- Billy Joel is an American music legend
- Joel has been out of the spotlight for many years now
- He has announced a new album coming soon
The "Piano Man" is hitting the high notes again! Billy Joel, the legendary singer-songwriter, has sent shockwaves through the music world with a bombshell announcement that's music to the ears of his global fanbase. Get ready to "Turn the Lights Back On" because Joel is dropping his first new single in 17 years, and the anticipation is off the charts!
Billy is coming back with a bang
With a tantalizing teaser on social media, Joel cranked up the excitement, sharing a clip that's pure nostalgia with a twist of fresh melody. Fans are buzzing, and one ecstatic follower gushed, "It certainly turned on a huge light of happiness for your fans worldwide." Talk about lighting up the internet!
The teaser is a masterclass in suspense. It opens with Joel flipping through a notebook with lyrics from '93, then cuts to him at his iconic Steinway, fingers dancing over the keys. The clip dubs "Turn the Lights Back On" as "the first new single in decades," and while that's a bit of a stretch (remember "All My Life" in 2007?), who's counting when the tune is this hot?
Joel's not going solo on this one. He's teamed up with hitmaker Freddy Wexler, who's spun gold for stars like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande. The result? A "classic Billy Joel-style tune" that's got all the hallmarks of his signature sound. The sneak peek lyrics? "Did I wait too long... to turn the lights back on?" We say, not a second too soon, Billy!
A lyric video is expected to premiere on Joel's official YouTube channel the same day and the song will also be released on a limited edition vinyl record.
Nice to have you back, Billy
His last new songs "All My Life" and "Christmas in Fallujah" were released in 2007, and his most recent pop album was 1993's 'River of Dreams'. Joel is set to end his 10-year residency at New York's Madison Square Garden with a 150th performance show in July.
Joel had retired from songwriting following 1993's 'River of Dreams', later explaining: "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 realised 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."
Since then there have been occasional cover versions but he has only released one new solo single, 2007’s "All My Life."
Joel has continued to tour, though, but with doubts here and there. In 2018, he told 'Vulture' that he was adapting his setlist to reflect his age and what he saw as a worsening voice:
"I’m already struggling. I wrote most of the songs that I’m doing when I was in my 20s and 30s and it ain’t easy to hit those notes in my 60s. We’ve dropped the keys of some songs already. Hopefully it’s not that noticeable."
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The original "Piano Man"
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As if that's not enough, Joel's wrapping up a decade-long Madison Square Garden residency this summer. But before the curtain falls, he's jetting to Tokyo for a one-night stand, then it's back to the Garden on February 9.
And later this year, he's sharing the stage with none other than Sting and Stevie Nicks. Can you handle the star power?
So mark your calendars, Joel fans. The lights are about to come back on, and the stage is set for a comeback that promises to be nothing short of legendary. Get ready to sing your heart out because the "Piano Man" is back, and he's playing your song!
