How Billy Joel Inspired Me

Billy Joel recently released his first new song in 17 years. Billy Joel is 74 years old now. The song hit me unexpectedly hard, partly because it is lyrically and musically beautiful, and partly because it was Billy Joel. I grew up in the seventies listening to Only the Good Die Young, Vienna, and others off his The Stranger album. I would not call myself a fan. He was simply part of the sound track of my childhood, along with many other artists.

But this new song has made me a fan. I found myself listening to it over and over. Then I was dancing to it, feeling lifted by the words of the song. If you have not heard it yet, it seems to be about a long term relationship in which one partner is pleading for forgiveness for not being romantic, or present in the relationship. But I found another meaning in it.

The chorus says, "I'm late, but I'm here right now." This spoke to me as an older person concerning being creative later in life. He says, "Did I wait too long to turn the lights back on?" This spoke to me as a dancer, and a writer. Wondering if it is too late to use gifts I have let go for so long. As I danced in my living room today, I answered myself. It's not to late to dance, or write, or whatever. If Billy Joel can get out there at 74 and produce one of his best songs, I can clack the keys of my laptop to write a story or two at 55.

He follows with, "Though I used to be romantic, I forgot somehow. Time can make you blind, but I see you now." I used to think romance was only about relationships. But romance can be a style, like a flowing dress or keeping flowers in your home. Being romantic can be a mindset concerning what types of movies you watch, or books you read. Time, work, and in my case illness, makes me forget sometimes how much I enjoy dancing and writing. This song reminded me, made me see again.

In verse 2, he states, "Here, stuck on a hill, outsiders inside the home that we built," reminding me how easy it is to get stuck in place. To let other things get in the way of what inspires me. "The cold settles in, it's been a long winter of indifference," could be about a relationship to a person, or to any passion one has when it has gone cold.

As I was twirling around today, I was singing along to, "I'm late, but I'm here right now, and I'm tryin' to find the magic, that we lost somehow." What a beautiful lyric, and sentiment! Finding magic in everyday life is often hard to do, if not impossible. Billy Joel sings about the magic of love, I sing about the magic of dance, of expression, of art itself.

Art can be defined as, "something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or expresses important ideas or feelings."(The Britannica Dictionary) Turn the Lights Back On is art. It has inspired me more than any song I've heard recently. If you haven't listened, take some and soak it in. I think it may speak to your soul too, especially if you are an older individual like myself.

Kudos to Billy Joel for making music at his age. He doesn't need money, or fame. He has that already. He did it because someone who was inspired by him convinced to get back to music. Get back to what you love.