The Meaning Behind “Piano Man” by Billy Joel and the Real-Life Tale That Created a Legend

Billy Joel once had a steady gig as a piano man at a Los Angeles lounge. Though he likely didn’t imagine that this gig and the signature song it inspired would send him all the way back to New York City, where he’d become a legend and eventually make history with a decade-long residency at Madison Square Garden.

Sing Us a Song

Joel recalls the bar regulars settling into their chairs and drowning themselves in booze while he plays familiar tunes.

It’s nine o’clock on a Saturday,
The regular crowd shuffles in.
There’s an old man sitting next to me,
Making love to his tonic and gin.

He says, “Son, can you play me a memory?
I’m not really sure how it goes.
But it’s sad, and it’s sweet, and I knew it complete,
When I wore a younger man’s clothes.”

Music heals, obviously. And if you’re drunk at the bar and this guy called Billy sings pretty well, well then you call out another tune as you order another drink.

Sing us a song, you’re the piano man,
Sing us a song tonight.
Well, we’re all in the mood for a melody,
And you’ve got us feeling all right.

Forget About Life for a While

Joel helps the characters forget about their broken dreams, or the dreams they never quite reached. And it may be the same need that kept thousands coming back to the Garden for 10 years. This guy’s singing about me, you might say. And the piano man probably is.

Now John at the bar is a friend of mine,
He gets me my drinks for free.
And he’s quick with a joke or to light up your smoke,
But there’s some place that he’d rather be.

He says, “Bill, I believe this is killing me,”
As the smile ran away from his face.
“Well, I’m sure that I could be a movie star,
If I could get out of this place.”

“Piano Man” is the title track of Joel’s second studio album, released in 1973.

It’s a pretty good crowd for a Saturday,
And the manager gives me a smile.
’Cause he knows that it’s me they’ve been coming to see,
To forget about life for a while.

Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images