What if Piano Man was Billy Joel's Last Album …

… And it wasn't his choice?

Let's go back in time. Way back nearly 50 years. Back when rock 'n' roll was on vinyl and the radio, and if you missed the song on the radio, you had to keep listening. This is back before Apple Music, Amazon Music, or Youtube. This is the old days. No cable TV. Certainly no satellite. A completely different world. So, join me on a short journey, won't you.

It arrived on November 2, 1973. Of course, it was of little import at the time, barely recognized. Moreover, the artist was unknown, though he had put out a few albums by this point. This one would have a unique (even strange) cover and would more or less be unknown but for one song.

"Piano Man" became a hit in 1974. The ditty about Joel's time as, well, a piano man, became his signature tune. This writer discovered Joel about four years later when his Beatleseque tune "My Life" lit up the charts and radios. I digress. The album title was the same as the signature tune, PIANO MAN.

So, what if Columbia Records decides that it's not worth supporting Joel's efforts and never releases "Piano Man" as a single. You all remember singles, right? 45 RPM vinyl with a "flip side." Yeah, yeah, a different world for sure. In 1974 "Piano Man" never charts, and the album ends up in the discount racks, Columbia says "never mind," and they cut Joel loose from his contract and he never releases another album. Joel tries to get on with Capitol or A&M or Motown but nobody bites …

On November 9, 1973, Billy Joel released PIANO MAN. It's a legendary album. It could have been Joel's last album if not for the release of "Piano Man" as a single and its subsequent rise up the charts. I wonder what would have happened if that song never charted? Would anyone know Billy Joel today?