John at the bar was an actual bartender who worked during Joel’s shifts. And all of the people highlighted in the song are based on Joel’s real-life encounters. for about three years working under the name “Bill Martin” since he couldn’t use his own name, due to contract issues. He’d move to California from his native New York to avoid the record company he’d signed a contract with after the poor performance of his album, Cold Spring Harbor. He performed as such for about six months between 19 at the now-defunct Executive Room bar in the Wilshire district. The song is based on Joel’s experience as a lounge performer in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. Then those come out in the lyrics as he talks about patrons, bartenders, waitresses, and more. With the slew of people coming in and out of the bar-their stories, their ups, and downs-the piano man watches and retains all of their tales. Songwriting P.O.V.Īs noted above, “Piano Man” tells the story of a professional piano player at a city bar. Joel put them in a song and we live with them whenever we want to hear the tune again.īut let’s dive into the meaning of the song. “Piano Man,” perhaps legendary songwriter Billy Joel’s most famous song, is full of a cast of characters we’ve never met but know so well-from Paul, the real estate novelist, and Davey, who is still in the Navy, to the bartender and the man making love to his tonic and gin.
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