Just the Way You Are...Billy Joel, 1977.
A Serenade of Seventies songs, from the soundtrack of my life, is my theme for the A-Z challenge this year.
When I initially thought about Billy Joel, it was hard for me to remember the days before 1980's Glass Houses. That album, and its lyric sheet, took me completely by storm. I did dabble a bit before then though, as songs like Movin' Out, Only the Good Die Young, The Stranger and Scenes From an Italian Restaurant played as a soundtrack in the background of my life, leaving their indelible mark. Words I did not even know I had committed to memory would come out over the years as these songs stood the test of time.
This song though, Billy telling me he loved me just the way I was, offered such reassurance. It gave that sense of hope that not only was I an incredible eight year old, but also that someday would find someone who shared the sentiment. It was always about that for me, these songs serving not only as some sort of foreshadowing for what I could expect relationships to be, but I fully expected to have songs written about and sung to me. Danger, danger! (I got my head on straight in the eighties though when I gleaned my wisdom about love from John Hughes movies. More danger!! But I digress...)
I never want to work that hard
I just want someone that I can talk to
I want you just the way you are
By 1979, I was trying some new fashion though...
Don't go changing to try and please me
You never let me down before
Thanks for stopping by!
Oh, you were rocking the Love Boat Cruise Director style! So cute. Billy Joel would have approved
ReplyDeleteCool style Andrea!...Cute ...& I agree with Kim ....Billy Joel would have surely approved it !! :)
ReplyDeleteHaha! I was not going to even mention Love Boat! You look adorable!
ReplyDeleteI consider it a point of pride that I can still sing along with 'Italian restaurant'. Yet I can't remember why I walked into any given room.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine anyone disliking this song. I loved it for all of the same reasons that you did - and even shared some of your crazy ideas. (yeah, I thought some guy was going to sing to me... and John Hughes also set me up for some disappointment!)
ReplyDeleteAh... The Love Boat... you do look a bit like that hip cruise director. So, yep, you totally rocked it!
Gosh I remember Billy Joel, hehe those are good words he uses, something to ponder and think about and remember the good old days, ouch I sound old now. Hello from anotehr a-z blogger x
ReplyDeleteOver from the A to Z Challenge and loving the trip down memory lane even though I'm from the UK. We too had a bit of a nautical look in the late 70's!
ReplyDeleteBJ - just the greatest! Thank you for this post Andrea - it was great! The photo too!
ReplyDeleteGarden of Eden Blog
Oh, yeah, great song... I have many Billy Joel cassettes. Stupid cassettes.
ReplyDeleteLove that picture- you look very studious.
ReplyDeleteBilly Joel never loved me just the way I am. He changed the words when he sang to me.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I'm a big fan of Billy Joel's music, though I came to him late. A friend loaned me a tape of his "An Innocent Man" album (he wanted me to figure out the chords to some of the songs), and the music intrigued me. Since it was a generic tape, I didn't have the cover sleeve, so judging from his vocal style on the album, I assumed he was black. Then my dad purchased a 12" single of the title track with a big picture of Mr. Joel on the cover, and that put to rest my assumption. :) What converted me from "intrigued" to "fan" was one of the songs on the B-side of that single: "She's Always a Woman," from the album "The Stranger." What an amazing piece of music. I then went through a period where I discovered Billy Joel songs I'd known for years, but never known they were Billy Joel songs (e.g., "My Life," and the subject of your article, "Just the Way You Are").
ReplyDeleteAhh... memories! :)
If only more people believed in those words!
ReplyDeleteI get so confused! Here's the Julie McCoy outfit that rocks the house! For me, when I think of Billy Joel, I will always think of "Piano Man" which is a peek into a traveling musician's life, and not a famous musician, but just a workin' joe and we are legion. This along with Bob Seger's "Turn the Page," describe perfectly what it is like to be on the road, living out of a suitcase, playin' star, but just playin' it. It's a bit different for string players, as we tend to travel in packs, but both Joel and Seger caught those days perfectly. I'm not fond of Joel's later work; after "Just the Way You Are" I felt that he kind of lost his heart, but the beautiful thing about music and songs, is that our opinions of them are subjective and just because some people make their living in music makes their opinions no more valid than the people who just listen! I have a secret, too. Well, actually, everyone who knows me knows this. I hate playing the violin, although I play it for money. I hate Mozart. The only thing worse than Mozart is playing Mozart on the violin. Truly Hell in a barrel! Thank you so much for these lovely snippets into the past of pop culture, Andrea. I'm enjoying the ride! Mary
ReplyDeleteHi Andrea - Bill Joel - I loved some of his music .. Love Boat I never got into .. but cute photos of you dressed as the Julie McCoy is just fun to see .. cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteAh, loved reading and singing your post this morning- I know all of those songs also and they do bring back my days of growing up with them. Too bad posts can't be longer. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteSue
http://www.door2lore.com/3/post/2014/04/kamishibai-storytelling.html
LOVE Billy Joel! And I keep waiting for the Love Boat and Fantasy Island to stream on Netflix. Grrrr.....
ReplyDelete-andi
Billy Joel and the Love Boat together in one post. I can die happy.
ReplyDeleteI love Billy Joel, and this is one of my all-time favorite songs!!! :D You are rocking' the Love Boat look! I swear I think I had that very same jacket piped in red instead of white!
ReplyDeleteI loved Billy Joel and never missed the Love Boat. :D
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, BJ is my favorite! He is such a poet and such a talent! This song took me back, gave me a great memories! And Captain and Tennile, Toni Orlando and Dawn, this is such a flashback theme! We must be the same age!
ReplyDeleteLove forever to that Piano Man. And whaaaat? Love Boat? Didn't miss an episode. Sometimes I made paper tickets and pretended I was going on a cruise on the Loooooove Boat. Isaac the bartender recently spoke at our high school and I was so tempted to sneak into school to see.
ReplyDeleteBilly Joel.
ReplyDeleteStill going strong. Still making incredible music.
Heather
Heather M. Gardner
The Waiting is the Hardest Part
Stormy's Sidekick
Blogging from A to Z April Challenge Co-Host
Showing this to one of our girls here and we both decided that we would totally wear that skirt :) Thanks for sharing and visiting us. Visiting from A to Z Challenge at Learning at Cedar Ridge Academy
ReplyDeleteand Cedar Ridge Academy