Billy Joel is an American songwriter and composer whose catalog of pop and rock songs spans more than five decades. Working as his own lyricist, Joel composed the music and words for over a dozen studio albums beginning with Cold Spring Harbor in 1971, producing 33 Top 40 hits along the way. His writing blends piano-driven pop melodies with rock energy and occasional classical touches, often drawing on autobiographical themes and New York City settings. Among his best-known compositions are Just the Way You Are, a Grammy-winning ballad from The Stranger; New York State of Mind, a slow-burning ode to his hometown; Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, a suite-like narrative that shifts between moods and tempos; Vienna, a contemplative waltz about slowing down; and Only the Good Die Young, an uptempo number built on a rolling piano figure. Joel wrote virtually all of his material without a co-writer, a rarity among artists of his commercial stature. Albums including The Stranger, 52nd Street, Glass Houses, and The Nylon Curtain achieved multi-platinum sales. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, and received a Grammy Legend Award in 1991.
