Tag Archives: Billy Joel

Parsons Playlists: Karaoke Songs

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Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student manager Griffin (class of 2027) which features some songs karaoke-d at a recent party.

Karaoke Songs

People gathered around a karaoke mic singing

I recently hosted a karaoke night event, and thought it would make a good playlist as a reference for the future, as well as a memento of the songs that night. Below are the songs that were sung, plus a few more that were queued up, but we ran out of time. Hope you enjoy!

ABBA – “Dancing Queen”

Kelly Clarkson – “Since U Been Gone”

Train – “Drops of Jupiter”

Billy Joel – “Piano Man”

Sir Mix-A-Lot – “Baby Got Back”

Salt-N-Peppa – “Shoop”

Lady Gaga ft. Beyoncé – “Telephone”

Beyoncé ft. JAY-Z – “Deja-vu”

Adele – “Set Fire to the Rain”

Bon Jovi – “Livin’ On A Prayer”

Carly Rae Jepsen – “Call Me Maybe”

Katy Perry – “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)”

The Killers – “Mr. Brightside”

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell – “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU94rco57ZezUf_jeN6UMOaCB8UTLwmYS&si=Dm3j5sQ9tL2jRxyF

Arachnophonia: Billy Joel “The Stranger”

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Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student assistant Julie (class of 2028) and features Billy Joel’s classic 1977 album The Stranger. Thanks, Julie!

Billy Joel
The Stranger

Billy Joel - The Stranger (1977) album cover

The Stranger is easily my favorite album by American pianist and singer-songwriter, Billy Joel. I grew up hearing his music blasting from the radio and my dad’s speaker, and while this album contains several of his popular, more up-beat hits such as “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)” and “Only The Good Die Young,” I have to admit that “Vienna” and “She’s Always A Woman” have my heart.

Easily recognizable by its iconic piano introduction, “Vienna” leaves the listener with a gentle reminder to stop and smell the roses as a young adult; life doesn’t end with old age!

“She’s Always A Woman” is, I think, one of the most beautiful love songs out there. While it’s certainly mellow, the complexity of Joel’s melody and instrumentation make it stand out in a crowd without losing its approachability.

I’ll always jump at the chance to use my CD player, and for me, I found The Stranger to be the perfect soundtrack for a rainy day study session. With a stellar group of songs perfectly representing a wide variety of emotions, this album truly has something for everyone.

Parsons Playlists: “Hope is the thing with feathers …”

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Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library Associate Melanie and features some songs that make her feel hopeful. 

Hope is the thing with feathers  … 

Things can feel pretty overwhelming (especially lately) so we have to find things that can help us get through.  Music is often good for that, so here’s a playlist of some songs that make me feel hopeful on bad days. (The title of this playlist was taken from an excellent Emily Dickinson poem that’s worth a read, btw.)  What would YOU add to this playlist?

urple flower growing on crack street, soft focus, blank text

Paul McCartney – “Hope of Deliverance”

Moon Taxi – “Say”

Johnny Nash – “I Can See Clearly Now”

Bill Withers – “Lovely Day”

New Radicals – “You Get What You Give”

The Beatles – “Here Comes the Sun”

Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell – “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”

The Impressions – “Keep On Pushing”

The Stone Roses – “Waterfall”

Des’ree – “You Gotta Be”

Jackie Wilson – “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher”

Billy Joel – “The River of Dreams”

Sting – “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You”

Labi Siffre – “My Song”

Bruce Springsteen – “Hungry Heart”

Ella Fitzgerald – “Blue Skies”

Ben Folds – “Still Fighting It”

Nat King Cole – “Let’s Face the Music and Dance”

Stevie Wonder – “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing”

The Traveling Wilburys – “End of the Line”

Electric Light Orchestra – “Mr. Blue Sky”

Sly & the Family Stone – “Stand!”

The Beatles – “Dear Prudence”

Fred Astaire – “Pick Yourself Up”

Simon & Garfunkel – “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)”

Tears for Fears – “Sowing the Seeds of Love”

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU94rco57Zex3pi–z07ZHsysqvGRHKpE&si=H6l2GX5-sUsVraBm

And here it is on Spotify:

Parsons Playlists: “Peach Fuzz”

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Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student manager Amy (class of 2025) and features songs inspired by Pantone’s 2024 Color of the Year.

Peach Fuzz

Pantone Peach Fuzz

Another year, another Pantone color playlist! This is my third annual Pantone playlist, and this playlist might be my favorite. 2024’s color of the year is Peach Fuzz, which Pantone’s website describes as a color that “captures our desire to nurture ourselves and others. It’s a velvety gentle peach tone whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body, and soul. Pantone collaborated with multiple companies this year, including Cariuma Sneakers, a ripe peach flavored tea from TEALEAVES’, Peach Fuzz colored Polaroid film, and a peach-colored lip oil from Shades by Shan.

Here are 15 songs that I think are reminiscent of the color peach fuzz:

Kacey Musgraves – “Velvet Elvis”

Edison Lighthouse – “Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)”

Florence + The Machine – “Delilah”

Stevie Wonder – “You Are the Sunshine of My Life”

Bobby Hebb – “Sunny”

Etta James – “A Sunday Kind of Love”

Billy Joel – “Vienna”

Norah Jones – “Come Away With Me”

The Supremes – “Baby Love”

Lenny Kravitz – “It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over”

Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra – “Somethin’ Stupid”

Aretha Franklin – “I Say A Little Prayer”

Carole King – “It’s Too Late”

Aretha Franklin – “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”

Katrina & the Waves – “Walking on Sunshine”

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSwAwMtTLDwhKis3qIiq2CkYiFLjXwZif&si=A_motAXuYrJyrxO-

And here it is on Spotify:

Parsons Playlists: Songs That Feel Like Thanksgiving

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Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student manager Eliana (class of 2024) featuring some music for your Thanksgiving enjoyment.

Songs That Feel Like Thanksgiving

cornucopia

Christmas is around the corner, but we can’t forget about thanksgiving just yet. While there’s not really any mainstream thanksgiving-themed music, here are some songs that remind me of home and the holidays.

Khalid – “Winter”

Jack Johnson – “Better Together”

Adele – “Hometown Glory”

Philip Phillips – “Home”

Noah Kahan – “Homesick”

The Lumineers – “Sleep on the Floor”

Taylor Swift – “Tis the Damn Season”

Harry Styles – “Canyon Moon”

Rascal Flatts – “Bless the Broken Road”

John Denver – “Take Me Home, Country Roads”

Billy Joel – “Vienna”

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU94rco57ZewIBys_UumxkWIABkdzJCeH&si=q9_JGAIuZ9XZkxld

Parsons Playlists: Rainy Night

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Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student assistant Alexandra (class of 2026) and features music for a rainy night.

Rainy Night

rainy night window

Here is a playlist of songs I find myself wanting to listen to when relaxing and doing my homework looking out my window to cold rainy weather.

Bruno Major – “Easily”

Mac DeMarco – “Blue Boy”

Loving – “Visions”

The Beatles – “Blackbird”

Billy Joel – “She’s Got a Way”

The Mamas & The Papas – “Dream A Little Dream Of Me”

Gregory Alan Isakov – “Big Black Car”

Djo – “Chateau (Feel Alright)”

Frank Sinatra – “It Had To Be You”

The Beatles – “Something”

Pink Floyd – “Breathe (In the Air)”

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU94rco57ZezxGRDhYQLHOOLg88FRfl1b&si=hP0k0rAv1xNLhbZO

Parsons Playlists: Take Me To The River

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Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library associate Melanie and features some music having to do with rivers.

Take Me To The River

This is a playlist with lots of songs about rivers – both literal and metaphorical – around the world. Enjoy!

Al Green – “Take Me To The River”

Madness – “Night Boat To Cairo”

Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Green River”

Mavis Staples – “In The Mississippi River”

Alison Krauss (from O Brother, Where Art Thou?-2000) – “Down to the River to Pray”

Lefty Frizzell – “James River”

Original Broadway cast of Big River – “River in the Rain”

Joni Mitchell – “River”

Memphis Minnie & Kansas Joe McCoy – “When the Levee Breaks”

Old Crow Medicine Show – “James River Blues”

Hemant Kumar (from Kabuliwala – 1961) – “Ganga Aaye Kahan Se”

Gerry and the Pacemakers – “Ferry Cross the Mersey”

Billy Joel – “River of Dreams”

Pete Seeger – “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy”

Paul Williams (from Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas – 1977) – “When the River Meets the Sea”

Neil Young – “Down By The River”

R.E.M. – “Cuyahoga”

Enya – “Orinoco Flow”

The Melodians – “Rivers of Babylon”

Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint – “The River in Reverse”

Pixies – “River Euphrates”

Ike and Tina Turner – “Proud Mary”

Randy Newman – “Burn On”

Jimmy Cliff – “Many Rivers To Cross”

Bruce Springsteen – “The River”

Zitany Neil/Soukous Stars – “Marcory Gasoil”

Talking Heads – “Take Me To The River”

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU94rco57ZeyX1sWqgssBjMJjTw11gEgh&si=pluZcqQHX3VZYmVi

And here is a version of it on Spotify:

Parsons Playlists: Oldies But Goodies

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Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library student manager Marissa (class of 2025) and features a collection of oldies.

Oldies But Goodies

Looking for some 60s/70s/80s/90s tunes to jam out to with your parents? Or, do you want to explore a different era of music on your own? I’ve gathered together my top picks for an “Oldies but Goodies” vibe.

Elton John – “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”

Billy Joel – “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)”

The Beatles – “Help!”

Fugees – “Killing Me Softly With His Song”

The Monkees – “Daydream Believer”

Edison Lighthouse – “Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)”

King Harvest – “Dancing in the Moonlight”

Fleetwood Mac – “Rhiannon”

Queen – “Don’t Stop Me Now”

ABBA – “Voulez Vous”

Glen Campbell – “Southern Nights”

Maxine Nightingale – “Right Back Where We Started From”

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEPpzeK8v3s09B3ivoIti76W67R2c2j9B&si=IjPb6SdYLo5ICFBT

Parsons Playlists: Autumnal Mellow

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Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today’s playlist is curated by Music Library associate Melanie and features some autumnal music.

Autumnal Mellow

It’s the autumnal equinox, which means that fall is officially upon us, so here is a playlist of some mellow tunes that make me think of the fall season.

Justin Hayward – “Forever Autumn”

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong – “Autumn in New York”

Ben Folds Five – “Don’t Change Your Plans”

Harry Nilsson – “Everybody’s Talkin'”

Nat King Cole – “Autumn Leaves”

John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman – “Autumn Serenade”

The Neighbourhood – “Sweater Weather”

The White Stripes – “We’re Going To Be Friends”

Vince Guaraldi Trio – “Great Pumpkin Waltz”

girl in red – “We Fell in Love in October”

Billy Joel – “Vienna”

Bob Dylan – “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright”

Neil Young – “Harvest Moon”

The Moldy Peaches – “Anyone Else But You”

Carole King – “It’s Too Late”

Sting – “La Belle Dame Sans Regrets”

Paul McCartney – “Calico Skies”

King Harvest – “Dancing in the Moonlight”

Lindisfarne – “Lady Eleanor”

Dee Clark – “Raindrops”

Vince Guaraldi Trio – “Thanksgiving Theme”

Sting – “Soul Cake”

Van Morrison – “Moondance”

The Zombies – “Time of the Season”

Here is a link to the whole playlist on YouTube:

And here it is on Spotify:

Arachnophonia: Live Aid

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Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student manager Eliana (class of 2024) and features the Live Aid concert film. Thanks, Eliana!

Live Aid on DVD

Live Aid concert film still

Deemed by many “the greatest show on earth,” Live Aid was, and is still to this day, the largest benefit concert of all time. On July 13th, 1985, the biggest names in Pop and Rock music joined together at both Wembley Stadium in London and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia to raise money for the famine that left ⅕ of Ethiopia’s total population without food.

Huge stars including, but not limited to, Queen, Elton John, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, and Sting were all present across the two locations. In total, they raised more than $127 million towards famine relief – almost $330 million by today’s standards.

The four-disc DVD set of the event is available at Parsons Music library. In its case, you’ll see photographs from the concert, as well as a pamphlet that contains the first draft of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?,” two pages from the original Live Aid program, and various facts about the significance of the event.

Don’t have a DVD player? Have no fear! At Parsons Music Library, you can check out portable disc drives or visit study spaces with DVD players inside. If you have any questions, someone behind the front desk will always be available to help.

Live Aid dvd set