“When I put the harness back on, it’s not just about singing, it’s about promotions, it’s about playing, it’s about radio, it’s about politics, it’s about business, blah blah blah.” He said, waving his hand. “I didn’t want to get into the situation again, but if you’re going to be committed, you have to be 100 percent committed. so i said [expletive] that.”
“Turn the Lights Back On,” which Joel premiered live at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night and released on his longtime label Columbia, drew him in with its lyrics about a relationship in crisis. “I always have this anxiety of wondering, ‘Can I ruin this relationship?’ Am I going to do something that will ruin it? Because I used to be like that too.” (Joel is married for the fourth time and has two young daughters. His eldest daughter, Alexa Ray, is 38 years old.)
As the recording process progressed, Joel got ideas for percussion, strings, and acoustic guitars providing the pulse. The heart of the track is his clear vocals, which are joined by his steady piano work, with a hint of filigree in the bridge. One of the freedoms he felt while working on the song was “focusing on the music, not the music business.”
Some of the old concerns have disappeared with age and time. “I remember feeling stressed when releasing the album. “Do you think this will be a big hit?” he said “What will the critics say? Will people like it? There is nothing like that now. I just sang a song. That's it. If they like it, great. If not, that doesn’t mean it’s not good.”
Joel will conclude his Garden run in July with his 150th performance at the venue, which will allow him more flexibility in booking shows in and around New York. He can no longer compose with Wexler (“anything is possible”), and for the first time since the residency began, he’s adding new songs to his set list.