The “lyrically naive” songwriter Paul Simon said didn’t think hard enough
Billy Joel has penned his fair share of singalong hits – songs that still find their place in karaoke booths and wedding playlists to this day. From the iconic ‘Piano Man’ to the wordy ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’, his melodies and lyrics have been memorised by countless listeners looking to forget about life for a while, but his commercial success has entirely eclipsed his critical success.
While ‘Uptown Girl’ is guaranteed to get even the most reluctant dancers up on their feet, it will never be considered amongst the greatest songs of all time. The words to ‘Vienna’ may be burned into the memory of millions, but they never won Joel any awards. If the Piano Man’s output is so well-loved by so many, why does it receive such little respect?
According to Paul Simon, Joel is let down by the superficiality of his writing. During a conversation with Playboy, the Simon and Garfunkel songwriter shared his opinions on the Piano Man, admitting that while he enjoys his music, he’s not his favourite artist. “He’s lyrically naive,” he commented.
“He thinks about larger issues,” Simon explained, “but he doesn’t think about them hard enough.” This criticism is certainly valid in certain parts of Joel’s discography. Perhaps most obviously in his 1989 single ‘We Didn’t Start The Fire’, which tackles countless political and cultural references with little to no depth.
The track pulls together a list of historical events and figures to prove that “We didn’t start the fire, it was always burning since the world’s been turning.” It’s a solid idea – a statement about the ongoing and unstoppable mayhem of humanity – but Joel’s lyricism is mostly limited to namechecking. He doesn’t delve into any of his references, simply reeling them off before moving on to the next.
This kind of songwriting certainly validates Simon’s critique and could be the reason that Joel has rarely earned acclaim or respect for his work. ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ may be an essential pop track, but it’s certainly not a considered, well-thought-out commentary on the state of the world. Still, there are merits to this style of writing, as Joel’s incessant rambling suits the chaos of his themes, leaving listeners desperate to keep up with him.
That tension between popularity and critical acclaim is not unique to Billy Joel, but he may be one of its most visible examples. His songs are designed to be lived in rather than dissected, favouring immediacy over abstraction and familiarity over experimentation. Where critics often prize ambiguity and layered meaning, Joel has tended to aim for clarity, writing songs that feel conversational and emotionally direct, even if that means sacrificing lyrical complexity.
In that sense, Joel’s reputation says as much about critical expectations as it does about his songwriting. His music functions as a shared cultural language, one that thrives on recognition and repetition rather than reinvention. While that approach may leave him short of academic praise, it explains why his songs continue to resonate across generations, long after more critically lauded works have faded from public memory.
In other songs, Joel does display a tendency to delve deeper into his lyricism. In 1977’s slightly more subdued ‘Vienna’, for example, Joel contemplates the pressures of success and ageing with unexpected nuance. “But you know that when the truth is told,” he sings, “that you can get what you want, or you can just get old.” It’s poignant and poetic but retains just enough subjectivity to appeal to a mammoth audience.
As one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Simon is more than qualified to comment on the naivety of Joel’s writing. His criticism is entirely valid – Joel’s work can lack depth, their vagueness often endearing his output to a wider audience without winning over critics. Still, his penchant for pop songwriting is demonstrated by the longevity of his biggest tunes, and there are occasional glimpses of lyrical skill to be found within them.
Joel may not be up there with the greatest songwriters of all time, but that doesn’t seem to be his goal. His music has found a permanent place in the hearts of millions.
Listen to ‘Vienna’ by Billy Joel below.
