"I believe I've passed the age of consciousness and righteous rage. I've found that just surviving is a noble fight. I once believed in causes too; I had my pointless points of view. And life went on no matter who as wrong or right". Sums up a lot of us as we grow older.
Honestly, that's one of the lyrics of the song I find I disagree with. Still love the song, but Billy's a bit of a cynic. The fight is never pointless and it must always be fought. I believed it when I was in my 20s, still believe it now at 33. I will never stop caring. I will never start saying "It doesn't matter"" because it always does, to somebody.
I totally get that, and agree. It is not "pointless"...But, with age comes the knowledge that what matters is not always easy, either... even if it be worth it. That said, love the song, and the album...
Billy Joel said its actually a drum piece and he hits the piano keys like a drum he also plays the piano like a guitar such as in the song everybody loves you now
Charlie Cheeseman Before I ever heard Billy Joel. I was and still am a big Elton John fan. First time I heard Billy, I right there became a huge fan 1976. And the best was seeing both of them playing live 3 different times. When Nylon Curtain came out, I went to see him MSG on NEW YEAR'S! BEST NEW YEAR'S EVER!!!
Foreplay by Boston takes the cake though for keyboard intros. All in all, to decide which song I like more, I'd still say this, but especially the LIVE version from Shea.
“Angry Young Man” tells the story of an intransigent youth who wears his anger like a badge of honour. It’s inspired by a real person. Billy Joel explained : “A good friend of mine was my road manager when we were on tour. He didn’t have good people skills - he had been to Vietnam and had a tough time adjusting to civilian life. I wanted this guy to be on the road with us and do business with us, but he just couldn’t get along with people and it became very problematic. I had to let him go because it just wasn’t working out for anybody. When I said, ‘I can’t continue to hire you, it’s just not working out,’ he said, ‘Oh, so you’re just like everybody else. You’re like Pontius Pilate, you’re washing your hands of me.’ I felt bad, but then I thought about it : ‘If I’m Pontius Pilate, that means he thinks he’s Jesus Christ.’ This is the angry young man.” The piano figure that opens this piece is based on the drums from the 1963 surf-rock classic “Wipe Out.” Joel grew up listening to that sound and […] he would sometimes pound out the rhythm on his desk. He plays a very percussive piano, striking the keys with gusto, so for him it made sense to transpose a drum rhythm to piano. In the bridge, Joel shifts the voice, offering his own perspective : “I believe I’ve passed the age Of consciousness and righteous rage I found that just surviving was a noble fight I once believed in causes too I had my pointless point of view And life went on no matter who was wrong or right” The performer had fought several personal and professional battles by this point and had gone through bouts of anger and depression. This passage finds him in a place of equanimity that served him well in the battles that were still ahead. The composition opens with a 1:52 instrumental intro called “Prelude” - it is listed as “Prelude / Angry Young Man” (1976). This opened his concerts for much of his career. The “Prelude” is a great kick-off, bringing a lot of energy. “Prelude/ Angry Young Man” is one of his most popular songs and a concert favorite, but it was never released as a single. Hats 🎩 off to you, William Martin Joel‼️ 💙🎹💚
Huh, I always assumed the song was talking about a political activist type ("Working class ties and his radical plans") and the bridge just felt a tad bit too cynical. But yea, given the context of a war veteran with literal anger issues it makes a lot more sense.
It's one of mine too. And there was a time before I took up guitar that Billy Joel was my hero, and I made it a point to buy every album he recorded. But oddly enough I have never owned a copy of Turnstiles. Which is really strange, because I actually had a cassette copy of Cold Spring Harbor, but never got Turnstiles!
The healthiest thing I ever did for myself was acknowledging that there will always be some injustice in the world and it's not my job to stop it all or even to be aware of it all.
there's a good talmud quote about this. "Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly now, love mercy now, walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.” Edit: Turns out this is a translations and reinterpretation... still, that's what religious texts are all about, right?
In 2016 had the great privilege of meeting Billy after his warm up at Wembley, thanks to my daughter Kelly and his tour manager. They say be careful when you meet your heroes. I can confirm before I met him I thought he would be funny, thoughtful and happy. He was all those things and couldn't do enough so that each member of my family got in the "pictures" as he called them. Down to earth and apart from his love of Hendrix we could be twins. This song alone proves that Billy is the greatest songwriter of all time. When you add it to the huge list of thought provoking music he has produced he has no equal. Just my opinion of course but If I won the lottery I'd go and live with him.
I was walking through the supermarket yesterday and this song was playing on their very good sound system. It seems like it's the best Billy Joel song ever.
@@thephantomoftheparadise5666 I live in the Midwest and my local Kroger grocery store is always playing popular songs from the late 70s, which is the time that I was a teenager. They really push my memory buttons. Then, when I walk out of the store, I can't get these tunes out of my head.
I agree, but I also think life probably won't go on much longer. Still, it was inevitable from the moment our ancestors banged two rocks together to make a tool. We were always going to change the planet into an uninhabitable hell hole. Getting angry and throwing your weight into causes won't change the outcome.
Tell that to the millions upon millions upon millions of innocent people who have died from political genocide. I love this song but it's easy to use it as an excuse for doing nothing. I guess im just another angry young man.
@@Desh727 I think there's a difference between seething constantly about everything awful going on in the world and being silently political and not making it your entire personality like this song implies.
Doug Stegmeyer is one of the most criminally underrated bass players of all time. Billy really did him wrong in the end. Doug was very much a part of Billy’s success.
AAAAAAA! This is the song! I heard this on the radio a few days and it took me FOREVER to figure out which one it was; all I heard was the crazy piano solo, and saying, "It's that Billy Joel song with the crazy piano solo" is like saying, "It's that Death Metal song where they roar the lyrics." I didn't find the memory I was looking for, but the song is very wise and true. A long time ago, I was an angry young woman, but in time, I learned to stick to my own fights and leave others to theirs, unless they ask for my help.
This is my favorite story.! when you liked a song and you hve no idea how to find it!. I love Billy Joel since I was in High School and since then I have been discovering new music. First I spent hours in the internet cafe, dowloading all I could, discovering new songs, loving his music and I remembre the first time I heard this song, was when I bought the disk it was in. I loved it. Now I have all his music on spotify
I'm 58. Don't stay angry. I did and it's been like a poison. Live and learn and love and try to let go of the anger, believe me it's not worth holding onto
Listen if you're not angry as a young person you're not paying attention what should happen as you mature, you learn,from experience from mentors, men and women you respect to check, channel and challenge that anger use it,Never ignore it but try not to take things or yourself to seriously.
I was a rabid Billy Joel fan as a teen in the '80's. So there was a break for me listening to his music through the years. I often heard myself saying, "...well, just surviving is a noble fight" not sure where I got it... Until I was reminiscing with some old Joel albums. Billy Joel lyrics have made more impressions on my thoughts than I realize.
There's a place in the world for the angry young man With his working class ties and his radical plans He refuses to bend, he refuses to crawl He's always at home with his back to the wall And he's proud of his scars and the battles he's lost And he struggles and bleeds as he hangs on the cross And he likes to be known as the angry young man Give a moment or two to the angry young man With his foot in his mouth and his heart in his hand He's been stabbed in the back, he's been misunderstood It's a comfort to know his intentions are good And he sits in a room with a lock on the door With his maps and his medals laid out on the floor And he likes to be known as the angry young man I believe I've passed the age of consciousness and righteous rage I found that just surviving was a noble fight I once believed in causes too I had my pointless point of view And life went on no matter who was wrong or right And there's always a place for the angry young man With his fist in the air and his head in the sand And he's never been able to learn from mistakes So he can't understand why his heart always breaks But his honor is pure and his courage as well And he's fair and he's true and he's boring as hell And he'll go to the grave as an angry old man There's a place in the world for the angry young man With his working class ties and his radical plans He refuses to bend, he refuses to crawl He's always at home with his back to the wall And he's proud of his scars and the battles he's lost And he struggles and bleeds as he hangs on the cross And he likes to be known as the angry young man
Think the refuses to call is a shot to all of us guys but definately it is crawl miss billy having new stuff but all his songs relavent both then and now
What a genius, I grew up on this guy and I never realized how lucky I was to get to experience his career as it evolved. His early stuff was just amazing. He really doesn’t get enough credit for his mind blowing talent.
I was fortunate to see Billy Joel perform this song for his 'Storm Front' tour (I believe it was back in '90), and to my pleasant surprise they included this song (one of my favorite of his) within the set list. Standing four rows from the stage, it was amazing to watch the rapid-fire way he pounded out the notes. Which must be rough on his fingers, because you'd see him give a deep huff of "here we go!" every time. Still, a fantastic song all around.
playing that trill with your thumbs while playing the other notes with your pinky and 4th finger is a real experience. I'm so impressed that he has the balls to do it at a live performance.
Brings back the fondest memories of life for me!! Almost in the exact spots I heard the songs. Places I haven't thought about in years n have long been forgotten about!!
A dentist I used to go to told me an amusing story how when he was growing up in Hicksville, Long Island inthe mid-1960s, and he was about 9-10 years old, there was this shitty, lousy garage rock band that used to practice on his street all the time. People on the street would bitch and moan and occassionally threaten to call the cops on them. However, he remembers his mother saying sometimes 'that piano and keyboard kid isn't bad' or 'that singer has a nice voice' - the kid playing the keyboard and (sometimes) doing the singing in question being Billy Joel...
Yeah I live near Hicksville - guy's a legend around here. EVERYONE around here listens to him - you don't love Billy Joel, you're a social outcast here.
There are so many good songs out there, but none as half as good as this one. Thanks, grandpa for introducing me to such a brilliant band of artists. -in Christ our Lord
One of my old grey haired Dad's (As he called himself to me) favourites (RIP). I come back to it once in a blue moon and it still surprises me how intricate it all is. My Dad was a decent musician and got the keys down to a good level. It takes something else to come up with this piece in the first place. Respect, Billy!
Turnstiles is where it all started and Angry young man intro is pure genius....for those who only know post 78 Billy Joel, you're missing out on his best work 💪👷👏
@Conrad Games So was I at that age. For me, I think listening to it so often reinforced the idea that being angry constantly is good, and I missed the nuance of the message of the song. I think my obsession with the song was a symptom of deeper problems, but that it drove me further into them. Please, if you aren't already, be the type of person who your kid can trust to come to. Not to be dramatic over liking a song lol But I can't help but remember that headspace I was in, and I get concerned to think another teen might be experiencing what I was.
Now that I think about it, Billy Joel has more musical experience than Mozart did, Bach did, and Beethoven. He has been playing for 70 years and none of those composers ever lived 70 years, and Billy Joel is STILL the goat 50 years after his career went mainstream
Had the album and others and luckily saw him in concert 1978 at Market Square Arena- Indianapolis. New York State of Mind, with the house lights dimmed and a giant mural of NYC lit up behind him, is what I really recalled, never having heard the song before the concert. Fantastic! Great use of Moog here.
I read a great review once with him where he's said in the years since he greatly regretted using the Minimoog all over that album and that it makes the songs sound dated and gimmicky. He said at the time he was rolling in dough and the minimoog was the new hot thing so he bought one and then he tried to find every excuse to shoehorn it into every song simply because he owned it and wanted to use it.
I had the incredible pleasure of seeing him in the fall of 1976 at Philadelphia Academy of Music. This was the tour to support Turnstiles so he played this whole album and the best of Piano Man and The Entertainer. Incredible show in a hall with beautiful acoustics. Such a great show!! Great memory! Just a note - he opened with Captain Jack which was getting air play then and he closed with repeating Captain Jack and we loved it! Even with some great work (singles) later my favorite 2 complete albums are still Piano man and Turnstiles.
i seen him do this from the 3rd row buffalo memorial auditorium 1978 shortly after hearing the stranger album in 77 seeing liberty pound his kit was so cool so many years ago
Billy you can't just write songs about my entire existence like this. Ah well. Here's to me and my fellow dullards that want to be angry young men forever. Cheers.
This is the perfect song to start off my new upcoming Jukebox Musical I'm developing, In which It's mostly inspired by the Album itself and the characters featured on it, hopefully now I'm in quarantine I have time to write the book and lines
On SiriusXM radio, Joel said this song was written about one of his very early tour roadies. Billy said the guy was a Vietnam veteran with PTSD and repetitive anger issues. Billy ended up firing the guy, but he wrote Angry Young Man about him.
He opened with this during a concert in Charlottesville, VA back in 2007 or 2008. The first of two times I saw him. Fantastic show from start to finish!!
its alternating left and right thumbs like a drum roll on the one note of the piano, he can then use his fingers on the right hand to play the harmony above that tonic note, D I think. saw him play this on tv years ago and then went to my piano and played a similar thing, I forgot I ever played this til I heard it today. its been 41 years.
It's easy to get carried away with everything wrong in this life and cancel culture. The pandemic era didn't help ... This song addresses the situation when anger has gone too far - is no longer useful and not serving a restorative purpose...
I once asked a colleague, a music teacher who was very good at piano, can you teach me to play if we have a common period off? He asked what I wanted to learn and I said “Billy Joel, Angry Young Man” He just laughed.
This album went to only #122 on the Billboard 200. The Stranger went to #2 while the next two went to #1. I'm not saying The Stranger and 52nd Street are bad albums (they're not; in fact 52nd is my fave Joel album) but this deserved more than #122.
"I believe I've passed the age of consciousness and righteous rage.
I've found that just surviving is a noble fight.
I once believed in causes too; I had my pointless points of view.
And life went on no matter who as wrong or right". Sums up a lot of us as we grow older.
Agreed. Loved this song in high school. It means more now lol.
Honestly, that's one of the lyrics of the song I find I disagree with. Still love the song, but Billy's a bit of a cynic. The fight is never pointless and it must always be fought.
I believed it when I was in my 20s, still believe it now at 33. I will never stop caring. I will never start saying "It doesn't matter"" because it always does, to somebody.
I totally get that, and agree. It is not "pointless"...But, with age comes the knowledge that what matters is not always easy, either... even if it be worth it.
That said, love the song, and the album...
Martin Noah God forbid I should end up like that
Martin Noah - yes it does....
How does someone play such an amazing intro on the piano so perfectly?
40 years of practice!
Billy Joel said its actually a drum piece and he hits the piano keys like a drum he also plays the piano like a guitar such as in the song everybody loves you now
Be Billy Joel.
Charlie Cheeseman Before I ever heard Billy Joel. I was and still am a big Elton John fan. First time I heard Billy, I right there became a huge fan 1976. And the best was seeing both of them playing live 3 different times. When Nylon Curtain came out, I went to see him MSG on NEW YEAR'S! BEST NEW YEAR'S EVER!!!
He eventually gets it right but he admits himself he's messed up this song live more times than he's got it right ;)
One of the fastest and most intricate piano intros in rock.
Foreplay by Boston takes the cake though for keyboard intros. All in all, to decide which song I like more, I'd still say this, but especially the LIVE version from Shea.
Well said! My thoughts exactly!
Such phenomenal talent!
It's actually relatively simple, sounds really cool though.
@@andrewkramer4021 I agree, I think it sounds more complex than it is, the speed is just so impressive that it sounds more difficult than it may be
“Angry Young Man” tells the story of an intransigent youth who wears his anger like a badge of honour. It’s inspired by a real person.
Billy Joel explained : “A good friend of mine was my road manager when we were on tour. He didn’t have good people skills - he had been to Vietnam and had a tough time adjusting to civilian life. I wanted this guy to be on the road with us and do business with us, but he just couldn’t get along with people and it became very problematic. I had to let him go because it just wasn’t working out for anybody. When I said, ‘I can’t continue to hire you, it’s just not working out,’ he said, ‘Oh, so you’re just like everybody else. You’re like Pontius Pilate, you’re washing your hands of me.’ I felt bad, but then I thought about it : ‘If I’m Pontius Pilate, that means he thinks he’s Jesus Christ.’ This is the angry young man.”
The piano figure that opens this piece is based on the drums from the 1963 surf-rock classic “Wipe Out.” Joel grew up listening to that sound and […] he would sometimes pound out the rhythm on his desk. He plays a very percussive piano, striking the keys with gusto, so for him it made sense to transpose a drum rhythm to piano.
In the bridge, Joel shifts the voice, offering his own perspective :
“I believe I’ve passed the age
Of consciousness and righteous rage
I found that just surviving was a noble fight
I once believed in causes too
I had my pointless point of view
And life went on no matter who was wrong or right”
The performer had fought several personal and professional battles by this point and had gone through bouts of anger and depression. This passage finds him in a place of equanimity that served him well in the battles that were still ahead.
The composition opens with a 1:52 instrumental intro called “Prelude” - it is listed as “Prelude / Angry Young Man” (1976).
This opened his concerts for much of his career. The “Prelude” is a great kick-off, bringing a lot of energy.
“Prelude/ Angry Young Man” is one of his most popular songs and a concert favorite, but it was never released as a single.
Hats 🎩 off to you, William Martin Joel‼️ 💙🎹💚
Billy Joel is the greatest
@@jamiepasquariello2652 Oh yes! Best regards to you, Jamie.
Best artist of the 20th century without a doubt
Huh, I always assumed the song was talking about a political activist type ("Working class ties and his radical plans") and the bridge just felt a tad bit too cynical. But yea, given the context of a war veteran with literal anger issues it makes a lot more sense.
Thanks for the info!
This is actually one of my favorite Billy Joel songs.
This is my favorite Billy Joel song.
actually
It's one of mine too. And there was a time before I took up guitar that Billy Joel was my hero, and I made it a point to buy every album he recorded. But oddly enough I have never owned a copy of Turnstiles.
Which is really strange, because I actually had a cassette copy of Cold Spring Harbor, but never got Turnstiles!
It is one of mine too. I love the piano, drums, everything about this song.
It was my favorite for a long time. Right now it’s The Stranger
Billy Joel just indirectly roasted me
you deserve an award
69th like nice
He just roasted everyone from ages 15-23 throughout literally all of time.
@@h.1489 I am a member of a that group.
He can't roast. He may be a musical GOD, but he's simultaneously the king of ugly shitty ties 😂😂😂.
Three words: THAT. DAMN. RIFF.
Also, finally it hit a million, it totally deserved to hit it years ago.
The healthiest thing I ever did for myself was acknowledging that there will always be some injustice in the world and it's not my job to stop it all or even to be aware of it all.
ok loser
there's a good talmud quote about this.
"Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly now, love mercy now, walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”
Edit: Turns out this is a translations and reinterpretation... still, that's what religious texts are all about, right?
@@zounch spread happiness
Doesn’t mean I can’t try.
@@jsmith6518 exactly the point. Just don't hurt yourself doing it.
I can't decide what's more of a masterpiece- - the lyrics or the music. I love this... just as relevant today.
Both are so great. Lyrically, this might be Billy's best song. So much we can learn from it.
They are running neck and neck.
In 2016 had the great privilege of meeting Billy after his warm up at Wembley, thanks to my daughter Kelly and his tour manager. They say be careful when you meet your heroes. I can confirm before I met him I thought he would be funny, thoughtful and happy. He was all those things and couldn't do enough so that each member of my family got in the "pictures" as he called them. Down to earth and apart from his love of Hendrix we could be twins. This song alone proves that Billy is the greatest songwriter of all time. When you add it to the huge list of thought provoking music he has produced he has no equal. Just my opinion of course but If I won the lottery I'd go and live with him.
You lucky duck!
Yes, he is in fact a true one-of-kind talent. A true ambassador for the cathartic good that music can bring.
@@AAndrews1968 seeing him for the first time in May, Salt Lake City Utah! So excited!😊
@@AAndrews1968 seeing him for the first time in May Salt Lake City Utah! So excited! 😊
I was walking through the supermarket yesterday and this song was playing on their very good sound system. It seems like it's the best Billy Joel song ever.
I wish mine would play this. Especially since I work in deli and have to listen to some of the worst songs out there.
@@thephantomoftheparadise5666 I live in the Midwest and my local Kroger grocery store is always playing popular songs from the late 70s, which is the time that I was a teenager. They really push my memory buttons. Then, when I walk out of the store, I can't get these tunes out of my head.
“And life went on no matter who was wrong or right…” pretty much sums up my life. Thanks, again, Billy! 🙏👍
“Life went on no matter who was wrong or right”
Lyrics a lot of us could’ve or can learn from
So true, Pump.
I agree, but I also think life probably won't go on much longer. Still, it was inevitable from the moment our ancestors banged two rocks together to make a tool. We were always going to change the planet into an uninhabitable hell hole. Getting angry and throwing your weight into causes won't change the outcome.
Tell that to the millions upon millions upon millions of innocent people who have died from political genocide. I love this song but it's easy to use it as an excuse for doing nothing. I guess im just another angry young man.
@@Desh727 I think there's a difference between seething constantly about everything awful going on in the world and being silently political and not making it your entire personality like this song implies.
@@xXTomokoKurokiXx What is the point of being silently political.
Thank you Billy Joel,
-An Angry Young Man
Jim Hawking he’s talking about himself
He used to play this song to introduce his concerts. Such an amazing way to do so
back in the late 70's WPRB ( Princeton University ) played the intro leading into the news at the top of every hour
I have been this person for most of my life... I think Billy just convinced me... it's time for a change.
bass line in this song is so damn good. brilliant musicians up and down this band.
Doug Stegmeyer is one of the most criminally underrated bass players of all time. Billy really did him wrong in the end. Doug was very much a part of Billy’s success.
@@Conn88 im not familiar with that story. what happened?
That rapid tapping of the piano key. What a madman
this is where classical music(prelude) and rock and roll coexist extremely well at its FINEST !!!!!!!!!!!!
AAAAAAA! This is the song! I heard this on the radio a few days and it took me FOREVER to figure out which one it was; all I heard was the crazy piano solo, and saying, "It's that Billy Joel song with the crazy piano solo" is like saying, "It's that Death Metal song where they roar the lyrics."
I didn't find the memory I was looking for, but the song is very wise and true. A long time ago, I was an angry young woman, but in time, I learned to stick to my own fights and leave others to theirs, unless they ask for my help.
so in other words... it took you a few days to figure out which one it was? Lol
This is my favorite story.! when you liked a song and you hve no idea how to find it!. I love Billy Joel since I was in High School and since then I have been discovering new music. First I spent hours in the internet cafe, dowloading all I could, discovering new songs, loving his music and I remembre the first time I heard this song, was when I bought the disk it was in. I loved it. Now I have all his music on spotify
To be fair, this has easily the longest instrumental prelude of any BJ song (Ballad of Billy the Kid being the 2nd?)
I just spent 20 minutes flipping through Billy Joel songs trying to find this. In my humble opinion, his Magnum Opus ❤
This song is how I’m feeling about this world now a days. 20 years old and I’m the angry young man.
I'm 58. Don't stay angry. I did and it's been like a poison. Live and learn and love and try to let go of the anger, believe me it's not worth holding onto
Listen if you're not angry as a young person you're not paying attention what should happen as you mature, you learn,from experience from mentors, men and women you respect to check, channel and challenge that anger use it,Never ignore it but try not to take things or yourself to seriously.
27 and I'm angry. I kind of have a plan to phase out of it by 35. lol
@@bob15479 phase out the anger? right ? Mark?right?? Lol 😆
@@davidgarry400 Ty David 🤲🤲✌🎐💙💚💜
In my opinion, this is the best billy joel album, just before he was a superstar
One of my favorite Billy Joel songs from one of his best albums. But then there are so many of both!
I agree! Turnstiles and Angry Young Man are two of my favorite albums/so gay of all time.
Oops! No offense to the LGBTQ community, but I meant to say "Of all time"
People write about Billy's amazing piano technique but what about Liberty diVito on drums. WOW!
I was a rabid Billy Joel fan as a teen in the '80's. So there was a break for me listening to his music through the years. I often heard myself saying, "...well, just surviving is a noble fight" not sure where I got it... Until I was reminiscing with some old Joel albums. Billy Joel lyrics have made more impressions on my thoughts than I realize.
There's a place in the world for the angry young man
With his working class ties and his radical plans
He refuses to bend, he refuses to crawl
He's always at home with his back to the wall
And he's proud of his scars and the battles he's lost
And he struggles and bleeds as he hangs on the cross
And he likes to be known as the angry young man
Give a moment or two to the angry young man
With his foot in his mouth and his heart in his hand
He's been stabbed in the back, he's been misunderstood
It's a comfort to know his intentions are good
And he sits in a room with a lock on the door
With his maps and his medals laid out on the floor
And he likes to be known as the angry young man
I believe I've passed the age of consciousness and righteous rage
I found that just surviving was a noble fight
I once believed in causes too
I had my pointless point of view
And life went on no matter who was wrong or right
And there's always a place for the angry young man
With his fist in the air and his head in the sand
And he's never been able to learn from mistakes
So he can't understand why his heart always breaks
But his honor is pure and his courage as well
And he's fair and he's true and he's boring as hell
And he'll go to the grave as an angry old man
There's a place in the world for the angry young man
With his working class ties and his radical plans
He refuses to bend, he refuses to crawl
He's always at home with his back to the wall
And he's proud of his scars and the battles he's lost
And he struggles and bleeds as he hangs on the cross
And he likes to be known as the angry young man
I think he refuses to call
@@copper803 No, it's definitely refused to crawl.
Think the refuses to call is a shot to all of us guys but definately it is crawl miss billy having new stuff but all his songs relavent both then and now
I don't know if billy gets enough credit for his awesome lyrics. Brilliant. Oh - and he's a great singer too
What a genius, I grew up on this guy and I never realized how lucky I was to get to experience his career as it evolved. His early stuff was just amazing. He really doesn’t get enough credit for his mind blowing talent.
I say the same things ALL THE TIME CuppyCake!!! He needs to be APPRECIATED MORE!!! It’s nice to know there’s someone out there who gets it!! 😊❤️☝️🎶🎹🎷
This whole song is so great, musically and lyrically. But the "Prelude" is phenomenal! One of my all-time BJ favorites!
Poor Billy Joel, so sad no credit...
The despair and the apathy of the mid-to-late 1970s is captured in this song.
1976, meet 2024. You may not know each other, but...
The 70s look like a utopia compared to today if I'm being honest. At least you could find a job and buy a house.
The intro amazes me every time. I tried learning but dang. I love this song and it is underrated in my opinion.
it’s a crime to be this good at the piano.... holy shit you’re incredible!!!!! ♥️♥️
I was fortunate to see Billy Joel perform this song for his 'Storm Front' tour (I believe it was back in '90), and to my pleasant surprise they included this song (one of my favorite of his) within the set list. Standing four rows from the stage, it was amazing to watch the rapid-fire way he pounded out the notes. Which must be rough on his fingers, because you'd see him give a deep huff of "here we go!" every time. Still, a fantastic song all around.
Christopher Lansdowne I was at Maple Leaf Gardens for that tour. Great stuff.
I was fortunate enough to see him at The Spectrum Fall of '77 for The Stranger Tour just before he became a Rock Star.
Same tour for me. Storm Front at Wembley Arena, London. There was a few nice surprises there. Billy the Kid got rolled out, as did Miami 2017.
playing that trill with your thumbs while playing the other notes with your pinky and 4th finger is a real experience. I'm so impressed that he has the balls to do it at a live performance.
@@yonatanbeer3475 I have seen him 5 times over 20 years 86-2004 and he played this every time. Opened with it at least twice.
his all time best Progressive Joel
Scenes from an Italian Restraunt counts too right?
Oh billy is great is one of my favorite rock star he was rock and roll ,progressive rock soul rock jazz pop rock soft rock.he is complete.
Brings back the fondest memories of life for me!! Almost in the exact spots I heard the songs. Places I haven't thought about in years n have long been forgotten about!!
A dentist I used to go to told me an amusing story how when he was growing up in Hicksville, Long Island inthe mid-1960s, and he was about 9-10 years old, there was this shitty, lousy garage rock band that used to practice on his street all the time. People on the street would bitch and moan and occassionally threaten to call the cops on them. However, he remembers his mother saying sometimes 'that piano and keyboard kid isn't bad' or 'that singer has a nice voice' - the kid playing the keyboard and (sometimes) doing the singing in question being Billy Joel...
jcalli66 Great story, I did have the police called on me & my crappie band... and then, I never became famous!!
Yeah I live near Hicksville - guy's a legend around here. EVERYONE around here listens to him - you don't love Billy Joel, you're a social outcast here.
Everybody from Long Island has a story where we met Billy Joel. And they're all true.
Great story. Thanks! Joel has a very distinctive piano style. I can always pick out a Billy Joel song when he plays piano....always. Love his style.
No
Listened to the song during covid, rlly made me think and understand a lotta things. It witnessed my journey from an angry young man to a wiser adult.
There are so many good songs out there, but none as half as good as this one. Thanks, grandpa for introducing me to such a brilliant band of artists. -in Christ our Lord
One of my old grey haired Dad's (As he called himself to me) favourites (RIP). I come back to it once in a blue moon and it still surprises me how intricate it all is. My Dad was a decent musician and got the keys down to a good level. It takes something else to come up with this piece in the first place. Respect, Billy!
How did this masterpiece not make his 2 disc greatest hits cd? It’s one of the most impressive pieces of technical skill in the history of music.
So that you would buy this disc!
Heard this at his MSG concert earlier this year, very underrated song and the house went nuts when he started it. 👍🏼
This song and Scenes from Italian restaurant are BJs best masterpieces.
Turnstiles is where it all started and Angry young man intro is pure genius....for those who only know post 78 Billy Joel, you're missing out on his best work 💪👷👏
My 15 year old is obbsessed with this song. lol
@Conrad Games So was I at that age. For me, I think listening to it so often reinforced the idea that being angry constantly is good, and I missed the nuance of the message of the song. I think my obsession with the song was a symptom of deeper problems, but that it drove me further into them. Please, if you aren't already, be the type of person who your kid can trust to come to. Not to be dramatic over liking a song lol But I can't help but remember that headspace I was in, and I get concerned to think another teen might be experiencing what I was.
His best song...great piece...
Now that I think about it, Billy Joel has more musical experience than Mozart did, Bach did, and Beethoven. He has been playing for 70 years and none of those composers ever lived 70 years, and Billy Joel is STILL the goat 50 years after his career went mainstream
Had the album and others and luckily saw him in concert 1978 at Market Square Arena- Indianapolis. New York State of Mind, with the house lights dimmed and a giant mural of NYC lit up behind him, is what I really recalled, never having heard the song before the concert. Fantastic! Great use of Moog here.
I read a great review once with him where he's said in the years since he greatly regretted using the Minimoog all over that album and that it makes the songs sound dated and gimmicky. He said at the time he was rolling in dough and the minimoog was the new hot thing so he bought one and then he tried to find every excuse to shoehorn it into every song simply because he owned it and wanted to use it.
Billy Joel at his best, his lyrics are the best ever!!!!
It takes almost 2 minutes for the vocals to come in, but I was Vibing the whole time
He’s calling me out, and that’s okay.
- an angry young man
I found that just surviving was a noble fight. --Billy Joel, Angry Young Man
I had the incredible pleasure of seeing him in the fall of 1976 at Philadelphia Academy of Music. This was the tour to support Turnstiles so he played this whole album and the best of Piano Man and The Entertainer. Incredible show in a hall with beautiful acoustics. Such a great show!! Great memory! Just a note - he opened with Captain Jack which was getting air play then and he closed with repeating Captain Jack and we loved it! Even with some great work (singles) later my favorite 2 complete albums are still Piano man and Turnstiles.
I love this song so much!
i seen him do this from the 3rd row buffalo memorial auditorium 1978 shortly after hearing the stranger album in 77 seeing liberty pound his kit was so cool so many years ago
I'm Mexican Puerto Rican and I love billy J.
My 6 month old baby sister loves this song so much
She knows what's up
Saw him play at Univ of Dayton Field house around '76. Crowd of about 500, 4 encores! Still have my vinyl.
Best intro to a song ever!!!! Pure genius!!!!
Billy you can't just write songs about my entire existence like this.
Ah well. Here's to me and my fellow dullards that want to be angry young men forever. Cheers.
I wanted the Prelude section to go on for about 5 more minutes.
Same here!
I never knew this was a Billy Joel track. It was the unofficial theme song of the coverage of the 1987 America’s Cup in Fremantle. Happy days
If it's any consolation, you've got at least one fan from the generation after you. 15 year olds can still be hip and with it ;)
Same here I'm turning 16 this month and this is one of my favourite BJ songs.
14 and I absolutely love this
how's twenty-five?
This is the perfect song to start off my new upcoming Jukebox Musical I'm developing, In which It's mostly inspired by the Album itself and the characters featured on it, hopefully now I'm in quarantine I have time to write the book and lines
Update?
Any updates?
Billy Joel iam stunned this guy creates music with a perfection of classical music his band is badass just incredible for pop music
On SiriusXM radio, Joel said this song was written about one of his very early tour roadies. Billy said the guy was a Vietnam veteran with PTSD and repetitive anger issues. Billy ended up firing the guy, but he wrote Angry Young Man about him.
好きな歌なので聴けてよかったです！ありがとうございます。
Interviewer: Do you ever use performance enhance drugs?
Billy while playing the first part of this song: uh.... no?
He opened with this during a concert in Charlottesville, VA back in 2007 or 2008.
The first of two times I saw him. Fantastic show from start to finish!!
its alternating left and right thumbs like a drum roll on the one note of the piano, he can then use his fingers on the right hand to play the harmony above that tonic note, D I think. saw him play this on tv years ago and then went to my piano and played a similar thing, I forgot I ever played this til I heard it today. its been 41 years.
best album e v e r.
God the lyrics on this song are simply incredible
Hey I know you!
One of the true gems of joels career
Fantastic song!
I just saw Billy in Chicago. I wish he'd played this song. This song describes me.
No genius song writers like Billy Joel these days
It's easy to get carried away with everything wrong in this life and cancel culture. The pandemic era didn't help ... This song addresses the situation when anger has gone too far - is no longer useful and not serving a restorative purpose...
Virtuoso there's only one word for it Billy was/is brilliant and unique
Great song, Love that long introduction!
The best part 1:32
Liberty carrys this track ! Drums are tracked so well
このアルバムには何か魅かれるものがある ターンスティルスが一番好きだね
Liberty DeVitto!!!
GOAT rock n' roll drummer
The music is anemoic but the lyrics are timeless.
One of my favourite songs
Good music !
This always makes me think of my father's state of being just after returning from the Vietnam war.
"with his maps and his medals laid out on the floor" ?
I guess some things never change.
That's interesting, since this was based on someone Billy Joel knew who was also a Vietnam vet
Masterpiece no one Like Bill.
I was playing this and a young asked me what I was listening to Christmas songs...lol
First time listening to this. But this is me!
He said I believe I've past the age of consciousness and righteous rage, wow.
Love the song, love the album, but that intro-- does he have twenty fingers?
Check out this song and his fingers live at Long Island 1982.
plot twist: he uses his feet
There's a place in the world for a Piano Man.
This and "Scenes" are my 2 favorite Joel compositions, which is not a surprise, since I love Prog Rock and consider Kansas my favorite band... :^)
Billy liked prog music. He's said he was a fan of Yes.
I once asked a colleague, a music teacher who was very good at piano, can you teach me to play if we have a common period off? He asked what I wanted to learn and I said “Billy Joel, Angry Young Man” He just laughed.
We all know someone who is like the guy described in the song. I certainly do
when mike goes DAADADADADADDADADAADDADAADDADADADADADADA
A masterpiece on every level.
ayy, congrats on a million!
This album went to only #122 on the Billboard 200. The Stranger went to #2 while the next two went to #1. I'm not saying The Stranger and 52nd Street are bad albums (they're not; in fact 52nd is my fave Joel album) but this deserved more than #122.
Billy's best album hands down