Piano Man

[Terabith]

My almost 16 year old has a theory about Billy Joel's "Piano Man."  She says that he's playing at a gay bar and every character in the song is gay except Billy Joel, who hasn't figured it out yet.  

What does the Hive think?

[klmama]

I don't see that at all.  It's about lonely people hanging out at the bar and listening to good music.  

[Terabith]

I dunno.....We've got 1) Paul, who is a real estate novelist who never had time for a wife

2) Davy who's still in the navy and probably will be for life

3) businessmen slowly getting stoned

4) and John, who gets me my drinks for free (maybe he's trying to hook up?)

 

[Danae]

This theory has been floating around Twitter and Facebook for years. There’s a long post about the characters having a pool running on when he’ll figure it out.

[Farrar]

I've seen this theory floating around for awhile and while it's pretty obviously not the original intention, I think it works way too well as a way to view the song. Like, they're all into him, which is why they keep coming back. 

Whether it's a gay bar or not, I think we call all agree that the novelist who never had time for a wife and is chatting up the navy guy is DEFINITELY gay.

[SKL]

I've always thought the novelist / navy guy were a couple, but I didn't assume the whole place was a gay bar.

Maybe it was, but I think the theme was how being a piano player helped him help others & feel good about himself.  Why water that down?

[Farrar]

I don't see it as watering it down at all. I mean, they're all still making the piano man feel good about what he's doing and the piano man is still cheering them up. It just changes the context in which that's happening. Like I said, I seriously doubt this was Billy Joel's intention. But that doesn't mean you can't think of it that way if it works. That's one of the fun things about art - once it's out there, we all get to take away from it different things and have our own interpretations.

[Zebra]

I have never heard this theory before!    

I like Billy Joel, and I like this song, and I don't care if it is a gay bar....but I am having a hard time believing the song was meant to be THAT deep.    I think the guy "who never had time for a wife" was pretty obvious, even at the time.   

But, it certainly fun to speculate.

[TravelingChris]

I never thought that or thought about the lyrics hardly at all.  The onlyvth8ng I thought it was about was lonely people at a bar.

But I am a  person  who pays attention to the music,  not the lyrics.

[MercyA]

Terabith, I *finally* got The Song That Shall Not Be Named out of my head a few days ago, and I'm quickly walking away (nay, running!) from this thread so I don't suffer the same fate all over again. 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

[TheReader]

I have never thought of this song in that way, because the surface meaning of all the lonely people was just so *there*......now I want to relisten and see if this makes sense. (sounds like it does). 

I do love that about art, how it can be so multi-faceted. How interesting!

[Danae]

There’s also this, if you like Piano Man fan fic:

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/billy-joel-plays-piano-man-for-the-first-time-at-the-bar-he-based-the-song-on

[Terabith]

On 3/17/2021 at 12:24 AM, Danae said:

This theory has been floating around Twitter and Facebook for years. There’s a long post about the characters having a pool running on when he’ll figure it out.

Ah!  Honestly, this explains a lot!  Because my kid loves memes, and while her musical knowledge is eclectic, "Piano Man" is not the type of song she usually gravitates towards.  

Somehow, I've just missed it.  

[bibiche]

Nah, if it were a gay bar and the bartender was giving him drinks, Billy Joel would be too drunk to play. I have never been in a gay bar where the drinks were not ultra high test. Oh, how I miss my old life. 😭 

[HS Mom in NC]

[sheryl]

Dh and I saw "young" Billy Joel aka Piano Man live while we were dating in college approx late 70's.  What memories.  What hair LOL!

Yeah, that's a stretch theory.  If a guy is having problems with his wife and talks with another guy at a bar doesn't make him gay.  Silly!