weight to Joel’s decision to leave his recording days behind than any other feigned excuse could manage. He had poured his heart and soul into that record, and didn’t feel like he reaped the reward. So, with a flourish, he decided that he was never going to dip into that emotional well ever again.
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