There are plenty of twists and turns in the compelling new HBOMax documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes (seen in Canada on Crave). We learn that things very nearly took a tragic turn early for the multi-Grammy award winning singer-songwriter entertainer. He tried to take his own life, for example, before breaking through in music, after an aborted love affair with his best friend’s girl. (Spoiler alert: Joel lived; the two men are friends again; the woman later became Joel’s first wife and manager.)
Joel dropped out of high school before graduating (as he jokes in the doc, he picked Columbia Records over Columbia University). He signed a recording contract that was so unfavourable and punative his first record producer, Artie Ripp, was the only one getting rich from his records.
Finally, Joel’s luck changed. Starting with 1977’s “The Stranger,” Joel enjoyed a run of three straight “Record of the Year” worthy albums (“52nd Street” and “Glass Houses” being the other two). By this point, “Piano Man,” “Just the Way You Are,” “Big Shot,” “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” and “You May Be Right,” were all Top-10 hits.
The documentary follows a fairly linear pattern, with Bruce Springsteen and, briefly, Paul McCartney, among the famous talking heads. McCartney does his requisite endorsement bit, this time declaring, “If I could have written one other song, it would have been ‘Just The Way You Are.'” His “one other song” for Elton John, as stated in an earlier doc, was “God Only Knows.”
What stood out for me is fairly obvious: Joel’s agility on the keyboard. Don’t confuse him with Elton John he says, demonstrating how Elton generally pounds out chords a la “Benny and the Jets,” whereas Joel, who studied classical works, is a “five fingers” man.
The other is how incredibly literal Joel’s lyrics are. Okay, we get that second wife Christie Brinkley — featured in Episode Two — was his “Uptown Girl.” But pretty much every damn song he ever wrote was about someone or something very specific. Back between record contracts when he was forced to play under another name, Joel really was that Piano Man. “John at the bar,” for example, really was a friend of his; Davy really was in the navy; and the waitress — wife-to-be Elizabeth Weber — really was practicing politics.
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Weber, who Joel was singing about in “Only a Woman,” might have “cut like a knife” as his very capable business manager, but she wasn’t mean and nasty at home; that’s why she was “only a woman to me.”
We learn why Joel and Weber eventually split (Joel is now married to his fourth wife, equestrian Alexis Roderick). Weber remains on friendly terms and is a remarkably effective and fair talking head in the documentary — especially considering her brother, who took over much of Joel’s career management, is the villian in Part Two of the story. All four of Joel’s wives, in fact, sit for the documentary. They share in the ups and downs as well as the way, way downs as Joel struggles with fame, lost fortunes and substance abuse.
Bottom line, you will come away with a renewed love of Joel’s music, and, despite all his flaws, of the musician himself. His grasp of both words and music is astounding. The evidence is on full display as seen in clips showing sold-out crowds in venues such as Madison Square Garden singing along to lyrics penned as long as 50 years ago.
You will also be impressed with Joel, a tough yet sensitive kid from Hicksville, NY who, on the doorstep to real fame and success stayed loyal to his rag tag band of Long Island-bred musicians. Joel even turned down a chance to be produced by The Beatles famed studio boss George Martin in order to keep playing with his gang. They have gone through a lot of rock ‘n’ roll excess together, with drummer Liberty De Vitto a reliable eye-witness.
As for Joel himself, there appears to be good news following an announcement in May that he was cancelling all scheduled concert tours. The 76-year-old was diagnosed with normal pressure hydroceohalus (once known as water on the brain). He tells Bill Maher in a new episode of the podcast Club Random that he responded well to therapy and is recovering. Hopefully Billy Joel: And So It Goes comes during a pause and not at the end of a Hall of Fame career.
Directed by Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin and executive produced by Tom Hanks, Sean Hayes and others, Part 2 of the HBO Max documentary premieres Friday, July 25.
