Billy Joel celebrated his 68th birthday on May 9, 2017, and there's no better way to celebrate with the legendary musician than to take a closer look back at his impressive life and career.
His catchy tunes have been inspiring toes to tap for decades now, but there's so much more to the "Piano Man" that even his biggest fans probably have no clue about.
Sure, you might know all the words to "Vienna" — but do you know the touching family story behind the poignant lyrics? If you're like me, you'll be thrilled to finally learn who really inspired the bitter words he croons in his song "Laura."
I definitely recommend hitting play on a mix of his biggest hits before diving into all of these fascinating facts.
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[H/T: Biography]
Thumbnail Source: Wikimedia Commons / The National Archives UK
1. Bullies Inspired Him To Learn Boxing
After mean kids knocked his books out of his hands one day, as teen on his way to a piano lesson, Billy decided to add boxing lessons to his schedule and went on to win some Golden Gloves amateur brawls.
He gave up the sport shortly after suffering a broken nose from one particularly rough scuffle.
2. He Has A Sense Of Humor About His Looks
In his own words, during an interview for the New Yorker, the singer admitted he believes he looks more like "the guy who makes pizza" rather than any sort of onstage heartthrob.
3. He Wrote A Bitter Ode To His Mom
Though he's been coy about admitting who the song is about in the past, Billy's longtime drummer Liberty DeVitto spilled the beans to Mark Bego, author of Billy Joel: The Biography, that the frustration-filled lyrics to "Laura" are in fact about Billy's mom, Rosalind Joel.
She reportedly had a habit of calling her son in the middle of the night to complain about her day, according to some of the lyrics.
4. He Ditched Woodstock
Though he wasn't a performer yet, he wanted to be in the crowd for Jimi Hendrix's performance at the three day festival in upstate New York back in 1969.
However, he told Entertainment Weekly that he ended up leaving after just a day and a half because the lack of bathrooms got too much for him to stand.
5. He Jumped Around Genres Before Finding His Sound
Two years after watching the Beatles make their debut on The Ed Sullivan Show back in 1964, 17-year-old Billy decided to start a band that exclusively covered British Invasion songs.
A few years later, he and a friend formed what the San Diego Tribune described in their interview with Billy as a heavy metal band called Attila, before he softened his image as the "Piano Man" we know today.
6. His First Album Was A Flop
Released in 1971, Cold Spring Harbor suffered from Billy's frustrations with some terms of his production contract, most notably placing the blame on the the subpar quality of the final album with him not being involved in the mixing process.
7. A Bootleg Finally Made Him Break Through
Thanks to a gritty, underground recording of "Captain Jack" in 1972, he suddenly found himself getting the attention he had sought for so long. Columbia Records reached out to give him a second chance with another album.
8. "Vienna" Is About Tracking Down His Dad
The musician's talent for piano runs in the family: His dad was a classical pianist who fled Germany during the Holocaust and found himself in the Bronx, where he changed his name from Helmuth to Howard and met Billy's mom.
He was estranged from his son for about a decade when Billy, who opened up about his relationship with his father in a 2008 interview with MassLive, made his way to Europe in his twenties to finally reunite.
9. He Believes In Ghosts
During a Town Hall interview with Howard Stern, Billy told a story in which he believed he saw the spirit of a 19th-century woman sitting and brushing her hair in his East Hampton home.
The singer later sold the home to comedian Jerry Seinfeld.
10. He Didn't Graduate High School With His Classmates
The Long Island native didn't receive his diploma from Hicksville High, after skipping classes to play piano at a local bar and being short one English credit.
According to the New York Times, he eventually submitted essays and finally graduated in 1992, 25 years after his former co-eds. He also received an honorary doctorate from Syracuse University, shown above.
11. He Named His Eldest Daughter After Ray Charles
Billy revealed the source of Alexa Ray Joel's name was his way of paying homage to one of his biggest piano-playing idols during the Town Hall performance with Howard, back in 2014.
12. "Piano Man" Is Based On His Real Lounge Gig
After the failure of his first album, a disheartened Billy moved to Los Angeles, where he got a job playing piano at The Executive Room on Wilshire Boulevard, using the stage name Bill Martin.
His signature tune was inspired by the regular patrons he met during his time there in 1972.
13. He Has Certified-Legend Status
With a massive string of successful hit tunes over the '70s and '80s, Billy was honored with the Grammy Legend Award in 1989.
Did you know all of these awesome facts about the man behind the piano?
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