1 00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:14,240 Speaker 1: Clesy releases the story behind the album. 2 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 2: Well the Stranger is Billy Joel's fifth studio album. It 3 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:22,320 Speaker 2: came out in September nineteen seventy seven. It was the 4 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:25,799 Speaker 2: first of Joel's albums to be produced by Phil Ramone, 5 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:29,720 Speaker 2: with whom he would work for five subsequent albums. 6 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:30,720 Speaker 3: Incredible his Phil. 7 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:34,520 Speaker 4: I was so determined to capture everything about this guy. 8 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:37,920 Speaker 1: It wasn't about anybody could write these little simple ditties. 9 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 1: He wanted to be the rock and roll stone. 10 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:42,320 Speaker 3: Jesus are success together, those two, weren't they? 11 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:45,600 Speaker 2: They certainly were. He's not one of the Ramones. 12 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:48,880 Speaker 5: Though he's not in a punk bands, well, not that 13 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 5: I know of. 14 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:51,839 Speaker 2: A different, unrelated Ramone. 15 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:53,520 Speaker 3: I don't think he went to rock and roll high school. 16 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 2: Now it's just as well it did good because Joel's 17 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:01,280 Speaker 2: previous album, Turnstiles, had sold very modestly and peaked very 18 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:03,920 Speaker 2: low on the charts, and it prompted Columbia, which was 19 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:07,440 Speaker 2: the label, to consider dropping him if his next release 20 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 2: had sold poorly. 21 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:10,319 Speaker 5: Yeah, it's incredible, wasn't it, Because like that album, as 22 00:01:10,319 --> 00:01:12,560 Speaker 5: you mentioned, the first one called Spring Harbor and street 23 00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:15,520 Speaker 5: Life serenade. These previous albums. They had some great songs on, 24 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:18,200 Speaker 5: but they just didn't sell. It's Billy talking about it. 25 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:19,720 Speaker 4: I didn't know this at the time, but had it 26 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 4: not been a successful album, the label probably would have 27 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:24,120 Speaker 4: dropped me, because you have to remember, this was my 28 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:28,679 Speaker 4: fifth album without having had a major hit. But now, yeah, Claient' said, 29 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 4: I could see it was a really imput album because 30 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:31,200 Speaker 4: I might have. 31 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:35,240 Speaker 2: Flushed interesting lighting doors moments. 32 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:37,199 Speaker 5: And he didn't know at the time. Imagine the pressure. 33 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:38,840 Speaker 5: If he'd known that, it probably wouldn't have been he 34 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:40,640 Speaker 5: would writer's block it was. 35 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 2: It ended up being considered his critical and commercial breakthrough, 36 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 2: really and that it was five in four singles were 37 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:51,320 Speaker 2: released off this album, all of which became top forty 38 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:53,800 Speaker 2: hits on the Billboard Hot one hundred chart. Moving out 39 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:56,400 Speaker 2: Anthony song that we just played, She's always a woman, 40 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 2: only the good day young and of course just the 41 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:00,720 Speaker 2: way you are. 42 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 5: It's a funny way we see you in hindsight. And 43 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 5: they say, oh, this song nearly didn't get on. 44 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:04,880 Speaker 1: We did. 45 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:07,720 Speaker 5: We're really sure a lot, and sometimes you need to 46 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:09,080 Speaker 5: get clarification from others. 47 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:11,239 Speaker 3: He's Billy talking about just where you are, and we. 48 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:11,960 Speaker 1: Were sitting around. 49 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:13,680 Speaker 4: You know, I got a bunch of guys here with 50 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:15,600 Speaker 4: no girl in the band. It was just all guys 51 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:18,560 Speaker 4: and we're listening back on Do you like it? 52 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:18,920 Speaker 1: I don't know. 53 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:19,720 Speaker 6: It's a chick song. 54 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:22,359 Speaker 1: You know, none of us were all that hard to 55 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:32,160 Speaker 1: put it on the album. 56 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:33,000 Speaker 2: I love it. 57 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:39,280 Speaker 4: Just Phoebe Snow came by with Linda Ronstad and they said, 58 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:41,639 Speaker 4: you're crazy, You've got to put that song on the alb. 59 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:45,800 Speaker 4: These girls like the song. I guess we should put 60 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:47,400 Speaker 4: it on the album. So we kept it on. 61 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:53,079 Speaker 2: Thanks wonderful chick song, a chicks so song, although a 62 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:55,359 Speaker 2: couple of chicks did tell him to make sure he did. 63 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 5: It would be great that Phoebe Snow and Linda Ronstadt 64 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 5: just sort of walking yes, okay, yeah, yeah, I love 65 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:05,840 Speaker 5: that had quite a bit of cred, didn't I unreal? 66 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:08,120 Speaker 5: And another song on the album, Lace was a Beauty, 67 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 5: only the Legendary, Only the Good Die Young to a 68 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 5: little bit about that. 69 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:14,080 Speaker 6: You know, when I was a kid, I mean I 70 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:16,200 Speaker 6: wasn't Catholic, but all my friends were, and I used 71 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:18,760 Speaker 6: to go to Mass with my friends, thinking that's what 72 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:20,920 Speaker 6: you did on a Sunday, and I came up with 73 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:24,679 Speaker 6: this song about a guy trying to seduce a Catholic grum. 74 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:28,840 Speaker 4: They got damned at Seaton, the whole University radio, some 75 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:31,720 Speaker 4: Larch diocese, I think with Saint Louis said that people 76 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 4: shouldn't buy the record. And as soon as you tell 77 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:36,440 Speaker 4: people they shouldn't hear something and they shouldn't have something, 78 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:41,760 Speaker 4: people wanted and they went out and bought it and 79 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:44,200 Speaker 4: drove and drove the record way up the charts. So 80 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:47,240 Speaker 4: I remember writing a letter saying, please ban my next record, 81 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 4: thank you very much for we joked. 82 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:52,840 Speaker 2: I think writing that in nineteen seventies New York. 83 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 3: He makes a very good point. 84 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:56,840 Speaker 2: It would have been they would have been looking at 85 00:03:56,840 --> 00:03:57,280 Speaker 2: banning it. 86 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 3: Absolutely good controversy. Yeah, and he is right. 87 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 5: We've seen it over the years where the song becomes 88 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:05,120 Speaker 5: a hit or an album because people say, oh, you 89 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 5: can't go near that. You know, the themes or the 90 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:09,880 Speaker 5: lyrics on it. But that one worked to treat 91 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:12,080 Speaker 2: The stranger Billy Joel