Billy Joel

Released: October 11, 1974

Songwriter: Billy Joel

Producer: Mike G. Stewart

[Verse 1]
Well if money makes a rich man
Then I might never make the grade
I'll be a small time operator
If I just get the landlord paid
But if time is an indication
Of the wealth that I never knew

[Chorus]
Then I'm the last of the big time spenders
'Cause I've been spending time on you

[Verse 2]
It takes time to appreciate
Lord knows that you can learn to hate it
I believe, 'cause I've been there too
When it gets down to desperation
You make the best of the situation
I can tell, I've seen it through

[Pre-Chorus]
Though it seems like the day is wasted
And the nights have been overdue

[Chorus]
Then I'm the last of the big time spenders
'Cause I've been spending time on you

[Verse 3]
It's been so long since we got together
In between it seems to take forever
But I'm a dreamer, I'll be there soon
It takes time to appreciate
All of those that you can learn to hate
I believe, I've seen it through

[Pre-Chorus]
You can call me the Great Pretender
And in a way it might be true

[Chorus]
Then I'm the last of the big time spenders
'Cause I've been spending time on you

Billy Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American pianist, singer/songwriter, producer, and composer who ranks as one of the most iconic and influential artists from the mid to late 20th century.

He is the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, wrote a total of 121 songs that achieved 33 Top 40 hits in the US, a 6-time Grammy winner out of 23 nominations, and one of the best-selling recording artists of all-time with 150 million albums sold worldwide.

Joel has since continued to tour and sells out in stadiums globally. He also delved into classical music composition, arranging an album, Fantasies and Delusions released in 2001, opened a motorcycle shop on his native Long Island, and is now regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Among his numerous accolades, he was inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992, bestowed with the Kennedy Center Honors in 2013, and awarded the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song by the Library of Congress in 2014.

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