Piano Man (song)

For other songs with the same title, see Piano Man (disambiguation) § Music.

"Piano Man"
German vinyl single
Single by Billy Joel
from the album Piano Man
B-side"You're My Home"
ReleasedNovember 2, 1973 (1973-11-02)
RecordedSeptember 1973
Genre
Length
  • 5:40 (album version)
  • 4:30 (single version)
  • 3:05 (SP radio edit version)
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Billy Joel
Producer(s)Michael Stewart
Billy Joel singles chronology
"She's Got a Way"
(1971) 		"Piano Man"
(1973) 		"Worse Comes to Worst"
(1974)
Music video
"Piano Man" on YouTube

"Piano Man" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel. First released as a single in the US on November 2, 1973, it was included on Joel's 1973 album Piano Man. The song is sung from the point of view of a piano player at a bar, describing the patrons. "Piano Man" is based on Joel's real-life experiences as a lounge musician in Los Angeles from 1972 to 1973, which he had decided to pursue in an effort to escape his contracted New York City–based record company at the time, Family Productions, following the poor commercial performance of his debut album, Cold Spring Harbor (1971).

Joel's first major hit and his signature song, "Piano Man" peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in April 1974.[4][5] Following Joel's breakthrough as a popular musician with the release of The Stranger, it became one of his most well-known songs.

In 2013, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[6] In 2015, the Library of Congress selected "Piano Man" for preservation in the National Recording Registry for its "cultural, historic, or artistic significance".[7]

"Piano Man"
A sample of Billy Joel's "Piano Man" from Piano Man
Problems playing this file? See media help.
  1. ^ "200 Greatest Soft Rock Songs". Entertainment.expertscolumn.com.
  2. ^ Church, Joseph (2019). Rock in the Musical Theatre: A Guide for Singers. Oxford University Press. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-19-094349-3.
  3. ^ Molanphy, Chris (April 30, 2020). "Still Billy Joel to Me Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  4. ^ Billboard. April 20, 1974. p. 56. Retrieved October 8, 2016 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Billy Joel: Chart history". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  6. ^ "GRAMMY Hall Of Fame | Hall of Fame Artists". Grammy.com.
  7. ^ ""Piano Man," "I Will Survive" and Wilt Chamberlain's 100-Point Game Receive Designation". Library of Congress. March 23, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2020.