My Gen X Playlist: Piano Man – Billy Joel

I received a deal I couldn’t pass up. Free rooms in Vegas at a pretty good hotel. I haven’t been in a while, I passed when my buddies went a few months ago. I’m pretty excited to hit the tables again. I haven’t felt this excited about Vegas in a long time.

I’m impressed when people create a side hustle. For years I’ve been trying to think of something that eventually could become a full time thing. I once suggested to my wife that I play blackjack once a month to supplement our income. She wasn’t even luke warm to the idea. I don’t blame her. I needed a better plan to persuade her.

Let’s call it encouragement. I needed something to encourage her to see the light of my brilliant side hustle idea. Here’s what I came up with. Every time I won at the tables, I’d take my winnings and buy her a designer bag. Surely that would sway her. She soon would be begging me to go to Vegas, right? Let’s see. I started my plan about five years ago. I typically go to Vegas twice a year. Out of ten trips, the scorecard reads 0 – 10. Not a great track record. Maybe I need a new plan.

On the flip side, since I’ve been married, I don’t blow a wad in Vegas like I used to. Other financial goals seem to take precedence and if I’m being totally honest, I don’t crave the blackjack tables as much as I used to. Call it maturity or settling down. Or maybe Vegas used to fill a void that no longer exists. I still enjoy an occasional weekend getaway, but I no longer need to get my fix.

I couldn’t think of any Las Vegas songs. Instead I started thinking about performers who have had successful residencies and found this Billboard list. Number one and two go to Celine Dion, both in Las Vegas. It reminded me of a missed opportunity long ago.

I was in Vegas on a business trip and our business partners offered to take us to a Celine Dion show. I knew who she was, even knew some of her songs. But I passed. Needless to say, many opted for the show and afterwards, said they were blown away by her performance. As I look at the Billboard list, it turns out it was the most successful residency on the list. I should have peeled myself away for a couple of hours. What was I thinking.

While I’m sure I can think of a Celine Dion song, I’m going to choose a fan favorite from the number three performer on the Billboard list – Billy Joel. I remember driving to Vegas with my roommate and we had the music blasting. He was a big Run DMC fan and asked if I knew the lyrics to any of their songs so one of us could be Run while the other would be DMC and we could rap all the way up. Uh, no. So he switched gears and put on Billy Joel and sang The Piano Man instead. Gotta say, that was a big pivot. I’m not sure if we scored big at the tables that trip but the drive up wasn’t too bad. Nothing like singing in the car to kill time on a road trip.

–

For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

It's nine o'clock on a Saturday
The regular crowd shuffles in
There's an old man sittin' next to me
Makin' love to his tonic and gin
He says, "Son, can you play me a memory?
I'm not really sure how it goes
But it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete
When I wore a younger man's clothes"

La, la-la, di-dee-da
La-la, di-dee-da, da-dum

Sing us a song, you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feelin' alright

Now John at the bar is a friend of mine
He gets me my drinks for free
And he's quick with a joke or to light up your smoke
But there's some place that he'd rather be
He says, "Bill, I believe this is killing me"
As the smile ran away from his face
"Well, I'm sure that I could be a movie star
If I could get out of this place"

Oh, la, la-la, di-dee-da
La-la, di-dee-da, da-dum

Now Paul is a real estate novelist
Who never had time for a wife
And he's talkin' with Davy, who's still in the Navy
And probably will be for life
And the waitress is practicing politics
As the businessmen slowly get stoned
Yes, they're sharing a drink they call loneliness
But it's better than drinkin' alone

Sing us a song, you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feelin' alright

It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday
And the manager gives me a smile
'Cause he knows that it's me they've been comin' to see
To forget about life for a while
And the piano, it sounds like a carnival
And the microphone smells like a beer
And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar
And say, "Man, what are you doin' here?"

Oh, la, la-la, di-dee-da
La-la, di-dee-da, da-dum

Sing us a song, you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feelin' alright