You're My Home by Billy Joel

Album: Piano Man (1975)

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Joel wrote this for his first wife, Elizabeth, as a Valentine's Day present because he couldn't afford chocolate or flowers. Even though that marriage has long since ended, Joel still connects with the song's message. He told Sirius XM in 2016, "That's still how I feel about somebody you're in a relationship with - if you're really comfortable with them and you love that person and they make you feel like you're home, then you are home." >>>
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Sloan - Port Washington, NY
This was released as the B-side of the "Piano Man" single.
When you ask most songwriters if there are any cover songs they particularly despise, they usually dodge the question, since these covers put money in their pockets. Joel, however, gave an honest answer when asked this question by Uncut magazine in 1998. Said Joel: "Helen Reddy once cut something of mine, a song called 'You're My Home,' which wasn't great. I did it at a gig once and introduced it sayin,' 'This is a song of mine Helen Reddy cut... to pieces.' Turns out her husband or her manager was in the audience, and they were talkin' about suing me. Then Helen got in touch and said she was never recording one of my songs again, and I was like, 'D'you promise?' Kind of a smart-ass reply – maybe I shoulda just shut up. I gotta let these things go, it shouldn't bother me. I mean, I hear my stuff in elevators and I think somebody actually went to the trouble of putting together this really trite arrangement between jingle sessions. I get a kick out of it, it means the music has a life of its own."
Joel said he's playing the piano as if it were a stringed instrument like the guitar. He told Sirius XM, "It gives rhythm to the song and moves it along and it also makes for interesting notes, but they're basically broken-up chords that I'm doing different rhythms with."
Piano Man was produced by Michael Stewart, who was the guitarist for We Five, a folk-rock group that had a big hit in 1965 with a remake of Ian & Sylvia's "You Were On My Mind." Stewart also produced Joel's next album, Streetlife Serenade.

Comments: 10

Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn October 10, 1975, Helen Reddy performed her covered version of "You're My Home" on the NBC-TV musical variety late-night program 'The Midnight Special'...
The song was track two of side one on her 1974 album, 'Love Song for Jeffrey', the album reached #11 on Billboard's Top LPs Albums chart and spent 35 weeks on the chart...
As noted above, it was the B-side of his 1974 single, "Piano Man", it peaked at #25...
* So Billy wasn't too happy with Reddy's rendition of the song, got to wonder if he was to upset to cash the royalty check?
Carolyn from Knoville, TnOne of my all time favorites...and one my husband sings to me still after all these years!
Bob from Bismarck, NdI was playing this song (on a 45 rpm record) in my college dorm room. A girl heard it as she walked by my room. She stopped to say that she loved this song. We talked a while......... Three years later, I married her. Thirty-two years later, we're still married. This has always been one of "our songs". We got to hear Billy Joel sing in live, in concert!!
Jesse from East Setauket, NyWas my wedding song at my small wedding in 1986. Got divorced after 10 years of marriage. Ex wife moved out of state and got remarried. We remained in contact, no hard feelings. In 2009 she passed away from stage 4 ovarian cancer at age 47. I hear this song and when he gets to the part, "....good walls all around" I always choke up. Shows how short life is and this song will always make me remember my ex wife.
Allison from Albany, NyThis song is so, well, beautiful. It kind of makes me tear up whenever I listen to it. Billy Joel rules!
Duane from Tampa, FlThank you Billy Joel for writing this song. Anyone who has lived out of suitcase for extended time and has a loved one knows just what you were saying. I travel for business 10+ months out of the year living out of hotels and motels, and every time I hear this song it chokes me up.
Jerry from Albany, NyThis song is one of the highlights of the "Songs In The Attic" album for me. The version here is so much warmer, more romantic than the original studio version. It's one of my all time Billy Joel favorites.
Bill from Downers Grove, IlVery simple and straightforward. He loved that woman. Loved the version on "Songs in the Attic".
Abelardo from Mexico, MexicoHis wife asked him if the gift included cpyrights!
Leyna from From The Middle Of The Ocean, OkThat was so sweet of him to write Elizabeth that song! :D

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