Old-Time Rock ‘n’ Roll:
How The 1980s Embraced 1950s and 1960s Oldies Music
The Piano Man’s An Innocent Man
Photo: "Piano keys" by OnceCaptured is licensed under CC0 1.0
In 1983, mega singer/songwriter Billy Joel released An Innocent Man, an album containing various sounds of 1950s and 1960s rock ‘n’ roll. Recently divorced and dating supermodels, Joel relived his youth during the album’s recording. Feeling young brought back sounds from his early musical influences. Harmonies, doo-wop, horns, and, of course, the piano give An Innocent Man a rock ‘n’ roll chi.
Each song on the album pays tribute to specific artists. The title track An Innocent Man,
has a baseline similar to the Drifters’s Under the Boardwalk.
Joel enjoyed a cappella music during his youth, especially a group called The Times. The Longest Time
is his a cappella piece; all vocals done by Joel. Inspired by The Supremes, whose lyrics provided advice to women, Joel wrote an advice song to men called Tell Her About It.
The song’s popular and humorous video salutes The Ed Sullivan Show, making it a number one hit. Teens liked the video and music while their parents enjoyed the nostalgia the video provided. Uptown Girl,
a top ten hit, sounds more 1980s than the rest of the album, is sung like Frankie Valli. An Innocent Man singles dominated airplay from 1983 through 1984. Critics praised it for recreating the past, while being original.