Mark Pentleton

In my opinion this song is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. It dates from 1983, although it wasn’t released until six years later on Billy Joel’s Stormfront album. It’s said to tell the tale of the relationship between Billy Joel and the model Elle Macpherson, a relationship which the musician knew would never last. I think the aspect of the song I like the most is “what happens in the middle”: not the melody line or the bass, but the harmonies and “inner voices” which make an exceptionally simple-sounding song actually quite complex. I hope you enjoy it. If you want to hear the man himself perform it, have a look at this live performance on YouTube.

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Podcast: Download (Duration: 4:14 — 5.9MB)