Just because a song is pressed to vinyl doesn’t mean it’s set in cement. Any band playing the same song live for years or even decades is bound to stray from the original arrangement.
Billy Joel is no exception. And, given his dissatisfaction with his earliest records, it’s no surprise that some of his oldest songs have seen significant revisions over the years.
In this episode, we’re tracking the stylistic shifts for two of Billy’s older, fan favorite songs: “Everybody Loves You Now” and “Say Goodbye to Hollywood.” We’re comparing the original versions to subsequent live performances from the 70s through the latest Madison Square Garden shows.
These songs had more versions on official releases than perhaps any other in the catalog. They are also on plenty of bootlegs and were played by more iterations of Billy’s band than most others.
We knew to expect a few well-known changes to each song over more than 40 years of performances. But, we were surprised to discover just how many shifts, tweaks, and returns to form our close listens revealed.
Join us as we dig deep into the evolutions of two classic Billy Joel songs.
“Everybody Loves You Now” playlist
“Say Goodbye To Hollywood” playlist
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Produced by Michael Grosvenor & Jack Firneno for Groove Music Marketing