Billy Joel Reveals Why He Was 'Pissed Off' When He Went to Record 'Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)'

The hitmaker also shares why "And So It Goes" is the best song he ever wrote

Billy Joel pulled back the curtain on his songwriting process during a visit to The Howard Stern Show last week, including why he had to completely rewrite the melody to one of his biggest hits when he stepped into the recording studio.

The legendary musician — who this month returned to the charts with "Turn the Lights Back On," his first new song in 17 years — spoke to Stern about the making of "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" in 1977, a song he unintentionally crafted with chords similar to Neil Sedaka's 1974 tune, "Laugher in the Rain."

"I always write the music first," explained Joel, 74, before playing Stern his first-attempt chords. "So, I come into the studio and the band is there... and they're looking at me like I got 10 heads. They say, 'That's Laughter in the Rain by Neil Sedaka!' And I go, 'Oh crap!' "

"They weren't that nice about it," he added, claiming they called him "s---head" when they pointed out his gaff. "They're all Long Island guys."

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Howard Stern with Billy Joel on SiriusXM/Howard Stern on Feb. 14, 2024 in Miami, Florida

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Joel quickly got to work to fix the problem. "I said, 'Give me a little time. I'm going to re-write the melody,' " he recalled to Stern, remembering how he sat at a piano in the studio to start anew.

He wasn't just panicked about having to do that in such a short amount of time, but also angry over it.

"I was pissed off," Joel said, noting he already had pre-written lyrics already crafted. "'You mean I got to write a whole new song? I wrote a whole set of lyrics. They're perfectly good!' So just changed the melody and changed the chords."

"Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" went on to become one of Joel's most-recognizable hits. The song, which kicked off his album The Stranger, was certified platinum and spent 14 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 17. It even inspired the name of his Tony-winning 2002 Broadway musical.

Related: Billy Joel Says Songwriting Is 'Torture' at 2024 Grammys: 'It's Not a Fun Process for Me'

The song wasn't the only one Joel spoke about during his interview with Stern, which aired on SiriusXM on Feb. 14.

He said "Honesty," off his 1978 album 52nd Street, was written on the spot. "I came in with this idea. It was a recording day without a song, and I said, 'Here is this idea I've got. I don't have lyrics yet.' "

After playing the tune, Joel's longtime drummer Liberty DeVitto made a suggestion. "He said, 'Yeah I like it, it could be 'Sodomy,' " said Joel. "I said, 'Oh no, we can't call it 'Sodomy.' But we actually recorded it somewhere with me singing it 'Sodomy.' "

"I need something to make me do it fast, or make me do it at all," he continued, explaining his songwriting. "I knew it couldn't be 'Sodomy.' I liked the melody, the band liked the melody. The studio time was booked. What are we going to call this thing? So I said, 'You know what fits? 'Honesty.' And then I wrote the lyrics, right there and then."

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Joel also told Stern, 70, that "And So It Goes" was the best song he ever wrote.

"It was very emotional writing the song," Joel said, sharing that he was inspired to pen the 1989 tune after a "mismatched" relationship with Elle MacPherson. "She went off to be a model in Europe, she became very successful and when she came back from Europe, she made it known that this was not happening. But I knew it was going to happen. I saw it coming."

"My heart was broken. It had to be about a broken heart," Joel added. "The music signaled that this needs to be something melancholy. Something that created some sadness."

The Howard Stern Show airs Mondays–Wednesdays (7 a.m. -11 a.m. ET) on SiriusXM Ch. 100.

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