Billy Joel reveals his Top 5 favorite Billy Joel songs on Colbert's Late Show


Stephen Colbert asked Billy Joel on Monday's Late Show why he hasn't put out a new pop album since 1993, and Joel said, "I thought I'd had my say." When Colbert expressed surprise, Joel said, "Yeah, I just said, 'You know, okay, shut up now.' I mean, I'd put out 12 albums. How many albums did The Beatles put out? Twelve albums." "Elton John says you should put out more albums," Colbert said, and Joel shot back, "Yeah, well, I told him he should put out less albums."
Joel trotted out his Tony Bennett impression and they talked about sneaking into rock shows in the 1980s and about Bruce Springsteen, then Colbert said that Springsteen had named his five favorite Springsteen songs on The Late Show, then asked if Joel would do the same. "People always shout out what they think the best songs are — if you were at a Billy Joel concert and you were yelling out to you, what are the five songs you'd do?" Colbert asked. Joel said he tends to like the album tracks more than the hits, and named "Vienna" as one of the five. But other than "She's Right on Time," the other three songs would fall under the "hits" category. Joel and Colbert spent the last few minutes goofing around with "True Stories Behind the Hits" — as in Joel joking that the original title to "Only the Good Die Young" was "The Evil Shall Live Forever." (The jokes got better.)
The song "Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)" was not one of Joel's Top 5, but at Colbert's request, he played it for the audience. You can watch below. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Acid rain is back: the sequel nobody wanted
Under The Radar A 'forever chemical' in rainwater is reviving a largely forgotten environmental issue
-
Book reviews: 'Clint: The Man and the Movies' and 'What Is Wrong With Men: Patriarchy, the Crisis of Masculinity, and How (Of Course) Michael Douglas Films Explain Everything'
Feature A deep dive on Clint Eastwood and how Michael Douglas' roles reflect a shift in masculinity
-
Recreation or addiction? Military base slot machines rake in millions.
Under the Radar There are several thousand slot machines on military bases
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively