I promised I would never leave youAnd you should always knowWherever you may goNo matter where you areI never will be far away

People who are looking for art in rock ‘n’ roll or pop are looking for something that either doesn’t or shouldn’t exist.

Last of the Big Time Spenders.

We might be laughing a bit too loud But that never hurt no one.

There are certain artists who have taken it upon themselves to save the world, and I find that gets tiresome. I think the artist’s first obligation is to the art, not to the issues ....

Slow down, you crazy child.You’re so ambitious for a juvenile.

You can’t dress trashy ’til you spend a lot of money.

We would all go down… together…

What will it take till you believe in me The way that I believe in you.

…And you’re the only one who knows.

I am, as I’ve said, merely competent. But in an age of incompetence, that makes me extraordinary.

When you look into my eyesAnd you see the crazy gypsy in my soulIt always comes as a surpriseWhen I feel my withered roots begin to growWell I never had a place that I could...

I have a theory that the only original things we ever do are mistakes.

Slow down you’re doing fine You can’t be everything you want to be Before your time.

They showed you a statue and told you to prayThey built you a temple and locked you awayBut they never told you the price that you payFor things that you might have done.

They say there’s a heaven for those who will wait. Some say it’s better, but I say it ain’t. I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints. Sinners are much more fun…

No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.

If we’re going to keep ourselves interested, we can’t play for the reviewer and we can’t just play for the audience. In the end, you have to just play for yourself.

You’re not the only one who’s made mistakes, but they’re the only things that you can truly call your own.

Hope you don’t think this is Billy Joel unplugged. I’m a piano player. I’m already unplugged.

It’s okay if you mess up. You should give yourself a break.

I don’t think what has happened to me is that different from what happens to most people. The only difference is the scale. People seem to think my problems are larger than life, but they’re...

You’ve got your passion. You’ve got your pride.But don’t you know that only fools are satisfied?Dream on, but don’t imagine they’ll all come true.

If I need a cause for celebration Or a comfort I can use to ease my mind I rely on my imagination And I dream of an imaginary time.

So before we end and then beginWe’ll drink a toast to how it’s beenA few more hours to be completeA few more nights on satin sheetsA few more times that I can sayI’ve loved these...

She will promise you moreThan the Garden of EdenThen she’ll carelessly cut youAnd laugh while you’re bleeding.

Say goodbye to the oldies, but goodies, because the good old days weren’t always good and tomorrow ain’t as bad as it seems

I’ve loved these days.

In every heart there is a room A sanctuary safe and strong To heal the wounds from lovers past Until a new one comes along.

Shades of grey wherever I goThe more I find out the less that I knowBlack and white is how it should beBut shades of grey are the colors I see.

Part of me is afraid to let go of this other thing, which was so hugely successful. But on the other hand, I have to move ahead, or else my feet are stuck in the...

Singles don’t represent me. Albums do.

I hate making videos. Songs are not visual. You get it out of the air. You don’t watch it on MTV.

She can kill with a smile, She can wound with her eyes.

Don’t be afraid to try againEveryone goes southEvery now and then.

It’s not just the market fluctuation. It’s also what’s going on with these big companies. Everyone’s got questions about this.

I don’t think of myself as a singer. The only reason I ever got onstage was to meet girls.

Don’t wait for answers… Just take your chances!Don’t ask me why.

Your mother told you all that I could give you was a reputation.

For all our mutual experienceOur separate conclusions are the sameNow we are forced to recognize our inhumanityOur reason coexists with our insanityBut we choose between reality and madnessIt’s either sadness or euphoria

We all end in the ocean. We all start in the streams.We’re all carried along by the River of Dreams.

It’s awful hard trying to make love long distance, but I really need stimulation.

I know how big business works. I don’t trust it.

If you are not doing what you love, you are wasting your time.

[Does Joel feel a particular resonance with any of this year’s other nominees? Sure, he says — Paul McCartney, because of the Beatles.] The Beatles were the band that made me realize it was possible...

Rock and roll cola wars, I can’t take it any more.

Hot funk, cold punk, even if it’s old junk, it’s still rock and roll to me.

Rolling Stone magazine would not say anything positive about me, and they were the tastemakers at the time. There were people from the old guard who insisted I wasn’t a real rock and roller. Well,...

I know that everybody has a dream Everybody has a dream And this is my dream, my own Just to be at home And to be all alone . . . with you.

We were sharp… as sharp as knives. And we were so gung-ho to lay down our lives…