Editing Billy Joel (section)

===1977–1979: ''The Stranger'' and ''52nd Street'' ===
[[File:Billy Joel, Lehigh Epitome 1978 page 125.jpg|thumb|right|Joel performing in December 1977]]
Columbia Records introduced Joel to [[Phil Ramone]], who produced all of Joel's studio albums from 1977 to 1986. [[The Stranger (Billy Joel album)|''The Stranger'']] (1977) was an enormous commercial success, yielding four Top-25 hits on the ''Billboard'' charts: "[[Just the Way You Are (Billy Joel song)|Just the Way You Are]]" (No. 3), "[[Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)|Movin' Out]]" (No. 17), "[[Only the Good Die Young]]" (No. 24) and "[[She's Always a Woman]]" (No. 17). Joel's first Top Ten album, ''The Stranger ''reached number two on the charts and was certified multi-platinum, besting [[Simon & Garfunkel]]'s ''[[Bridge over Troubled Water]]''<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS154750+31-Jul-2008+PRN20080731 |title=The Return of 'The Stranger'&nbsp;– 30th Anniversary Legacy Edition of Billy Joel's Top-Selling... |date=July 31, 2008 |work=Reuters |access-date=March 17, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120726115257/https://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS154750%2B31-Jul-2008%2BPRN20080731 |archive-date=July 26, 2012}}</ref> as Columbia's previous bestselling album. "Just the Way You Are"—written for Joel's first wife, Elizabeth Weber<ref>{{cite book |last=Schruers |first=Fred |date=2015 |title=Billy Joel: The Definitive Biography |publisher=Three Rivers Press |page=130}}</ref>—was inspired by a dream<ref>{{cite book |last=Webb |first=Craig |date=2016 |title=The Dreams Behind the Music: Learn Creative Dreaming As 100+ Top Artists Reveal Their Breakthrough Inspirations |url=http://dreamsbehindthemusic.com/ |page=76 |access-date=October 31, 2016 |archive-date=November 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161101041229/http://dreamsbehindthemusic.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and won [[Grammy]] awards for [[Record of the Year]] and [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]].<ref name=billyjoelgrammy>[https://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=%22Billy+Joel%22&field_nominee_work_value=&year=All&genre=All Billy Joel Grammy Awards] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208160833/https://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=%22Billy+Joel%22&field_nominee_work_value=&year=All&genre=All |date=December 8, 2015 }} at [[The Recording Academy]]</ref> On tour in Paris, Joel learned the news late one night in a hotel room.<ref name="sing365" />  It also featured "[[Scenes from an Italian Restaurant]]", an [[album-oriented rock]] classic, which has become one of his best-known songs. It is one of Joel's favorite of his own songs, which has become a firm staple of his live shows,<ref>{{Cite web| url= https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/billy-joel/billy-joel-talks-scenes-from-an-italian-restaurant-i-couldn-t-do-a-show-without-it-1.10695315| title= Joel on 'Scenes': I couldn't do a show without it| website= Newsday| language= en| access-date= June 6, 2019| archive-date= June 7, 2019| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190607003406/https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/billy-joel/billy-joel-talks-scenes-from-an-italian-restaurant-i-couldn-t-do-a-show-without-it-1.10695315| url-status= live}}</ref> and "[[Vienna (Billy Joel song)|Vienna]]", also one of Joel's personal favorites<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/arts/music/13barr.html?pagewanted=1 | work=The New York Times | first=Dan | last=Barry | title=Just the Way He Is | date=July 13, 2008 | access-date=February 12, 2023 | archive-date=February 12, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212102327/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/arts/music/13barr.html?pagewanted=1 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.billyjoel.com/news/billy-joels-top-5-favorite-songs-playlist/ | title=Billy Joel's Top 5 Favorite Songs Playlist | date=January 11, 2017 | access-date=February 12, 2023 | archive-date=February 12, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212102329/https://www.billyjoel.com/news/billy-joels-top-5-favorite-songs-playlist/ | url-status=live }}</ref> and as of 2022 one of his most streamed songs on the internet.<ref name = Grierson>{{cite news|url = https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/billy-joel-vienna-song-history|title = How Billy Joel's 'Vienna' Went from a Deep Cut to His Most Popular Song|date = April 17, 2022|accessdate = April 25, 2022|work = [[MEL Magazine]]|last = Grierson|first = Tim|archive-date = April 28, 2022|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220428040558/https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/billy-joel-vienna-song-history|url-status = live}}</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' later ranked ''The Stranger'' the 70th greatest album of all time.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/billy-joel-the-stranger-19691231 |title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Billy Joel, 'The Stranger' |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=September 16, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718102518/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/billy-joel-the-stranger-19691231 |archive-date=July 18, 2012}}</ref>

Joel released [[52nd Street (album)|''52nd Street'']] in 1978, naming it after Manhattan's [[52nd Street (Manhattan)|52nd Street]], which, at the time of its release, served as the world headquarters of [[CBS Records International|CBS/]] [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]. The album sold over seven million copies, propelled to number one on the charts by the hits "[[My Life (Billy Joel song)|My Life]]" (No. 3), "[[Big Shot (song)|Big Shot]]" (No. 14) and "[[Honesty (Billy Joel song)|Honesty]]" (No. 24). A cover of "My Life" by Gary Bennett became the theme for the television sitcom ''[[Bosom Buddies]]''. ''52nd Street'' also won Grammy awards for [[Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male]] and Album of the Year.

In 1979, Joel traveled to [[Havana|Havana, Cuba]] to participate in the historic [[Havana Jam]] festival March 2–4, alongside [[Rita Coolidge]], [[Kris Kristofferson]], [[Stephen Stills]], the CBS Jazz All-Stars, the [[Trio of Doom]], [[Fania All-Stars]], [[Billy Swan]], [[Bonnie Bramlett]], Mike Finnegan, [[Weather Report]], and an array of Cuban artists including [[Irakere]], [[Pacho Alonso]], [[Tata Güines]] and [[Orquesta Aragón]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://storage.people.com/people/archive/jpgs/19790319/19790319-750-35.jpg |title=article on Havana Jam |work=People |date=March 19, 1979 |access-date=September 11, 2012 |archive-date=November 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121120205041/http://storage.people.com/people/archive/jpgs/19790319/19790319-750-35.jpg |url-status=live }}</ref> His performance is captured in Ernesto Juan Castellanos's documentary ''Havana Jam '79''.

''52nd Street'' was the first commercially released album on the then-new compact disc format, in 1982.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/the-first-compact-disc-released/|title=How Billy Joel's '52nd Street' Became the First Compact Disc Released|website=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=October 2012|access-date=April 7, 2021|archive-date=July 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706021629/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/the-first-compact-disc-released/|url-status=live}}</ref>