Disco appeared in a flash and flamed out almost as quickly; punk appeared in an odd, scary way, and did odd, scary things. New bands appeared playing electronic instruments in rock contexts where they had never been used previously; and other new bands appeared with new and different takes on the traditional rock instrumentation. All sorts of interesting new music was coming from bands such as The Clash, Dire Straits, and Ultravox, to name just a few.
For some of us it was a very exciting time to be a musician. Others were not so sure. It was quite common to hear people who should have known better saying things like, "There's nothing new here. We've heard all this before." And the "music scene" began splinter (again) along a line which ran "What do you think of the new bands?"
Many established artists began to incorporate "new sounds" into their work. And new albums began to be evaluated in terms of "How much has this artist's sound changed, and in which direction?"
Into this context came Billy Joel's 1980 album, which was called "Glass Houses". The cover featured a photo of Billy throwing a rock at a house made of glass. And the "hot single" from that album fit right in with the theme, so to speak. For here was the "Piano Man", working without a piano, singing a song that dismissed the new bands, implying that there was nothing of value in any of them, but at the same time trying to sound like them.
Hypocritical or not, the song was promoted to the hilt, got played all over the radio, and went to #1 on the charts, becoming Billy Joel's first #1 hit. For those with ears to hear, it was just begging to be mocked, and mocked it was, in many ways. Perhaps the most significant outcome of all the mockery was a parody written by a 19-year-old college student who didn't even have a recording contract (yet). On the other hand, he did have a very clever way with words; he had spent years learning to weaponize his accordion; and his parody actually helped to set him up for a decent career in the music business.
We should listen to both songs, starting with Billy Joel's big hit: "It's Still Rock And Roll To Me":
What's the matter with the clothes I'm wearing?
Can't you tell that your tie's too wide?
Maybe I should buy some old tab collars?
Welcome back to the age of jive
Where have you been hidin' out lately, honey?
You can't dress trashy till you spend a lot of money
Everybody's talkin' 'bout the new sound
Funny, but it's still rock and roll to me
What's the matter with the car I'm driving?
Can't you tell that it's out of style?
Should I get a set of white wall tires?
Are you gonna cruise the miracle mile?
Nowadays you can't be too sentimental
Your best bet's a true baby blue continental
Hot funk, cool punk, even if it's old junk
It's still rock and roll to me
Oh, it doesn't matter what they say in the papers
'Cause it's always been the same old scene
There's a new band in town
But you can't get the sound from a story in a magazine
Aimed at your average teen
How about a pair of pink sidewinders
And a bright orange pair of pants?
You could really be a Beau Brummell baby
If you just give it half a chance
Don't waste your money on a new set of speakers
You get more mileage from a cheap pair of sneakers
Next phase, new wave, dance craze, anyways
It's still rock and roll to me
What's the matter with the crowd I'm seeing?
Don't you know that they're out of touch?
Should I try to be a straight 'A' student?
If you are then you think too much
Don't you know about the new fashion honey?
All you need are looks and a whole lotta money
It's the next phase, new wave, dance craze, anyways
It's still rock and roll to me
Everybody's talkin' 'bout the new sound
Funny, but it's still rock and roll to me
Now we're in a good position to appreciate "Weird" Al Yankovich and "It's Still Billy Joel To Me"
What's the matter with the songs he's singin'
Can't you tell that they're pretty lame
After listenin' to a couple albums
Well, they all start to sound the same
So he tried to change his musical style
He tossed all his ballads in the circular file
Then he found the punk sound
Breakin' ground all around
It's still Billy Joel to me
What's the matter with the tune he's writin'
Well, you know it's gonna be a smash
It's so nice when you're a big name artist
Doesn't matter if it sounds like trash
Now everybody thinks the new wave is super
Just ask Linda Ronstadt or even Alice Cooper
It's a big hit, isn't it
Even if it's a piece of junk
It's still Billy Joel to me
Woah, it doesn't matter what the critics say about him
'Cause he doesn't worry how they feel
When you're record's sellin' millions and it's goin' triple platinum
You don't worry 'bout your next meal
'Cause money is no big deal
Maybe he should dye his hair bright pink
And stick a safety pin through his cheeks
Then he'd really fit the new wave image
But he couldn't sit down for weeks
Don't you know about the record business, honey
You gotta be trendy if you wanna make some money
Now everybody's sayin' that he sure sounds funny
But it's still Billy Joel to me
All right, Alfred
Oh
I can hardly wait 'til his next album
Well, I'll bet it's gonna be the rage
Buy a ticket to his next big concert
Well, I wonder what he'll do on stage
It might be disco and it might be the blues
Or maybe even somethin' like the B-52's
Just a handclap, finger snap
Even if it's mindless pap
It's still Billy Joel to me
Everybody's sayin' that he sure sounds funny
But it's still Billy Joel to me
