Op-Ed: Perhaps Billy Joel Should Have Kept the Lights Off

Dave recently gave his thoughts to Turn the Lights Back On, the first Billy Joel song since 2007. Joel has only released three singles since deciding back in 1993 that he would not make any more new albums. Now it’s my turn to weigh in.

It was in 1993 where Joel would release a masterpiece album called The River of Dreams. On that album, the final track was called Famous Last Words. That song doesn’t get the kudos it deserves, but its the perfect swan-song to Joel’s career. On that track he brings closure to his songwriting career comparing it to the beach-town of Avalon, New Jersey closing down following the summer season. Songs like that were a prime example of the type of stuff that made Billy Joel a true master.

Now we get Turn the Lights Back On……

My biggest complaint about this song is it sounded like a very lazy comeback. The vibe of Turn the Lights Back On reminded me of another Billy Joel song – And So It Goes. Not the same song, but it had the same vibe. My first question was “haven’t we been here before”?  To me Turn the Lights Back On was an uninteresting and boring song. It seems to play on words of Billy Joel making a comeback so much more than demonstrating Billy Joel making a comeback.

The line “Nothing is different, we’ve been here before” in Turn the Lights Back On sums it all up.

When I look at Joel’s career, there are some epic moments. Look at songs such as Miami 2017 (I’ve Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway), Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, Vienna, Goodnight Saigon, My Life, Piano Man, We Didn’t Start the Fire, Stiletto, and yes, Famous Last Words. This just a sampling of Joel’s brilliance in terms of songwriting and performance. While Turn the Lights Back On is not a dog-rocket of a song, it doesn’t deserve to be in the same sentence as those masterpieces.

When Billy Joel was “sitting here in Avalon” and said “these are the last words I have to say”, he also said “There will be other words some other day”, so we all knew the door wasn’t completely closed. However Billy Joel, known for his creativity and innovation didn’t do that with Turn the Lights Back On. In 17 years, I thought he would have much more to say. It pains me to say this, he should kept the light off till he had something better to deliver.

Let us know what you think. Do you agree with me or with Dave?