Piano Man - Billy Joel - MP3 instrumental karaoke

The cast of characters in Billy Joel's "Piano Man" were drawn from the US star's real-life experience as a pianist at The Executive Room in LA and features "John at the bar," a real estate novelist named Paul and "Davy, who's still in the navy." Billy Joel sets the scene in the opening verse: "It's nine o'clock on a Saturday / The regular crowd shuffles in / There's an old man sittin' next to me / Makin' love to his tonic and gin," on a song built around melancholic harmonica, mandolin, accordion and cinematic piano runs. "Piano Man" is essentially an exploration of loneliness, but also of music's unifying power: "Sing us a song, you're the piano man / Sing us a song tonight / Well, we're all in the mood for a melody / And you've got us feeling alright," he belts out in the chorus. "Piano Man" was released as a single in November 1973 and featured as the second track on Billy Joel's Piano Man album. The song was a huge hit for Billy Joel, reaching the Top 30 in the US, Canada and Australia, as well as achieving some chart success in The Netherlands and UK.