My Life (Billy Joel song)

"My Life"
Single by Billy Joel
from the album 52nd Street
B-side "52nd Street"
Released October 28, 1978
Format 7"
Recorded 1978
Genre Pop rock
Length 4:44 (Album Version)
3:50 (Single Version)
Label Columbia
Writer(s) Billy Joel
Producer(s) Phil Ramone
Billy Joel singles chronology
"The Stranger"
(1978)		 "My Life"
(1978)		 "Big Shot"
(1979)
52nd Street track listing
"Honesty"
(2)		 "My Life"
(3)		 "Zanzibar"
(4)

"My Life" is a song by Billy Joel that first appeared on his 1978 album 52nd Street. A single version was released in the fall of 1978 and reached #2 on the U.S. adult contemporary chart. Early the next year it peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Song information

The song begins with drums and electric bass, followed by a keyboard riff. The riff is also used as a fill between verse and chorus sections and is also played at the end. The section order is intro-verse-fill-chorus-bridge-v-f-c-b-solo-c-outro.

Chicago members Peter Cetera and Donnie Dacus performed the backing vocals and sang along with Billy Joel during the bridge and in the outro ("Keep it to yourself, it's my life").

"My Life" was used as the theme song for the ABC television series Bosom Buddies (1980–82), albeit in a re-recorded version with a different vocalist. However, due to licensing issues it does not appear on the VHS and DVD releases of the series, nor is it used in the show's syndicated airings; in both cases, it is replaced by a vocal version of the show's closing instrumental theme, "Shake Me Loose", sung by Stephanie Mills, who, like Joel, also originated from New York City.

Single and album edits

The differences between the single and album versions are the following:

Other uses

A portion of the lyrics were used in A's track "Number One" from their debut album How Ace Are Buildings, earning Joel a writing credit. The lyrics borrowed are:

"Got a call from an old friend, used to be real close
Said he couldn't go on the American way
Sold his house, sold his car
Bought a ticket to the West Coast
Now he gives 'em a stand-up routine in L.A."

Heejun Han performed the song in American Idol Season 11, as a tribute to Billy Joel.

Glee's 2013 tribute episode to Billy Joel entitled "Movin' Out" features a cover version performed by Jake Puckerman (Jacob Artist).

It is heard in a 2014 TV commercial for Merrill Lynch's Merrill Edge online trading service.

Charts

Weekly singles charts

Chart (1978-79) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart 6
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[1] 11
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[2] 27
Canada (RPM100)[3] 3
French Singles Chart[4] 6
Irish Singles Chart[5] 3
Japan (Oricon) 37
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[6] 2
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[7] 22
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[8] 6
South Africa (RISA)[9] 2
Spanish Singles Chart 13
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[10] 4
UK Singles Chart 12
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 3
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks 2
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 [11] 3
Zimbabwe Singles (ZIMA)[12] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1978) Rank
Canada [13] 109
Chart (1979) Rank
Australia [14] 65
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [15] 28
U.S. Cash Box [16] 32

Certifications

Country Certification Date Sales certified
UK Silver 1 February 1979 200,000

References

  1. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Billy Joel – My Life" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Billy Joel – My Life" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  4. ↑ InfoDisc, Daniel Lesueur, Dominic Durand, Lesueur. "InfoDisc : Bilan des Ventes par Artiste". Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  5. ↑ "Results for "Billy Joel"". irishcharts.ie. p. 3. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Billy Joel search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Billy Joel – My Life" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Billy Joel – My Life". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  9. ↑ ""My Life" on the South African Singles Chart". Springbok Radio. January 26, 1979. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Billy Joel – My Life". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  11. ↑
  12. ↑
    • Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  13. ↑ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  14. ↑ "Australian Chart Book". Austchartbook.com.au. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  15. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1979/Top 100 Songs of 1979". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  16. ↑
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