Released: March 10, 1980

Songwriter: Billy Joel

Producer: Phil Ramone

[Verse 1]
What's the matter with
The clothes I'm wearing?
Can't you tell that your tie's too wide?
Maybe I should buy some
Old tab collars?
Welcome back to the age of jive
Where have you been
Hidin' out lately, honey?
You can't dress trashy
Till you spend a lot of money

[Chorus]
Everybody's talkin' 'bout the new sound
Funny, but it's still rock and roll to me

[Verse 2]
What's the matter with the car I'm driving?
Can't you tell that it's out of style?
Should I get a set
Of whitewall tires?
Are you gonna cruise
The miracle mile?
Nowadays you can't be too sentimental
Your best bet's a true
Baby blue Continental

[Chorus]
Hot funk, cool punk, even if it's old junk
It's still rock and roll to me

[Bridge]
Oh, it doesn't matter
What they say in the papers
Cause it's always been the same old scene
There's a new band in town
But you can't get the sound
From a story in a magazine
Aimed at your average teen

[Verse 4]
How about a pair of pink sidewinders
And a bright orange pair of pants?
You could really be a Beau Brummel baby
If you just give it half a chance
Don't waste your money
On a new set of speakers
You get more mileage
From a cheap pair of sneakers

[Chorus]
Next phase, new wave, dance craze, anyways
It's still rock and roll to me

[Saxophone solo]

[Verse 5]
What's the matter with the crowd I'm seeing?
Don't you know that they're out of touch?
Should I try to be a straight 'A' student?
If you are then you think too much
Don't you know about
The new fashion honey?
All you need are looks
And a whole lotta money

[Chorus]
It's the next phase, new wave
Dance craze, anyways
It's still rock and roll to me

[Outro]
Everybody's talkin' 'bout the new sound
Funny, but it's still rock and roll to me

Billy Joel

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.