yes...this whole album was a beatles tribute. it's what he was trying to do. the nylon curtain is my favorite of his. i especially love this song. this album, for me, is like all the great beatle albums....no matter how many times you listen to it ya never get sick of it. every song on it is beautifully, and perfectly done. from "allentown" to "where's the orchestra" and all the gems in between. if ya haven't heard it, run, don't walk, to the nearest record store.
Thanks for posting this - one of my favorites. And, yes, I hear a HUGE Beatles influence. Billy has mentioned his love of the Beatles many times and you hear it very well in this song.
@rsilver1211 I would like to put all alcoholics on an island all by themselves, because they're already there anyway, it would just save the rest of us from having to deal with them.
Billy Joel toured with George Harrison in the early 70s. He played piano with the band and sang some of his own songs at that time. I saw them in SF around 73 or 74 hard to remember since the 70s were good to me. But George had a cold and Billy Joel carried the show. It was the start of being a Billy fan for me.
YOU bet it sounds like the Beatles. Several Beatle-ish songs on NYlon Curtain. I am sure you've heard Scandinavian Skies by now. JOel is the Walrus, goo goo ga joob.
The Nylon Curtain is an outstanding album. The songs are massive in emotion. It captures life in many angles. There is at least one song you can relate to,if not the entire album.
This album was supposed to sound Beatles influenced. Billy was going through his influences phase. First with Rock and Roll on Glass Houses, Beatles on Nylon Curtain, Doo Wop on An Innocent Man...I for one think The Nylon Curtain is his best...
It is insnpired by the beatles, to the poster of this song :P. I remember even reading/hearing that somewhere. This whole album has as Beatles tinge to it
right on,its the beatleness in this song that makes it so good for me,if you didn't know it was billy joel,and you heard it a couple of times,wouldn't you think,mmm this reminds me of the beatles....no?
Billy and reviewers have talked of the Beatles influence on this album. Remember when this first came out and I could hear it then, too. While many of Joel's songs, especially about women have some bite to them this perhaps takes the cake.
@donna122955 it is very beatle style.bill joel's idols were the beatles.he dedicated a whole cd in his greatest hits box set to discussing the beatles and their influence on him.this sounds like a song the beatles would have done for the white album.
@donna122955 It couldnt be anymore Beatles. Do you know that Billy Joel started his career because of the Beatles. The drums, guitar, vocals and harmonies are all homage to the Beatles. Please dont post silly comments. Are you a Joel fan??
@mlroseplant I don't know why your comment got flagged as spam. I hit "not spam", by the way. Maybe some people thought your stressing of the word "fit" was something sexual. Anyway, I've known a few girls this reminds me of. Who hasn't?
@MckyMseNTarotCrds I guess I didn't realize it had been flagged. Thank you for interpreting my comment as I intended, which was and is that this song describes my niece with a fair amount of accuracy. "All her questions will get sympathetic answers." LOL.
@Woozie52 Well, he isn't 'copying' the Beatles, just paying homage to them. Artists from all genres (even comedians) pay tribute to those they were inspired by. If you're an artist you understand this concept. Maybe he needed to get it out of his system and move on since the Beatles were that important to him.
Billy admits it was a nod to The Beatles - who he was heavily influenced by. He also did a tip of the hat to McCartney on Glass Houses singing french on Cetait Toi.
There are a wonderful number of songs Billy Joel did that didn't get allot of recognition that get better and better with age while his hits get tired and well... boring. Joel's Early Career was like that before The Stranger. Well before that his work was really good and he had to put out an album of live stuff that showed how good his early stuff was. It was called songs in the attic. He needs to put out a definitive set of some of his lesser known work.
@GothChristianPatriot I suspect that album came out in order for some artistic breathing space for The Nylon Curtain album as that particular album took about a year to make, a very long time compared to his other albums. The Stranger took about five weeks, for example.
Pppppllllt to whoever said Joel couldn't write a song as "great" as Lennon-McCartney. As far as I'm concerned he surpasses the weird-for-the-sake-of-weirdness, highly over-rated Beatles in every way imaginable, including the ability to maintain a career.
Joel couldn't write songs as great as The Beatles', but he was exceptional at imitating McCartney and this is a pretty good Lennon imitation as well. If you're wondering why Billy Joel would use an F word in a song, it's because John used one in Working Class Hero (and the N word in another song), and Joel was doing an album tribute to his heroes. The guitar on this is is also clearly inspired by George Harrison.
ive heard him say hell and bitching but now he drops the f bomb on you and you jump out of your seat.but that dosent change the fact that I love billy joel
The first time I heard this I said " the Beatles" Then I saw an interview with Billy Joel and he said he got alot of his ideas from The Beatles influence. This is my favorite Joel song. Thanks for posting.
This is an AWESOME tribute to John Lennon...remember, this album came out a year or two after Lennon was killed...so Billy kinda dedicated the whole album to John...totally awesome. Yeah, the F-bomb is very uncharacteristic for him...but I just say "stupid fool" when I play this song on my piano...but as nonenja said above, it is said with emotion. I ADORE the guitar solo too...so psychedelic. This song is something in the vein of "Sexy Sadie."
Billy said one of his biggest regrets was never meeting John Lennon when he had a chance. They both had "weekend" homes near each other on Long Island in the late 70's, but Billy said he was too scared to knock on the door. Billy said he kicked himself after finding out later that John loved "Just The Way You Are".
How many guys have felt the same way about their relationship with a woman? "I feel like a fucking fool!" How ELSE could he have put it? That's the male universal feeling when a we realize a woman has played us. Which is what this song is about.
This is one of many of Billy Joel's songs in which the Beatles influence shows. His singing is almost like listening to John sing, the classically influenced intro and outro to the song is something Paul could have written, the triplet singing going against triplet piano chords syncopation on the "Living alone..." part, the 'open gate' reverb on the snare drum, and the lose hi-hat on the drums mixed with the tambourine every other time. "Strawberry Fields Forever + For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite"
This is the only F-bomb Billy drops in his whole catalog. I first heard this song when I was 13, and I almost jumped off my seat. But you can tell he really means it, so I like it. It's not like rap artists who say the f-word 500 times in one song just for attention.
@nonnenja2281 Sounds like this show the true power of the f-bomb, and one of the reasons why, and yes I'm shilling here, it's one of the most underrated songs Joel ever did. Bad Booking's Blogs, badbookingblog.blogspot.com!
@nonnenja2281 Rap artists don't use it for attention, they use it because it's aggressive, and its perfectly valid in an aggression fueled song to swear.
@Nathanrjroche Of course they use it for attention. Rap is all about attention. "Look at me. I'm a badass, I've got money, women, etc, etc." Initially it had a political & social message, but now it's narcissistic garbage. If they were real artists, w/talent & w/decent vocabularies, they could express themselves in more sophisticated ways. I have no problem w/profanity--I use it myself. As George Carlin used to say, it's another spice in the stew. But if it's the only spice...
@fretbuzz59 I agree with you, but not completely. There are still rap and hip hop artists I have a very deep respect for. But of course, these are the ones who do have an expansive vocabulary and do use their music as a way to express how they feel about problems in the world, namely certain aspects of the government and social issues. There actually a lot of them that affect people positively. I'm sorry about the essay, but I feel a lot of artists under that genre are stereotyped unfairly.
@supercrazyblondeguy I'd be interested to know which rappers you admire; the ones w/good vocabularies. I'm not aware of any. And of course musically...most of it's absolute shit.
@fretbuzz59 Again, I agree that just about all of it is completely pointless. Buuut there are still guys like Lupe Fiasco, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and Matisyahu who put out a lot meaningful work. And I can't say all their songs are intelligent, especially the singles they release. However, every one of these guys have B-sides that can really make someone stop and think about the world we live in. For instance "Youth" by Matisyahu, where he talks about choices to be made by the younger generation.
@supercrazyblondeguy Checked out your suggestions. Yes they're better than most of what I hear:a bit more musical & less abrasive. But compared to real songwriting it's very weak & uninteresting to listen to. They all use the same stupid ryhthms & vocal inflections when they rap. I'm familiar w/Matisyahu. His whole bag annoys me. He's from PA but adopts a Jamaican accent. And it's ironic for him to advise young people on the future when he lives in the past w/his archaic religious choices.
@fretbuzz59 I guess its an agree/disagree thing. However, I must thank you for being so civil about this. Its very hard to have an intelligent discussion on youtube nowadays, isn't it? Just to clear up my image a little bit though, I listen to John Denver, Neil Diamond, and of course, Billy Joel much, much more than rap and hip hop.
@supercrazyblondeguy I admire songwriting. Don't have to be a BJ fan to recognize, Laura as an example of songwriting w/good melody & chords & different sections that keeps it interesting to the listener. The lyrics aren't cryptic, but they're also not totally literal as they often are in rap. Hell, Baby Got Back is brilliant wordplay compared to much of rap. Also, the exaggerated bass in rap is an affront to the senses. And yes, it's nice to have a civil discussion. Not always easy on UTube.
@Johnrp2020 here is the link to the song he wrote that you are thinking of, he said his father should have written a song like this for his mother but since his father did not Billy did, it is a great song too. youtube.com/watch?v=HNfT3ExqXLo
I dedicate this song to a girl I was seeing and when I was asleep one night she came in to my bedroom and "Took" without permission, a very big clamp and sharp tools from a hospital operating room and sliced me open and clamped my chest cage open and "Without Permission" stole my heart like a common theif...but after 15 years bit by bit gave it me back...thank You Laura,maybe someone might hurt You like You hurt me???
@opendtuning wow...that was very...detailed. Though I do like the fact that you illustrated that she stole your heart through a very realistic manner! :) Sorry anyways for all the pain that she had caused you :)
For those who've asked, this song was Billy Joel's tribute to John Lennon and the Beatles. John Lennon was gone, and Billy Joel, highly influenced by the Beatles, wrote a number of songs on Allentown that were a direct tribute to the Beatles.
omg i was JUST thinking that!!! This really does sound like a Beatles song. lol But I like it cuz it's really interesting n very very different from all of his other songs.
I agree with you, JojoChampion! I love this song and its Lennon-vibes! It's my favourite song on the album too, but I love the whole album. -Splendid idea of him to make it!
The most Beatle sounding album he has ever done. The vocals, the concepts, the different styles and more than anything the power and the edge. The only one I love of his.
Great Song
sheafan1971 1 week ago
yes...this whole album was a beatles tribute. it's what he was trying to do. the nylon curtain is my favorite of his. i especially love this song. this album, for me, is like all the great beatle albums....no matter how many times you listen to it ya never get sick of it. every song on it is beautifully, and perfectly done. from "allentown" to "where's the orchestra" and all the gems in between. if ya haven't heard it, run, don't walk, to the nearest record store.
jaokguy 1 week ago
This song reminds me of Lennon
starlandseay 2 weeks ago
WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP 2 MINUTE WARNING BILLY DROPS A BIG F' BOMB! SO FUCKING BEATLESQUE IT IS SCARY. FANTASTIC FRETWORK BY THE LATE DOUG S. RIP BRO:-|
luvtotruck 3 weeks ago
Canción perfecta para mi alumna mimada adorada y querida Laurita...Laura...Super Lauris.
Billy escribió este controversial tema y esta noche se lo agradezco...
Eres lo máximo Laurita...
Te quiero mucho
oswaldo64 1 month ago
I love this! My name's Laura and my brother's name is James!!!!
tallperson605 1 month ago
@tallperson605 Same here!
lclauracraig 2 weeks ago
Ain't this recording so Lennonesque, right down to the electronic vocal overslap?
chernobylFarms 1 month ago
song from me to you...
elleias 2 months ago
Yes, there is a definite Beatles "sound" to this, as if John Lennon is the singer & McCartney did the arranging. The Walrus-era Beatles.
Hell, I'd listen to Billy Joel if he sounded like Beiber!
7855waldo 2 months ago
my name's laura (:
ilovejohnmayer22 2 months ago
I have an aunt named laura.......
nolava13 2 months ago
Thanks for posting this - one of my favorites. And, yes, I hear a HUGE Beatles influence. Billy has mentioned his love of the Beatles many times and you hear it very well in this song.
ukebec 2 months ago
my name is Laura
laura171964 2 months ago
Billy had some anger issues... wow
PlaidmanUTube 3 months ago
@PlaidmanUTube Must angry drunks do
rsilver1211 2 months ago
@rsilver1211 I would like to put all alcoholics on an island all by themselves, because they're already there anyway, it would just save the rest of us from having to deal with them.
PlaidmanUTube 2 months ago
彼は最高傑作って言わざるを得ない曲ばっかり創っちゃ唄ったりばかりする困った人。
しかしその中でもこの曲はその中の更なる最高傑作だと言えよう。
あまりに素朴な題材。
なのにあまりにも魂を震わせる。
0136ron 3 months ago
I hate all lauras saras and michelles. I wish there was a beautiful song for me...
tyknos93 3 months ago
the beginning of this song is so beautiful
KatieLuvsToSing 3 months ago in playlist Bill Joel Youtube 100
Billy Joel toured with George Harrison in the early 70s. He played piano with the band and sang some of his own songs at that time. I saw them in SF around 73 or 74 hard to remember since the 70s were good to me. But George had a cold and Billy Joel carried the show. It was the start of being a Billy fan for me.
zguillotine 3 months ago
@zguillotine No he did not! Billy Preston was the keyboardist for George. Yes the 70's were too good to you.
TheGretsch66 2 months ago
Trés Beatles!
Dommage qu'il y ait ce batteur!!!
Eléphantesque!
jeanlucchapelon 3 months ago
It TOTALLY SOUNDS LIKE THE BEATLES OMG
Chimboney 3 months ago 3
WOW this song is awsome!! My gf is called laura,, and she is fucking amazing!! <3 her so so much!!
dosprompt666 3 months ago
The album was intended to be a Beatles homage so it should sound like them.
evilemperordude 4 months ago
YOU bet it sounds like the Beatles. Several Beatle-ish songs on NYlon Curtain. I am sure you've heard Scandinavian Skies by now. JOel is the Walrus, goo goo ga joob.
timbohae 4 months ago
my 7year old god sons favorite song!
BLACKLACDTS 4 months ago
bang on with beatles sniff though, although the Man stands alone
derekscrowe 4 months ago in playlist Billy Joel's 'The Nylon Curtain'
Sounds very much like the Beatles.
pscottydee 4 months ago
ok
gerardo84918 4 months ago
He sounds like John Lennon! Enough said. = )
MrMotownmanny 4 months ago 4
very good sounds like lennon style
gerardo84918 5 months ago
@gerardo84918 Yep, very Lennon-esque.
fretbuzz59 5 months ago
@gerardo84918 damn, it really does! Wow! Love it!
mountainbliss4u 4 months ago
No for attention..because they don't have a very big vocabulary and that is the only word they can think of to use in that spot.
bloodandcarnage 5 months ago
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Feeling like a what??. You shouldn't say fool, come on!!! :-)
pattroni 5 months ago
All Laura's are proud to be named Laura, who wouldn't be? :)
lauraaz5 6 months ago 51
@lauraaz5 yessssss we all are
zedopicadinho40cm 5 months ago 3
@lauraaz5 My girl's name is Laura. :)
Fakeone1710 3 months ago
@Fakeone1710 oh nice ;D
lauraaz5 3 months ago
@lauraaz5 Except at the point where you have a psychopath like Billy Joel in your life I would imagine...
PlaidmanUTube 2 months ago
@lauraaz5 I changed my name LOL
TheMissLeo 1 month ago
The Nylon Curtain is an outstanding album. The songs are massive in emotion. It captures life in many angles. There is at least one song you can relate to,if not the entire album.
bakedzale 6 months ago
Why's his forehead so active?
Ztuibyman 6 months ago 5
@Ztuibyman Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha well noticed Hahahahahahahaha
wholeorange25 6 months ago
He looks like Duke Nukem.
jvorvick 6 months ago
Comment removed
VerendumProductions 5 months ago
Being called Laura ROCKS!
zigger95 6 months ago 26
@zigger95 Er... would your name by chance be...Laura?
chernobylFarms 1 month ago
@chernobylFarms Well Duhhh! ;)
zigger95 1 month ago
This album was supposed to sound Beatles influenced. Billy was going through his influences phase. First with Rock and Roll on Glass Houses, Beatles on Nylon Curtain, Doo Wop on An Innocent Man...I for one think The Nylon Curtain is his best...
dylanfan1969 6 months ago in playlist Billy Joel
Does it really matter if anyone hears the Beatles in this song? It's good enough that it stands on its own.
emidore 6 months ago
my name isnt laura but i still like this song.
CyborgDeer 6 months ago
Yay for having the name Laura(:
LipglossQueen00 6 months ago 3
I'm Called Laura XD x
MorticiansDaughter66 6 months ago
His homage to the Beatles takes it somewhere else. It's not just a copy, it's a creation.
rgaleny 7 months ago 3
Is it weird that Billy Joel reminds me of Paul McCartney?
BeatlesBestHits 7 months ago
i love billy joel he is one of my idols! wach random news#1. the dj!!! love ya!
pamella5433 7 months ago
It is insnpired by the beatles, to the poster of this song :P. I remember even reading/hearing that somewhere. This whole album has as Beatles tinge to it
psx1337 7 months ago
right on,its the beatleness in this song that makes it so good for me,if you didn't know it was billy joel,and you heard it a couple of times,wouldn't you think,mmm this reminds me of the beatles....no?
jpjones254624 8 months ago
Billy and reviewers have talked of the Beatles influence on this album. Remember when this first came out and I could hear it then, too. While many of Joel's songs, especially about women have some bite to them this perhaps takes the cake.
whoboy62 8 months ago
Beatles??? Really, this is a song from the heart. There is no Beatles, even remotley in this song
donna122955 8 months ago
@donna122955 So wrong. Look up his influences... This is a direct homage to the Beatles.
swingfiddleman 8 months ago
@donna122955 it is very beatle style.bill joel's idols were the beatles.he dedicated a whole cd in his greatest hits box set to discussing the beatles and their influence on him.this sounds like a song the beatles would have done for the white album.
jayfey77 8 months ago in playlist 80's
@donna122955 no Beatles in this song??? I just have to disagree.
NAguisrt 7 months ago
@donna122955 It couldnt be anymore Beatles. Do you know that Billy Joel started his career because of the Beatles. The drums, guitar, vocals and harmonies are all homage to the Beatles. Please dont post silly comments. Are you a Joel fan??
Noeladishi 7 months ago
Very Beatlesque
hellskitchennews 8 months ago
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Alas, this song reminds me of my estranged niece so much. It's such a good "fit." I miss her.
mlroseplant 9 months ago
@mlroseplant I don't know why your comment got flagged as spam. I hit "not spam", by the way. Maybe some people thought your stressing of the word "fit" was something sexual. Anyway, I've known a few girls this reminds me of. Who hasn't?
MckyMseNTarotCrds 7 months ago
@MckyMseNTarotCrds I guess I didn't realize it had been flagged. Thank you for interpreting my comment as I intended, which was and is that this song describes my niece with a fair amount of accuracy. "All her questions will get sympathetic answers." LOL.
mlroseplant 7 months ago
Comment removed
mlroseplant 9 months ago
I can hear the Beatles' influence throughout the whole Nylon Curtain album, for sure.
stcarnamedwant 9 months ago
@stcarnamedwant Er, I think that was the idea to some extent.
candelise 8 months ago
@candelise I'm well aware. That's why I basically said it's heavily Beatles-influenced. Because it is.
stcarnamedwant 8 months ago
dftt
FerdAlmo 10 months ago
Great hommage to the beatles!!!
spacecase3196 10 months ago
its a self indulgent song from bill -it means nothing to us.This great man and his music should'nt be trying to copy ANYONE else's music
Woozie52 10 months ago
@Woozie52 Well, he isn't 'copying' the Beatles, just paying homage to them. Artists from all genres (even comedians) pay tribute to those they were inspired by. If you're an artist you understand this concept. Maybe he needed to get it out of his system and move on since the Beatles were that important to him.
PlutoniumPlayPin 10 months ago 2
@Woozie52 actually it means a great deal to us, who are beatles fans like him. So shut it, you ignorant little prat.
Cebaszojic 8 months ago
I love the story in the lyrics....and I spent a good while staring at his forehead 'wiggling' xD
Rawrschachie 10 months ago
Billy admits it was a nod to The Beatles - who he was heavily influenced by. He also did a tip of the hat to McCartney on Glass Houses singing french on Cetait Toi.
WayneYonke 10 months ago
There are a wonderful number of songs Billy Joel did that didn't get allot of recognition that get better and better with age while his hits get tired and well... boring. Joel's Early Career was like that before The Stranger. Well before that his work was really good and he had to put out an album of live stuff that showed how good his early stuff was. It was called songs in the attic. He needs to put out a definitive set of some of his lesser known work.
GothChristianPatriot 11 months ago
@GothChristianPatriot he did...it's a live album called "Songs in the Attic"
puffball9 10 months ago
@puffball9 I hope that was a joke...
stcarnamedwant 9 months ago
@GothChristianPatriot I suspect that album came out in order for some artistic breathing space for The Nylon Curtain album as that particular album took about a year to make, a very long time compared to his other albums. The Stranger took about five weeks, for example.
candelise 8 months ago
Reminds me of songs like Remember or Isolation from Plastic Ono Band.
duckiedale80 11 months ago
Yes it's very beatlesque
EarPhoneMonkey 11 months ago
@EarPhoneMonkey
Yeah, I think it's strinkingly similar to I'm So Tired off White Album.
duckiedale80 11 months ago
BILLY DROPS AN F-BOMB..GOTTA LOVE IT :)
claypigeon77 11 months ago
My name is Laura!!!! =D
LauraMichelleMiller 11 months ago
sounds much more like a george harrison song than a john lennon song.
intelplatoon 11 months ago
@intelplatoon
Sounds like Isolation or Remember from Plastic Ono Band.
duckiedale80 11 months ago
By the way.. I asked him once if it was about his mother.
DutchReaganite 11 months ago
@rah01kah oh yeah, mothers can make you feel That way. I have a Laura myself.
DutchReaganite 11 months ago
Interesting chords,nice structure, but the drums are too "Beatles"
petrumusic 11 months ago
One of my favorites, reminds me of "For no one" by the Beatles. It's about his mother for sure..
DutchReaganite 1 year ago
@DutchReaganite
you actually think this is about his mother, really????? even the line...." i feel like a fucking fool."
rah01kah 11 months ago
If I didn't know it was Billy Joel song I would easily say its a John Lennon song
StevieAndCoryYUMMY 1 year ago
@StevieAndCoryYUMMY Billy is a better singer though
Noeladishi 1 year ago
Pppppllllt to whoever said Joel couldn't write a song as "great" as Lennon-McCartney. As far as I'm concerned he surpasses the weird-for-the-sake-of-weirdness, highly over-rated Beatles in every way imaginable, including the ability to maintain a career.
bobgee1999 1 year ago
@bobgee1999 Did you just diss the Beatles. Are you insane!!!!! The Beatles are the best.
jpbadke77 9 months ago
Joel couldn't write songs as great as The Beatles', but he was exceptional at imitating McCartney and this is a pretty good Lennon imitation as well. If you're wondering why Billy Joel would use an F word in a song, it's because John used one in Working Class Hero (and the N word in another song), and Joel was doing an album tribute to his heroes. The guitar on this is is also clearly inspired by George Harrison.
superman11978 1 year ago
Amazing song-- and also a blast to play on drums.
xtingu 1 year ago
I f you listen to this song on headphones It souds very cool
westexchi 1 year ago
@westexchi headphones is always the best :-)
Noeladishi 1 year ago
ive heard him say hell and bitching but now he drops the f bomb on you and you jump out of your seat.but that dosent change the fact that I love billy joel
westexchi 1 year ago
This is still one of my most favorite Billy Joel tracks. I love the bitchiness vibe about it. It's a very real tune.
flyingshed 1 year ago 2
The first time I heard this I said " the Beatles" Then I saw an interview with Billy Joel and he said he got alot of his ideas from The Beatles influence. This is my favorite Joel song. Thanks for posting.
mkgipson 1 year ago
This is an AWESOME tribute to John Lennon...remember, this album came out a year or two after Lennon was killed...so Billy kinda dedicated the whole album to John...totally awesome. Yeah, the F-bomb is very uncharacteristic for him...but I just say "stupid fool" when I play this song on my piano...but as nonenja said above, it is said with emotion. I ADORE the guitar solo too...so psychedelic. This song is something in the vein of "Sexy Sadie."
TheStreakedWall 1 year ago
@TheStreakedWall I agree! " Sexy Sadie"
mkgipson 1 year ago
@TheStreakedWall
I'm So Tired is another good one to compare it to.
duckiedale80 11 months ago
...duh!
Burnzy1976 1 year ago
This was a Beatles inspired album. That's why it has a Beatles sound...
floridacomedyfan 1 year ago
Billy said one of his biggest regrets was never meeting John Lennon when he had a chance. They both had "weekend" homes near each other on Long Island in the late 70's, but Billy said he was too scared to knock on the door. Billy said he kicked himself after finding out later that John loved "Just The Way You Are".
MegaObserver1 1 year ago
@MegaObserver1 DAMN...that sucks! I wish I could have met Lennon too.
TheStreakedWall 1 year ago
How many guys have felt the same way about their relationship with a woman? "I feel like a fucking fool!" How ELSE could he have put it? That's the male universal feeling when a we realize a woman has played us. Which is what this song is about.
MegaObserver1 1 year ago
I love the song Laura from Billy Joel's 1982 album The Nylon Curtain. It reminds of my grandmother screaming at me.
TobyHalicki089 1 year ago
My name is Laura and if been called after the song Laura what i think is pretty cool if i say so myself
IMissYellow 1 year ago
This is one of many of Billy Joel's songs in which the Beatles influence shows. His singing is almost like listening to John sing, the classically influenced intro and outro to the song is something Paul could have written, the triplet singing going against triplet piano chords syncopation on the "Living alone..." part, the 'open gate' reverb on the snare drum, and the lose hi-hat on the drums mixed with the tambourine every other time. "Strawberry Fields Forever + For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite"
CPepin73 1 year ago
This is the only F-bomb Billy drops in his whole catalog. I first heard this song when I was 13, and I almost jumped off my seat. But you can tell he really means it, so I like it. It's not like rap artists who say the f-word 500 times in one song just for attention.
nonnenja2281 1 year ago 28
@nonnenja2281 You should see him live...no f-bombs barred.
dvdmoe 11 months ago
@dvdmoe I have many times! He's more partial to s-bombs.
nonnenja2281 11 months ago
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@nonnenja2281 Sounds like this show the true power of the f-bomb, and one of the reasons why, and yes I'm shilling here, it's one of the most underrated songs Joel ever did. Bad Booking's Blogs, badbookingblog.blogspot.com!
BadBooking 9 months ago
@nonnenja2281 Rap artists don't use it for attention, they use it because it's aggressive, and its perfectly valid in an aggression fueled song to swear.
Nathanrjroche 5 months ago
@Nathanrjroche Of course they use it for attention. Rap is all about attention. "Look at me. I'm a badass, I've got money, women, etc, etc." Initially it had a political & social message, but now it's narcissistic garbage. If they were real artists, w/talent & w/decent vocabularies, they could express themselves in more sophisticated ways. I have no problem w/profanity--I use it myself. As George Carlin used to say, it's another spice in the stew. But if it's the only spice...
fretbuzz59 5 months ago 2
@fretbuzz59 I agree with you, but not completely. There are still rap and hip hop artists I have a very deep respect for. But of course, these are the ones who do have an expansive vocabulary and do use their music as a way to express how they feel about problems in the world, namely certain aspects of the government and social issues. There actually a lot of them that affect people positively. I'm sorry about the essay, but I feel a lot of artists under that genre are stereotyped unfairly.
supercrazyblondeguy 5 months ago
@supercrazyblondeguy I'd be interested to know which rappers you admire; the ones w/good vocabularies. I'm not aware of any. And of course musically...most of it's absolute shit.
fretbuzz59 5 months ago
@fretbuzz59 Again, I agree that just about all of it is completely pointless. Buuut there are still guys like Lupe Fiasco, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and Matisyahu who put out a lot meaningful work. And I can't say all their songs are intelligent, especially the singles they release. However, every one of these guys have B-sides that can really make someone stop and think about the world we live in. For instance "Youth" by Matisyahu, where he talks about choices to be made by the younger generation.
supercrazyblondeguy 5 months ago
@supercrazyblondeguy Checked out your suggestions. Yes they're better than most of what I hear:a bit more musical & less abrasive. But compared to real songwriting it's very weak & uninteresting to listen to. They all use the same stupid ryhthms & vocal inflections when they rap. I'm familiar w/Matisyahu. His whole bag annoys me. He's from PA but adopts a Jamaican accent. And it's ironic for him to advise young people on the future when he lives in the past w/his archaic religious choices.
fretbuzz59 5 months ago
@fretbuzz59 I guess its an agree/disagree thing. However, I must thank you for being so civil about this. Its very hard to have an intelligent discussion on youtube nowadays, isn't it? Just to clear up my image a little bit though, I listen to John Denver, Neil Diamond, and of course, Billy Joel much, much more than rap and hip hop.
supercrazyblondeguy 5 months ago
@supercrazyblondeguy I admire songwriting. Don't have to be a BJ fan to recognize, Laura as an example of songwriting w/good melody & chords & different sections that keeps it interesting to the listener. The lyrics aren't cryptic, but they're also not totally literal as they often are in rap. Hell, Baby Got Back is brilliant wordplay compared to much of rap. Also, the exaggerated bass in rap is an affront to the senses. And yes, it's nice to have a civil discussion. Not always easy on UTube.
fretbuzz59 5 months ago
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VerendumProductions 5 months ago
normally think joel is shit... but this rules... maybe its the lennon touch?
Hildovar 1 year ago
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emidore 1 year ago
@emidore easy tiger, he said he liked the song lol. Joel writes a lot of trash, even his fans admit that (including my gf).
dqdqwdqdqdw 1 year ago
@dqdqwdqdqdw Billy's trash is still amazing and better than the best songs of most other artists.
damianrwhite 1 year ago
@Hildovar Billy is very good. But I guess if you didn't grow up listening to something then you just don't get it..
floridacomedyfan 1 year ago
Did you know this song is written by Billy about his mother Roslynd......that must have been one F#@ked up releationship....great song though!
Johnrp2020 1 year ago
@Johnrp2020 This song was not written about his mother you have that mixed up about his other sond roselinda eyes...You can google that fact.
mollielaw 1 year ago
@mollielaw Billy has actually said that Laura could very well be about a mother/son relationship, hence the umbilical cord line.
damianrwhite 1 year ago
@Johnrp2020 here is the link to the song he wrote that you are thinking of, he said his father should have written a song like this for his mother but since his father did not Billy did, it is a great song too. youtube.com/watch?v=HNfT3ExqXLo
mollielaw 1 year ago
even the guitar solo has that ...George sound.
rlawton002 1 year ago
This song makes me proud to be named Laura ! ^^
LaUrAGrAvIaS 1 year ago 23
I love it, Laura is my name too EmotionalPushkins l ol.
DizziNY 1 year ago
THERE ARE A LOT OF SONGS ABOUT LAURA! WE ARE LUCKY!!!!
arual1969 1 year ago 3
it seem's john lennon's 'watching the weels' :D amazing song
mombassano27 1 year ago
I dedicate this song to a girl I was seeing and when I was asleep one night she came in to my bedroom and "Took" without permission, a very big clamp and sharp tools from a hospital operating room and sliced me open and clamped my chest cage open and "Without Permission" stole my heart like a common theif...but after 15 years bit by bit gave it me back...thank You Laura,maybe someone might hurt You like You hurt me???
opendtuning 1 year ago 2
@opendtuning wow...that was very...detailed. Though I do like the fact that you illustrated that she stole your heart through a very realistic manner! :) Sorry anyways for all the pain that she had caused you :)
LaUrAGrAvIaS 1 year ago
@LaUrAGrAvIaS thanx it did me good to put something down in words,it was a long time ago so,there you go...Best Wishes...
opendtuning 1 year ago
how many times am I gonna listen to Laura and all these great songs
ph4nt0mf1ng3rs 1 year ago
For those who've asked, this song was Billy Joel's tribute to John Lennon and the Beatles. John Lennon was gone, and Billy Joel, highly influenced by the Beatles, wrote a number of songs on Allentown that were a direct tribute to the Beatles.
quirksoftware 1 year ago
@quirksoftware
You mean on "The Nylon Curtain," right?
dogkelp 1 year ago
@dogkelp
Yep, that's the one.
lydmantheincredible 1 year ago
he sounds alot like John Lennon in this song
yankees46 1 year ago
@yankees46 It's true
CristianMolinaro28 1 year ago
"Does anyone else think that he sounds like the Beatles in this song". Indeed. Beautiful painful song.
daward2 1 year ago
@daward2 No shit! You are right!
GoldwingQueen1 1 year ago
I think it's pretty awesome how billy joel says the f word. lol
Lola18xxy 1 year ago 2
omg i was JUST thinking that!!! This really does sound like a Beatles song. lol But I like it cuz it's really interesting n very very different from all of his other songs.
Lola18xxy 1 year ago
Does anybody see the similarity between this song and some of the Electric Light Orchestra's stuff?
Beatlerock4 1 year ago
LOL actually maybe not. Yes the album is very Beatles influenced. That is what I like about it.
dormanbenton 1 year ago
I really like this song. Nylon Curtain is a one of a kind album.
dormanbenton 1 year ago
What the fuck are you talking about?
tbj1992 2 years ago
I used to think that Billy was a class act. He could have done this without the vulgarity. Only my opinion.
lucky8274 2 years ago
Joel never made any bones about his emulating the Beatles.. it was exactly what he wanted to do and he came closer than most could ever dream..
mcfartson 2 years ago
Great song. This was the B-side to 'Pressure', back in the day when we bought 45s, kids :-)
tech9803 2 years ago 3
I agree with you, JojoChampion! I love this song and its Lennon-vibes! It's my favourite song on the album too, but I love the whole album. -Splendid idea of him to make it!
IamYlva 2 years ago
Best track on the whole album. Love the off-key Lennonesque sound.
JojoChampion 2 years ago 2
He meant to sound like the Beatles; as a matter of fact, Billy Joel meant this whole album to be like the Beatles (that's what he said).
IanLoewen 2 years ago 6
This has been flagged as spam show
The most Beatle sounding album he has ever done. The vocals, the concepts, the different styles and more than anything the power and the edge. The only one I love of his.
BonelessSausage 2 years ago