“The Stranger” was released by Billy Joel in September, 1977. The album is compiled of 9 songs, each having their own themes. On the cover of the album, Joel is sitting on a bed with a mask on the pillow and boxing gloves in the background. When Joel was younger, he was a boxer until someone broke his nose during a match, forcing him to start his music career. He didn’t box after the incident, but the gloves on the album cover represent the dreams that we never attain due to pressure to please society and make them perceive us as successful. Joel sitting in a suit builds on this idea as that is how society sees him. The mask on the pillow represents the album itself, a “stranger” who is concealing their identity. Of all the songs in the album, I think the three with the most interesting and applicable themes are Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song), The Stranger, and Vienna.
Joel starts off with a strong message in the song, Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song). The main character in the song, Anthony, is trying to live the American dream by working long hours to buy expensive items and live in nice places. Joel directly resists this lifestyle by saying it isn’t worth it through the lyrics, “who needs a house out in Hackensack? is that all you get for your money? and it seems such a waste of time if that’s what it’s all about”. He is hinting to the idea that there are more important things to life than materialism and working just to prove you are a successful American, rather than focusing on things you really want.
In the next song, The Stranger, Joel transitions to a different theme. He presents the idea that everybody we know is partly a stranger, even ourselves. Joel argues that “we all have a face that we hide away forever” and “we take it out and show ourselves when everyone has gone”. Even with people we might have known for a long time, there might still be parts of them we will never see, and they might not even see themselves. It is very thought provoking to think about this, as sometimes we make assumptions about both ourselves and other people without realizing that we might not know everything. Later in the song, Joel alludes to the idea that this stranger is often perceived as evil, hence why it is pushed away. But he resists this perception of evil through the lyrics, “you may never understand how the stranger is inspired, but he isn’t always evil and he is not always in the wrong”.
In my opinion, the most impactful song on this album is Vienna. The main message is that you don’t have to rush to get everything done in life. Although you might have many goals and plans, it doesn’t all need to be completed so fast. He presents the idea that sometimes it is best to take a break and relax from the busyness of life through the lyrics, “slow down you crazy child, you’re so ambitious for a juvenile” and “take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while, it’s alright you can afford to lose a day or two”. We often get caught up in the action of life and forget to enjoy the little things. When you take a step back, you realize that you can find happiness in the present, without constantly waiting to be happy once you complete your goals.
Although released over 40 years ago, Billy Joel’s album, “The Stranger”, is packed with many important ideas that we can apply to our lives.
As someone whose favorite song by Billy Joel is Vienna, although perhaps not as much of a fan as my roommate is, this reference to his best album really spoke to me. I resonated with your explanation of how Vienna is applicable to everyday life, especially how we get caught up in the experience of life and forget to “slow down” and recognize that “you can’t be everything you want to be before your time”. Like with the Stranger, Vienna makes reference to though you can see when you’re wrong, you can’t always see when you’re right. This is exactly like how we view the stranger (who is sometimes ourselves) as evil, even when they may not even be wrong, let alone evil. Anyway, this is my first experience with your blog but I really enjoyed the focus on the meaning of music because music means everything to me and I never go a day without it.
I really love Billy Joel’s style as a lyricist and musician. Obviously, in his songs, he takes characters to tell a story and teach a lesson, for example, Vienna. I like how you go to explain these characters and dive into what Joel says throughout the song. I did not know that it was Billy Joel’s dream to become a boxer before he became a musician. I really like the writing and pacing of your blog!
I have just discovered Vienna this past summer, but it has made an enormous impact on my life. Joel’s challenge of “if you’re so smart, tell me why are you still so afraid?” reminds me that the uncertainties of life shouldn’t be viewed with anxiety, but instead with confidence and a tinge of excitement. Living with a constant fear of the future was something I had grown accustomed to, whether it had been with my grades, moving away to college, and so on. However, at Penn State I have been able to manage these anxious thoughts by focusing more on the present and living my life to the absolute fullest – the future will simply have to wait.