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Piano Man (WORD)
Piano Man (PDF)
Piano Man (UBass)
NB: The instrumental bridge is shortened for BUG
In 2016, the Library of Congress selected "Piano Man" for preservation in the National Recording Registry for its "cultural, historic, or artistic significance." "Piano Man" is a fictionalized retelling of Joel's own experience as a piano-lounge singer for six months in 1972-73 at the now defunct Executive Room bar in the Wilshire district of Los Angeles. In a talk with The Actors Studio, Joel said that he had to get away from New York due to a conflict with his then recording company and hence lived in Los Angeles for three years with his first wife. Since he needed work to pay the bills, but could not use his better known name, he worked at the Executive Room bar as a piano player using the name "Bill Martin" (Joel's full name is William Martin Joel).