The artist Billy Joel compared himself to: “I did the best I could”
There must be a great deal of pressure that comes with climbing the heights of success. When people manage to achieve the heights that someone like Billy Joel has, while it must be incredibly rewarding, there is also a lot of stress that comes with it, as there is a need to maintain that level of fame and continue producing excellent work for your fans.
Joel can attest to this. Throughout his career, he has written a great deal of great music, so much so that when he plays live, he constantly changes his setlist so that he can play as many songs from his discography as he possibly can. The amount of work he has done throughout his career is incredibly commendable, but it doesn’t come without its pitfalls.
The first issue that Joel has persistently faced throughout his career is writing. When you listen to his lyrics, you would think that being a great wordsmith comes incredibly naturally to Joel, but that’s not the case. He said in an interview that when it comes to making music, one of his least favourite aspects is writing songs. While he is a fan of the end product, the process always feels daunting.
“I tend to put off the writing past as long as I can,” he admitted, “It can be a grind […] Sometimes I look at the piano, and it is this big, black beast with 88 teeth that wants to bite my fingers off.”
He admitted that while there are some songs which come to him quickly, for the most part, he struggles to finalise anything. “It doesn’t always come to you like a bolt out of the blue,” he said, “You don’t always get that Promethean moment like I did with ‘New York State of Mind’. The worst thing about songwriting is the struggle. I love having written, I hate writing.”
Another constant problem that Joel faces is the persistent pressure he puts on himself to continue writing and releasing exciting work into the world. He admits that he compares himself to another artist and hasn’t been able to forgive himself for not being as successful or relentless as that artist.
“I remember reading a quote from Neil Diamond where he said that he’d forgiven himself for not being Beethoven. I read that and went, ‘That’s my problem: I haven’t’,” said Billy Joel, “But I did the best I could. I don’t think I coasted. There are artists who continue to record because they feel like that’s what keeps them relevant.”
When your career revolves around being one of the greatest musical writers of all time, it’s no surprise that Joel puts so much pressure on himself. This is because he admits that he struggles with writing and is more of a fan of the product than he is of the process. He will have worried that one day he stops being able to write good songs, and that comes with it a great deal of pressure in turn, especially given he was constantly comparing himself to Beethoven. They’re certainly big shoes to fill.
