The one Billy Joel song that made Paul McCartney jealous
Exploring the relationship between Billy Joel and Paul McCartney, plus the song which the former Beatle said he wishes he wrote by the New Yorker.
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Music » From The Vault
Thu 13 February 2025 17:19, UK
Even though heâs now in his 80s, Paul McCartneyâs creative spirit still burns bright and retirement is off the table. While heâs already carved out a repertoire of material that has ensured his name will be inked into the skin of music forever, McCartneyâs never allowed money to cloud his vision or quest for penning his next great song.
Artistry is more than a job to McCartney; itâs his everything. Since he met John Lennon as a teenager and formed the most dynamic songwriting partnership in rock history, McCartneyâs life has revolved around his mission to master his craft. Despite having countless achievements to his name, many of which will never be beaten in the next 100 years, he refuses to rest on his laurels.
Like many great artists, McCartney also has a competitive streak that runs through his veins. While plentiful negative connotations are attached to this phrase, it doesnât always have to be that way. Conversely, this trait can manifest positively. For example, if it wasnât for The Beatlesâ minds exploding upon hearing The Beach Boysâ Pet Sounds, theyâd never have been compelled to create Sgt Pepperâs Loney Hearts Club Band.
As much as they can try, songwriters canât help themselves from allowing their hearts to pang with jealousy upon hearing a track they wish belonged to them. Therefore, despite the rich catalogue of tracks in his canon, there are a few more that McCartney wishes he could call his own, including one by Billy Joel.
Little did McCartney know it at the time, but he played a pivotal role in Billy Joelâs decision to pursue a career in music. When The Beatles made their famous debut on US television in 1964 on the Ed OâSullivan Show, Joel was a teenager who became transfixed by the spectacle on his screen. While they were from a different side of the world, they fluently spoke his language.
âThat one performance changed my life,â Joel once recalled. âUp to that moment, Iâd never considered playing rock as a career. And when I saw four guys who didnât look like theyâd come out of the Hollywood star mill, who played their own songs and instruments, and especially because you could see this look in John Lennonâs face â and he looked like he was always saying: âFuck you!â â I said: âI know these guys, I can relate to these guys, I am these guys. This is what Iâm going to do â play in a rock bandâ.â
From that moment, Joel never looked back and immersed himself in the New York music scene. Remarkably, for a few years, it looked like Joelâs career would never take off, but his work finally caught the attention of Artie Ripp, who helped him become a star. While his first four albums didnât particularly trouble the charts, Billy Joelâs trajectory changed in 1977 thanks to his single, âJust The Way You Areâ.
The love song was penned as an ode to his first wife, Elizabeth, and struck a chord with McCartney, who named it one of the tracks he wished he had written. The former Beatle said in the Club Sandwich newsletter in 1994: âI donât really want to have written anyone elseâs songs, but, as a fantasy question, I love âStardustâ, by Hoagy Carmichael and Mitchell Parish. Itâs a beautiful song. And I remember thinking that Billy Joelâs first hit, âJust The Way You Areâ, was a nice song, Iâd like to have written that one too. âStardustâ first, though.â He added: âBut when it comes down to it, the truth is that I feel so lucky at what Iâve done⊠if I ever start listing them: âThe Long And Winding Roadâ, âThe Fool On The Hillâ⊠itâs difficult to take it all in.â
Despite the track being Joelâs first major hit, the musician held mixed feelings towards the song for many years because of his divorce from Elizabeth in 1982. âEvery time I wrote a song for a person I was in a relationship with, it didnât last,â he said. âIt was kind of like the curse. Hereâs your song â we might as well say goodbye now.â
Although Joel labelled âJust The Way You Areâ a curse, his songwriting capabilities proved strong enough to prove he was more than a one-hit wonder. Nevertheless, it remains one of his most beloved efforts, and McCartneyâs high praise illustrates why itâs so beloved.
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