HBO’s "Billy Joel: And So It Goes" Lifts the Curtain On His Life And Legacy

Feature Photo: Anthony Correia / Shutterstock.com

For decades, Billy Joel has stood at the heart of American pop music, his story both intensely personal and universally resonant. Now, in HBO’s two-part, five-hour documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes, airing July 18 and 25, viewers are given the most comprehensive portrait yet of the man behind the songs, his creative process, his triumphs and setbacks, and the enduring impact of his music.

Joel’s agreement to participate in this project was hard-won. Long wary of letting outsiders tell his story, he relented only after years of urging by close collaborators, including longtime lighting designer Steve Cohen. From the outset, Joel’s only stipulation was that the filmmakers tell the unvarnished truth. Directors Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin took him at his word, interviewing Joel and those closest to him over three years at his homes in New York and Florida, and gathering a vast archive of family footage, performance reels, and behind-the-scenes glimpses.

The documentary traces Joel’s journey from his childhood in Hicksville, Long Island, shaped by his parents’ divorce and his father’s move to Europe, through his early struggles to find a voice in the music industry. Early on, Joel’s classical piano training and love for doo-wop, jazz, and the sounds of New York gave him a unique foundation. He began playing in local bands in the 1960s before striking out on his own as a solo artist. His first breakthrough came with the release of “Piano Man” in 1973, a song inspired by his time working in a Los Angeles bar while trying to escape a bad record contract. The song’s vivid character sketches and memorable melody turned it into an enduring classic, and it remains Joel’s signature to this day.

From there, Joel’s career unfolded as a series of remarkable highs. With the release of The Stranger in 1977, Joel achieved multi-platinum success, delivering hits like “Just the Way You Are,” “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song),” and “Only the Good Die Young.” The album marked the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership with producer Phil Ramone, and earned Joel Grammy Awards for both Record and Song of the Year. The follow-up album, 52nd Street, topped the charts and won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1979, propelled by jazz-infused tracks like “My Life” and “Honesty.”

Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, Joel proved to be a master of reinvention, moving easily between styles—from the rock-driven Glass Houses (“It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me,” “You May Be Right”) to the nostalgic, doo-wop inspired An Innocent Man (“Uptown Girl,” “The Longest Time”). His lyrics chronicled the humor, heartbreak, and humanity of American life, resonating with listeners across generations. The 1989 release of “We Didn’t Start the Fire” became an instant pop culture touchstone, blending rapid-fire historical references with a hook that defined the end of the decade.

Beyond the charts, Joel’s career has been marked by historic performances and milestones. He was one of the first American rock acts to tour the Soviet Union, breaking new ground with his 1987 concerts in Moscow and Leningrad. In 2014, Joel launched an unprecedented monthly residency at Madison Square Garden, ultimately performing over 100 sold-out shows and breaking the venue’s all-time attendance record. Even as trends shifted, Joel’s catalog continued to grow in stature, his songs covered by artists from every corner of the musical map and embraced by Broadway in the Tony-winning musical Movin’ Out.

The documentary doesn’t shy away from Joel’s personal and professional challenges. It chronicles his battles with depression, substance use, and health issues, as well as the toll that relentless touring and the pressures of fame took on his relationships and his sense of self. In recent months, Joel announced a pause in his touring schedule following a diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus, a rare brain condition. Yet, as And So It Goes makes clear, his resilience and commitment to his craft have never wavered.

Billy Joel: And So It Goes features candid interviews with Joel, his family, his children, and a host of famous friends and collaborators, including Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Pink, and Garth Brooks. But the deepest insights come from Joel himself, who narrates much of his own journey at the piano, reflecting on the stories and struggles that shaped his songwriting.

For all its revelations, the film is above all a celebration of the music: the soundtracks to countless lives, the anthems sung at piano bars, ballparks, and wedding halls around the world. Whether reflecting on his earliest hits or his most recent single, “Turn the Lights Back On,” Joel’s songs continue to speak to the experience of love, loss, hope, and perseverance.

HBO’s documentary arrives at a pivotal time, offering both longtime fans and new listeners an honest and moving portrait of an artist whose influence and popularity have endured for over half a century. As And So It Goes so powerfully illustrates, Billy Joel’s story is as timeless as his music—and, even now, it’s far from over.