American singer, songwriter and pianist Billy Joel has released his new single “Turn the Lights Back On” after 17 years since his last original song.
In an interview with Vulture, Joel originally claimed that he retired from songwriting shortly after his 1993 album “River of Dreams” fell short of his expectations of commercial success.
Joel also revealed in the interview that he was not in charge of his recording, stating that there was supposed to be a return of copyright to him in 2013. As a result, Joel doesn’t own the rights to many of his recordings.
“People wonder why there’ve been so many Billy Joel live albums and compilations,” Joel said. “They’re not my idea. The record company owns all these recordings and can package them any way they want.”
Ever since, Joel has done countless tours all over the world with fans wondering if he would ever make a return.
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While on stage last year, Joel did hint at the existence of new music by telling the audience that “We’ve got a little something we’ve been working on you might hear sometime.”
“Turn the Lights Back On” sees the return of Joel’s piano skills with lyrics written by Joel, Arthur Bacon, Freddy Wexler and Wayne Hector.
As a result, “Turn the Lights Back On” is a somber yet hopeful ballad that feels like an amalgamation of things that made Joel’s music stand out.
The use of the piano is reminiscent of “Piano Man,” with it invoking both a sense of regret and memories of a better past.
The lyrics are as emotional as the majority of Joel’s discography, with there being an overall theme of wanting a second chance. The song by no means breaks new ground but is a nostalgic trip for any older fans of Joel’s work.
There are different ways to interpret the song and its meaning. The story represents a long relationship that has gone cold, or maybe Joel’s way of questioning whether or not he still has the ability to make more music.
“I’m late, but I’m here right now/ And I’m tryin’ to find the magic/ that we lost somehow,” Joel sings on the track.
Joel mentioned in an interview with Rolling Stone that “(He’s) never going to say never” when it comes to making new music.
Joel will be performing “Turn the Lights Back On” at the 66th annual Grammys on Sunday.
