"They're sharing a drink they call Loneliness, but it's better than drinking alone." Oh hell yes.

@rebeccarowland2533

2 жыл бұрын

I so am on the same page as you, Matthew Teague

@robert_bbiii

2 жыл бұрын

Shared misery is decreased, shared joy increased - Robert Heinlein. Same message.

@simplysteve5149

2 жыл бұрын

The whole song is great poetry really...but the line you mention about "sharing a drink they called loneliness, but it's better than drinking alone " is one of my all time favorites. Hands Down.

@theodoreritola9758

2 жыл бұрын

JESUS is coming back VERY soon ... Is every body ready

@jonathanmol4489

2 жыл бұрын

I prefer to drink alone. I don't trust people. Alone means no last call and no rejection. I also have penned 155 poems and drinking alone is part of my process. I have Parkinson's disease and drinking helps me write poetry that you can read.

The imagery Billy Joel’s paints in this song is brilliant.

@Cosmo-Kramer

2 жыл бұрын

I daresay, "brilliant", is not a strong enough word. It's genius.

@greybeard2280

2 жыл бұрын

It's brilliant because it's about him. I've seen him live 7 times and he talks about the song he's preparing to sing, and when he does this you can pin drop. He could actually do a concert and do nothing but tells stories and I'd be satisfied....lol

When he plays this in concert, he plays the piano, harmonica, and sings the song. It’s amazing.

@kurtiklaas

2 жыл бұрын

...and the whole crowd sing-a-long. Fantastic!

@finallythere100

Жыл бұрын

I think Cheers was based on this song... the spirit of the song influences it.. Norm never wanted to go home! :)

This song is a true story. These are all characters he met when playing at a dive bar as Bill Martin. I love Billy Joel! I just wish he’d write some new music! He still plays and tours but hasn’t released a new album for 28 years!

@marymichael389

2 жыл бұрын

Know John at the bar’s niece.

@siddhartramotar8774

2 жыл бұрын

When I heard that he has written songs for fun since then but just hasn't recorded or released them I lost it lol. I really want him to release a new album or at least pass the songs he's written onto his daughter. Since his last album the only thing I can find that he's written was that weird christmas song.

Based on his true life experiences !!

Don't ever forget that the piano man is lonely too. Such lyrical brilliance.

You can never go wrong with Billy Joel,the consummate storyteller!

Could listen to this song all day, every day. A classic.

Billy fought alcoholism for quite a while. Bravo Billy on your recovery. Such a great artist. Thanks for posting

One of the greatest artists of our time...

When this songs plays at a bar everyone breaks into song & sways back & forth. ‘They’re sharing a drink they call loneliness but it’s better than drinking alone.’

This song is so well written. The brilliance is in what's not said, the back story you can glean from so few words. Genius.

He is kind to the people. He is not thrilled with his job and the manager, but he is kind to all of them.

You can never go wrong with Billy Joel. I've never heard a song of his I didn't like.

@theodoreritola9758

2 жыл бұрын

This song came out in the 70s When times were much more swee the people were more friendly and Feared God more What happened ?

One of the greatest songs ever written. Takes you to a different time

There’s nothing he has written that you would not like! He’s an icon

@robertseymour6095

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you

@tomgnyc

2 жыл бұрын

He's an icon but he has a lot of bad music, even he admitted it.

@thegamersgalaxy2855

2 жыл бұрын

@@tomgnyc LOL

@birdsfan5440

2 жыл бұрын

He has a lot of songs some are shit but I do love Billy Joel

@BJ-eb3lt

2 жыл бұрын

Billy Joel, IS the Piano Man, no doubts about it.

This song is a Masterpiece! He wrote it at 23!

Had the pleasure to see him when he was a warm up band for Loggins and Messina. He introduced this song at that concert and we were all blown away!!

@Mr.Dobalina_Mr.BobDobalina

2 жыл бұрын

What a great experience!

@jonathanmol4489

2 жыл бұрын

Loggins has so many different soundtracks.

Love how Billy turned the focus on himself for the last verse and described how he’s also a tragic figure like the rest; not a holier than thou like it sounded earlier.

@davidtogi5878

2 жыл бұрын

indeed since in one way or another we were all a tragic figure

Billy Joel wrote another song about his career called "The Entertainer." Another one - of many- is one called "Keeping The Faith."

Scenes from an Italian Restaurant! One of the best live performers ever. Oh yes, he was the Piano Man!

He actually did work in a piano bar in his earlier days. Such a genius songwriter/storyteller/musician! A well deserved standing ovation from Harri is a great honor! 🌺✌️

The guy is a musical genius. GOD blessed him beyond his imagination.

I love this song. It's pure storytelling at it's best. My favorite line is, "But it's sad and it's sweet, and I knew it complete, when I wore a younger man's clothes"

Thank you for your intelligent and engaging commentary on all your reaction videos. Too many reactors have seen this video as "funny," instead of a song filled with pathos, which of course it was.

@kmach1000

2 жыл бұрын

I agree. It's my favorite reaction channel.

@sonia4641

2 жыл бұрын

Mine too; the only one I've actually subscribed to.

@TheDivayenta

2 жыл бұрын

Yes! Why we love Harri, right?

@briandeschene8424

Жыл бұрын

Pathos. Yes! Pathos. Thank you for sharing with us the perfect word.

I suggest his "New York State of mind", or "We didn't start the fire". I have never heard a bad song from him.

BEST Billy Joel song in my opinion.

Billy Joel Best - "Only The Good Die Young" a True Masterpiece.

Some of Billy Joel's songs are better than the others. This is his masterpiece.

The most elegant way to say "life can suck"

I still remember the first time I heard this song on the radio. It was 1974. I was thirteen years old. I knew I was hearing something special.

Billy Joel provided a huge part of the soundtrack of my youth. Just a few suggestions: Big Shot, Goodnight Saigon, Allentown, Just the Way You Are, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant and New York State of Mind.👍🔥🎧

@jeffreiland7463

2 жыл бұрын

@Jim Tatro --- I heard Joel asked by a talk show host what his favorite song was. Without much hesitation he said it was "Scenes.." --- It's mine as well. Although they're not the same genres, I always liken it to Meatloaf's "Paradise" in that they both tell that same melancholy story that the idealism of youth is gone and we're getting old.

@melodymcdonald2140

2 жыл бұрын

Definitely Scenes From an Italian Restaurant. The piano is absolutely amazing. He also does a duet with Ray Charles called Baby Grand that is so good..

@jonathanmol4489

2 жыл бұрын

My life from Bosom Buddies?

@kathrynkissane5144

2 жыл бұрын

I feelya

@Angel268201

2 жыл бұрын

Big Shot! What a song! It’s about his ex-wife! 🤣😂🤣

I love Billy Joel. He's a great songwriter/singer and a poetic storyteller in a real way that people can understand.

Yes, he started out doing this. Isn't it amazing how he's so good at the piano, at singing, at writing the music, and at storytelling, that he could do just one of those things as a vocation; but he does them all. Every song on every album he wrote.

I find it amazing that you're only discovering these songs now. Many people have lived their entire lives listening to Billy

"As the smile ran away from his face" so poetic.

This was the Song that Launched Billy Joels Career into the Stratosphere !

Standing ovation from you. RESPECT man!

Welcome aboard! As a fan of Billy Joel, I'm glad that you understood the excellent story that Billy was telling. Billy has been writing great songs for decades.

Jackson Brown - Load Out Stay

He has many great songs. But the Piano Man is sheer genius.

Billy Joel is memories of marrying my husband. Played the album over & over on his small console record player. 50 years ago now. Still love Billy. Fortunate to see him in concert, best concert ever. 5 encores! 🎶💙🎶💙

his signature song, and his live performances at Shea Stadium and the tribute when he was presented the Kennedy Center Honors are priceless performances.

"Man, what are YOU doing here?" What a great, pithy, almost venomous line. Billy knew he had the goods! When would the world realize it? As perfect a song as ever could be. 💗💗💗

The lyric is even more genius, because it is "Son, can you play me a *memory*. I'm not really sure how it goes; but it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete when I wore a younger man's clothes."

@BigNews2021

11 ай бұрын

My favorite verse from this song.

Every song you hear from this guy will show you a different side of his artistry. Multi talented. It doesn't matter what you choose next from him, I reckon you will like it.

Billy Joel plays the harmonica too.

Well, it’s sad and it’s sweet and I knew it complete, when I wore a younger mans clothes. I can’t think of words more poignant or profound. He is such a wordsmith. ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

' Captain Jack ' live in New York is an absolute must see.

@dreamcruzer4743

2 жыл бұрын

Quite right. "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" Has always been one of my favorites.

@maryannturton9830

2 жыл бұрын

Agreed!

One of the Best songs written by a musician in lew of what he does, plays a piano.

This reminds me of folk singers like Harry Chapin-- love these songs that tell a story about everyday people.

A Masterpiece for the ages.

Such a pleasure to hear this gem again. It stands for what music does for us. Billy Joel is just a great artist.

Have seen Billy in concert twice. His shows are fantastic. For Piano Man he plays the harmonica. His songs are legendary and too numerous to mention. Thanks for your reaction.

I like the line "and he knows that it's me they've been coming to see to forget about life for awhile" Like this regular gig is yours as long as you want it. People will offer you money if you shine above average with talent.

Love the standing ovation well deserving love you

Harri Billy Joel songs "" Poetry In Motion "". What a gift to have grown up listening to Billy's music. 🎹👍😎

You know , Harri , this is the power of music 🎶 I'm an Italian-American Man , you're a Black-British Man , but WE BOTH love and connect with THIS song 🎵 and THAT makes US Brothers

Lullaby (Goodnight My Angel) will tear you apart if you are a parent or were. Billy Joel was/is a genius.

One of his best

Your listening skills are incredible. The lyrics are so meaningful. You actually LISTEN.

One of the greatest songs ever written.

Billy Joel was a piano man before he became one of the best composers and singers of music. Piano men in that era were in most communities. It was a wonderful feeling of togetherness that you got from there presence.

Best bar song ever

You my friend have the most accurate and intelligent reaction to this song ,compared to the others who have reacted that I've heard who didn't have a clue about the sadness of this song....for this I subscribed to your channel.

Billy Joel Keeping The Faith

I think this is my favorite Billy Joel song. His voice is so clear. I hear every word. It bothers me when I hear a song and can't understand the words. Billy is perfection. I'm glad you listened to him. Another favorite of mine is by Aerosmith, "Dream On". I think you'd love it too.

Billy Joel is a genius.

This is a song that makes you picture the bar and the occupants he describes. You don't just listen you also experience.

"Captain Jack." I dunno if you can get thru that one Harri; you've an abundance of compassion and the lyrics will devastate you!

Two of his best thought provoking songs are "And So It Goes" and "Goodnight Saigon."

Early in his career Billy Joel played piano in bars just like this in Los Angeles. That experience provided inspiration for this song.

He had a ton of great songs. Most of my classmates in the 80's weren't very interested, but I loved "I Love You Just The Way You Are", "You May Be Right, I May Be Crazy", "The Longest Time", "She's Always a Woman", "My Life", "IT'S STILL ROCK AND ROLL TO ME", "Honesty". And, He held on to Christy Brinkley for a long time, so He had something going on.

@theodoreritola9758

2 жыл бұрын

My life and this song were from the 70s ,, and shes all ways a woman was 1978

@kylesummers1565

2 жыл бұрын

@@theodoreritola9758 Touché, but I graduated in 84, so my classmates encompassed the 70s and 80s. They were mostly either all "groove", all "country", or all "rock" (a little ALT/Techno, but that was really just getting started, and Rap was in it's infancy). BJ was an intermediary for me.

@theodoreritola9758

2 жыл бұрын

@@kylesummers1565 O OK

"Zanzibar" is another great bar/story song by Billy Joel, I recommend it over the hits everyone else plays to death.

This was inspired by Joel's experiences playing at The Executive Room, a piano bar in Los Angeles. He worked there for six months in 1972 after his first solo album, Cold Spring Harbor, tanked. The characters in the song are based on real people Joel encountered while working at The Executive Room. The "waitress practicing politics" is Elizabeth Weber, who ended up becoming his first wife when Joel married her in 1973 (they divorced in 1982). Joel played under the name Bill Martin, which explains why the patrons in the song call him Bill. Martin is his middle name.

@mtnvalley9298

2 жыл бұрын

thanks!

@joelliebler5690

2 жыл бұрын

It only sank because the producer recorded the album at the wrong speed otherwise some of his best tunes are on that album and when it was re-recorded decade or 2 later that became evident!

he brings real life to his songs.

another great song is tomorrow is today.

Friday and Saturday night in the bars of America, hundred's of life's story's and a thousand dreams and wishes, some fulfilled and others dashed.

👉 ... " - Fantastic !!! " ... 👈

no doubt that billy is 1 of the goats, brilliant lyrics served with soul

Wow it has been decades since I have heard this song thank you very much for your awesome reaction.

We Didn’t Start the Fire is worth a listen, he has many great songs.

Thanks for reacting to my all time favorite, Billy Joel. The man is a genius with his words as well as his music. He loves all types of music and it shows in his eclectic catalog. Check out New York State of Mind, Goodnight Saigon, For the Longest time and so many more.

@oldermusiclover

2 жыл бұрын

mine will always be The Longest Time such wonderful harmonies

@dasy2k1

10 ай бұрын

The lyrics of the entertainer are some of the best. Complete 2 fingers at the music industry which makes it even better

My Life is another great song.

The Stranger, Goodnight Saigon and Allentown are all more serious well written songs.

Love me some Billy Joel! His catalogue is fantastic! Some highlights of his include "Uptown Girl", "The Longest Time", "New York State of Mind", "Only the Good Die Young", and "Just the Way You Are". There are a lot more, but to keep this post short, I'll stop it there.

Watch one of his last live performances, the crowd sings the chorus back to him…very, very moving indeed. Billy gets very emotional…

Life is lived out in quiet desperation. 🎶Hey Mr Tambourine Man, play a song for me. I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to..🎶

Wow, standing "O". I Agee, well deserved. However, I first heard this song in college in 1974 or 1975. Enjoyed it for many years.

The first time I saw Billy Joel, was back in the early 70's at the Baltimore Civic Center. He was an unheard of opening act, (the crowd Loved him) and he blew us away. He was opening for an act named Alice Cooper... The whole show was great ! Plus one of my friends might of brought some LSD... it was the 70's after all. lol

So many brilliant lines in this song. Wonderful storytelling.

"Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" is another absolute great song.

@bemused9522

2 жыл бұрын

YES!!!! My favorite!

@ZacCostilla

2 жыл бұрын

It’s Billy Joel’s personal favorite that he wrote and performed.

If I never hear this song again, it will be too soon...

Like when you stand up for an ovation. Shows you appreciate the music or lyrics

Did you know he plays the harmonica and the piano at the same time when he does this live . I don’t know anyone else that can do that

Nice! Billy Joel has had over 30 top 40 hits and so many amazing songs. Try River of Dreams, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, Pressure, Keeping the Faith,, Honesty, We Didn't Start the Fire, just a few to get you started.

This is billy joels best song

I just saw him perform a few weeks ago. He sounds just as good. This song still hits as hard as it always did.

Billy Joel’s I love you just the way you are is to me the most beautiful love song ever written. I hope you will react to that.

In my youth I can remember going up to the lead singer and asking, "What are YOU doing here?" I was in my cups at the time.