SOME PEOPLE
JUST ACCEPT THE
is the ninth
studio album
by American
singer-songwriter
released on
August 8, 1983.
The concept album
is a tribute to
the American
popular music
of Joel's
adolescent years
with Joel paying homage
to a number of
different and popular
American musical styles
from the late
1950s and early 1960s,
most notably
doo-wop
and
soul music.
The album cover
artwork was
taken on the
front steps of
142 Mercer Street,
just north of
the intersection of
Mercer and Prince Street
in the SoHo
neighborhood of
Manhattan, New York City.
Background
In an interview about
the making of the album,
Joel talks about
the fact that
at the time that
he was recording
An Innocent Man,
he was newly divorced
from his first wife,
Elizabeth Weber,
and was single
for the first time
since achieving
rock star status.
He had the opportunity
to date supermodels
such as
Elle Macpherson
and
Christie Brinkley,
and because of
these experiences,
he said,
"I kind of felt like a teenager
all over again."
Joel started
writing songs
in the same styles
as pop songs
that he remembered
from his teenage years,
citing pop music
from the late
1950s and early 1960s,
including
"early R&B songs
and
The Four Seasons,
and the
Motown music,
soul music."
According to Joel,
the various songs
were not meant
to be autobiographical,
and instead
center around
various
made-up characters.
Joel explained,
"When you're gonna write
[songs for a new album],
you write what
you're feeling.
And I didn't fight it.
The material was coming
so easily and so quickly,
and I was having
so much fun doing it.
I was kind of reliving my youth. ...
I think within 6 weeks
I had written most
of the material on the album."
Joel also said
that he was
pleasantly surprised
to have hit records
in the 1980s
with retro songs
like the mostly
a cappella
doo wop song
"The Longest Time".
The song
"Easy Money",
which was made as
a tribute to early R&B,
was initially written for
the 1983 film
of the same name
starring
Rodney Dangerfield
and was the song that
"kicked off"
the creation of
An Innocent Man,
according to Joel.
Dangerfield later made
a cameo appearance
at the end of the
music video for the song
"Tell Her About It",
as an exchange for
Joel's song in
support of
Dangerfield's movie.
The song
"Christie Lee"
describes a narrative
about a saxophone player
who has his heart broken
by a woman he
falls in love with,
whom he later realizes
is only interested in him
for his saxophone skills.
TRACKLIST
Easy Money
An Innocent Man
The Longest Time
This Night
Tell Her About It
Uptown Girl
Careless Talk
Christie Lee
Leave A Tender Moment Alone
Keeping The Faith
Christie Lee
[Demo]
Motorcycle Song
[Demo]
Keeping The Faith
(12" Dance Remix)
Leave A Tender Moment Alone
(Live)
An Innocent Man
(Live)
What's Your Name
(Live)
The Longest Time
(Live)
Uptown Girl
(Live)
Tell Her About It
(Live)
I'll Cry Instead
(Live)
(B-Side)
No comments:
Post a Comment