The Billy Joel Deep Dive (Part 1)

Apologies for the radio silence on Tuesday—life hit the fast-forward button, and this transmission got temporarily delayed. But we’re back, plugged in, and firing on all cylinders.

If you’ve been following along, you know that inspiration often strikes from the most unexpected corners of the analog and digital void. A few days back, I ended up down a rabbit hole watching Rick Beato’s deep-dive interview with Billy Joel on YouTube. Seeing two master musicians sit at a piano, pulling back the curtain on composition, dissonance, and the sheer mechanics of classic songwriting, completely reignited my appreciation for Joel’s catalog.

Billy Joel isn’t just a hitmaker; he’s a master architect of pop-rock narrative structure. Because his library is so massive and carries so much weight, a single show isn’t going to do it justice. Fire on the Keys: Episode 1357 marks the official start of a multi-part deep dive into the Piano Man’s entire discography.

For Part 1, we’re digging all the way back to the root system—spanning Cold Spring Harbor (1971), Piano Man (1973), Streetlife Serenade (1974), Turnstiles (1976), and diving deep into the powerhouse tracks of The Stranger (1977).

Grab your headphone extension cord, pour a fresh drink, and let’s run with scissors through the early catalog of Billy Joel.

Artist --- Song --- Album --- Label

--- Hour 1 ---
Billy Joel - She's Got A Way (02:52) | Cold Spring Harbor (1971) [Family Productions]
Billy Joel - You Can Make Me Free (02:58) | Cold Spring Harbor (1971) [Family Productions]
Billy Joel - Everybody Loves You Now (02:49) | Cold Spring Harbor (1971) [Family Productions]
Billy Joel - Why Judy Why (02:55) | Cold Spring Harbor (1971) [Family Productions]
Billy Joel - Falling Of The Rain (02:42) | Cold Spring Harbor (1971) [Family Productions]
Billy Joel - Turn Around (03:05) | Cold Spring Harbor (1971) [Family Productions]
Billy Joel - You Look So Good To Me (02:26) | Cold Spring Harbor (1971) [Family Productions]
Billy Joel - Tomorrow Is Today (04:41) | Cold Spring Harbor (1971) [Family Productions]
Billy Joel - Nocturne (02:49) | Cold Spring Harbor (1971) [Family Productions]
Billy Joel - Got To Begin Again (02:52) | Cold Spring Harbor (1971) [Family Productions]
Billy Joel - Travelin' Prayer (04:12) | Piano Man (1973) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - Piano Man (05:36) | Piano Man (1973) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - Ain't No Crime (03:16) | Piano Man (1973) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - You're My Home (03:11) | Piano Man (1973) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - The Ballad Of Billy The Kid (05:41) | Piano Man (1973) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - Worse Comes To Worst (03:12) | Piano Man (1973) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - Stop In Nevada (03:52) | Piano Man (1973) [Columbia]

--- Hour 2 ---
Billy Joel - If I Only Had The Words (To Tell You) (03:31) | Piano Man (1973) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - Somewhere Along The Line (03:20) | Piano Man (1973) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - Captain Jack (07:15) | Piano Man (1973) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - Streetlife Serenader (05:16) | Streetlife Serenade (1974) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - Los Angelenos (03:39) | Streetlife Serenade (1974) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - The Great Suburban Showdown (03:43) | Streetlife Serenade (1974) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - Root Beer Rag (03:00) | Streetlife Serenade (1974) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - Roberta (04:31) | Streetlife Serenade (1974) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - The Entertainer (03:38) | Streetlife Serenade (1974) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - Last Of The Big Time Spenders (04:33) | Streetlife Serenade (1974) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - Weekend Song (03:29) | Streetlife Serenade (1974) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - Souvenir (01:58) | Streetlife Serenade (1974) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - The Mexican Connection (03:37) | Streetlife Serenade (1974) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - Say Goodbye To Hollywood (04:35) | Turnstiles (1976) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - Summer, Highland Falls (03:14) | Turnstiles (1976) [Columbia]

--- Hour 3 ---
Billy Joel - All You Wanna Do Is Dance (03:43) | Turnstiles (1976) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - New York State Of Mind (06:00) | Turnstiles (1976) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - James (03:53) | Turnstiles (1976) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - Prelude - Angry Young Man (05:14) | Turnstiles (1976) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - I've Loved These Days (04:33) | Turnstiles (1976) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) (05:05) | Turnstiles (1976) [Columbia]
Billy Joel - Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) (03:27) | Stranger (1977) [CBS]
Billy Joel - The Stranger (05:07) | Stranger (1977) [CBS]
Billy Joel - Just The Way You Are (04:48) | Stranger (1977) [CBS]
Billy Joel - Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (07:34) | Stranger (1977) [CBS]
Billy Joel - Vienna (03:31) | Stranger (1977) [CBS]
Billy Joel - Only The Good Die Young (03:52) | Stranger (1977) [CBS]
Billy Joel - She's Always A Woman (03:18) | Stranger (1977) [CBS]
Billy Joel - Get It Right The First Time (03:53) | Stranger (1977) [CBS] (out)

Rolling with Scissors airs live every Tuesday from 2–5 AM on 89.9 FM in Madison and streams at wortfm.org. Missed it? You can catch the episode for two weeks after broadcast at archive.wortfm.org or at rwsradio.com.

While the audio disappears after two weeks, the episode notes and playlists don’t. Every deep dive, rant, and full album breakdown stays right here — so you can revisit the details any time.

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