#Cold Spring Harbor

[heartsoulrocknroll]

Cold Spring Harbor Ranked

1) Got to Begin Again

This is one of the most beautiful melodies Billy has ever written with chord progressions and masterful uses of dynamics that reach into me and touch my very soul. The build from the soft, quiet beginning of each verse to the crescendo of two rapidly alternating minor chords is haunting. I don't have the words to describe how this song makes me lose my mind.

2) Falling of the Rain

This is an incredible piano piece with lyrics that tell a story. I feel so immersed in the world of this song every time I hear it. The rapid-fire single notes on the piano evoke images of falling rain. And as stupid as Billy may think they are, the lyrics are truly like poetry, painting a vivid image of the characters. But my god, the PIANO.

3) Everybody Loves You Now

This song contains some of Billy's greatest lyrics and one of the most iconic Billy Joel piano riffs. The album version of this is good, but the live versions with Liberty on the drums and Billy singing his ass off are where this really becomes the masterpiece that it was meant to be, and I'm giving it credit for that with this ranking.

4) Tomorrow is Today

The original album version of this song is incredible. The lyrics are so powerful and hopeless and emotional. Billy's vocal is gorgeous. The piano is absolutely haunting, and the strings on the original recording add to that haunting feeling. I love the juxtaposition of the gospel-flavored bridge with the rest of the song as well. This is truly a work of art.

5) Turn Around

This is a beautiful, simple melody with some gorgeous piano work, as well as a hint of country influence, especially in the original recording with the pedal steel guitar. Something about the simplicity of this song has always reminded me of James Taylor, even before I heard Billy say that this song was inspired by Fire and Rain.

6) She's Got a Way

This is yet another beautiful melody with beautiful chord progressions, and Billy sings it so well. I like the vocal on the album a lot, but I've heard some live versions that have brought me to the brink of tears, namely the 1977 Carnegie Hall version. I don't care what he says, that man can sing.

7) Nocturne

This is an absolutely beautiful, haunting piano piece that clearly demonstrates Billy's classical influences as well as his own brilliance as a composer. I love it so much. I don't really even feel right ranking this song among the other songs on the album. It's kind of apples and oranges.

8) You Can Make Me Free

This song is Billy doing a better Paul McCartney than Paul McCartney. It reminds me a lot of Maybe I'm Amazed. I don't think I've ever truly appreciated this song until just recently. And I don't think you can truly appreciate it without listening to the original '71 recording at the corrected speed. It's just a great rock 'n' roll song with phenomenal vocals and fantastic piano work to tie it all together.

9) Why Judy Why

This song is an interesting departure from the rest of this piano-driven album. "Haunting" seems to be an overarching theme of this album, but the acoustic guitar here continues to provide that feeling, and Billy's desperately beautiful vocal complements it so well.

10) You Look So Good to Me

This is the only song on the album that I'm not absolutely obsessed with, but it's a high bar, and I still think it's really good. You can definitely hear the McCartney influence in this one too. This song has a much lighter mood compared to the majority of the album, so it's a nice breather before going through the emotional wringer that is Tomorrow Is Today/Nocturne/Got to Begin Again.

[crispyflowerblaze]

ranking billy joel album covers (what i think are his main albums, maybe it's not what everyone thinks are his main albums? i dunno) from my least favorite to my favorite

piano man: yeah this is the only one where i actively go grr when i look at it. like i dunno man the void and how his face looks, i just can't get behind it. no thank you

the nylon curtain: when i was younger i always liked this one cus i thought it looked like a book cover, or rather i liked that it looked like a book cover. but yeah, eh

an innocent man: i dunno this one is just boring to me lol, like yep he sure is sitting on those steps

river of dreams: no it's a cool drawing and all, i'm not really sure what it is about it that it's just like something's off about it for me

cold spring harbor: while i definitely think it gives off the vibes of the album, i dunno it's just not super visually interesting to me. and honestly he looks so different here and that always throws me off too lol

the bridge: nothing wrong with it, i just can't really connect to whatever's going on here and yeah i can see the vibes but not very clearly. and i don't think the banner at the top looks very nice

52nd street: huge jump up here honestly lol. yeah i really like this one, i like the composition, i like how he's holding a trumpet (right? i know nothing about instruments actually lol), i like his blue outfit and how dirty it looks lol. i think this cover does a good job at making him look a little pathetic but like, in a cool way

streetlife serenade: it's so pretty!! i love this, i don't have any issues with it it just can't compete with the ones above it, for me personally

storm front: man i just love it, the red is great and the gray and black are so great, yeah i can't really explain it

the stranger: so cool man, like the gradients of black and white and gray are so pretty and it's just a really neat composition. it's wonderful, i guess i just feel a little stronger about the two above it. originally though i had storm front above this but yeah this one deserves to be in the top three over that one

glass houses: oh man oh man, i love this one, like i just love how he takes up the whole composition vertically and there's still so much visual interest in the rest of it but it's not too much, at least for me. and obviously how the album is glass houses and it's a glass house and he's holding a rock and you may be right (the first song) starts with a sound like glass breaking!!!! like cmon

turnstiles: not really sure if i can explain it but this is just the best one to me, i think the colors are so great and it's cool with all these people and it's just a great composition. and i like how the text looks, which like usually for these either i don't like it or i'm just neutral on it, so that's a plus. yeah i just love this album cover, i dunno

and if you've read all this you should go contact your representatives about calling for a ceasefire! and find some pro-Palestine posts to share and interact with!

[ltc-henry-blake]

When Billy Joel sings, "A man my age is very young, so I'm told. Why do I feel so old?" Yeah.

[musicalthought]

album review; billy joel's cold spring harbor

♡ pop rock; soft rock

♡ released in november 1971

Song by Song Review Under the Cut

She’s Got a Way -> 6/10 No matter what I say here, this will remain one of his most iconic songs. However… it’s slow and boring and I’d rather listen to the rest of the album over and over again, then listen to this track again.

You Can Make Me Free -> 9/10 A very sweet song, and it’s interesting to hear Joel sing in that high of a pitch.

Everybody Loves You Now -> 10/10 Putting this song on whenever I want to manifest my perfect life.

Why Judy Why? -> 9/10 I  wish it was just a tad bit longer, it’s such a somber song.

Falling of the Rain -> 7/10 It was cute!... and that’s about it.

Turn Around -> 12/10 Cheesy, but it literally felt like a warm hug. What a perfect song for me <3

You Look So Good to Me -> 5.5/10 Too happy… can’t relate.

Tomorrow is Today -> 12/10 How fitting that I’m reviewing this when tomorrow is today… and how fitting that Joel stole my diary and wrote a song about it!

Nocturne -> 7/10 Reminded me of one of those really fancy hotels with the automatic playing pianos… very pretty.

Got to Begin Again -> 15/10 Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch

[lesbian-of-nine]

Shoutout to Billy Joel for having a song for every emotion

[trappper-johnathan]

Since Mr. Joel is trending today I'd like to see what everyone's fav song from my fav album is :)

[oh-sunny-sun]

― ビリー･ジョエル ―

― コールド･スプリング･ハーバー ―

今日の聴き始めの音楽はこのアルバム♪

Billy Joel | Cold Spring Harbor

I started listening to today's music from this album.

2022年8月10日 水曜日

[the-visual-chronicle]

World Trade Center Memorial

This is an artifact and memorial from the World Trade Center honoring all of the Firemen, Policemen and citizens who lost their lives on that tragic day. Image was taken with an iPhone 15 Pro Max in Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island.

[heartsoulrocknroll]

I just listened to the full original Cold Spring Harbor album at the corrected speed for the first time in years, and I am amazed. The McCartney-esque outtro of You Can Make Me Free rocks. The strings in Tomorrow Is Today make the song even more powerful and emotional. The strings in Falling of the Rain make the song feel so much fuller and complement the fantastic piano work so well. But I am fully in tears over Got to Begin Again. The prominence of the piano in this mix has done something to my brain. I may have to take back my long-held opinion that Falling of the Rain is the best song on the album, but it's close between those two.

[movietonight]

My favourite lyrics on Cold Spring Harbor

Inspired by @thebreakfastgenie

She's Got A Way

She's got a light around her / and everywhere she goes / a million dreams of love surround her everywhere

You Can Make Me Free

Don't you know my only real moments / are the ones I spend with you

Everybody Loves You Now

Oh, you have lost your innocence somehow / but everybody loves you now

Why Judy Why

A man my age is very young, so I'm told / why do I feel so old?

Falling of the Rain

Will it always be the same as we recall? / Does it touch you when the rain begins to fall?

Turn Around

I loved you but I thought I was your friend

You Look So Good To Me

I'm feeling the glory from that smile upon your face / you lifted me high above my ordinary place, uh-huh

Tomorrow Is Today

Still I'm waiting for the morning / but it feels so far away

Got To Begin Again

Well, it's been quite a while since I lifted my head / and I'm sure the light will hurt my eyes

[tenth-sentence]

In 1936, the University of Heidelberg views an honorary doctorate of medicine to Harry Laughlin, still a sterilization enthusiast and in charge of the Eugenics Record Office, at Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island.

"In the Name of Eugenics: Genetics and the Uses of Human Heredity" - Daniel J. Kevles

[immaculatasknight]

Making the world safe for Naziism

[stonecreationslongisland]

Sunday Night Football, West Islip, NY 11795 by Stone Creations of Long Island Pavers & Masonry Via Flickr: Stone Creations of Long Island - Deer Park, NY 11729 - (631) 678-6896 - www.stonecreationsoflongisland.net

[thebreakfastgenie]

I think the reason the song Piano Man is good is the underlying narrative tension. This arrangement is precarious. Someday the piano man will leave, off to greener pastures and fame and fortune and recording 11 studio albums, and they all know it. We’re told the piano man is the reason people come to this bar—what will happen when he’s gone? Will business dry up? Will the bar survive? To whom will John tell his dreams and despairs? They feel pride and perhaps joy because they believe he deserves it, but is there not also an undercurrent of betrayal and resentment? Why is he the only one who gets out? Why does he have to leave them there? Will he remember them once he achieves fame and fortune and records 11 studio albums? Yes, he will, because he will be singing about them for the next fifty years, but they don’t know that.

[the-visual-chronicle]

Blue Reflection

[placeinthisworld]

honestly, I think that with time Taylor is going to regret the promotion cycle for TTPD because I feel like there’s a difference between her marketing the exes angle before and now. We’ve already seen her go through the phase of setting boundaries with fans through folklore and evermore but now she’s retconning it as actually I had only established those boundaries because I was forced to by my ex. Fans are taking this to the extreme and I feel like she’s really screwing herself over for the future when she would really need these boundaries in place but by that point she would’ve trained her fans to think that no the actual ‘truth’ is she loves fans looking into her life story and analysing her every single move and actually yeah fans should defend her honour against people that have wronged her. I think by that point even if she said she doesn’t like fans doing that, they could easily point to how she said she wanted it but actually she felt oppressed by this so maybe she’s being ‘forced’ to say that. They’re truly not going to take her word for any of it

yeah her line for boundaries with fans has always been so gray. but for a few years there she really wanted to keep that privacy and to have her kinda do a whole 360 on that again is hypocritical. like its her life she can be as open or as private as she wants about it, but like you said these newer fans (who as essentially kids- she/ social media/ the parasocial relationship has created give younger swifties a “hive mind” or cult way of thinking) don’t understand boundaries and i genuinely feel like most of them don’t have the same respect for her as a PERSON as maybe longtime swifties do. i feel like she might shift the privacy era to place blame on joe in ttpd and you just know people are gonna take that as abusive or controlling…..which is wild. i truly think someone shifted in her and she’s back on that “i need to be the most popular — so i can feel accomplished” goal and it’s annoying bc she IS.

alexa play “everybody loves you now” by billy joel 😒