It’s only when you start to pick a song like this apart that the craft involved emerges.Ĭover Story: Billy Joel Restarts The Fireįirst of all, Joel’s gift for melody and his respect for matching the perfect lyrics to the tune and meter, skills that arguably are unrivaled by anybody in pop music with the exception of Paul McCartney, really shine here. It’s easy to take his hits for granted, because they seem so effortless. And while Joel may have received some assistance at the song’s inception, his songwriting and performing skills are ultimately what put it across. “Only The Good Die Young” stands pretty tall amongst Billy Joel’s vast catalog of hits, one of his signature songs that never lose their luster. “He came up with this shuffle, and I thought, ‘What about a straight 4/4 walk against that shuffle,” Joel remembered. “He said, ‘Well, it’s true.’”ĭeVitto was also partially responsible for the song’s irrepressibly jaunty rhythm, all because he wasn’t particularly fond of Joel’s initial idea to play it as reggae. “I showed the song to Liberty (Devitto), who’s Catholic,” Joel recalls in the liner notes to a 2008 rerelease of The Stranger.
After Joel wrote the song about this Catholic girl’s reluctance to enjoy some lustful moments instead of praying all the time, he asked his drummer for his input. Billy Joel based his 1977 song “Only The Good Die Young” on an actual high school crush named Virginia Callahan. If you believe that any review contained on our site infringes upon your copyright, please email us.Yes, dear readers, there was a Virginia. All submitted reviews become the licensed property of Sheet Music Plus and are subject to all laws pertaining thereto.If you have any suggestions or comments on the guidelines, please email us. We cannot post your review if it violates these guidelines.Avoid disclosing contact information (email addresses, phone numbers, etc.), or including URLs, time-sensitive material or alternative ordering information.Please do not use inappropriate language, including profanity, vulgarity, or obscenity.
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