Turn the Lights Back On: reviewing Billy Joel’s comeback single

Official song art (BILLY JOEL/PROVIDED)

The piano man is back with a new song! It’s been a whopping thirty years since Billy Joel released his last original album “River of Dreams,” and seventeen years since Joel released his last single “Christmas in Fallujah.” But now he has returned with a new single titled “Turn the Lights Back On.” 

Despite his blue collar normal guy persona, Billy Joel is one of the best songwriters who is still alive today.

While the release of Joel’s new single was met with excitement, there was also a sense of nervousness felt. With current music trends, it is hard for artists to know when to quit and that’s something I respected about Joel. However, Joel did not disappoint and “Turn the Lights Back On” is yet another great song from the musical artist.

The most appealing thing about Billy Joel is his soul. Much like Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam fame, Joel is a songwriter from the heart. While he’s said that he doesn’t like hearing his own voice, he certainly hasn’t lost a beat since his hay-day in the eighties and nineties. His voice is still magnificent, and there is still the fine piano playing that made Joel’s sound into what it is today.

The melody of the song is also really well done, it has the same melancholic, yet inviting atmosphere that several of his best songs like “She’s Always A Woman,” “Vienna,” or “Just The Way You Are.”