The Essential Billy Joel

chronology
The Essential Billy Joel
Compilation album by Billy Joel
Publication ; (s)	October 2, 2001
Label (s)	Sony BMG
Format (s)	CD
Genre (s)	skirt
Title (number)	43
running time	188: 48
production	Billy Joel; Michael Stewart; Phil Ramone; Mick Jones;

The Essential Billy Joel is a best-of album of American pop - rock - singer Billy Joel . The album was released on October 2, 2001 on the Sony BMG label. On August 26, 2008, The Essential 3.0 was released with seven additional songs.

Production and guest posts

The songs on the album are previously released singles from Billy Joel's previous albums Piano Man (four tracks), Streetlife Serenade (one song), Turnstiles (four songs), The Stranger (five tracks), 52nd Street (three tracks) , Glass Houses (four tracks), Songs in the Attic (one song), The Nylon Curtain (three songs), An Innocent Man (five tracks), The Bridge (three tracks), Storm Front (five tracks), River of Dreams (three songs) and Fantasies & Delusions (two songs).

The only guest post is Ray Charles on Baby Grand .

Track list

CD 1:

#	title	Songwriter	producer	length	album
1	Piano Man	Billy Joel	Michael Stewart	5:36	Piano Man (1973)
2	You're my home	Billy Joel	Michael Stewart	3:11	Piano Man (1973)
3	Captain Jack	Billy Joel	Michael Stewart	7:16	Piano Man (1973)
4th	The entertainer	Billy Joel	Michael Stewart	3:39	Streetlife Serenade (1974)
5	Say goodbye to Hollywood	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	4:36	Turnstiles (1976)
6th	Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)	Billy Joel	Billy Joel	5:12	Turnstiles (1976)
7th	New York State of Mind	Billy Joel	Billy Joel	6:02	Turnstiles (1976)
8th	She's always a woman	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	3:19	The Stranger (1977)
9	Movin 'Out (Anthony's Song)	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	3:27	The Stranger (1977)
10	Only the Good Die Young	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	3:53	The Stranger (1977)
11	Just the Way You Are	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	4:48	The Stranger (1977)
12	Honesty	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	3:51	52nd Street (1978)
13	My life	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	4:42	52nd Street (1978)
14th	It's Still Rock and Roll to Me	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	2:57	Glass Houses (1980)
15th	You may be right	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	4:11	Glass Houses (1980)
16	Don't ask me why	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	2:57	Glass Houses (1980)
17th	She's Got a Way (Live)	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	2:59	Songs in the Attic (1981)
18th	Allentown	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	3:50	The Nylon Curtain (1982)

CD 2:

#	title	Songwriter	producer	length	album
1	Goodnight Saigon	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	7:02	The Nylon Curtain (1982)
2	To Innocent Man	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	5:18	To Innocent Man (1983)
3	Uptown girl	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	3:14	To Innocent Man (1983)
4th	The longest time	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	3:36	To Innocent Man (1983)
5	Tell Her About It	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	3:49	To Innocent Man (1983)
6th	Leave a tender moment alone	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	3:51	To Innocent Man (1983)
7th	A matter of trust	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	4:08	The Bridge (1986)
8th	Baby grand	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	4:03	The Bridge (1986)
9	I go to extremes	Billy Joel	Billy Joel, Mick Jones	4:20	Storm Front (1989)
10	We didn't start the fire	Billy Joel	Billy Joel, Mick Jones	4:48	Storm Front (1989)
11	Leningrad	Billy Joel	Billy Joel, Mick Jones	4:03	Storm Front (1989)
12	The Downeaster 'Alexa'	Billy Joel	Billy Joel, Mick Jones	3:42	Storm Front (1989)
13	And So It Goes	Billy Joel	Billy Joel, Mick Jones	3:36	Storm Front (1989)
14th	The River of Dreams	Billy Joel	Joe Nicolo, Danny Kortchmar	4:06	River of Dreams (1993)
15th	All about soul	Billy Joel	Joe Nicolo, Danny Kortchmar	5:57	River of Dreams (1993)
16	Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)	Billy Joel	Joe Nicolo, Danny Kortchmar	3:30	River of Dreams (1993)
17th	Waltz no.1 (Nunley's Carousel)	Billy Joel	Steve Epstein	6:52	Fantasies & Delusions (2001)
18th	Invention in C minor	Billy Joel	Steve Epstein	0:59	Fantasies & Delusions (2001)

The Essential 3.0

#	title	Songwriter	producer	length	album
1	Worse comes to cause	Billy Joel	Michael Stewart	3:13	Piano Man (1973)
2	Prelude / Angry Young Man	Billy Joel	Billy Joel	5:16	Turnstiles (1976)
3	Scenes from an Italian Restaurant	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	7:34	The Stranger (1977)
4th	Big shot	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	4:02	52nd Street (1978)
5	All for Leyna	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	4:12	Glass Houses (1980)
6th	Pressure	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	4:39	The Nylon Curtain (1982)
7th	This is the time	Billy Joel	Phil Ramone	4:59	The Bridge (1986)

Chart successes

The Essential Billy Joel debuted at number 29 on the Billboard 200 on October 20, 2001 . On August 17, 2013, the album reached a new high of number 15 on the Billboard 200. The single also reached number 13 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums .

Chart placements
Charts	Top ranking	Weeks
Chart placements
United States (Billboard)	15th (... Where.)	...

Sales figures and awards

The Essential Billy Joel was certified four times platinum in 2018 in the United States for over four million units sold.

Professional reviews
Reviews
source	rating
allmusic

The Essential Billy Joel

Country / Region	Award	Sales
Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales)
Australia (ARIA)	3 × platinum	210,000
Japan (RIAJ)	platinum	200,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)	platinum	15,000
United States (RIAA)	4 × platinum	4,000,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	gold	100,000
All in all	1 × gold 9 × platinum	4,525,000