At his mother’s insistence, Long Island native Billy Joel reluctantly took up piano lessons at the young age of four. It would help engender one of the most commercially successful careers in the last five decades of pop music. If there’s a moral to the story, it’s that youngsters should always listen to their mothers!
Of course, Joel is so much more than one of the industry’s foremost piano men. For instance, did you know that he made up half of the proto-metal outfit Attila before embarking on a solo career? Or that smash singles like “A Matter of Trust” don’t feature the piano at all? Meanwhile, his signature song “Piano Man” isn’t even one of his best sellers.
Nevertheless, it was “Piano Man” that helped take Billy Joel from a struggling solo act into a musical icon with nearly three decades worth of hit songs and albums under his belt. To unpack his legacy is to discover a versatile and highly intuitive artist, who was able to absorb and then reinterpret classic styles and shifting contemporary trends alike. It’s no accident that he’s credited with two of the 50 best albums of all time.
To determine the biggest pop hits by Billy Joel, 24/7 Tempo reviewed performance data from the Billboard Hot 100 song charts. Songs were ranked based on an inverse score wherein a week at No. 1 is worth 100 points, a week at No. 2 worth 99 points, and so on, up to a week at No. 100 worth one point. Chart data is current through the week of August 20, 2022.
Click here to see Billy Joel’s biggest hits
Call it commercial or pastiche if you will, but it’s all still rock and roll to Joel and his millions of fans around the world. To date, he remains the fourth most successful solo act of all time with over 85 million certified units sold. (See where he falls on the list of the best-selling Grammy winners of all time.)
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
25. She’s Got a Way
> Entered Hot 100: November 21, 1981
> Peak position on Hot 100: #23 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 14
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Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
24. Leave a Tender Moment Alone
> Entered Hot 100: July 7, 1984
> Peak position on Hot 100: #27 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 15
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
23. Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)
> Entered Hot 100: March 18, 1978
> Peak position on Hot 100: #17 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 14
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
22. Pressure
> Entered Hot 100: September 25, 1982
> Peak position on Hot 100: #20 (for 3 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 17
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Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
21. Don’t Ask Me Why
> Entered Hot 100: August 2, 1980
> Peak position on Hot 100: #19 (for 3 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 15
Source: Express / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
20. Say Goodbye to Hollywood
> Entered Hot 100: September 12, 1981
> Peak position on Hot 100: #17 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 15
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Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
19. She’s Always a Woman
> Entered Hot 100: August 12, 1978
> Peak position on Hot 100: #17 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 15
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
18. Modern Woman (From “Ruthless People”)
> Entered Hot 100: June 7, 1986
> Peak position on Hot 100: #10 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 15
Source: Express / Archive Photos via Getty Images
17. This Is the Time
> Entered Hot 100: November 15, 1986
> Peak position on Hot 100: #18 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 17
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Source: Mike Prior / Redferns via Getty Images
16. Keeping the Faith
> Entered Hot 100: January 26, 1985
> Peak position on Hot 100: #18 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 16
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
15. You’re Only Human (Second Wind)
> Entered Hot 100: July 13, 1985
> Peak position on Hot 100: #9 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 16
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Source: Scott Gries / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
14. You May Be Right
> Entered Hot 100: March 15, 1980
> Peak position on Hot 100: #7 (for 3 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 15
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
13. I Go To Extremes
> Entered Hot 100: January 13, 1990
> Peak position on Hot 100: #6 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 16
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
12. All About Soul
> Entered Hot 100: November 6, 1993
> Peak position on Hot 100: #29 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 20
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Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
11. The Longest Time
> Entered Hot 100: March 24, 1984
> Peak position on Hot 100: #14 (for 3 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 18
Source: Lawrence Lucier / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
10. A Matter of Trust
> Entered Hot 100: August 9, 1986
> Peak position on Hot 100: #10 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 18
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Source: Carlo Allegri / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
9. An Innocent Man
> Entered Hot 100: December 17, 1983
> Peak position on Hot 100: #10 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 18
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
8. Tell Her About It
> Entered Hot 100: July 30, 1983
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 18
Source: Mike Prior / Redferns via Getty Images
7. Allentown
> Entered Hot 100: November 27, 1982
> Peak position on Hot 100: #17 (for 6 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 22
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Source: Carlo Allegri / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
6. We Didn’t Start the Fire
> Entered Hot 100: October 14, 1989
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 19
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
5. My Life
> Entered Hot 100: November 4, 1978
> Peak position on Hot 100: #3 (for 3 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 19
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Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
4. Uptown Girl
> Entered Hot 100: September 24, 1983
> Peak position on Hot 100: #3 (for 5 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 22
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
3. It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me
> Entered Hot 100: May 24, 1980
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 21
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
2. Just the Way You Are
> Entered Hot 100: November 12, 1977
> Peak position on Hot 100: #3 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 27
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Source: Diane Freed / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
1. The River of Dreams
> Entered Hot 100: July 31, 1993
> Peak position on Hot 100: #3 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 27
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