Instrumentally Yours: Root Beer Rag

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Ah-ha! Now we reach another album cut, and someone you don’t normally think of when it comes to instrumental music. There are a couple more coming up soon. Meanwhile, sit back and enjoy…no, get up and exercise! Here’s today’s song. Root Beer Rag - Billy Joel Earlier in the countdown I used Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer,” and I mentioned how influential it was. Here’s another example of its influence. Billy Joel, back in 1974, was just coming off his first “big” hit, “Piano Man,” so you wouldn’t expect him to do something that “self-indulgent,” as Joel later called it. But he did. If you’re familiar with Joel’s work beyond the three big hits, you’ll probably hear traces of the “Prelude” to “Angry Young Man,” and even Joel has admitted that. He doesn’t need to show off what a good piano player he is, but he did that, too. This got a second wind as the B-side to Joel’s 1978 hit “Big Shot.” It’s one of those great album cuts that explains why we loved albums so much back in the 70s. Root Beer Rag Written by Billy Joel Recorded by Billy Joel From Streetlife Serenade, 1974 Hope you like the top of Billy’s head, ‘cause that’s about all you see of him in this clip!