Tales from a Bruised Mind

It was 2013. I was in Grade 10. An unlikely age to become fixated with one man who played the piano… Billy Joel.

While my friends were listening to Kanye West, or Taylor Swift, or Bruno Mars, or basically any big pop star of that year, I was going backwards.

Inside the piano stool which sat accompanying our grand piano at my family home, I found Dad’s old music books. He had the best of Cat Stevens, Elton John, The Beatles and more, including the great Piano Man, Billy Joel.

I grabbed Billy Joel’s books, opened them up and placed them on the piano stand. I started trying to read his chords. It was surprisingly complex and a bit difficult. But it was a discovery, a discovery that changed my life.

In 1976, Billy Joel released his fourth studio album and called it Turnstiles. Although he was never the critic’s absolute favourite, this album, in my opinion, features some of his best work. The song I love more than any else is New York State of Mind. I also call it “a bloody good ballad”.

Why is New York State of Mind so important to me?

I can’t remember exactly when I first heard this song. It was definitely around 2013, so now more than 10 years ago. Perhaps it was because of Dad. He told me the stories of seeing Billy doing backflips off the end of his piano mid-show. Mum and Dad have seen Billy live around four or five times.

New York State of Mind was the first song I learnt from beginning to end – without reading the sheet music. The first time I heard it, it made me want to learn it more than anything else. I got this intense calling, like a spiritual awakening to the piano, an instrument I had despised for years. But now things had changed.

I wanted to learn this song so bad, but also show it off to my friends, or maybe even a girl if I was lucky!

New York State of Mind opens with a jazzy, blues-style introduction with the piano just doing magical things. The song is in C major, but uses heaps of interesting chords. For me, the groovy piano introduction is enough, and yet the rest of the song continues in brilliance.

The ballad speaks of Billy’s love for New York City, after having spent a lot of time in LA. He literally writes about it in the lyrics, saying:

“I’m taking a Greyhound on the Hudson River Line, I’m in a New York State of Mind”.

Also, I honestly think the pairing between the piano and the saxophone was just meant to be. Especially in the final moments of the song. Billy often does a little call and response between the two instruments in live versions.

But this song, and Billy, have helped me through some rough times, as I’ll discuss below.

The mental connection between me and Billy Joel’s music

In 2015, I sang in a acapella group with a group of my best mates at school. For our final ever performance and just before we graduated, we sang Billy Joel’s gorgeous song And So It Goes in a church filled with family and friends.

Only a couple of years later, we said goodbye to our good friend Theo who passed away far, far too young from cancer. And So It Goes played at his funeral.

That song will always remind me of dear Theo and all the good times we spent together. He was truly a legend.

I often take time out of my day to sit back and listen incredibly deeply to Billy’s piano on this song, and others. It’s a calming, yet deeply emotional experience.

I’ve made the decision I want Billy played at my funeral, or my wedding, or both. I truly am a super fan.

In late 2022, Billy Joel played one night only at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (the MCG) and I was lucky enough to be there.

I have no words to describe how special that was. Billy might not ever return to Australia, so to see him in person was a dream that completely came true.

Thanks Billy!

Love,

Zak