Billy Joel-- Christie Lee

I think the very first CD I ever owned was Billy Joel's An Innocent Man. While the title track is good, and a hit, I think a more appropriate title would have been Christie Lee. That song is not a hit, but very enjoyable. It's also the only track on the album that the Piano Man tickles the ivories noticeably. All that, and for half the album Joel is singing about his future ex-wife Christie Brinkley.

The song Christie Lee is a ballad in it's truest form-a song that tells a story. Billy fabricates a tale about a talented night club sax player, who pursues a relationship with Christie Lee, and is then devastated when he realizes she was only it for his saxophone. On the My Lives disc collection a demo version of the song is found. This version is a slower, more deliberate one, but is probably better for that. Both tracks are excellent, especially the noticeable sax solos--of course--and as AMG notes, the demo is probably the better version, not diminished at all by Joel's directions to the band as he sings (Second Ending, Second Bridge, etc.).

Innocent Man

My Lives