This is what Billy Joel said about the song: “Captain Jack isn't Jack Daniels. I used to live near the projects in Long Island and there were drugs going on and the dealer was called Captain Jack. There was also smack. They used to use the rhyme for smack, Captain Jack. So I didn't mean it to be any specific drug, it's whatever people had to take to escape reality. It was drugs in general. You know I call it a look out the window song. I was just looking out there and seeing all my friends, everybody would just get their brains wasted and fried and I thought it was kind of stupid. We were in the suburbs - what are you junkin' out for. Wait 'til you grow up in the ghetto - then maybe you think about doing that stuff. Why get that screwed up?”

My hometown of Philadelphia helped in bringing this song to the masses. In 1972, Billy Joel came to Philly's famed Sigma Sound Studio with audience of about 50 people and played this unreleased ditty live over the airwaves on WMMR (93.3 FM). The late, great 'MMR DJ, Ed Sciaky always played that version and it was so popular here that it is the most requested song in MMR history (they are still going strong) and it got the attention of Clive Davis at Columbia Records 90 miles North of us to notice. And that was all she wrote. That's power my friends. He stopped playing this song live apparently, but he always performs this song for us in Philly, and changes the line to '...ah, there ain't no place to go anyway, except for Phila-delph-i- a'. Thanks for this today guys and take care. Nice review as always 🙂

In the outro he sings “ captain jack will make you die tonight “. He,s really talking about how destructive using drugs as an escape is to your life.

Ballad Of Billy The Kid

Iconic New Yorker, very original sound, his music stands the test of time, founder of Long Island soul (LOL)

One day, back in 1973, I heard this song come on the radio. Do you know what it's like to be a 13 year old boy and hear a song on the radio that mentions masturbation? It freaked me out. It was the first song I'd ever heard by Billy Joel. Even that young, I recognized that the message was illegal drugs mess up your life. I've been a fan ever since.

Kind of funny that the subject of the song was down in part to still living at home at age 21. Seems like that age has gotten bumped up a few years these days.

This song is from 1973 and was kind of a cult favorite while Piano Man was bringing him fame and recognition at age 24. This was followed by 16 years of almost constant hits, huge concerts around the world, including Russia, and sellout concerts at Madison Square Garden up to this year.

I actually interpret this not as singing about one specific person but that each verse describes a characteristics of people that seek shelter themselves from their reality.

Each verse is a different story… A different person. The one thing they all have in common is the drug dealer.

he's singing about a guy, he is speaking from the perspective of a drug addict and the emotional emptiness, not endorsing heroin

BJ is not advocating for drug use. He’s writing about a middle-class young man who’s disillusioned and lost and trying to fix himself with fashion and the right car. The young man’s outside doesn’t reflect his true condition which is one of isolation.

Do you know why I love you guys so much? Because you GET it. Your appreciation of music borders on religious. The way your faces looked while listening to this song made me almost as happy as the song. Thank you for sharing your love. It really touches this 60 yr old lady. 🫶🫶🫶🤘

Drummer Liberty Devito. He was with Billy for decades.

Always loved this one. The chorus comes in like a "rush".

Loved this one when I found it on the album... Certainly a surprise from Billy Joel, but then again almost nobody tells a story better than Mr Joel... That entire album is fantastic... A poet indeed... A heroin addicted man-child watching life go by in a dream while escaping reality with "A little push"... You can almost see the person's face, Billy tells the story so well...

From my favorite era of Billy....the earliest years.

Goodnight Saigon will blow your mind

WHAT...A...CHORUS!!! One of Billy's best. And that's saying a lot!

thank you both for playing this track... everyone always plays just the mainstream stuff and I think this is a very underappreciated track of his.