Like a heat, loving embrace from an outdated good friend that bridges too lengthy a spot, Billy Joel returned to the pop firmament on Thursday morning (Feb. 1) along with his first new lyrical single in practically 20 years, “Flip the Lights Again On.” The title says all of it, because the wistful, swaying piano ballad feels just like the continuation of an intimate dialog the Piano Man has been having along with his followers for practically six a long time.
“Nothing is completely different, we’ve been right here earlier than/ Pacing these halls, making an attempt to speak/ Over the silence,” Joel, 74, sings in robust voice over his acquainted, heat piano taking part in. “And satisfaction stands out its tongue/ Laughs on the portrait/ That we’ve turn into/ Caught in a body, unable to alter,” he continues in traces that trace at grappling with accepting ourselves as we’re.
The music was produced by Grammy-nominated songwriter/producer Freddy Wexler (Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande) and written by Joel, Wexler, Arthur Bacon and Wayne Hector. Joel will carry out the music reside for the primary time at Sunday’s (Feb. 4) 2024 Grammy Awards, which is able to air on CBS at 8 p.m. ET.
“Flip the Lights Again On” is Joel’s first pop effort with lyrics for the reason that launch of 2007’s Sinatra-like ballad “All My Life,” which he wrote along with his then-wife, Katie Lee; the music reached No. 1 on the Billboard Sizzling Singles Gross sales chart and was accompanied by one other new music, “Christmas in Fallujah.” Joel’s final album of all-new pop music was 1993’s River of Goals.
The singer who has scored 33 prime 40 hits on the Billboard Sizzling 100, teased that he was popping out of his lengthy pop hibernation throughout a Dec. 19 present amid his historic Madison Sq. Backyard residency. “I’ve excellent news. I’ve unhealthy information. I’ll provide the unhealthy information first. We don’t have something new to play for you,” he instructed the group. “The excellent news is you don’t have to sit down by one thing you don’t have any thought what it’s. Though we’ve received slightly one thing we’ve been engaged on you may hear someday.”
The swooning refrain of “Lights” pays tribute to time’s inexorable march, with a suggestion of remorse at ready too lengthy to say, or do, the issues we meant to, as Joel sings, “I’m late, however I’m right here proper now/ Although I was romantic/ I forgot by some means/ Time could make you blind/ However I see you now/ As we’re laying within the darkness/ Did I wait too lengthy?/ To show the lights again on.”
At press time there was nonetheless no phrase on whether or not “Lights” is a one-off or the sign of Joel’s return to releasing pop albums. In 2014, Joel instructed the New Yorker that he felt he’d mentioned all of it. “Some folks suppose it’s as a result of I’m lazy or I’m simply being opposite,” he mentioned. “However, no, I believe it’s simply — I’ve had my say. If I put out an album now, it might most likely promote fairly nicely, due to who I’m, however that’s no motive to do it. I’d need it to be good.”
Nevertheless, in an earlier 2007 interview with Billboard, Joel left the door a bit extra open. “I’m not ruling out the potential for writing songs once more,” he mentioned a couple of months after the discharge of the “All My Life” single. “I suppose if I had the motivation to jot down a music, I’m not gonna cease myself from doing it. I simply haven’t felt the compulsion to jot down songs in pop type. I suppose nowadays I simply consider myself as a composer.” His most up-to-date album was a set of his classical works, Fantasies & Delusions, which was launched on Sony Classical in 2001.
Whereas he has not launched new pop albums, Joel has continued to carry out his beloved hits on the street, which he’ll hit this spring and summer season with outdated good friend Stevie Nicks, in addition to Sting and Rod Stewart for a run of U.S. stadium reveals, whereas his decade-long MSG residency will wind down on July 25.
Watch the lyric video for Joel’s “Flip the Lights Again On” under.
