When my daughter wanted to see him, and couldn't get any of her friends to go, i bought tickets for his show in Cleveland. The sound of 50,000 fans singing the refrain got me going. After she passed in 2007, every time I listen to this, I go back to that evening and remember a great time with my daughter.
"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." best line of the song.
im a 14 yo, and my dad used to play this in the car all the time with me when i was a baby. he still plays it til this day and we sing together everytime it comes on. amazing song.
I'm a father and I have a 9 year old daughter that I love very much and we sing along to songs too. Your comment brought tears to my eyes....thank you for sharing this.
I was once left in a room full of all teenage theatre kids. All we had was a keyboard and each other for about an hour. Someone started messing around on the keyboard and eventually came to this song. All 20 or so of us sang this together. Probably one of the best experiences in my life.
Billy is a poet who uses imagery to weave a masterpiece. Lines like "when I wore a younger man's clothes" or "the microphone smells like a beer" are expressed in such a way that any other arrangement of words could do no justice or have such a profound effect.
This song is immortal. After almost 50 years people are still coming back to it, and they will still do in 50 years time. I can't express how beautiul this work of art sounds to me.
My Grandpa played this everytime when I got back home from school and both of us will sit in the backyard and him drinking coffee and me some hot chocolate. And we both talk for hours everyday. Now his gone, and I still go to the backyard and have some hot chocolate and stare at the sunset while his chair there still beside me, and I can always feel his presence being there with me, sitting down talking to me and hugging me 😢❤️
One of my buddies died recently in a car crash. He was a freshman in HS, and this was one of his favorite songs. This song has so much emotion to it, and now even more. I don't even know what to say.
This song will touch you for the rest of your life. I love it (for many other reasons), but I am so very sorry for your loss. (And hope there are many happy songs that will remind you of your friend as well!)
@user-wb6cw3my5e you might want to change your comment because you said in English " live as long as your friend" but he is telling us that his friend just died at around age 14, so you are wishing that he dies at age 14 too ? Maybe say " may you live a longer life for your friend "
@@Izzyizzyizzy123教えていただきありがとうございます。 日本語の慣用表現なので、正しい意味で翻訳されなかったかもしれません。 正しい意味は、「友人が生きられなかった分まであなたが長生きしてください。」という意味です。 追記 上の文でも正しく翻訳されないかもしれません･･･ Google翻訳で調べたところ、「May you live longer than the remaining years your friend missed.」という表現が一番合いそうです。
I can somewhat relate to this song. I got out of the marines in September 1971. When I would stay within the rural area where I grew up, there were always people I could talk to and many of my friends who were at one time or another in the service were company. If I ventured out of my small community though people would look on me as if I had come communicable disease. I would work every day but almost every night I would close down the bars. My job eventually took me to northern Missouri where I continued my drinking. Eventually I met this wonderful woman who changed my life completely. Within nine months from our first date we were married and my years of loneliness just were a bad memory. I am 74 now and she is in the nursing home with MS and dementia. I still love her and even though she is slowly leaving me I visit her everyday.
God bless you Rob, for your service to our country and for your love and support for your wife... She was truly blessed to have such a caring husband✌🏼👍🏼
It's nine o'clock on a saturday Regular crowd shuffles in There's an old man sittin' next to me Makin' love to his tonic and gin He says: "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 La-la-la de-de da La-la de-de da da-da Sing us a song you're the piano man Sing us a song tonight Well we're all in the mood for a melody And you've got us feelin' alright Now John at the bar is a friend of mine He gets me my drinks for free And he's quick with a joke or to light up your smoke But there's someplace that he'd rather be He says Bill I believe this is killing me As a smile ran away from his face Well I'm sure that I could be a movie star If I could get out of this place Oh, la-la-la de-de da La-la de-de da da-da Now Paul is a real estate novelist Who never had time for a wife And he's talkin' with Davy who's still in the navy And probably will be for life And the waitress is practicing politics As the businessmen slowly get stoned Yes they're sharing a drink they call loneliness But it's better than drinkin' alone Sing us the song you're the piano man Sing us a song tonight Well we're all in the mood for a melody And you've got us feelin' alright It's a pretty good crowd for a saturday And the manager gives me a smile 'Cause he knows that it's me they've been comin' to see To forget about life for a while And the piano it sounds like a carnival And the microphone smells like a beer And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar And say man what are you doin' here? Oh, la-la-la de-de da La-la de-de da da-da Sing us the song you're the piano man Sing us a song tonight Well we're all in the mood for a melody And you've got us feelin' alright
In '73 I was 25 & tending bar. The night Billy is singing about played out in my lounge & in many other piano bars I'm sure. There's never been a more descriptive song about the life. Every 70s piano bar had the same clientel drift in & out. Occasionally new faces would filter through the smokey dimness. Some were there to listen to the player, others talked to their friends - often over the music. I can't tell you how many times I consoled a piano player at the end of the night, when folks didn’t pay attention. There was some real talent! Some went on to become well known, while others eventually took up some other line of work. But I got to listen over the din of the bar, while shuffling drinks to those one's who didn’t give a damn about the music, and others who were there to listen. It was a great time for music, and a good life for a bartender who didn’t drink. I banked my tips & lived off my salary. Made good money. Bought a house & met my better half. Both of us working, me at night & my dearheart during the day, meant we relished wknds together, and bar hopping was never part of the weekend's entertainment. After 20 years, I moved into a more subdued life, away from whiskey, cigarettes & endless chatter. But it was a good time, and Piano Man described it to a tee.
You write beautifully and evocatively. A career as a writer could beckon, if you care to consider it. Writing good prose, like composing good music, is rarer than one may think.
Your comment made me nostalgic of something I've never lived. Please consider writing something about your experience, I bet lots of people would enjoy it. Awesome description, thank you.
I used to hear my late grandfather always whistling this when i was younger. I never really knew what it was, but when i heard it somewhere, it just kinda clicked with me and brought me back to a simpler, more innocent time. A time where i could promise my cancer ridden grandfather that we would eat at shimp basket when he got better without understanding that i wouldnt be able to keep that promise.
This song has been in my playlist for as long as I can remember. today I was simply listening to it while doing my school work and I broke into tears. I've never really been one to cry at a song but just a few days ago my Uncle died of cancer, I had never been that close to him since he lived in a different state but, there's just something about this song that just makes me realize what he really meant to me. Thanks Billy Joel.
The old man passed away peacefully, dreaming about the better times, when he was young. John became one of the greatest movie stars to ever exist. Paul retired early, and got himself a good wife, they promised they’d grow old together. Davy eventually retired, and could finally get some time with his children, even though they were older. The waitress became one of the best politicians known to history. The business man continued with his life, and was generally happy with it, finally getting out of what was causing him pain. And the piano man…? Why, he became one of the most famous and most talented pianists in all of history, and still occasionally visits that very same bar all those years ago, just to sing this very song.
I think it's because even though it's sad, it's also about people getting together and enjoying music... even if they are just trying to escape their mundane lives.
I don't think it's sad particularly, just reflective. The people in the bar all have problems, which is sad, yes - but the song isn't about their problems, it's about how they all gather together and his music allows them to forget their problems for a while
the lyrics are legendary. With limited words, Billy sure used very right choices to tell big, emotional stories. "Son, can you play me a memory": Instead of an "old song", now of course, "memory" sound way more poetic but not only that. "Memory" refers to something really meaningful to this old man, while using other words such as "old song" seem to refer a simple song he'd like to listen to it again. "I'm not really sure how it goes" Not only this says "this man forgets a song", it also telling the story that something happened. He likes this song, so why didn't he listen to it more so he can remember how it goes? The answer is, something happened, he could not have chances to listen to it more, but he calling it a memory says how much it means to him. In this part you can picture a young man had a lover, she sang a good song to him but then he had to go to war. Now as he's an old man, he want to hear the song again "But it's sad and it's sweet, and I knew it complete" Although the man can't remember how the song sound like, he remember what it gave him. This state more the fact that this song means a lot to the old man. "When I wore a younger man's cloth" not only telling us the memory was from when he, the old man, was young, but also help stating the person the old man used to be. When talking about cloth, it seems Billy wants to talk about some special cloth like a uniform. If it's about uniform, it seems to be talking about the military uniform. with 4 lines, Billy Joel managed to tell us a whole story of a man's life
my man analyzing the song like a literature teacher I love your analysis and i think its quite accurate, it just reminded me of something a teacher would say
I used to listen to this song all the time. I bought the album with Piano Man in it and it got stolen from my desk at work. Memory is so important. With love
I love this song, me and my grandma would always sing it together, no matter who was watching, now she's on the other side... fly high grandma, I love you
I sang this song once in an Irish Pub, directly after an older gentleman had sung Hurt by Johnny Cash. I don't know why, but there was magic in that moment for me and I remember it very vividly to this day.
@@chrisrust9045the Johnny Cash version, while having the same lyrics, is played with different instruments and in a different note. So it makes sense to specify that it was Cash’s version
This past weekend I saw Billy in concert at the New Raiders Stadium in Las Vegas with 30 thousand in attendance. Thank you Thank you Billy Joel and band for a great concert and for bringing back all the memories of our youth, Loved every song and also loved to see how many 20 yr olds were at the concert and also loving all the songs and singing along. Billy your music will live for ever. Muchas Gracias for a wonderful weekend in VEGAS!!!
I went to his show last night hoping for this song I nearly cried when this song came on and when the entire audience started singing. It made my night.
Never tire of listening to this song, I think it’s because it’s about people’s failed hopes and dreams, loneliness and the power music has to create a common bond amongst people, something we can all relate too, just beautiful ❤️
Something so elegant about this song is that when Billy wrote it, he was 24. So even though you might think he understands a lot about life in this song. It’s really about looking at life in a different way/through different people. It expresses a feeling of loneliness to the listener but hope to the person that hears it. I’m not sure how to describe it.
I listen to this song the first time in a wedding when I was 7, didn’t know much besides liking the beat and the singer. Now only growing older and older I feel more about what the lyrics truly mean. I’m only 16 turning 17 and the older I get the more I understand. A true masterpiece thank you Billie Joel.
Always get goosebumps at the description of the 'cool and nice guy' John at the bar and his line "Well, I'm sure that I could be a movie star, if I could get out of this place." So human...
@@kerrysawicki4766 Totally agree with you so could I. It's the observation on life that he gets in the lyrics that makes the people in the bar seem real.
I always loved this song and more so now because I am currently in a halfway house in recovery from alcoholism and my son who is 11 just texted me and while we're talking he says "Dad guess what song is on in the car?" I said "What?" And he says Piano Man and it put the biggest smile on my face and made my day because he would always ask every time we would get in the car to go somewhere if I would put on Piano Man and I always would and will forever!! Thank you for that Kayden and thank you Billy Joel for such a beautiful and authentic song!!!
When I first herd this song, I knew it was legendary. Today it can bring me to absolute tears. I miss the old days. I miss us all, being a human being.
I'm 16. Looking back on what short part of my life I've lived it makes me realise that I shouldn't fear what's going to happen at the end, just go with what you want to do in life and don't fear anything
@XIs_aClown 100%, I used to be serious about life when I made that comment now im way less serious and more out going about everything and doing what I can whenever i can
this came out when my mom was a kid and she liked it then and passed it down to me and I grew up listening to this song.. I obviously wasn't around when this came into fruition but it still gives me big nostalgia vibes 🎹
Just thinking about my eldest son. He just filmed a commercial for Tampa Stageworks while being what he is : a beautiful piano man. I had to brag somewhere. I’m so happy all those hours at piano lessons are not wasted. He is happy, I’m happy... and we’re all in the mood for a melody... yay!
Man.. listening to this in your 40s tired from working all day, and I literally feel it everywhere, sure does hit different!! I appreciated this song one way when I was younger and now it’s on a whole different level. I know why my mom was listening to it when I was a kid. Love you mom
My grandfather was an amazing harmonica player, late one night he was leaving the bar he was playing at and got struck by a bus. Miss ya gramps, this reminds me of you!
my uncle passed away suddenly at the hands of a faulty hospital and he would play this song at every family function getting us all to get up to belt it in a circle...listening to it now will always bring tears to my eyes but it makes me feel so close to him. Love you uncle Tony
"He said ..son can you play me a memory. Not realy sure how it goes ,but it's sad and it's sweet and i knew it complete when i wore a younger mans clothes" awesome lyrics!
This hits hard in my house. My uncle would make me and my brother listen to this when we were kids. It made us pay attention to detail, how to read a room. Great classic, Mr Joel.
"He says son, can you play me a memory? I'm not really sure how it goes, But it's sad and its sweet and I knew it complete, When I wore a younger mans clothes" The most beautiful song line I've ever heard. I'm only 17 (at the time of writing this), but sometimes I feel kind of old and worn out (I'm not on drugs or anything).
this reminds me of when my dad would take me out on the sailboat to sail for the afternoon in the summer. we would sail and listen to music and this was one of the albums he had. i love this song because it reminds me when my dad and i had a healthy relationship. i miss it and i think that this song is the only way i can feel that love again.
This album came out when I was 5, I bought the cassette when I was 14 and wore it out. Now I'm in my 50's probably listening to it my thousandth time by now.
Full lyrics: It's nine o'clock on a Saturday The regular crowd shuffles in There's an old man sitting next to me Making love to his tonic and gin He says, "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." [Pre-Chorus] La la la, di da da La la, di da da da dum [Chorus] Sing us a song, you're the piano man Sing us a song tonight Well, we're all in the mood for a melody And you've got us feeling alright [Verse 2] Now John at the bar is a friend of mine He gets me my drinks for free And he's quick with a joke or to light up your smoke But there's someplace that he'd rather be He says, "Bill, I believe this is killing me." As the smile ran away from his face "Well I'm sure that I could be a movie star If I could get out of this place" [Pre-Chorus] La la la, di da da La la, di da da da dum [Verse 3] Now Paul is a real estate novelist Who never had time for a wife And he's talkin' with Davy, who's still in the Navy And probably will be for life And the waitress is practicing politics As the businessmen slowly get stoned Yes, they're sharing a drink they call loneliness But it's better than drinkin' alone [Chorus] Sing us a song, you're the piano man Sing us a song tonight Well, we're all in the mood for a melody And you've got us feeling alright [Verse 4] It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday And the manager gives me a smile ‘Cause he knows that it's me they've been comin' to see To forget about life for a while And the piano, it sounds like a carnival And the microphone smells like a beer And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar And say, "Man, what are you doin' here?" [Pre-Chorus] La la la, di da da La la, di da da da dum [Chorus] Sing us a song, you're the piano man Sing us a song tonight Well, we're all in the mood for a melody And you've got us feeling alright
this was the unofficial song of my high school graduating class; a group of us played it and sang along at every senior event :-) for how long it took me to complete high school and how few friends i had up until senior year, im glad i have a great song like this as one of my fondest memories of that time
My dad used to play the harmonica and sing along to this song when I was still pretty young and didn't really appreciate the purity of this and many other songs too. Arlo Guthrie was one of the other artists he was obsessed with. Specifically the 1969 Woodstock VHS. It's one of only a small number of mostly pleasant memories I have that don't include chaos. He isn't gone yet, and despite that fact, I just can't make myself reach out to a man who gave up on me, and ultimately my mother and brothers too. I sure wasn't an easy or cooperative son though either. But I saw him stand by my brother's when they still lived at home and by the time I was the last kid left, he immediately found himself an excuse to abandon us in one of darkest times of my life. I don't know why I'm even writing this comment since it serves only to bring up the horrible memories very vividly. Whatever though.... Not like it would make any difference.
I was only 16 when I decided to leave home and study abroad. My parents had me when they were about 40 and I grew up as an only child, it must have been a heart-breaking for them to accept the fact that their only child would live in the different parts of the world for the next seven years. I still vividly remember chilly summer back in 2009 and my mum came all the way from Korea to see me in Europe for the first time and this is the song my iPod played after I said good bye to my mum at the airport. This song hits me differently every time I listen to it...
Man I can relate this song to a lot of things. I lost my mom covid, my first love, and my best friend from possibly suicide. This sucks. Play me a song, piano man, sing us a song tonight. We're all in the mood for a memory. And you've got us feeling alright ❤😪.
My cat died in 2013 from FIP at the age of 1, this was the first song I heard after he died. Anytime anything sad happens to me, or my family, this is the song I'll play.
When my daughter wanted to see him, and couldn't get any of her friends to go, i bought tickets for his show in Cleveland. The sound of 50,000 fans singing the refrain got me going. After she passed in 2007, every time I listen to this, I go back to that evening and remember a great time with my daughter.
Cute story
@Ethan Benson Thank you!
GOD bless you. My deepest condolences.
@@kellyj4799 "cute" story. SMH
@@alexkouvolo2477 i'm sorry...
"They're sharing a drink they call loneliness, but it's better than drinking alone" best lyric of all time
Concordo!!!
My favorite lyric is "It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday"
“As a smile ran away from his face” is probably my favorite
@@kamaelea4060he said bill I believe this is killing me
Mine is Paul is a real estate novelist. Can you guess why 😂
What I love about this song is the fact that you can visualize it, it tells you a story. That’s real music.
Hell yea
Hell yeah
hell yea
Hell yea
Hell yeah brother. Greetings from Iraq
"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." best line of the song.
i thought it said undermans clothes like underwear bruh
@@SidewaysNoob6268 lol
It’s classic, but so is my favorite; there’s an old man sitting next to me making love to his tonic and gin.
@@SidewaysNoob6268 i also heard "the underman" at first lol
If he knew it complete, I guarantee you he knows how it goes.
im a 14 yo, and my dad used to play this in the car all the time with me when i was a baby. he still plays it til this day and we sing together everytime it comes on. amazing song.
I'm a father and I have a 9 year old daughter that I love very much and we sing along to songs too. Your comment brought tears to my eyes....thank you for sharing this.
Your dad is raising you right
@@kaylarobbins9204 ummm I’m 45
@@Izzyizzyizzy123they were responding to Lyla
You understand, and that’s so damn important. Thank you for not rejecting it.
The harmonica opening might be one of the greatest things I've ever heard in my life.
Ive been playing it all around my school campus. I am a god to those people.
Lol I don’t think he knows this song is a meme
btw i meant i play it on my harmonica.
Very close to the music of "The Times They Are a-Changin" by DYLAN
Same here
Imagine you're just chillin in a bar and the singer just starts singing about your personal life
I'd love that
pp the clown incredible comment
In front of everyone else!
Imagine all the people
@Elenhith haha Cheers
This song gives me nostalgia and sadness for something I wasn't ever alive for
Facts
Fr
❤
nigga...same. 💔
Anemoia is apparently what you call such a feeling...
"Sing us a song, you're the piano man!"
The Piano Man: "You can't tell me who to be!" *grabs harmonica*
Lol here before this blows up and was also first like 😂
@@marymazzanti2073 i guess it didn't blow up
Ur 100th comment like
LOL
340th like
This song hits you differently as you get older.
Yeah I remember like 3 years ago this song being a meme
fr when I first heard this song I was like 13 and didn't really see the hype around it now I'm 19 and hits way harder now.
I'm actually 14 and this song hits me everytime i hear it, it is just magnific...
@@tainzualol4616 then imagine how hard it'll hit when you're 19
considering i heard this when i was like idk 5 and now im gonna be 20 soon and now it makes me cry yea it really does
You've heard of Elf on the Shelf, now get ready for Davy who's still in the Navy
Ahhhhhhhhh I see
MMMMMMM
Indubitable
And probably will be for life :(
very good!! that made me laugh, well done
Billy Joel's "Piano Man", best known for its harmonica
Ironic, isn't it?
What? Here I thought it was best known for its piano! My bad. LOL!
And for that frog that jumped off the bridge...
Wonton lmao Ikr I can actually play this
Just brilliant pure brillance
I was once left in a room full of all teenage theatre kids. All we had was a keyboard and each other for about an hour. Someone started messing around on the keyboard and eventually came to this song. All 20 or so of us sang this together. Probably one of the best experiences in my life.
>theatre kids
Sounds about right
I looove this!!
"Well, I'm sure that I could be a movie star,
If I could get out of this place."
(Sounds just like theater kids to me.)
lit
I’ve had a experience like that but it was with hey Jude by the Beatles.
Billy is a poet who uses imagery to weave a masterpiece. Lines like "when I wore a younger man's clothes" or "the microphone smells like a beer" are expressed in such a way that any other arrangement of words could do no justice or have such a profound effect.
Thanks professor, you made it sound really boring!
Well put
If my kid doesn't like Billy Joel it ain't mine
"It"😭😭
💀
For a song called “piano man” the guy with the harmonica sure won’t shut up.
To be fair he's also the guy with the piano
From the tiktok
@@psychedelicanxiety8011 silence, tiktoker. you don’t have freedom of speech.
@@TheDiggity42 I don’t even have tiktok... someone sent it to me on insta
@@psychedelicanxiety8011 it’s getting worse
This song is immortal. After almost 50 years people are still coming back to it, and they will still do in 50 years time.
I can't express how beautiul this work of art sounds to me.
Holy shit you're right almost 50 years...
Wait 50 years? I’m only in highschool!
Dang, 50 years…
@@toybonniesfm - 1973! The song doesn’t even sound 49 years old though.
And the people described in it are people you could still meet nowadays at a place like that.
In 50 years we might be all dead
My Grandpa played this everytime when I got back home from school and both of us will sit in the backyard and him drinking coffee and me some hot chocolate. And we both talk for hours everyday. Now his gone, and I still go to the backyard and have some hot chocolate and stare at the sunset while his chair there still beside me, and I can always feel his presence being there with me, sitting down talking to me and hugging me 😢❤️
my deepest condolences for your grandpa, he must've been an amazing man
@@itsprobablyrobin he was. Thank you 🙏❤️
I am very sorry for your loss. Your grandfather sounds so nice and wonderful. God bless you and your family. ❤️😊❤️
@@marymazzanti2073 he was. Thank you ❤️🙏 God bless you too
I am crying right now❤️✨ amazing grandpa
One of my buddies died recently in a car crash. He was a freshman in HS, and this was one of his favorite songs. This song has so much emotion to it, and now even more. I don't even know what to say.
This song will touch you for the rest of your life. I love it (for many other reasons), but I am so very sorry for your loss. (And hope there are many happy songs that will remind you of your friend as well!)
My sincere sympathies.
それは悲しいですね･･･
ぜひともあなたはご友人の分まで長生きしてください。そして、たまにはこの曲を聴いて、ご友人との思い出に馳せてみてください。それがご友人への一番の供養になると思います。
@user-wb6cw3my5e you might want to change your comment because you said in English " live as long as your friend" but he is telling us that his friend just died at around age 14, so you are wishing that he dies at age 14 too ? Maybe say " may you live a longer life for your friend "
@@Izzyizzyizzy123教えていただきありがとうございます。
日本語の慣用表現なので、正しい意味で翻訳されなかったかもしれません。
正しい意味は、「友人が生きられなかった分まであなたが長生きしてください。」という意味です。
追記
上の文でも正しく翻訳されないかもしれません･･･
Google翻訳で調べたところ、「May you live longer than the remaining years your friend missed.」という表現が一番合いそうです。
I can somewhat relate to this song. I got out of the marines in September 1971. When I would stay within the rural area where I grew up, there were always people I could talk to and many of my friends who were at one time or another in the service were company. If I ventured out of my small community though people would look on me as if I had come communicable disease. I would work every day but almost every night I would close down the bars. My job eventually took me to northern Missouri where I continued my drinking. Eventually I met this wonderful woman who changed my life completely. Within nine months from our first date we were married and my years of loneliness just were a bad memory. I am 74 now and she is in the nursing home with MS and dementia. I still love her and even though she is slowly leaving me I visit her everyday.
Your story goes from heart breaking to heart warming back again to heart breaking. I wish you and your wife the best. Make the most of it
@@debesgod1403 Thank you. I have no choice. You would be surprised how many husbands or wives every day visit their spouse in the nursing home.
@@robertlytle9752how have you been Rob?
I wonder as well. It has been 4 years. How are you Rob? Is your wife still around?
God bless you Rob, for your service to our country and for your love and support for your wife... She was truly blessed to have such a caring husband✌🏼👍🏼
It's nine o'clock on a saturday
Regular crowd shuffles in
There's an old man sittin' next to me
Makin' love to his tonic and gin
He says: "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
La-la-la de-de da
La-la de-de da da-da
Sing us a song you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feelin' alright
Now John at the bar is a friend of mine
He gets me my drinks for free
And he's quick with a joke or to light up your smoke
But there's someplace that he'd rather be
He says Bill I believe this is killing me
As a smile ran away from his face
Well I'm sure that I could be a movie star
If I could get out of this place
Oh, la-la-la de-de da
La-la de-de da da-da
Now Paul is a real estate novelist
Who never had time for a wife
And he's talkin' with Davy who's still in the navy
And probably will be for life
And the waitress is practicing politics
As the businessmen slowly get stoned
Yes they're sharing a drink they call loneliness
But it's better than drinkin' alone
Sing us the song you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feelin' alright
It's a pretty good crowd for a saturday
And the manager gives me a smile
'Cause he knows that it's me they've been comin' to see
To forget about life for a while
And the piano it sounds like a carnival
And the microphone smells like a beer
And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar
And say man what are you doin' here?
Oh, la-la-la de-de da
La-la de-de da da-da
Sing us the song you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feelin' alright
Mdgoswap
Thanks
Everyone sing-a-long!
thanks for sharing the lyrics....It helps me to sing along
Thank you my guy
Who also gets the uncontrollable urge to cry whenever they hear this
Meet Billy Joel's music
@chakur25 yes
Yeah...
Grow a pair, dude.
Well, I'm not a pussy, so... Not me.
I really do believe that Billy Joel has a gift from God. His music lifts the soul as well as a prayer.
Well said!
When I get drafted for ww3 I’ll tell y’all if Davy is still in the navy
Lol, please do
Thk
Also ask him if he’ll be in there for life
Thanks, I was beginning to worry.
Bro, I seriously doubt Davy in the navy would still be alive, this is a pretty old song lol
yes they're sharing a drink that's called lonelyness, but its better than drinking alone. - man that hit me
Ricarda Götte who’s I just saw your like go up by one and it wasn’t me who liked it...
Joe Rousseau that’s kinda cute and creepy at the same time
Lil Wolf Tv honestly tho it was more creepy than cute tho
Joe Rousseau lol
Lyrics video of this masterpiece ua-cam.com/video/ZrNfjmtghCI/v-deo.html
ビリー・ジョエル❗素晴らしいピアノと歌声☺️この歌も、聴く度に辛い時も力になり、何時の間にか幸せな気持ちになります❤
In '73 I was 25 & tending bar. The night Billy is singing about played out in my lounge & in many other piano bars I'm sure. There's never been a more descriptive song about the life. Every 70s piano bar had the same clientel drift in & out. Occasionally new faces would filter through the smokey dimness. Some were there to listen to the player, others talked to their friends - often over the music. I can't tell you how many times I consoled a piano player at the end of the night, when folks didn’t pay attention. There was some real talent!
Some went on to become well known, while others eventually took up some other line of work. But I got to listen over the din of the bar, while shuffling drinks to those one's who didn’t give a damn about the music, and others who were there to listen.
It was a great time for music, and a good life for a bartender who didn’t drink. I banked my tips & lived off my salary. Made good money. Bought a house & met my better half. Both of us working, me at night & my dearheart during the day, meant we relished wknds together, and bar hopping was never part of the weekend's entertainment. After 20 years, I moved into a more subdued life, away from whiskey, cigarettes & endless chatter. But it was a good time, and Piano Man described it to a tee.
Great comment. Good stuff. God bless.
The best explanation of where this song came from that I've ever read. Thanks
You write beautifully and evocatively. A career as a writer could beckon, if you care to consider it. Writing good prose, like composing good music, is rarer than one may think.
Your comment made me nostalgic of something I've never lived. Please consider writing something about your experience, I bet lots of people would enjoy it. Awesome description, thank you.
Did you spring for the deep pile carpet, and a couple of paintings from sears?
I used to hear my late grandfather always whistling this when i was younger. I never really knew what it was, but when i heard it somewhere, it just kinda clicked with me and brought me back to a simpler, more innocent time. A time where i could promise my cancer ridden grandfather that we would eat at shimp basket when he got better without understanding that i wouldnt be able to keep that promise.
same
He's eating a shrimp basket up in heaven
Just removed my hat man...this took my breath away
I’m so sorry for your loss!
❤❤❤
This song has been in my playlist for as long as I can remember. today I was simply listening to it while doing my school work and I broke into tears. I've never really been one to cry at a song but just a few days ago my Uncle died of cancer, I had never been that close to him since he lived in a different state but, there's just something about this song that just makes me realize what he really meant to me. Thanks Billy Joel.
sorry for your loss :~(
The old man passed away peacefully, dreaming about the better times, when he was young.
John became one of the greatest movie stars to ever exist.
Paul retired early, and got himself a good wife, they promised they’d grow old together.
Davy eventually retired, and could finally get some time with his children, even though they were older.
The waitress became one of the best politicians known to history.
The business man continued with his life, and was generally happy with it, finally getting out of what was causing him pain.
And the piano man…? Why, he became one of the most famous and most talented pianists in all of history, and still occasionally visits that very same bar all those years ago, just to sing this very song.
I like the intro, the lyrics, the whole song, it's a song that reflects someone's life.
[Good Ending]
And the piano man switched to the harmonica and lived happily ever after
The old man's happy ending is DYING? Feels like he got the short end of the stick there.
THANK YOU! I NEEDED CLOSURE
2:13 this line always gets to me
literally
This is a sad song but it makes me feel happy, it's weird. Love this song
+Trym Helleland it is. Listen to the lyrics
I think it's because even though it's sad, it's also about people getting together and enjoying music... even if they are just trying to escape their mundane lives.
I don't think it's sad particularly, just reflective. The people in the bar all have problems, which is sad, yes - but the song isn't about their problems, it's about how they all gather together and his music allows them to forget their problems for a while
Same, I don't know why I like it. Actually I have never heared it before, but I heared it some days ago and I'm in love with the song ❤️
Knock knock
Knock
On
heaven sdoot
I once owned a bar, and I would open every single day with this song.
Why didn’t you open with the Cheers theme? 😂😂😂
i would be there everyday xD
Did you open at 9:00 on a Saturday?
@@diitrii and did the regular crowd shuffle in?
Cheers to you sir.
Thanks dad. This song rules because I loved listening to it with you👍
the lyrics are legendary. With limited words, Billy sure used very right choices to tell big, emotional stories.
"Son, can you play me a memory": Instead of an "old song", now of course, "memory" sound way more poetic but not only that. "Memory" refers to something really meaningful to this old man, while using other words such as "old song" seem to refer a simple song he'd like to listen to it again.
"I'm not really sure how it goes" Not only this says "this man forgets a song", it also telling the story that something happened. He likes this song, so why didn't he listen to it more so he can remember how it goes? The answer is, something happened, he could not have chances to listen to it more, but he calling it a memory says how much it means to him. In this part you can picture a young man had a lover, she sang a good song to him but then he had to go to war. Now as he's an old man, he want to hear the song again
"But it's sad and it's sweet, and I knew it complete" Although the man can't remember how the song sound like, he remember what it gave him. This state more the fact that this song means a lot to the old man.
"When I wore a younger man's cloth" not only telling us the memory was from when he, the old man, was young, but also help stating the person the old man used to be. When talking about cloth, it seems Billy wants to talk about some special cloth like a uniform. If it's about uniform, it seems to be talking about the military uniform.
with 4 lines, Billy Joel managed to tell us a whole story of a man's life
my man analyzing the song like a literature teacher
I love your analysis and i think its quite accurate, it just reminded me of something a teacher would say
Real💀
I used to listen to this song all the time. I bought the album with Piano Man in it and it got stolen from my desk at work. Memory is so important. With love
Fr
I love this song, me and my grandma would always sing it together, no matter who was watching, now she's on the other side... fly high grandma, I love you
Im sorry
I sang this song once in an Irish Pub, directly after an older gentleman had sung Hurt by Johnny Cash. I don't know why, but there was magic in that moment for me and I remember it very vividly to this day.
Song originally by Nine Inch Nails.
@@chrisrust9045the Johnny Cash version, while having the same lyrics, is played with different instruments and in a different note. So it makes sense to specify that it was Cash’s version
That's a hell of an emotional combo right there.
I miss when music would make me picture the story being told like a great book
I’m Japanese boy. I listen to this song every day to study English.
Nice man
I hope your studies are successful! English is a very hard language to learn.
good for you pal
yroshim4 nalgasaki!!!
Hope youre fluent now know im hella late God bless
This past weekend I saw Billy in concert at the New Raiders Stadium in Las Vegas with 30 thousand in attendance. Thank you Thank you Billy Joel and band for a great concert and for bringing back all the memories of our youth, Loved every song and also loved to see how many 20 yr olds were at the concert and also loving all the songs and singing along. Billy your music will live for ever. Muchas Gracias for a wonderful weekend in VEGAS!!!
So he played this song? You just don't say. I guess so.
I am only 13 and remember my dad playing his music when I was only a few years old. I plan on doing the same for my kids.
I went to his show last night hoping for this song I nearly cried when this song came on and when the entire audience started singing. It made my night.
Elton John: rocket man
Billy Joel: piano man
Beatles: tax man
And Tambourine man😂
Bob Dylan: Tambourine Man
bowie: starman
Also Egg man for the Beatles
Marvin gaye: Trouble man
Bread: Guitar man
いつのまにか大好きな曲の一曲になっていた、ビリージョエルの歌いっぷりが気持いいハープもいい感じで入ってくる。
Never tire of listening to this song, I think it’s because it’s about people’s failed hopes and dreams, loneliness and the power music has to create a common bond amongst people, something we can all relate too, just beautiful ❤️
Best kiss of my life while Billy Joel was singing this song.
Barbara Berry I didn’t know you could sum this song up but you just did
Billy Joel makes music that makes you remember what it means to be human.
He does
Something so elegant about this song is that when Billy wrote it, he was 24. So even though you might think he understands a lot about life in this song. It’s really about looking at life in a different way/through different people. It expresses a feeling of loneliness to the listener but hope to the person that hears it. I’m not sure how to describe it.
I listen to this song the first time in a wedding when I was 7, didn’t know much besides liking the beat and the singer. Now only growing older and older I feel more about what the lyrics truly mean. I’m only 16 turning 17 and the older I get the more I understand. A true masterpiece thank you Billie Joel.
Amen, only the good die young... another stunner
Same bruv
“We are all in the mood for a Melody and you got us feeling alright!” Such an awesome song. I love it, always have.
Scrolled to this comment right when he sang this part
Comet is going to hit Earth
Listened to it as I read this.
@@logosdev Same!
@@AmeliaC-e8o still a good song 2 years later
Always get goosebumps at the description of the 'cool and nice guy' John at the bar and his line "Well, I'm sure that I could be a movie star, if I could get out of this place." So human...
He not just wants to get out of there and be a movie star, he about cries as he says this is "killing me" as his smile fades away.
Never tire of hearing this. Its a beautiful song.
me neither
Me too, found this song and Billy Joel as a young woman. Still love his music, truly a poet as well as musician!
I could listen to this song over and over and over and over. Amazing song. I love it
@@kerrysawicki4766 Totally agree with you so could I. It's the observation on life that he gets in the lyrics that makes the people in the bar seem real.
my grandpa met joel before he was famous!! if you don't believe it, neither do I but I want to!!
What years is that?
@@figidor9771 i don't know. probably the 1950s when my grandpa was still a child
This song genuinely makes me cry. Anyone else?
yes lets cry 😢😂😭😥😥😅😰😪 tell me when you want to stop and we will stop
feel ya
@@wendellcotham689 😂
No, but it fills my heart with joy and amazing memories.
To everyone reading, live a good life knowing that the 80-90’s are still good.
Been listening to this since 1973 and will do forever.
I always loved this song and more so now because I am currently in a halfway house in recovery from alcoholism and my son who is 11 just texted me and while we're talking he says "Dad guess what song is on in the car?" I said "What?" And he says Piano Man and it put the biggest smile on my face and made my day because he would always ask every time we would get in the car to go somewhere if I would put on Piano Man and I always would and will forever!! Thank you for that Kayden and thank you Billy Joel for such a beautiful and authentic song!!!
i bless you and your family. much love.
My husband knows I'm lit when I break out in random with "SING US A SONG YOU'RE THE PIANO MAN!" Bless him for putting up with me and this great music
When I first herd this song, I knew it was legendary. Today it can bring me to absolute tears. I miss the old days. I miss us all, being a human being.
For real.
my pet fly died while listening to this song, he was so young, I will never forget that fly swatter
Omg I’m so sorry for your loss man I know it’s hard losing a pet you loved so much it’s a hard thing to get over but trust me you will be better soon😥
R.I.P. 😔 😔 😔
Are you okay man? The sadness you must be going through... I'm so sorry. Losing a pet you loved so much is so heartbreaking... Coping must be hard. 😭
@@carolh5501 I know poor guy😭
@@carolh5501 I lost a pet egg last night dropped it on the ground by accident you will be missed eggward
Being here in November and reading all these comments sureeeeeeee is overwhelming enough to make me cry for a reason I don't know 😭❤️
Indeed
I'm 16. Looking back on what short part of my life I've lived it makes me realise that I shouldn't fear what's going to happen at the end, just go with what you want to do in life and don't fear anything
How is it officially being an adult now? Song still feel the same?
@XIs_aClown 100%, I used to be serious about life when I made that comment now im way less serious and more out going about everything and doing what I can whenever i can
@@samuel9272 even though i don’t know you i’m glad you let loose to enjoy life more :)
A classic! One of the best all time songs...
Piano this, harmonica that, we as a society need to appreciate that bass.
Easily among the most memorable tunes written in all of pop music. Brilliant on all levels. Never get tired of the original.
this came out when my mom was a kid and she liked it then and passed it down to me and I grew up listening to this song.. I obviously wasn't around when this came into fruition but it still gives me big nostalgia vibes 🎹
What a voice. What a great reminder of what a talented person can do and how powerful it is.
Just thinking about my eldest son. He just filmed a commercial for Tampa Stageworks while being what he is : a beautiful piano man. I had to brag somewhere. I’m so happy all those hours at piano lessons are not wasted. He is happy, I’m happy... and we’re all in the mood for a melody... yay!
Man.. listening to this in your 40s tired from working all day, and I literally feel it everywhere, sure does hit different!! I appreciated this song one way when I was younger and now it’s on a whole different level. I know why my mom was listening to it when I was a kid. Love you mom
Billy has a quality of being able to tell a story to music .He has a lasting and timeless staying ability. Keep on putting out the hits!!!
My grandfather was an amazing harmonica player, late one night he was leaving the bar he was playing at and got struck by a bus. Miss ya gramps, this reminds me of you!
my uncle passed away suddenly at the hands of a faulty hospital and he would play this song at every family function getting us all to get up to belt it in a circle...listening to it now will always bring tears to my eyes but it makes me feel so close to him. Love you uncle Tony
lol "faulty hospital"
Why can't we go back in time to the old music. Back when there wasn't hip hop, pop music, rap music. Just feel-good music.
All of those genres can have feel good music, it’s based on the artists creativity.
This songs kind of sad, though.
"He said ..son can you play me a memory. Not realy sure how it goes ,but it's sad and it's sweet and i knew it complete when i wore a younger mans clothes" awesome lyrics!
This hits hard in my house. My uncle would make me and my brother listen to this when we were kids. It made us pay attention to detail, how to read a room. Great classic, Mr Joel.
no one will be as good as rhis generation with its great music and timeless classics. Billy will never die
two words: yasunori mitsuda. (I know this comment is three years old but I can try.)
The piano riff at 3:27 elevates this song into greatness.
For me it's the harmonica that elevates the track. We can all agree it's a classic. ✌️
He was 24 years old, probably younger, when he wrote this. It amazes me how much he understood about life!
just shows how times have changed. life hit you harder at a younger age back then.
"well I'm sure that I could be a movie star, if I could get out of this place" Hits.
One of the best songs ever written by one of the greatest musicians of all time
What beautiful man. It took me until age 38 to discover Billy Joel. What a genius.
"He says son, can you play me a memory?
I'm not really sure how it goes,
But it's sad and its sweet and I knew it complete,
When I wore a younger mans clothes"
The most beautiful song line I've ever heard. I'm only 17 (at the time of writing this), but sometimes I feel kind of old and worn out (I'm not on drugs or anything).
Don't do meth, kids.
@@Jason35 HAHAHAHA
Play me a melody.
@@DayZeroChannel here; ua-cam.com/video/QwVjTlTdIDQ/v-deo.html
you and me, both.
Hold up, his writing is THIS fire!?
I love the lines "And he's talkin' with Davy, who's still in the navy! And probably will be for life!" Best part of the song.
this reminds me of when my dad would take me out on the sailboat to sail for the afternoon in the summer. we would sail and listen to music and this was one of the albums he had. i love this song because it reminds me when my dad and i had a healthy relationship. i miss it and i think that this song is the only way i can feel that love again.
Congratulations my friend! From Brazil!
In the 60's 70's and 80's , we used to have piano bars...dear God I miss those watering holes...
Never gets old. 51 years of this legendary song.
One of the best songs ever written. Such a masterpiece, such a voice, such a feeling.
This album came out when I was 5, I bought the cassette when I was 14 and wore it out. Now I'm in my 50's probably listening to it my thousandth time by now.
One of the greatest songs of all time.
For my dad who i sadly lost yesterday. one of his favourites
Oh 8m so sorry that happened
Hello Harries,
Is nice meeting you here.
How are you doing?
Full lyrics:
It's nine o'clock on a Saturday
The regular crowd shuffles in
There's an old man sitting next to me
Making love to his tonic and gin
He says, "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."
[Pre-Chorus]
La la la, di da da
La la, di da da da dum
[Chorus]
Sing us a song, you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feeling alright
[Verse 2]
Now John at the bar is a friend of mine
He gets me my drinks for free
And he's quick with a joke or to light up your smoke
But there's someplace that he'd rather be
He says, "Bill, I believe this is killing me."
As the smile ran away from his face
"Well I'm sure that I could be a movie star
If I could get out of this place"
[Pre-Chorus]
La la la, di da da
La la, di da da da dum
[Verse 3]
Now Paul is a real estate novelist
Who never had time for a wife
And he's talkin' with Davy, who's still in the Navy
And probably will be for life
And the waitress is practicing politics
As the businessmen slowly get stoned
Yes, they're sharing a drink they call loneliness
But it's better than drinkin' alone
[Chorus]
Sing us a song, you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feeling alright
[Verse 4]
It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday
And the manager gives me a smile
‘Cause he knows that it's me they've been comin' to see
To forget about life for a while
And the piano, it sounds like a carnival
And the microphone smells like a beer
And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar
And say, "Man, what are you doin' here?"
[Pre-Chorus]
La la la, di da da
La la, di da da da dum
[Chorus]
Sing us a song, you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feeling alright
this was the unofficial song of my high school graduating class; a group of us played it and sang along at every senior event :-) for how long it took me to complete high school and how few friends i had up until senior year, im glad i have a great song like this as one of my fondest memories of that time
"And they're sharing a drink they call lonliness, but it's better than drinking alone."
So awesome
그리고 그들은 외로움이라 부르는 술잔을 나눠 마시지만 혼자 마시는 것 보단 낫겠죠
Oh
OldSkaterGuy in the verse.... "HE says son play me a MELODY" right? ... why is it now memory! ! ! ! ??
It has always been "memory", but for people like you it's probably easier to say it's the Mandela Effect.
My dad used to play the harmonica and sing along to this song when I was still pretty young and didn't really appreciate the purity of this and many other songs too. Arlo Guthrie was one of the other artists he was obsessed with. Specifically the 1969 Woodstock VHS. It's one of only a small number of mostly pleasant memories I have that don't include chaos.
He isn't gone yet, and despite that fact, I just can't make myself reach out to a man who gave up on me, and ultimately my mother and brothers too. I sure wasn't an easy or cooperative son though either. But I saw him stand by my brother's when they still lived at home and by the time I was the last kid left, he immediately found himself an excuse to abandon us in one of darkest times of my life. I don't know why I'm even writing this comment since it serves only to bring up the horrible memories very vividly.
Whatever though....
Not like it would make any difference.
This song is so great and completely timeless. It will forever tell a story of loneliness. I think it is the best song ever written and performed.
Yes loneliness is there, but just as bad is the d4ead end careers of some of the people who had big dreams that are now broken.
Aaaaaaah, that’s what I need after a hard days work. Thank god for Billy Joel
4 dammmm sure 🌿✌️😊☺️🎸🌟😍🎶🌸
Merry Christmas everyone and all the best for the New Year
Same to you man :D
And a healthy year to you.
Man, I sure did enjoy Christmas. You?
Joshua Seviour 👍🏼
@@joomz9614 yaa
I was only 16 when I decided to leave home and study abroad. My parents had me when they were about 40 and I grew up as an only child, it must have been a heart-breaking for them to accept the fact that their only child would live in the different parts of the world for the next seven years. I still vividly remember chilly summer back in 2009 and my mum came all the way from Korea to see me in Europe for the first time and this is the song my iPod played after I said good bye to my mum at the airport. This song hits me differently every time I listen to it...
My dad bought several albums of music from this era. Piano man will always be one of my favorites.
Man I can relate this song to a lot of things. I lost my mom covid, my first love, and my best friend from possibly suicide. This sucks. Play me a song, piano man, sing us a song tonight. We're all in the mood for a memory. And you've got us feeling alright ❤😪.
Hope you're doing fine
My cat died in 2013 from FIP at the age of 1, this was the first song I heard after he died. Anytime anything sad happens to me, or my family, this is the song I'll play.