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Billy Joel Hardcover – October 28, 2014

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,064 ratings

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The long-awaited, all-access biography of a music legend

In
Billy Joel, acclaimed music journalist Fred Schruers draws upon more than one hundred hours of exclusive interviews with Joel to present an unprecedented look at the life, career, and legacy of the pint-sized kid from Long Island who became a rock icon.

Exhibiting unparalleled intimate knowledge, Schruers chronicles Joel’s rise to the top of the charts, from his working-class origins in Levittown and early days spent in boxing rings and sweaty clubs to his monumental success in the seventies and eighties. He also explores Joel’s creative transformation in the nineties, his dream performance with Paul McCartney at Shea Stadium in 2008, and beyond.

Along the way, Schruers reveals the stories behind all the key events and relationships—including Joel’s high-profile marriages and legal battles—that defined his path to stardom and inspired his signature songs, such as “Piano Man,” “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” “New York State of Mind,” and “She’s Always a Woman.” Throughout, he captures the spirit of a restless artist determined to break through by sharing, in his deeply personal lyrics, the dreams and heartbreaks of suburban American life.

Comprehensive, vibrantly written, and filled with Joel’s memories and reflections—as well as those of the family, friends, and band members who have formed his inner circle, including Christie Brinkley, Alexa Ray Joel, Jon Small, and Steve Cohen—this is the definitive account of a beloved rock star’s epic American journey.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you call yourself a Joel fan, you'll be reading this." –Newsday

"[T]he rollicking story of a Hicksville boy made good."
 –Maura Johnston, Newsday

"Schruers clearly realizes he has gold in his interviews with Joel, his friends, paramours and confidants... [He delivers] insights on individual songs that will surprise even the most studied Joel fan.... [and] has given us the most complete look at Joel’s life and career to date."
–Dallas Morning News

[Billy Joel] not only lives up to its subtitle, but has the strengths of both an autobiography and biography.... [It] will likely end up as the most complete tome on the Bard of Long Island, with the most access to its subject." Houston Press

"[A] funny, revealing, and poignant look at [Joel's] long career." –Boston Globe

"Schruers' account of Joel's 1970s rise is fantastic, rich in anecdotes about the origins of different songs."
 –Billboard

"[A] funny and revealing account of one of the most popular songwriters of our time.” 
New York Daily News

"Schruers uses interviews to great effect, allowing to emerge the everyman persona that resonates with Joel's fans...a fair, thorough assessment of Joel's celebrity." Publishers Weekly

About the Author

FRED SCHRUERS enjoyed a successful high-profile career as a writer at Rolling Stone, chronicling an impressive body of musicians and actors, including Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen, Jack Nicholson, Sheryl Crow, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Chris Rock. His writing has also appeared in Premiere, Entertainment Weekly, Men’s Journal, GQ, the Los Angeles Times, and Columbia Journalism Review.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crown Archetype; First Edition (October 28, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0804140197
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0804140195
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.44 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.37 x 1.28 x 9.59 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,064 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
1,064 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book enjoyable and interesting for music fans. They appreciate the well-researched biography that provides insights into Billy Joel's life and struggles. The writing quality is praised as well-written and the inclusion of lyrics in the storytelling. Readers love the music content and feel it's all about the songs. They describe the author as warm-hearted and romantic, which is reflected in his music.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

92 customers mention "Readability"92 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it interesting and a must-read for fans of Billy Joel. The show is described as fantastic.

"...This is a great read and lots of fun, despite Joel's apparent obsession with his own death and funeral arrangements - a subject he comes back to..." Read more

"...Needless to say, the show was fantastic! It prompted me to purchase this book to learn more about his career...." Read more

"...This book showed me that not only is Billy Joel a wonderful and creative person, but he is human like the rest of us...." Read more

"Though interesting initially, I quickly was lost in the myriads of names and characters mentioned in this book...." Read more

52 customers mention "Biography"52 positive0 negative

Customers find the biography informative and well-researched. They appreciate the personal details and insights into the life of Billy Joel, including his struggles and inspirations for many of his classic songs. The book offers a glimpse into his life of ups and downs, rekindling their interest in his career.

"...The highs and lows are all here, and in case that's not enough, there's also Christie Brinkley...." Read more

"..."franchise" appearances at MSG recently and it rejuvenated my interest in his career. Needless to say, the show was fantastic!..." Read more

"...He is an amazing artist, writer and musician whose name and work will always live on...." Read more

"...You certainly get a deep look into Billy's life and his career. Loved reading it just to know more about the rock star...." Read more

41 customers mention "Insight"36 positive5 negative

Customers appreciate the book's insightful and well-researched biography of The Piano Man. They find it comprehensive, enjoyable, and interesting to see how autobiographical it is. Readers praise the author's self-awareness and say it's inspiring.

"...world with our subject, digging deep into the past and scouring archives worth of material to fill in any blanks from the musician's own recollection..." Read more

"...This book is truly inspiring for me...." Read more

"The pace and the overall feel is a bit cold, but the book is extremely informative and very well written...." Read more

"...I haven’t read any other bios of Billy Joel and this one was pretty comprehensive going back to his grandparents...." Read more

39 customers mention "Writing quality"34 positive5 negative

Customers find the book well-written and informative. They appreciate the inclusion of lyrics in the storytelling and the details on his sour outlook on the music industry. Overall, readers describe it as a good introduction to the life and songs of BJ.

"...He is an amazing artist, writer and musician whose name and work will always live on...." Read more

"...I highly recommend this book because it gives greater insight to the man behind the music. Thanks Billy for being the Piano Man." Read more

"...feel is a bit cold, but the book is extremely informative and very well written. You certainly get a deep look into Billy's life and his career...." Read more

"...Great details on his sour outlook on the music industry (especially the bad record deals & financial rip-offs) , and troubles with management..." Read more

18 customers mention "Music content"18 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's music content. They find it full of musical insight and honest anecdotes about Billy Joel's talent and life. The book discusses his early recordings and songs that never get old or out of style.

"...No hair dye (no hair!), no fancy stage costumes, just straight out rock and roll from one of the world's most successful songwriters/performers...." Read more

"...been a huge fan of Billy Joel for over 30 years and his songs never get old or out of style...." Read more

"...An interesting account of his life, loves and music!" Read more

"I liked it very much. I love Billy Joel. It talked about his talent in music in all facets of his life...." Read more

11 customers mention "Heart"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book heartwarming and touching. They describe the pianist as a romantic, forgiving, and generous person. The book explores his emotional journey and remarkable relationships. Readers appreciate the authentic character who stayed true to his convictions.

"...want to know what made Billy the legendary musician he is, and the very kind, warm-hearted and generous man he is, this book will tell you more than..." Read more

"...I admire the man, the performer and his ability to forgive is unrivaled." Read more

"...Most of all, you’ll see an authentic guy who stayed true to his convictions." Read more

"...Billy is a romantic at heart and very forgiving, it is reflected in his music...." Read more

8 customers mention "Authenticity"8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author's honesty and genuine portrayal of Billy Joel. They find him humble, talented, and honest. The book provides musical insights and anecdotes that complement each other well.

"...It's very honest and although I wish it would've spent a LITTLE more time on - well, every song, this was a pleasure to read - well written and..." Read more

"...Most of all, you’ll see an authentic guy who stayed true to his convictions." Read more

"...Billy is the Everyman who became THE Man, but still is a regular, humble guy. I enjoyed it all. Billy is and always will be a favorite of mine!" Read more

"...a must read to understand the creative force behind his writing and personality...." Read more

9 customers mention "Pacing"0 positive9 negative

Customers find the book's pacing slow and boring. They feel it's a waste of time, with names and events that are not important to them. The writing is also described as shmaltzy and distracting.

"...Therefore I did not find it engaging and jumped many paragraphs to find I had missed nothing. A shorter version would be much more interesting." Read more

"A little slow at first (so much detail about the history of his family)...." Read more

"...Towards the end it started to slow down and become more of a victory lap...." Read more

"...A bit too shmaltzy as he goes through Billy's life quoted in his lyrics...." Read more

New copy looks used
3 out of 5 stars
New copy looks used
This has nothing to do with the content of the book. But I purchased a new copy for more than the cover price as a gift. When it arrived, the book jacket was stained and in relatively poor condition. Very disappointing to spend this much money on a “new” book for it to arrive in this condition.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2015
    LA has James Taylor, the Midwest has Bob Seger, the south has John Fogerty. More locally, Brooklyn has Neil Diamond and Jersey has Bruce Springsteen, but on Long Island, our bard is unquestionably Billy Joel. His songs played from the cassette decks in our parents' cars and then they playedinto from our Sony Discmans. Our kids will stream them to whatever device they'll be using in the times to come.

    But the stories and the music they're set to will be the same - completely endemic to this place we live in. The music of Billy Joel is part of the soul of our existence here, as elemental as the beaches and the bagel stores, the east end and the south shore, the Five Towns and the Gold Coast.

    To learn the history of Billy's LI upbringing, his rise to fame and his frequent brushes with sorrow, this is the book you'll want to read. Schruers spent hundreds of hours in dozens of locales around the world with our subject, digging deep into the past and scouring archives worth of material to fill in any blanks from the musician's own recollection. Along the way, we get a Billy Joel's personal perspective on the big events of his life, along with his own true feelings about the people who made up his inner circle.

    This is a great read and lots of fun, despite Joel's apparent obsession with his own death and funeral arrangements - a subject he comes back to throughout the book. The highs and lows are all here, and in case that's not enough, there's also Christie Brinkley.

    Buy 'Billy Joel', you won't be disappointed.
    17 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2014
    Saw one of Billy's "franchise" appearances at MSG recently and it rejuvenated my interest in his career. Needless to say, the show was fantastic! It prompted me to purchase this book to learn more about his career.

    Mr. Schruers does a very good job filling in some gaps from previous "bios". I particularly appreciated Billy's roots and reminisces about his ancestors in Nazi Germany. Another positive was the inspiration for many of his hits. I felt the author dwelt too much on the financial problems of this rock icon in terms of rip-offs from managers, promoters, contractual entanglements, etc. Billy, in this respect, is no different than scores of other rock artists who were bilked and financially abused. I just finished reading about Ray Davies of the Kinks and his
    trials and tribulations in this respect. He devoted an album "Lola vs. Powerman" to his trials and tribulations with assorted unscrupulous promoters, managers, etc. Check out the songs "Moneygoround" and "Powerman". Even Billy would enjoy them.
    Things bog down occasionally and a very light touch is given to the sex, drugs and wrecks of touring. I guess it's a concession to Billy who pulled his own auto-bio just before publication.
    It was enlightening to hear of Billy's thoughts of performing at Medicare-age. God bless him. He wears a suit (a little too tight) and tie for his current shows and pulls no punches about who he is today on stage. No hair dye (no hair!), no fancy stage costumes, just straight out rock and roll from one of the world's most successful songwriters/performers. I hope he does a 100 concerts at MSG!
    13 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2019
    I absolutely loved this book! I've been a huge fan of Billy Joel for over 30 years and his songs never get old or out of style. He is an amazing artist, writer and musician whose name and work will always live on. I thought I knew just about everything about him, but after reading this, I'm happy to say that I learned a lot that I never knew. If you're a fan of him or any of his songs then you definitely need to read this book!! Very well written and I loved the pictures as well. You don't really feel like you're just reading a book... You actually feel as if he's there with you telling the story himself. Five stars all the way!!
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2015
    I got this book for Christmas, after putting it at the top of my wish list. I am a huge Billy Joel fan so I wanted to hear about his life and how he creates his songs. This book is truly inspiring for me. This book showed me that not only is Billy Joel a wonderful and creative person, but he is human like the rest of us. I was suprised to read that he does not have a lot of confidence in himself and this is why he has not had any new music since 1993's River Of Dreams. For me personally, I would prefer to stick with all of the old songs any way because I love all types of Rock and Roll from the 60's through the 90's and Billy Joel is at the top of my list. I highly recommend this book because it gives greater insight to the man behind the music. Thanks Billy for being the Piano
    Man.
    3 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2019
    Though interesting initially, I quickly was lost in the myriads of names and characters mentioned in this book. The author tried to be as truthful as possible, but got entangled in too many names and events, which were not important to a reader. Therefore I did not find it engaging and jumped many paragraphs to find I had missed nothing. A shorter version would be much more interesting.
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2020
    The pace and the overall feel is a bit cold, but the book is extremely informative and very well written. You certainly get a deep look into Billy's life and his career. Loved reading it just to know more about the rock star. Wish it had been written from a more 1st person point of view with narrative but I cant give it less than 4 stars because of how well its written and edited and I did learn a lot about one of my favorite rock stars.

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • cesar
    5.0 out of 5 stars História detalhada
    Reviewed in Brazil on December 9, 2024
    Gostei das informações e a forma que foi apresentado.
    Talvez eu não esteja acostumado mas a versão em inglês contém gírias que eu não conheço.
    Mas não impede de compreender a mensagem.
  • Marina lolli
    5.0 out of 5 stars billy joel book
    Reviewed in Italy on December 25, 2018
    bello la storia di un bravo musicista come billy joel che racconta la sua vita,.straordinario
  • John Cannon
    5.0 out of 5 stars benefits are it came with a good plastic cover
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 6, 2017
    Seems to have been a library book previously, benefits are it came with a good plastic cover, excellent condition with 'DISCARD' stamped in ink on the inside front page but not obtrusive. Haven't finished reading all of it yet but so far very well written , informative with many black and white photos.
    Overall a bargain offering a saving on the brand new item.
  • Ringo Spencer
    5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book
    Reviewed in Canada on January 14, 2015
    I love this book!! I'm a big Billy Joel fan and have never seen a biography of him....until now. I almost bought this book in a bookstore (won't say the name, but, you can sit down and read any book, as long as you want.) however, they only had three copies and, believe it or not, all three were "damaged" (bent covers). Now, I am one person who will never buy a book that has been manhandled, one way or another. I enjoy the experience of reading a book that has never been read by anyone, if the book is wrapped in plastic, even better!
    Anyway, this book is great, tells a lot about the man, especially his childhood. The stories on his music are very interesting as well.
    I highly recommend it. By the way, when I received the book from Amazon, the cover (and the rest of the book) was in excellent shape. Thanks, Amazon. Great work, as usual.
  • Renate Sorger
    5.0 out of 5 stars 3. Biographie
    Reviewed in Germany on November 15, 2014
    flüssig geschrieben, trotzdem gute Englischkenntnisse erforderlich. Gute Übung, um die Sprache zu verbessern.
    Papier könnte besser sein. Umweltpapier? wirkt etwas billig.