I Don't Want To Be Alone

Album: Glass Houses (1980)
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Songfacts®:

  • In this pop tune from Billy Joel's seventh album, Glass Houses, a man nervously waits to reunite with his estranged girlfriend in the lobby of the Plaza Hotel. He's not sure he wants to rekindle the romance if she's simply looking for someone to warm her bed.
  • According to Joel's drummer Liberty DeVitto, the line, "But like the song, being caught by the wink of an eye," is a reference to Jan Bradley's 1963 R&B hit, "Mama Didn't Lie," which contains the lyrics, "They're wrong to think I will be caught by the wink of an eye."
  • Located in Midtown Manhattan, the Plaza Hotel is a luxury hotel and apartment building that's long been one of New York City's iconic locales. It also served as the setting for many famous movies, including Home Alone 2: Lost In New York, where Kevin McCallister schemes his way into staying in one of the suites.
  • Glass Houses was Joel's third album to be produced by Phil Ramone. Prior to teaming up with Joel, Ramone produced Paul Simon's hit 1975 album, Still Crazy After All These Years.

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