Songfacts®:

• According to Joel, this song was written about suffering from manic depression. Joel identifies himself as a manic depressive, and says that it actually comes in quite handy when writing songs, as there's not a lot of material in moderation. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Justin - Lawton, OK
• Joel addresses his listener in this song as "darling," which likely refers to his wife at the time, Christine Brinkley, who he was with from 1985-1994.
• Joel's piano part, especially at the end of this song, is congruent with the lyrical theme, as he uses the whole keyboard range, going back and forth from the extreme high and low notes.
• Both Joel and Lindsay Lohan both hail from Long Island. However, that's not their only connection. The actress has some of his lyrics tattooed on her body - the words "Clear as a crystal, sharp as a knife I feel like I'm in the prime of my life" from this song are inked on her rib cage. Lohan stated the lyric was important to her because it represents everything she's been through in life and it signifies that she's focused.
• The video was directed by Paula Greif, whose credits include "How Soon Is Now?" for The Smiths and "Notorious" for Duran Duran. When Billy Joel was recording the song, he pounded the keys so hard that he broke some strings (Joel often treated his pianos like Mike Tyson treated his opponents). When Greif heard this story, she made sure to shoot scenes of Joel frantically playing the instrument, even with his feet.
  
  As for Greif, she stopped making videos a few years later and became an artist specializing in ceramics.