Despite being one of the best hits of Billy Joel, ‘Piano Man’ did not actually sell well in the beginning. Reflecting on creating a hit in a new interview with American Songwriter, Joel explained how the 50-year-old song ultimately became a hit, but didn’t get paid fairly despite selling more than 5 million copies in America alone:
“It got a lot of airplay. It’s what they call a turntable hit, ’cause this was back in the day when disc jockeys can spin any record they wanted to spin… [But] it didn’t make a lot of money for the record company. It didn’t sell a lot of copies, but it just got a lot of airplay.”
How Joel Came Up With The Song
The inspiration for ‘Piano Man’ first stemmed from Joel’s time performing at a piano bar in Los Angeles. When asked how he came up with the idea for his hit, he reflected on the gig, realizing that it was quite different from his initial expectations. Though his aspiration was to become a recording artist, he started out his journey in a Los Angeles bar, performing for a crowd more interested in their drinks than the music. Still, Joel saw an opportunity to craft what would encapsulate that exact moment, which eventually turned into a hit.
