If you were stranded on a deserted island and had to hear music from Neil Diamond or Billy Joel, which one would you choose?
Diamond and Joel (those are their real last names) have been on my mind recently after seeing “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical” and the HBO Max documentary “Billy Joel: And So It Goes.” Both projects serve as close to an autobiography fans are ever going to get from these artists.
It’s remarkable to see the similarities of these pop stars. Each was born in the 1940s in a different borough of New York City: Diamond in Brooklyn (1941) and Joel in The Bronx (1949).
Both men are Jewish and moved to Los Angeles when they were starting out. Diamond never left, while Joel returned to New York after a few years.
Neil Diamond and Billy Joel are two of the most prolific rock and roll singer/songwriters of their time. Diamond has sold more than 130 million records worldwide while Joel has sold more than 150 million.
When first recording, both lacked confidence in their singing voices which is hard to believe. Try imagining other singers recording their songs.
Each artist had 13 Top Ten hits during their prime. For Neil Diamond, that was from 1966 to 1982; his first hit was “Cherry, Cherry”; his last was “Heartlight” in 1982. Other hits include: “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Shilo,” “Forever in Blue Jeans”, “Solitary Man,” “Sweet Caroline,” “Song Sung Blue,” “America,” “Kentucky Woman,” “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” “I Am I Said.”
For Billy Joel, that was from 1973 to 1993; his first hit was “Piano Man” and his last was “The River of Dreams.” Other hits include: “Just the Way You Are,” “Movin’ Out,” “A Matter of Trust,” “An Innocent Man,” “She’s Always a Woman,” “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me,” “New York State of Mind,” “My Life,” “The Longest Time,” “Allentown.” Most impressive is that Joel had success covering more years but with fewer studio albums: 13 to Diamond’s 43.
Each artist wrote a song that shared a common opening of naming famous people. Diamond’s 1970 “Done Too Soon” mentions 25 celebrities while Joel’s 1989 “We Didn’t Start the Fire” references 118 including major news stories.
Both married multiple times: Diamond had three wives, Joel four. Diamond has four children, Joel three daughters, two from his most recent marriage. Both smoked, though Diamond quit decades ago.
Their upbringing differed, however. Diamond had a more stable home life than Joel’s with supportive parents. While their envisioned their son getting a steady job like a doctor, they gave him a guitar for his 16th birthday.
Joel was a prodigy who began playing piano at age four. His parents were supportive of their son’s talent, but his father wanted him to play classical music. When he heard Billy adding a rock and roll tempo to a classic piece, he smacked the side of his heard. At eight years old, his father left the family. Years later, Joel sought out his father to discover he was living in Vienna and had another son.
Joel has struggled with depression and addiction. In his early 20’s, he attempted suicide twice.
Both artists extended their careers delivering electric live performances: Diamond performed over 1,700 concerts while Joel did over 2,400. They toured into their 70’s.
Earlier this year, Joel was diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) forcing him to cancel concerts. Diamond finished touring in 2017 after discovering he had Parkinson’s disease.
Back to my opening question, who would I choose if I were on that deserted island? While I have enjoyed both men’s oeuvre, I’d have to choose Billy Joel. His melodies have more complexity, his lyrics speak to a deeper analysis of the human spirit and his songs haven’t dated as much as Diamond’s.
Additionally, as an instrumentalist, Joel is a more gifted pianist than Diamond is a guitarist.
Recently I saw “A Beautiful Noise” and noticed that most of the audience was older than me. When I saw Joel’s Madison Square Garden concert on TV last fall, most of the audience was younger. His musicality still resonates.
Neil Diamond
Billy Joel
Crosby Chronicles 