It's Still Rock and Roll to Me
Encyclopedia
"It's Still Rock & Roll to Me" is a hit 1980 song performed by Billy Joel
, from the hit album Glass Houses
. The song was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
charts for two weeks, from July 19 through August 1, 1980. The song spent 11 weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and was the 7th biggest hit of 1980 according to American Top 40.
, funk
, new wave
) and uses a new wave sound, and was inspired by the realization that, after reading a review about a particular (unnamed) band, Billy had no idea what their music sounded like. The music video depicted Joel mixing elements of new wave, punk, and funk as he records a music video. The single reached Platinum certification from the RIAA for sales in the U.S.
During the Top of the Pops 2 Billy Joel Special, Billy revealed that he wrote the song in the back of the car taking him to a recording session, because he didn't have anything written down.
"Weird Al" Yankovic
did a parody of the song entitled "It's Still Billy Joel to Me". The song was released on the CD set, Dr. Demento's Basement Tapes.
The song appears on the game Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore. It is also available as a downloadable track for Rock Band 3
.
The song was later covered by Pretty Boy Floyd
on their demo compilation The Vault 2.
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
, from the hit album Glass Houses
Glass Houses
Glass Houses is the seventh album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released in 1980 . It features Joel's first song to peak at #1 on Billboard's Pop Singles chart, "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me." The album itself topped the Pop Albums chart for six weeks and was ranked number 4 on...
. The song was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
charts for two weeks, from July 19 through August 1, 1980. The song spent 11 weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and was the 7th biggest hit of 1980 according to American Top 40.
Content
The song is a cynical look at the music industry as a publicist/manager begs the protagonist (Joel) to remain hip for the younger crowd ("What's the matter with the car I'm driving? / "Can't you tell that it's out of style?"), and the protagonist's refusal to change, claiming his music will remain relevant regardless of his appearance. The song was a stab by Joel at the new music genres that were around in the late 1970s (punkPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
) and uses a new wave sound, and was inspired by the realization that, after reading a review about a particular (unnamed) band, Billy had no idea what their music sounded like. The music video depicted Joel mixing elements of new wave, punk, and funk as he records a music video. The single reached Platinum certification from the RIAA for sales in the U.S.
During the Top of the Pops 2 Billy Joel Special, Billy revealed that he wrote the song in the back of the car taking him to a recording session, because he didn't have anything written down.
"Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
did a parody of the song entitled "It's Still Billy Joel to Me". The song was released on the CD set, Dr. Demento's Basement Tapes.
The song appears on the game Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore. It is also available as a downloadable track for Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3 is a music video game, developed by Harmonix Music Systems. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, with Mad Catz taking over both roles a year later. It is the third main game in the Rock Band series...
.
The song was later covered by Pretty Boy Floyd
Pretty Boy Floyd (American band)
Pretty Boy Floyd is a glam metal band from Hollywood, California formed in 1987. They are most famous for their 1989 debut album Leather Boyz With Electric Toyz and the two singles from it; "Rock and Roll" and "I Wanna Be With You"...
on their demo compilation The Vault 2.
Personnel
- Billy Joel: vocals, piano and electric piano
- Dave Brown: electric guitar
- Richie Cannata: saxophone solo
- Liberty DiVitto: drums and percussion
- Russell Javors: electric guitar
- Doug Stegmeyer: bass guitar
Chart positions
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 10 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
1 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
11 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 21 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
14 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
45 |