Billy Joel‘s new single, “Turn the Lights Back On,” has returned him to the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time since 1997. One of the people who may be most surprised at this turn of events is, well, Billy Joel.
Freddy Wexler, who spearheaded the new single and Billy’s return to music, tells ABC Audio, “Part of what we all love about Billy is his humility. So yes, I think he’s surprised that — which boggles my mind — that people are still so interested in another song from him.”
Of course, the first new Billy Joel single in 17 years may lead fans to hope that more music’s coming.
“We have talked about it. We overcame the biggest hurdle, which was Billy feeling done,” Wexler says. “Now that that door has been opened, I think anything could happen.”
“[Billy’s] not looking to chase hits and neither am I. If it can stay fun, then the possibilities are endless.”
In fact, Wexler says he and Billy are currently working on creating new songs from Billy’s unfinished music, noting, “I’m excited to see what happens.”
Although Billy wrote 99% of his catalog alone, “Turn the Lights Back On” was co-written by Billy, Wexler, Arthur Bacon and Wayne Hector, with the concept of the song and lyrics coming from Wexler.
“I wanted to write the words I wished my dad would have said to my mom at a certain moment in their relationship,” he tells ABC Audio. “But as I started writing … I fully tried to channel Billy Joel.”
“And that’s why when he heard the idea, he said to me, ‘I would have written these words,"” Wexler adds. “And I said, ‘Oh, cool, because as I was writing it I was trying to think, ‘What would you have said there?"”
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