NY Mag's Ranking of Every Billy Joel Song

[Webster]

Not a horrible list, although my favorite song is ranked 68 and another top 5 song of mine is ranked 97.

The Complete Works: 121 Billy Joel Songs, Ranked -- Vulture

 

[BDC99]

Tough to argue with the top three. Amazing how many of those songs I don't recognize.

 

[Buck]

'Closer to the Borderline'
'Sleeping with the Television On'
'Stilleto'
'All for Leyna'

Some of my favorites.


Glad to see 'We didn't start the fire' at the bottom. What an absolutely terrible song.

 

[BDC99]

Glad to see 'We didn't start the fire' at the bottom. What an absolutely terrible song.

Soon as I saw it, I was surprised it wasn't dead last. Horrible.

 

[Dyno]

I wouldn't really call myself a Billy Joel fan, but I love every song on "52nd Street, " which I owned on 8-track (so I'm old). Well, I don't love "My Life," but it gets points for being the "Bosom Buddies" theme song. (Jeez, I really am old.) Put me in the camp that would rank "Zanzibar" higher. "Rosalinda's Eyes," too. I love how "Freaks and Geeks" used it in the episode "Carded and Discarded."

 

[Songbird]

I wanted to be a frontman with this much swagger.

 

[Jake_Taylor]

I don't know why, but I never get tired of You May Be Right.

 

[BDC99]

I don't know why, but I never get tired of You May Be Right.

You May Be Crazy

Actually, always enjoy that one too.

 

[Webster]

Dyno, couldn't agree more on 52nd St. The stretch of songs from Zanzibar through Until the Night is his best ever.

As to the list overall, I don't have New York State of Mind nearly as high of the author, but the top 2 tracks are certainly among the best.

 

[BDC99]

I have only been to NY once, but I like NY State of Mind for the time and place it transports you to. Really enjoy that song.

 

[Songbird]

This is as good as it gets, the 3-scene rocK operetta.

 

[Songbird]

Why wasn't there a movie called "Brenda and Eddie" or "Parkway Diner"?

 

[Webster]

Why wasn't there a movie called "Brenda and Eddie" or "Parkway Diner"?

Because it there was no possibility to improve on the song.

 

[Songbird]

I don't know, you cast Brenda Vaccaro and Nick Nolte and place 'em south of Yonkers, perhaps Teaneck, and the fireworks explode off the screen.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

One of my favorites is "This Night". I didn't think it would be ranked too high, but 93 just seems too low.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I'm very happy to see "Miami 2017" ranked so high. There's a live version of it on a concert CD from very early in his career that I picked up at a used CD store maybe 20 years ago. I've loved that song ever since.

 

[old_tony]

This is as good as it gets, the 3-scene rocK operetta.

I love the plastic cup of beer and the ashtray with the smoking cigarette on the piano.

 

[HandsomeHarley]

My favorite was a weak 14, "Say Goodbye to Hollywood." An incredibly underrated song.

"Piano Man" at 15? Like most lists, it's all subjective, but damn.

 

[MisterCreosote]

Summer, Highland Falls is "pretentious undergrad stuff?" Aw, hell no.

Also, Angry Young Man is easily top 10, if not top 5. It's Still Rock and Roll to Me sucks.

 

[EStreetJoe]

Not sure what I'd put No. 1, but it wouldn't be Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.
Don't care for NY State of Mind, so No. 3 is overrated.
Nos. 42, 43, 45 (Ballad of Billy the Kid, Entertainer, Everybody has a Dream) I would have ranked Top 15-20.
No. 50 (All for Leyna) would've ranked 30 spots higher.
No. 58 (You May Be Right) is definitely a Top 10-15, not that low)
Also surprised how low All About Soul (89) and Matter of Trust (86) came in.