Soft Rock Music
Billy Joel has said that the melody and chord progression came to him while he was dreaming –with a little bit of inspiration from The Four Seasons song “Rag Doll.” Joel had written the song for his wife at the time Elizabeth Weber and gave it to her as a birthday present. (She was also his business manager.) Joel played a Fender Rhodes electric piano on the track, using a shifter effect. Drummer Liberty DeVitto has said that he and their producer Phil Ramone “came up with the kind of crazy rhythm that started out as a samba beat, like a bossa nova with a brush and a stick.” The alto sax solo was by Phil Woods. He was well-known in the jazz world and was criticized by jazz purists for venturing into the pop rock world, but it exposed his work to a wider audience. He also did session work for Steely Dan and Paul Simon.
The song was released on Joel’s 1977 album The Stranger and as a single, backed with “Get it Right the First Time.” This was his first U.S. Top 10 and U.K. Top 20 single. It also earned RIAA gold record certification. “Just the Way You Are” went to #3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #1 on the Easy Listening Chart, #2 in Canada, #6 in Australia and New Zealand, #7 in Ireland, and #19 in the U.K.
Billy Joel began his career in the music business in 1965 and has been going ever since. He continues to tour and perform.
