Piano Man is the second
studio album by American recording artist
Billy Joel, released on November 14, 1973, by
Columbia Records.[8] The album emerged from legal difficulties with Joel's former label, Family Productions, and ultimately became his first breakthrough album.
The
title track, a fictionalized retelling of Joel's experiences with people he met as a lounge singer in
Los Angeles, peaked at No. 25 on the
US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 4 on the Adult Contemporary singles chart. "
Travelin' Prayer" and "
Worse Comes to Worst" peaked at No. 77 and 80 on the Hot 100, respectively, while the album itself peaked at No. 27 on the
US Billboard 200. The album was certified gold by the
RIAA in 1975, but Joel received only $8000 in
royalties (US$45,299 in 2023 dollars[9]).[10]
Legacy edition
Columbia Records released a two-disc legacy version of Piano Man in November 2011.[11]
This edition included a slightly truncated live 1972
Philadelphia 93.3 WMMR FM radio broadcast of early songs that Joel performed and recorded at the Philadelphia-based Sigma Sound Studios. This radio broadcast was extremely important to the success of Joel's music career because, after the show was recorded, the live recording of "
Captain Jack" was played by the station and quickly became "the most requested song in the station's history". Once the popularity of this live recording was known, people working for
Columbia Records heard the recording and signed Joel to the label.[12] The radio broadcast included three songs ("Long, Long Time"; "Josephine"; and "Rosalinda") that were never on any of Joel's studio albums.
Rolling Stone mused that Piano Man "represents a new seriousness and flexibility" for Joel, comparing it to the stylings of
Elton John.[7] Reviewing the album, Billboard stated that it shows that Joel has a "fine shot at establishing himself as consistent quality
AM artist with large scale songs and dynamic performing range.[16]
^Rosemary, Horide (10 May 1975).
"Billy Joel – Piano Man"(PDF). Disc. Sutton: IPC Specialist and Professional Press Ltd. p. 20.
ISSN0308-1168. Archived from
the original(PDF) on 31 January 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023 – via World Radio History.
^"ビリー・ジョエル-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック" [Highest position and charting weeks for Piano Man: Legacy Edition by Billy Joel]. oricon.co.jp (in Japanese).
Oricon Style. Retrieved September 7, 2013.