The reason why Billy Joel stopped writing songs
Billy Joel has amassed a songbook woven into the fabric of popular culture and one that will live on long after we all depart this planet. However, unlike many of his peers who will continue to create until their final breath, Joel dramatically stopped retiring and drew a line underneath his career as a recording artist.
Artists widely accomplish the best work in the younger days of their career before their life is infiltrated by fame and riches, which often dilutes the quality of their songwriting. Yet, many musicians have proven that rule wrong and continued to diversify their artistry with age. While they may make completely different art than they once did, their magnificence still shines.
However, in his 40s, Billy Joel decided to stop recording new material and adding to his back catalogue. In comparison, David Bowie produced some of his most crucial work at the tail-end of his life. Additionally, Bob Dylan’s Rough and Rowdy Ways cemented his transition into a Godlike elder statesman of music.
Although Joel later released Fantasies & Delusions in 2001, an album comprised of classical compositions, his days of writing traditional pop compositions died with 1993’s River of Dreams. While the LP was received well and charted at the top of the Billboard 200, Joel decided to bow out.
During an interview with Vulture, Joel said of his decision: “When I stopped writing songs — it was time. I couldn’t be as good as I wanted and that was driving me crazy. I was driving my loved ones crazy. I thought this is ridiculous. So I stopped. But the performing, what else am I going to do?”
Although he still regularly plays in stadiums across the world, Joel knows his fans want to hear his classics rather than new creations. If he were to construct more songs, it would need to be of a similar standard to what people have come to expect from him, which Joel no longer feels capable of producing.
He elaborated on his decision to hang up the pen, stating: “Like I said, I couldn’t be as good as I wanted to be. I was always trying to feel like there was a real progression in my work, and eventually I realized I was only going to be X good. Because of that I knew I was going to beat myself up for not being better. So I stopped. That’s it.”
Another reason there won’t be a new album from Billy Joel anytime soon is the industry’s economics. Even in 1993, he felt it had changed before the advent of streaming, which altered the music business in unimaginable ways.
Joel noted: “Well, I don’t know. But the business changed, too. Albums weren’t meaning what they used to mean in the marketplace. I grew up in the era where an album had to be substantial. It couldn’t be throwaway Christmas shit like Elvis used to do. Then the business changed. The last album I did, River of Dreams, was as good and maybe better than a lot of other albums that I had made, but it got no airplay.”
Realistically, the only reason why veteran artists continue to make albums in their autumnal years is because they need to flex their creative muscles to survive. It’s not for money or adulation, but a way of life.
