Billy Joel Teases First New Single Release in 17 Years

Music legend Billy Joel has a new song coming out. He teased his first new release in 17 years on Instagram Wednesday stating, “It’s time to TURN THE LIGHTS BACK ON.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Billy…

Jessica Marie BaumgartnerJan 23, 20243 min read

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In 2013, he told the New York Times that he “got bored” with the music industry.

He noted, “Way back in the early ’70s, I used to do somersaults, flips off the piano. I would climb up the cables and hang upside down, anything to get attention. When you’re an opening act, you gotta do whatever you can.”

Topping that was hard to do, but his musicality carried him through the ‘80s and ‘90s. But he also worked hard at his craft.

This led him to declare his frustration with Mozart. He stated, “Mozart pisses me off because he’s like a naturally gifted athlete. You listen to Mozart and you go: ‘Of course. It all came easy to him,’” per the New york Times.

He also decried the music industry pressures. He explained, “It’s indentured servitude when you sign with a record company. I don’t even own my own masters. They own the masters.”

He even attempted to write a memoir, but the publishing industry also added unnecessary pressures with a plot to focus on Joel’s low points centered around, “divorce, depression and drinking,” via the New York Times.

“They wanted more sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, and there’s not that much in my life…” he added.

“I wasn’t interested in doing a tell-all. I’m not going to talk about people who I was involved in relationships with. I’m just not that guy,” he concluded.

Just how much control Joel has over his new work is uncertain; “Turn the Lights Back On” is being released through Columbia Records.

His teaser post already has over 32,000 likes, displaying how long overdue this highly anticipated song is to fans.