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Piano Man Lyrics Still Raise Questions After All These Years
The Piano Man lyrics still inspire the imagination. Billy
Joel certainly created a masterpiece when he penned this
song.
This soft rock classic dates back to 1972.
At the time, Joel was performing in a Los Angeles bar,
reportedly called "The Executive Room", and became friends
with the crowd who came to hear him.
Joel describes
the patrons with insight and wit. While each one has
his or her own story, they all find themselves together
enjoying the music of the piano player. They are
looking to him to uplift their spirits after a hard day and
to make them feel all right for a little while.
The Piano Man lyrics have become something of a legend among
music fans.
Listeners look for hidden meaning
in the places that seem a bit mysterious. Let's take a
look at the characters and what we can tell about each.
-
an old man sitting near Bill
- John, the bartender
-
Paul
- Davy
- the waitress
- Bill, the
piano man
The first character is the old man
who wants Bill to play him a song that will bring back a
certain memory. He seems to be pretty inebriated,
however, and can't really remember the song.
The
bartender is named John, and like bartenders tend to do, he
has become friends with Bill. He has no doubt made
friends with all the patrons. After all, there's more
to being a good bartender than just knowing how to mix
drinks. Still, John expresses discontent, because his real
dream is to become a movie star.
And then there's
Paul, who is a bachelor. He has a dream of writing the
great American novel, but supports himself selling real
estate. He's visiting with a fellow named Davy.
Davy is referred to as being in the Navy for the rest of his
life.
The waitress in John's bar has an interest in
politics that she is sharing with the patrons, and they
apparently tolerate her, since their drinks are starting to
take effect.
The overall picture is that they all have broken dreams and
frustrations, but by coming together to listen to the piano
man, they can all forget their troubles for a little while.
There are some unanswered questions in this story which
intrigue the imagination. For instance, did John
perhaps come to L.A. to pursue a career in acting?
Maybe he's a Midwest farm boy who came to the big city to be
a star, but feels stuck in a dead end job with no time to
try out for movie roles.
And what about Paul?
He says he wants to work on his novel, but he's a workaholic
real estate agent instead. Davy raises questions, too.
Is he really a career sailor? Or is he simply living
in the past, remembering when he was a young sailor with an
exciting life? Was he in one of the wars?
The last line in the last verse of the Piano Man lyrics,
however, has to bring a smile.
They all
seem to realize that Billy Joel is an awfully talented
musician to be playing piano in a two-bit bar for tips in a
jar!
Read more about the Piano Man lyrics and Bily Joel's music.
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