Billy Joel has been performing around the world for over five decades and in that time he has managed to capture the interest of multiple generations.
A key component to Joel’s sustained success has been his ability to appeal to and relate to an audience with a wide age range. With the rise of music-heavy social media apps, such as TikTok, Joel’s popularity among Gen Z (people born between 1997 and 2012) has been made abundantly clear, however, he was not always so popular among the youth.
Joel emerged into the music scene in an era filled with disco and electronic music so, in some quarters, his soft, emotional piano ballads were not considered as cool and trendy in comparison. With hits like ‘Uptown Girl’, he started to increase his popularity with younger audiences. As retro, vintage, and nostalgia have become fashionable, Joel’s music has found a new appeal among younger listeners. Lyrics that were once deemed cheesy are now felt as reassuring and gentle to a new generation who are prioritising their well-being and choosing to live life at a slower pace.
During a COVID-19 lockdown in 2021, Joel’s ‘Zanzibar’ was trending on TikTok as dancers performed a simple dance to the song which was released over 40 earlier. Many of these videos were captioned with references to the nostalgia that they felt from hearing Billy Joel’s music. For example, one user said, “I have been obsessed with this man since I was a child and I’m here for this #billyjoel #zanzibar #fyp ✨🎸”.
For a large majority of the population, Joel’s songs are very recognisable, even if the listener does not necessarily know the artist or name of the song. Songs like ‘Uptown Girl’ and ‘She’s Always a Woman’ are featured heavily at parties and weddings, and have been regularly covered by other artists since their release. Consequently, lots of these songs provoke cherished memories and nostalgia for younger listeners.
On social media, twentysomething girls often share their emotional connection to Joel’s hit song ‘Vienna’. In a world where we are bombarded by hustle culture and five-year plans, ‘Vienna’ is the perfect reminder that we are allowed to take time to figure out what we are doing. The lyrics “Slow down, you crazy child / And take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while / It’s all right, you can afford to lose a day or two” in particular resonate with the rising interest in self-care and wellness, reassuring listeners that they can slow down and take time for themselves; you don’t need to do it all right now.
Recently, Billy Joel’s ‘Piano Man’ has been trending on social media for an entirely different reason. One of the song’s distinctive features is the harmonica solos played in the introduction and between verses which has inspired a musical social media trend. Many social media users have bought their own harmonicas and learned to play the iconic tune. These performances have ranged from spontaneous new hobbies to musicians putting on one-man shows complete with piano and vocals.
These songs that were written and released in a world before the internet and social media are seeing a second wave of success, much like their initial releases on radio. Joel’s songwriting has created music that perfectly captures real human emotions and generates feelings of nostalgia and relatability, managing to still feel personal while being mainstream. He has been able to sustain long-term popularity among a generation that would be the grandchildren of his initial fanbase; a popularity which shows no signs of stopping.
Words by Ella Gilbert