Following the premiere of the second part of Billy Joel’s And So It Goes documentary, the Piano Man dropped a massive 155-song companion album on digital services featuring unreleased recordings and more.
Never-before-heard music from Joel’s archives are peppered throughout the five-hour HBO documentary, from his early days with Long Island rockers the Hassles to his orchestral and instrumental works.
The seven-hour And So It Goes, a “musical companion” to the documentary, features dozens of unreleased live recordings and demo versions, including historic moments like Joel’s first-ever live performance of his epic “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant,” recorded May 6, 1977 at Long Island’s C.W. Post College.
The soundtrack also includes album tracks from the catalog, and in some cases Joel’s own introductions to the songs. “‘Big Shot’ was a hangover song,” Joel explained in the intro to that track. “I don’t know how many times I woke up in the morning realizing I was an idiot the night before, felt like hell, had a hungover. You look in the mirror and you go, ‘You had to be a big shot, didn’t you?'”
On Joel’s YouTube, which also compiled the 155-song playlist, the songs are accompanied by their corresponding visuals when available, whether live concert footage or Joel’s gloriously aged music videos.
In Rolling Stone’s review of the two-part doc, David Browne wrote, “For all his foibles, his reputation as the ‘brat’ of pop music, as one critic put it, Joel remains strangely endearing, almost lovable, by the time the final credits roll. Unlike most of the rock-vet pals who weigh in on his saga, he truly does seem like someone you’d want to share a beverage with — even if you worry he’ll purposefully pour it onto your lap if you say the wrong thing.”
And So It Goes premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June. Joel was unable to attend the screening due to his recent brain disorder diagnosis. The first part of the film directed by Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin will premiere on HBO on Friday, July 18 at 8 p.m. EST followed part two on Friday, July 25.=
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The film is crafted around in-depth exclusive conversations with the Piano Man. In the interviews, Joel delved into key moments that had an impact on his personal life, music, and career. Billy also discussed the music that influenced his own songwriting, the romantic relationships that inspired many of his tunes, and the origin stories of many of his classic compositions. In addition, Joel talked about the positive and negative experiences he had with certain musical collaborators and associates.
Other Famous Artists and Joel Family Members Appear in the Doc
And So It Goes features appearances by a variety of other famous artists, and some of Joel’s family members, friends, and band members. The family members include current wife Alexis, daughter Alexa Ray, and ex-wives Elizabeth Weber, Christie Brinkley, and Katie Lee. Among the famous musicians featured in the documentary are Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, John Mellencamp, Garth Brooks, Nas, and Pink.
Part one of the documentary features Joel reflecting his childhood growing up as the son of working-class parents on Long Island, New York. He also discusses the painful experience of his father and mother divorcing when he was eight, and his early years in the music business, first playing in various local bands and then going solo.
The first part of the doc also focuses on Joel’s relationship with his first wife and early manager Weber.
The documentary’s second part looks at how Joel’s songwriting matured and his musical focus changed during 1980s and ’90s,. Billy also discusses his complicated reunion with his father, who moved back to Europe after divorcing his mother.
Part two also tells the story of how Joel met supermodel Brinkley, who became the mother of his first child, Alexa, and partly inspired his hit “Uptown Girl.”
