The Billy Joel Wedding Cocktail Hour Playlist
We recently had the opportunity to share the stage at a wedding with an amazing New Jersey-based Billy Joel tribute band called We May Be Right. This experience got us thinking about the musical contributions of iconic singer-songwriter Billy Joel. Born William Martin Joel in 1949 in the Bronx, Joel grew up on Long Island. Billy like many children was forced by his mother to take piano lessons. Dropping out of high school to pursue a musical career, Joel released his first solo album Cold Spring Harbor in 1971. He proceeded to release a series of increasingly popular albums through the 1970s, with The Stranger (1977) being his critical commercial breakthrough album, going on to sell over 10 million copies. From there, Joel continued to pursue a more rock-oriented approach, before revisiting the sounds of R&B and Doo Wop with the album An Innocent Man (1983).
Whether describing the local color at a cocktail bar (Piano Man) or a declining steel town (Allentown), Joel is a songwriting master, painting vivid portraits with his lyrics and melodies.
In compiling this playlist, we polled Ambient DJs’ team members for their favorite Billy Joel songs appropriate for a cocktail hour. We naturally gravitated towards his folksy, jazzy and classical repertoire. We May Be Right bandleader Karl Dietel nominated several track ideas including deep cut “Zanzibar,” plus party favorites “Uptown Girl” and “Piano Man.” We arranged the track list to feature a rising energy, with the grand finale being a sing-a-long of Piano Man. Listen and enjoy the the playlist with the Spotify link found immediately after the track list.
For a signature drink - and inspired by Scenes from an Italian Restaurant - we selected a bottle of red… and a bottle of white. Italian of course! The bottle of red is the 2017 Ruffino Chianti Classico. The bottle of white is the 2020 Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio.
Playlist
Keeping the Faith (An Innocent Man, 1983)
Leave a Tender Moment Alone (An Innocent Man, 1983)
Vienna (The Stranger, 1977) (fascinating fact - Billy Joel has a half-brother who lives in Austria)
Scenes from an Italian Restaurant (The Stranger, 1977)
Summer, Highland Falls (Turnstiles, 1976)
The Downeaster 'Alexa’ (Storm Front, 1989)
You’re My Home (Piano Man, 1973)
The Ballad of Billy the Kid (Piano Man, 1973)
New York State of Mind (Turnstiles, 1976)
Baby Grand (with Ray Charles) (The Bridge, 1986)
Root Beer Rag (Streetlife Serenade, 1974)
Zanzibar (52nd Street, 1978)
The Longest Time (An Innocent Man, 1983)
Uptown Girl (An Innocent Man, 1983)
Piano Man (Piano Man, 1973)
Listen on Spotify
For More Information about We May Be Right
To view We May Be Right’s upcoming public performance schedule, or to inquire about private event bookings, visit www.wemayberight.com. The band is well-known for performing The Stranger in its entirety!
Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
