>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY! WE'RE BACK WITH BILLY JOEL. YOU HAVE NOT PUT OUT A POP ALBUM
SINCE 1993. >> CORRECT. >> Stephen: BILLY JOEL, YOU
WERE REALLY GOOD AT WRITING SONGS. WHY NOT GIVE US MORE BILLY JOEL
SONGS? BECAUSE YOU'RE SELLING OUT THE
STADIUMS. HOW ABOUT SOME FRESH MEAT? >> I THOUGHT I'D HAD MY SAY. >> Stephen: REALLY? YEAH. I THOUGHT, OKAY, JUST SHUTUP
NOW. I PUT OUT 12 AWE BUMS. HOW MANY BIT THE BEATLES PUT
OUT, 12? THAT'S A NICE NUMBER, I'LL STOP. >> Stephen: ELTON JOHN SAID
YOU SHOULD PUT OUT MORE ALBUMS. >> I TOLD HIM HE SHOULD PUT OUT
LESS ALBUMS. ( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: WHEN YOU WERE A KID, DO YOU REMEMBER BIG SHOWS,
BIG CONCERTS THAT WERE FORMATIVE FOR YOU? >> YEAH, I SNUCK IN TO SEE JIMI
HENDRIX PLAY AT THE OLD WORLD FAIRGROUNDS. IT WAS CALLED THE SINGER BOWL. WE DIDN'T HAVE TICKETS. IT WAS WITH ANOTHER GUY WHO WAS
IN MY BAND, AND WE SNUCK IN BY PUTTING CABLES, HOLDING CABLES
AND, YOU KNOW, TALK WITH ENGLISH ACCENTS, JIMI DOESN'T GET HIS
CABLES, HE WILL BE PISSED OFF. I GOT TO THE STAGE AND JIMI'S
ROAD MANAGER, KEITH ROBINSON, BEEN THE ROADY FOR EVERY BIG
ENGLISH BAND AND HE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, COME HERE, YOU, YOU'RE
PRETTY GOOD. I SAW SAID, WELL, THANK YOU. YOU'RE GOING TO HELP LOAD UP
JIMI'S AMP. SO THERE WE ARE CARRYING STACKS
OF MARSHALL AMPS ON THE STAGE. PRETTY COOL. AND I GOT TO WATCH HENDRIX. >> Stephen: HE KNEW YOU WERE
FAKING. >> IT WAS A GOOD FAKE. HE APPRECIATED IT. >> Stephen: I HEARD A STORY. I KNOW YOU AND BRUCE HAVE BECOME
FRIENDS. >> I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN DO
THAT ANYMORE. >> Stephen: I SNUCK INTO PAUL
SIMON'S GRACELAND CONTINUE CERT THAT WAY. I SAID I WAS A T-SHIRT SALESMAN
AND WASHED THE SHOW FROM THE FLY GALLERY. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN DO THAT
ANYMORE. THE '80s WERE DIFFERENT. >> YEAH, IT WAS. >> Stephen: CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO
ME WHAT THIS IS? THIS IS SOMETHING TO DO WITH
BRUCE SPRIBRUCE SPRINGSTEEN. CAN I GET A SHOT OF THIS? WHAT ELSE IS THIS? >> THIS IS THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR
THAT CAME OFF THE BIKE THAT SPRINGSTEEN BROKE DOWN ON ON
VETERANS DAY. >> Stephen: THIS VETERANS DAY? THIS PAST VETERANS DAY, YES,
NOVEMBER. I BUILT BRUCE A COUPLE OF BIKES. I BUILT HIM A 650 AND A TOURING
BIKE, AND THIS WAS THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR FROM THE TOURING BIKE
AND IT POOPED OUT. SO BRUCE GOT STUCK BY THE SIDE
OF THE ROAD AND THESE GUYS PICKED HIM UP AND TOOK HIM WHERE
HE NEEDED TO GO. I CALLED UP BRUCE AND SAID, I
READ YOU BROKE DOWN ON A BIKE. WAS IT THE BIKE WE BUILT FOR
YOU? HE SAID, YEAH. I SAID, I'M SORRY, MAN. BUT IT'S ALL FIXED UP AND FINE
NOW. >> Stephen: GOOD. YOU DO A GOOD McCARTNEY, A
GOOD BRUCE. DO YOU EVER DO THEIR NUMBERS? >> YEAH, ALL THE TIME. >> Stephen: IN THEIR VOICES? YEAH, TRY TO. I DO TONY BENNETT. >> Stephen: YOU DO TONY? YEAH, I USED TO DO JOE COCKER
A LOT. >> Stephen: WHAT TONY SONG DO
YOU DO? >> WHAT TONY SONG DO I DO? ( MIMICKING TONY )
>> Stephen: YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! I LOVE THE YOUNG PEOPLE, THEY
GOT THE ENERGY. SO MUCH ENERGY, THE YOUNG
PEOPLE. WE WOULD SOMETIMES DO A NEW YORK
STATE OF MIND AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN WITH TONY BENNETT. WE WOULD REHEARSE THE ENDING. ♪ I'M IN A NEW YORK STATE
OF -- ♪ DRUM ROLL ♪
♪ -- MIND ♪ THEN WE WOULD GET TO THE LIVE
SHOW AND BE SINGING IT -- TONY WOULD SAY, NEW YORK, NEW YORK,
GREATEST CITY IN THE WORLD! THE BEST TOWN! GREATEST PEOPLE! WHERE IS HE GOING? FOLLOW TONY I JUST LOVE THE
ENERGY! ENERGY IS GREAT! BUT TONY DOES WHAT HE WANTS TO
DO, SO YOU JUST FOLLOW TONY AND WE GOT OUT OF IT OKAY. BUT YOU NEVER KNOW. >> Stephen: WE HAD BRUCE ON
HERE. I ASKED HIM TO RANK THE TOP FIVE
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN SONGS. WOULD YOU DO US THE HONOR OF
RANKING THE TOP FIVE BILLY JOEL SONGS? BECAUSE PEOPLE ALWAYS SHOUT OUT
WHAT THEY THINK THE BEST SONGS ARE. IF YOU WERE AT A BILLY JOEL
CONCERT AND YELLING OUT YOU, WHAT ARE THE FIVE SONGS YOU
THINK. FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE. >> I THINK OF IT ON STAGE WHAT I
WANT TO SEE ME DO BUT I TEND TO LIKE THE ALBUM TRACKS. VIENNA. >> Stephen: GREAT SONG. I THINK THAT'S MY FAVORITE SONG
OF YOURS. >> DO YOU WANT VIENNA OR JUST
THE WAY YOU ARE, THEY PICK VIENNA. >> Stephen: THAT'S FIVE. FOUR. >> FOUR, AND SO IT GOES. >> Stephen: AND SO IT GOES. GOT IT. >> YOU MAY BE RIGHT. >> Stephen: MM-HMM. NUMBER TWO. >> THERE IS AN OBSCURE SONG
CALLED SHE'S RIGHT ON TIME. >> Stephen: SHE'S RIGHT ON
TIME. AND CAN I HAVE A DRUM ROLL,
PLEASE. ( DRUM ROLL )
NUMBER ONE BILLY JOEL SONG IS. >> ITALIAN RESTAURANT. ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: YOU KNOW, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR SOME OF THE STORIES
BEHIND, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE SONGS BECAUSE TEAMPEOPLE THINK
SONGS MEAN ONE THING BUT IN FACT WE FIND OUT THE SONGS MEAN
SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT TO THE ARTIST WHO CREATED THEM. YOU'RE A STORY TELLER WITH YOUR
SONGS. CAN WE GO TO THE TRUE STORIES
BEHIND THE HITS? >> YEAH, SURE. >> Stephen: GREAT. BECAUSE THIS IS "TRUE STORIES
BEHIND THE HITS"! ♪
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) WELCOME TO THE DARK CAVE THAT IS
MY STUDIO NOW. THIS IS TRUE STORIES BEHIND THE
HITS. BILLY, WHAT'S THE FIRST HIT THAT
THERE IS A TRUE STORY BEHIND TONIGHT? >> "ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG" WAS
THE SECOND TITLE. THE ORIGINAL WAS "THE EVIL SHALL
LIVE FOREVER." ( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: FASCINATING, BILLY, FASCINATING. NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW THIS, BUT
BILLY'S DOO-WOP SONG "THE LONGEST TIME" WAS INSPIRED BY
HOW LONG IT TOOK HIS TOASTER STRUDEL TO COOL FROM THE
MICROWAVE. ( LAUGHTER )
>> IN "JUST THE WAY YOU ARE," WHEN I WROTE THE LINE "DON'T GO
CHANGING", I WAS REFERRING TO THE INCREDIBLE HULK. >> STEPHEN: MOST PEOPLE KNOW
"CAPTAIN JACK" IS ABOUT A DRUG DEALER BILLY KNEW GROWING UP. BUT HIS FULL NAME WAS "CAPTAIN
JACK CRUNCH" AND THE DRUG HE DEALT WAS CRUNCHBERRIES... AND
HEROIN. ( LAUGHTER )
>> IN "TELL HER ABOUT IT," THE "IT" I WANT HIM TO TELL HER
ABOUT IS HIS THIRD NIPPLE. ( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: ONLY FAIR. IT'S ONLY FAIR. IN "SCENES FROM AN ITALIAN
RESTAURANT", THE "BOTTLE OF RED" WAS KETCHUP,
AND THE "BOTTLE OF WHITE" WAS "HORSEY SAUCE." THE "ITALIAN RESTAURANT" WAS AN
ARBY'S. ( LAUGHTER )
( APPLAUSE ) >> PIANO MAN WAS ORIGINALLY
ABOUT A SUPER HERO CHARACTER, "PIANOMAN!"
I WANTED TO MAKE A MOVIE WHERE HE TEAMED UP WITH ELTON JOHN'S
"ROCKET MAN" TO FIGHT BOB DYLAN'S "TAMBOURINE-MAN." ( LAUGHTER )
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: I LOVE THAT. I WOULD SEE THAT MOVIE. THE LYRICS TO "RIVER OF DREAMS"
-- "IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, I GO WALKING IN MY SLEEP... TO A
RIVER DREAMS" IS ABOUT AN ADULT BED WETTER. ( LAUGHTER )
>> OKAY. A LOT OF PEOPLE --
( LAUGHTER ) A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK "WE DIDN'T
START THE FIRE" WAS ABOUT COLD WAR ANXIETY, BUT I ACTUALLY
WROTE IT BECAUSE BACK THEN WE DIDN'T HAVE WIKIPEDIA. SO I JUST WROTE ONE SONG THAT
INCLUDED EVERYTHING THAT EVER HAPPENED IN HISTORY. >> Stephen: THANK YOU FOR
THAT. >> YOU'RE WELCOME. >> STEPHEN: "MIAMI 2017" WAS
WRITTEN IN 1975 BUT TURNED OUT TO BE PROPHETIC. IT IS ACTUALLY ABOUT A BUNCH OF
FOOTBALL PLAYERS PARTYING ON A BOAT INSTEAD OF PRACTICING. ( APPLAUSE )
AND THAT WAS "TRUE STORIES BEHIND THE HITS." ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
♪ BILLY, I LOVE MIAMI 2017. IS THERE ANY CHANCE THAT WE
COULD GET YOU TO PLAY THAT SONG? ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> OKAY. >> Stephen: REALLY? YEAH. >> Stephen: ALL RIGHT. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH BILLY
JOEL. STICK AROUND.
This clip made me realize I had no idea what I thought Billy Joel looked like.
Relevant bit at 0:40
I don't know if you can do that anymore.