Billy Joel Revealed The Baffling Reason He Quit Songwriting Despite Massive Success

Highlights

• Billy Joel stopped freeing albums in 1993 and swore he would not write more songs.
• Billy after all revealed he wasn't happy with the reaction to River of Dreams , regardless that the single used to be a hit and the album bought thousands and thousands of copies.
• Despite claiming he'd stop writing music, Billy works on private projects and launched a tune with any other creator in 2024.

Billy Joel remains to be in top call for more than 3 a long time after his "final" album, despite a snafu with his 100th Live at Madison Square Garden event. An accidental snub by way of CBS (because of a "network programming timing error") dissatisfied enthusiasts, however it might no longer were surprising to Billy Joel.

Though fanatics nonetheless clamor for each concert price tag that is going up on the market, Billy Joel doesn't seem that assured in himself. To this day, Joel is sure that he'll by no means be as good as he used to, and that's the reason the distinct reason why he stopped hanging out albums. Here's what we know about Joel's final album back in 1993, the real reason he stopped songwriting, and the one thing that were given him back into freeing new music — although he's no longer plotting some other album.

Billy Joel Released His Final Studio Album In 1993

After River of Dreams, Billy Joel was once adamant he was once achieved with songwriting

Even if Billy Joel hadn't time and again mentioned he used to be finished with pop music after River of Dreams, the song itself stated so. The final monitor on the album, aptly named "Famous Last Words," was very transparent about Joel's intent.

"These are the last words I have to say

Before another age goes by

With all those other songs I'll have to play

Ain't that the story of my life?"

Yet Billy didn't provide an explanation for why he didn't have any further to say, or why he so all of a sudden determined to drop out of the recreation at a stage when he used to be massively a hit.

Despite calling River of Dreams has final album, Billy did free up Fantasies & Delusions , twelve tracks of classical compositions composed by Joel himself, in 2001.

Why Billy Joel Stopped Writing Songs After His twelfth Album

Billy incessantly dodged questions on why he stopped writing music

Fortunately for Billy Joel, his song did not decline in popularity when he stopped hanging out new albums. Because he remained so well-liked and in demand, that meant the musician was once frequently asked uncomfortable questions on his profession selections.

Joel's go-to reaction when asked about why he stopped liberating albums was once generally something along the lines of it being arduous, or it being 'time.' On occasion, he would say he didn't meet his personal expectancies, essentially that he could not best himself after such a lot of hits.

Billy Joel Made An Outrageous Amount Of Money From His Madison Square Garden Residency Before His Final Concerts

With the mind-boggling amount of money Billy Joel made, it's laborious to peer why he's retiring this early from performing at the iconic venue.

But in a 2018 interview with Vulture, Billy finally admitted there was a specific scenario that made him decide to stop putting out albums, and that was once the fan response to "River of Dreams." The single used to be excellent, however as Joel famous, "Yeah, that one song was a hit, but nothing else on the album did anything."

When the incredulous journalist pressed additional, "Didn’t that album sell millions of copies?" Billy may most effective elaborate that he felt "as if the business had left [him] behind."

There are substantial songs on that album that by no means went anyplace... You paintings so arduous on your stuff and you need folks to hear it. If it doesn’t get publicity — the nature of the album layout is for that album to get disseminated and River of Dreams didn’t.

Clearly surprised, David Marchese stated, "You're crazy," sooner than asking, "How many more copies would River of Dreams have had to sell or singles would’ve needed to hit for you to keep going?"

Billy spoke back that he did not truly know, just that he had "higher expectations" for the album.

River of Dreams Sales

When his report company requested what his next album would be, Billy retorted that that used to be it. He also appeared disgruntled with his document corporate, elaborating that he still did not own his recordings as of 2018.

And glance, it’s something for those who own your recordings. I don’t. There was once intended to be a reversal of copyright again to me in 2013. Well, the document corporate dug in and were given their battery of legal professionals and we never were given the stuff again. So I nonetheless don’t own my recordings. People marvel why there’ve been such a lot of Billy Joel live albums and compilations. They’re not my concept. The report company owns all these recordings and will package them any method they want. As a ways as I’m involved, I did 12 studio albums. The reside crap and some of these compilations — they don’t imply the rest.

As for the classical composition he released, Billy said he was once taken "apart with a scalpel," but that it didn't in point of fact bother him.

The critics didn’t scare me off from releasing new subject material. I simply don’t really feel forced to proportion what I’m doing with the global. It’s for me.

Billy Joel Released A New Song In 2024 Despite "Retiring"

He would possibly not plan on a full album, however Billy Joel released a track in 2024

During a February 2024 interview with San Diego Tribune, Billy Joel had some tough questions to respond to. That's as a result of a long time after he said he was once accomplished growing new song, the artist launched a brand new pop music titled "Turn the Lights Back On." In the interview, Joel reiterated his typical excuses as to why he stopped songwriting in the first position.

I've this fear of writing something that’s no longer excellent. I've an excessively high bar for myself. And the work to get there is intimidating. I don’t need to undergo it anymore.

What modified for the pop big name was assembly Freddy Wexler, a family good friend's "kid," who was once power to the point of being impolite all over their transient lunch. Wexler prompted Joel to share his "unfinished" ideas from the '70s or '80s, and the not likely pair struck up a friendship that concerned sharing song.

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Joel in the end agreed to paintings on a song thought Freddy had, and when he recorded it in the studio, Wexler was overjoyed. Joel, on the other hand, simplest noted, "I don't hate it." That's a far cry from the one song (and cringe concert) that Billy Joel regrets, despite the fact that Billy has said many times that he doesn't like the sound of his own voice.

I don’t like my very own voice. So I most often come back and concentrate to a recording with my voice on it and I’m all the time upset that I’m singing it. I’m at all times looking to sound like someone else.

With all of his worries over his identification as a musician and how lovers will perceive him, Billy — despite being a supremely well-known artist — struggled with feeling confident sufficient in himself to take a look at new things. After all, his closing album got here out sooner than iTunes even existed.

I have in mind stressing after I would unencumber a recording. Is this going to be successful?” he stated. “What are the critics going to say? Are other people going to like it? I don’t have any of that now. I just sang a song. That’s it. If they find it irresistible, nice. If they don’t, it doesn’t imply that it isn’t excellent.

Fortunately for fans, Billy Joel will not be retired, despite his protests. But will lovers get a complete new album someday in the 2020s? Unlikely, unless Freddy Wexler can drag some more songs out of him.

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