Maps of Music

The Stranger (1977)

Where the lyrics of The Stranger take you, and where it was really made.

Billy Joel's fifth album was his first with producer Phil Ramone, and it turned a label that had nearly dropped him into a Diamond-certified breakthrough.

Key places

Where the album was recorded (1977)

Recording site A&R Recording Studio — The sessions ran three weeks between July and August 1977. Discogs credits A & R Recording as the recording site, with Jim Boyer and Phil Ramone as engineers. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Anthony's Long Island (1977)

In the lyrics Long Island — The opening song Movin' Out centers on Anthony, a grocery-store worker from Long Island. This point marks the region only, not a specific address. Google Maps · Apple Maps

Album story

Overview

• The Stranger: fifth studio album by Billy Joel
• Released September 29, 1977 by Columbia Records
• First Joel album produced by Phil Ramone, who would produce five more of his albums
• Nine songs; four released as singles in North America
• Joel's touring band, formed during the Turnstiles sessions, was the core of the recording

Background

• Turnstiles (1976) peaked at number 122 on the Billboard 200
• Columbia considered dropping Joel if the next release sold poorly
• Joel wanted the new album to feature his touring band: drummer Liberty DeVitto, bassist Doug Stegmeyer, and multi-instrumentalist Richie Cannata
• Joel first approached George Martin, who wanted session players instead of the band; Joel declined
• Joel then chose Phil Ramone, who had recently worked with Paul Simon on Still Crazy After All These Years

Recording

• Sessions took three weeks between July and August 1977
• Joel's band played on the songs, with other musicians added for specific tracks
• Guitarists changed from song to song; no single guitarist held the role throughout

Cover

• The back cover photo shows Joel, Ramone, and each band member
• The photo was taken at the Supreme Macaroni Company, one of several restaurants the group visited

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Born May 9, 1949 in the Bronx, New York City; raised in Hicksville on Long Island.
• Began piano lessons at age four at his mother's insistence.
• Saw the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show and decided to pursue a music career.
• Played in the Echoes, the Hassles, and Attila before going solo.

Career

• Debut solo album Cold Spring Harbor (1971); signed with Columbia Records in 1972 after a Philadelphia radio broadcast of "Captain Jack".
• Breakthrough with The Stranger (1977), Columbia's best-selling release at that time.
• 52nd Street (1978) won the Grammy for Album of the Year.
• Released 12 self-written studio albums from 1971 to 1993; over 160 million records sold worldwide.
• Performed a long Madison Square Garden residency from 2014 to 2024.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Ira Mayer of Rolling Stone: an improvement over Joel's previous studio efforts, praising its musical variety and Ramone's production
• Robert Christgau of The Village Voice: a less enthusiastic review, graded the album B−, placing it slightly above Joel's earlier works

Reappraisal

• Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine: described it as a concept album of sorts, an ode to Joel's native New York, and a rejection of the American Dream
• Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic: praised it as a highlight of Joel's discography, concluding its lyrical shortcomings are outweighed by Joel's musical flair
• Rolling Stone: ranked it 67th on its 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums, 70th in 2012, and 169th in 2020

Records

• Six weeks at number 2 on the Billboard 200; peak reached 4 months after release
• 17 weeks in the Billboard 200 top 10 in total
• Two Grammy Awards at the 21st Annual Grammy Awards in 1979: Record of the Year and Song of the Year for Just the Way You Are
• RIAA Diamond certification for more than 10 million units
• Surpassed Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge over Troubled Water to become Columbia's best-selling album at the time
• 72 weeks in Canada's Top 100 Album charts between November 1977 and April 1979
• Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Phil Ramone brought Linda Ronstadt and Phoebe Snow into the studio to prove that Just the Way You Are was worth including; both praised it, and Joel kept the song.
• Only the Good Die Young sold poorly as a single at first, then Christian groups and archdiocese areas called for radio bans, which helped its popularity.
• Joel wrote Only the Good Die Young while opening for the Beach Boys in Knoxville, Tennessee.
• After the album's success, George Martin reportedly wrote Joel a letter congratulating him and admitting he was wrong about the band.
• Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) lent its name to a 2002 jukebox musical that ran on Broadway for three years.
• Vienna was featured in the 2004 teen comedy film 13 Going on 30.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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