The Essential Billy Joel

The Essential Billy Joel
Greatest hits album by
Billy Joel
ReleasedOctober 2, 2001
Recorded1973–2001
GenreRock
Length154:58
188:53 (reissue)
Label
ProducerBilly Joel, Michael Stewart, Phil Ramone, Mick Jones
Billy Joel chronology
Fantasies & Delusions
(2001) 		The Essential Billy Joel
(2001) 		Piano Man: The Very Best of Billy Joel
(2004)
International Edition
International/European cover
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic

The Essential Billy Joel is a Sony music compilation of songs by American singer/songwriter Billy Joel. It was released on October 2, 2001, and has been certified Triple Platinum by the RIAA. In conjunction with the release of the album, The Essential Video Collection was released, comprising Joel's most popular music videos.

On August 26, 2008, The Essential 3.0 was released containing a third disc with seven additional tracks.

Track listing

All songs written by Billy Joel.

Disc one

No.TitleOriginal albumLength
1."Piano Man"Piano Man, 19735:38
2."You're My Home"Piano Man3:14
3."Captain Jack"Piano Man7:18
4."The Entertainer"Streetlife Serenade, 19743:41
5."Say Goodbye to Hollywood"Turnstiles, 19764:39
6."Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)"Turnstiles5:14
7."New York State of Mind"Turnstiles6:05
8."She's Always a Woman"The Stranger, 19773:22
9."Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)"The Stranger3:30
10."Only the Good Die Young"The Stranger3:56
11."Just the Way You Are"The Stranger4:50
12."Honesty"52nd Street, 19783:54
13."My Life"52nd Street4:44
14."It's Still Rock and Roll to Me"Glass Houses, 19802:57
15."You May Be Right"Glass Houses4:16
16."Don't Ask Me Why"Glass Houses2:59
17."She's Got a Way (Live)"Songs in the Attic, 1981; originally from Cold Spring Harbor, 19713:02
18."Allentown"The Nylon Curtain, 19823:49

Disc two

No.TitleOriginal albumLength
1."Goodnight Saigon"The Nylon Curtain7:04
2."An Innocent Man"An Innocent Man, 19835:21
3."Uptown Girl"An Innocent Man3:18
4."The Longest Time"An Innocent Man3:42
5."Tell Her About It"An Innocent Man3:53
6."Leave a Tender Moment Alone"An Innocent Man3:57
7."A Matter of Trust"The Bridge, 19864:11
8."Baby Grand" (Duet with Ray Charles)The Bridge4:06
9."I Go to Extremes"Storm Front, 19894:23
10."We Didn't Start the Fire"Storm Front4:50
11."Leningrad"Storm Front4:07
12."The Downeaster "Alexa""Storm Front3:44
13."And So It Goes"Storm Front3:38
14."The River of Dreams"River of Dreams, 19934:07
15."All About Soul (Remix)"Exclusive to the "All About Soul" single, 1993; originally from River of Dreams6:00
16."Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)"River of Dreams3:33
17."Waltz no. 1 (Nunley's Carousel)"Fantasies & Delusions, 20016:56
18."Invention in C minor"Fantasies & Delusions1:00

Disc three

No.TitleOriginal albumLength
1."Worse Comes to Worst"Piano Man3:13
2."Prelude/Angry Young Man"Turnstiles5:16
3."Scenes from an Italian Restaurant"The Stranger (the album's inner sleeve mistakenly credits this song to be from the album Turnstiles)7:34
4."Big Shot"52nd Street4:02
5."All for Leyna"Glass Houses4:12
6."Pressure"The Nylon Curtain4:39
7."This Is the Time"The Bridge4:59

Chart performance

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) 3× Platinum 210,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) Gold 100,000‡
United States (RIAA) 3× Platinum 1,658,000

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r553033
  2. ^ RIAA - Gold & Platinum - The Essential Billy Joel
  3. ^ allmusic.com - The Essential Billy Joel Limited Edition 3.0 - Overview
  4. ^ "Top 200 Albums". Billboard. October 20, 2001. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  5. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Billy Joel – The Essential 3.0". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  6. ^ "Charts.nz – Billy Joel – The Essential". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  7. ^ - Billy Joel - The Essential
  8. ^ "Billy Joel Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  9. ^ "Billy Joel Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  10. ^ "Official IFPI Charts – Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Week: 01/2025)". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on January 8, 2025. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  11. ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  12. ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  13. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  14. ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  15. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  16. ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  17. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  18. ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  19. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2024". Billboard. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  20. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2016 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  21. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Billy Joel – The Essential". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  22. ^ "British album certifications – Billy Joel – The Essential". British Phonographic Industry.
  23. ^ Paul Grein (August 7, 2013). "Week Ending Aug. 4, 2013. Albums: Robin Thicke, Call Katy Perry". Yahoo Chart Watch.
  24. ^ "American album certifications – Billy Joel – The Essential". Recording Industry Association of America.