In Defense of Billy Joel’s "The Bridge"

Yeah, I'm not hearing it.

 

They've always reminded me of one another. Didn't realise it was just me!

 

The "whoah-oh-oh-oh"s are similar in both songs, now you come to mention it...

 

I play the game SongPop where there is a Billy Joel playlist. For some reason I struggle to differenciate between the two songs and often get them wrong!

 

Retold1

 

A Matter of Trust and Code of Silence are worth the entrance fee for me.

 

That's interesting. In Holland I believe the album did nothing and I can't remember ever hearing a single note of any of the singles back then when I was 12. I just think that the duet with Ray Charles reached the Dutch Tipparade, which is a weekly round-up of hitcontenders.

 

To me the lead vocal is the only similarity.
Doo wop and gospel? Nah.

 

Dare I say that "The Bridge" is a very "American" album? Perhaps that is why other countries may not have warmed up to it.

 

I dunno . . . I saw an interview where Billy copped to it being a mixture of fear and a lack of motivation. Kudos for being honest, but he has nothing to fear. A new Billy Joel album would be greeted much differently than a new Elton John, Rod Stewart, or even Bruce Springsteen release. If anything, simply because of the length of time since his last pop album (and even his last release of an original song in 2007) and the fact that he regularly and routinely sells out his shows.

 

That happened in late 88/early 89...after the huge world tour in support of The Bridge, and in the midst of his lawsuit with Frank Weber.

 

Yes,...Russell and Doug were let go. David Brown sat out of the tour for The Bridge. He came back for Storm Front.

The best Billy Joel Band lineup was Richie, Russell, Doug, David, and Liberty

 

"Running On Ice" is probably my all time favorite Billy Joel deep track.

 

Reread the interview and Billy doesn't cop to that. He admits that Elton John's heart was in the right place when he said that, though, and that Elton was like a mom. But then he said Elton had mom hair.