Hit Parade: Still Billy Joel to Me Part 2
b'So, sure\\u2014Billy Joel\\u2019s first Top 40 hit, way back in 1974, was \\u201cPiano Man,\\u201d and the nickname stuck. But for a guy who became famous sitting behind 88 keys, few of his biggest hits are really piano songs. In fact, on all three of his No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot\\xa0100, keyboards are\\xa0not\\xa0the primary instrument.\\nThe truth is, Joel isn\\u2019t the Piano Man, he\\u2019s the pastiche man. He has openly admitted to borrowing genre tropes, vocal styles, and even specific song hooks from his Baby Boom-era heroes, from Ray Charles to the Beatles to the Supremes. He\\u2019s been a jazzy crooner, a saloon balladeer, an anthem rocker, even a pseudo-punk. And on his most hit-packed album, he literally tried on a different song mode on every single\\u2014and was rewarded for it. This month, Hit Parade breaks down the uncanny success of pop magpie Billy Joel, the guy who would try anything for a hit: the next phase, new wave, dance craze, any ways.\\n\\nPodcast production by Benjamin Frisch and Kevin Bendis\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'