Honesty (Billy Joel song)

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"Honesty"
A&R Recording, Inc., 799 7th Avenue at 52nd Street, New York City
Genre
Length3:53
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Billy Joel
Producer(s)Phil Ramone
Billy Joel singles chronology
"Big Shot"
(1979) 		"Honesty"
(1979) 		"Until the Night"
(1979)
Music video
"Honesty" on
YouTube

"Honesty" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released by Columbia Records as the third US single from his sixth studio album 52nd Street (1978) in 1979. "Honesty" was solely written by Joel, while production was handled by Phil Ramone.[2] The song appears on the Dutch and Japanese editions of Greatest Hits Volume 2, replacing "Don't Ask Me Why" (1980).

The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who generally praised its lyrics and piano instrumentation. It also received comparisons to other songs by Joel. "Honesty" peaked at number 24 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the album's third consecutive top 40 hit. It went to Number 1 in France and has also been certified gold by Recording Industry Association of Japan for ringtone download sales of over 100,000 units. Joel performed the song live several times with Elton John and later with Bryan Adams. "Honesty" has been covered and sampled by various artists, including by American R&B recording artist, Beyoncé.

Background and composition

"Honesty" was solely written by Billy Joel while production was handled by Phil Ramone.[2] It is the second song from his sixth studio album 52nd Street (1978).[2] David Spinozza plays the acoustic guitar in the song, Liberty DeVitto plays the drums and Robert Freedman the horn and string orchestration.[2]

"Honesty" is a

classical rock song written in the key of B♭ major.[9] The song is set in common time and performed in a slow tempo of 80 beats per minute.[9] Joel's vocals range from the note of Bb2 to Bb4.[9]

Release and critical reception

While reviewing 52nd Street,

22nd Grammy Awards held on February 27, 1980.[19]

"Honesty" peaked at number 16 on the Canadian Singles Chart.[20] On July 28, 1979, the song debuted at number 31 on the Dutch Top 40 which later become its peak position.[21] The next week, the song fell seven positions placing at number thirty eight.[21] However, on August 11, 1979, "Honesty" charted at number 35 before falling out of the chart the next week.[21] In New Zealand, "Honesty" debuted at number 47, on June 10, 1979, and later peaked at number 38. After its peak position, the song fell out of the chart.[22] On the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US, the song peaked at number 24.[23][24] In May 2009, Joel's version was certified gold by Recording Industry Association of Japan for ringtone download sales of over 100,000 units.[25] It saw its greatest chart peak in France, going all the way to Number 1, spending eight weeks in that position. It ranked as the 10th biggest French hit of the 1970s,[26] and as of 2018, the 90th biggest French hit of all time.[27]

The song was also included on South Korean and Japanese edition of Joel's 1985 compilation Greatest Hits Volume 2 as one of the

bonus tracks.[28] The song wasn't included on any of Joel's US released compilation packages; however, it appears on the Dutch edition as well as the aforementioned Japanese edition of Greatest Hits Volume 2, instead of "Don't Ask Me Why" (1980).[28]

Live performances

Joel performed the song with

SkyDome, Toronto.[30] The same routine was performed in May 1998 in Dublin.[31] On July 31, 2006, Joel performed the song at a free concert, at the Colosseum, Rome, Italy.[32][33]

Versions

There are two video versions; one that uses the album track and another that uses a version slightly different from the album track. Both versions are identical until the last verse (3:20) which uses different vocals (This version is not available on The Essential Video Collection).

Personnel

Credits for "Honesty" adapted from 52nd Street liner notes.[2]

Track listing

  1. "Honesty" – 3:53
  2. "The Mexican Connection" – 3:38
  • Dutch single/CBS 7150[35]
  1. "Honesty" – 3:53
  2. "Root Beer Rag" – 2:59
  • CBS single
  1. "Honesty"
  2. "My Life"

Charts and certifications

Beyoncé version

Beyoncé (pictured; 2008) covered "Honesty" for her album I Am... Sasha Fierce

In 2008, American recording artist,

South Korea Gaon International charts, peaking at number two.[60] It became the 9th and 173rd best-selling single in 2010 and 2011 in South Korea respectively selling over 800,000 digital downloads.[61][62]

Charts

References

  1. ^ "Great Rock Discography". p. 436.
  2. ^ a b c d e Joel, Billy (1978). 52nd Street (Compact Disc). Billy Joel. Family Productions/Columbia Records.
  3. ^
    ISBN 9780313380167
    . Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  4. ^ Marvez, Alex (March 11, 2011). "Lack of trust hurts NFL talks". Herald Sun. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  5. ^ Norman, Matthew (October 20, 2011). "Rugby World Cup 2011: Well done Warren Gatland, you honestly cost Wales the World Cup". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  6. ^ Moore, Rick (February 20, 2012). "Tommy Womack: Now What!". American Songwriter. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  7. ^ Klosterman, Chuck (September 15, 2002). "The Stranger". The New York Times. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  8. ^ Holden, Stephen (October 18, 1989). "The Pop Life". The New York Times Company. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  9. ^ a b c Joel, Billy (1978), Billy Joel – Honesty Sheet Music (Digital Download), Musicnotes.com. Faber Music, MN0043571
  10. ^ Thomas Erlewine, Stephen. "52nd Street – Billy Joel". AllMusic. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  11. ISSN 0006-2510
    . Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  12. ^ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. April 21, 1979. p. 62. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  13. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. April 21, 1979. p. 17. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  14. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. April 14, 1979. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  15. ^ "Billy Joel: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 22, 2010. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  16. ^ Evans, Paul (2004). Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Fireside. p. 434.
  17. ^ Lawson, Michael (November 25, 1978). "Billy Joel – 52nd Street, Columbia". The Phoenix. p. 69. Retrieved April 8, 2012.
  18. ^ Graham, Adam (March 21, 2012). "'American Idol' Top 10 In A Billy Joel State Of Mind". MTV News. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  19. ^ Arar, Yardena (January 9, 1980). "Grammy awards field a definite mixed bag". The Spokesman-Review. p. 70. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  20. ^ a b "Top Singles – Volume 31, No. 11, June 09 1979". Library and Archives Canada. June 9, 1979. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  21. ^ a b c d "Billy Joel – Honesty" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  22. ^ a b "Billy Joel – Honesty". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  23. ^ a b "Billy Joel Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  24. ^ Serpick, Evan. "Billy Joel: Biography". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 22, 2010. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  25. ^ "(RIAJ – Statistics – Music Download Certification Awards – May 2009)" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  26. ^ "InfoDisc : Les Chansons classées par le nombre de Points obtenus". Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  27. ^ "InfoDisc : Les Chansons classées par le nombre de Points obtenus". Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  28. ^ a b Sources for the Dutch and Japanese editions of Greatest Hits Volume 2:
  29. ^ Strauss, Neil (July 25, 1994). "POP REVIEW; Elton John and Billy Joel: So Alike, So Different". The New York Times. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  30. ^ Sakamoto, John (April 30, 1995). "Concert Review: SkyDome, Toronto – Mar 29, 1995". Jam!. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  31. ^ Hooper, Niamh (May 30, 1998). "Polished piano pair serenade fans with face to face concert". Irish Independent. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  32. ^ "Joel And Adams Team Up For Free Concert". Contactmusic.com. August 1, 2006. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  33. Fox News Channel
    . Associated Press. August 1, 2006. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  34. ^ Honesty (US single, 7"). Billy Joel. United States: Columbia Records. 1979.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  35. ^ Honesty (Dutch single, 7"). Billy Joel. United States: Columbia Records. 1979.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  36. ^ "Forum - Top Singles of 1979 (Personal Charts: Your Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  37. ISBN 0-646-11917-6
    .
  38. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1979-07-28. Retrieved 2018-12-10.
  39. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5
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  40. ^ "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 70" (in French). InfoDisc. 1979-02-02. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  41. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 31 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Billy Joel".
  42. ISBN 4-87131-076-0
    .
  43. ^ ""Honesty" on the South African Singles Chart". Springbok Radio. May 4, 1979. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
  44. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 121.
  45. ^ * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  46. ^ "Image : RPM Weekly". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  47. ISBN 0-89820-142-X
    .
  48. ^ "Japanese single certifications – ビリー・ジョエル – オネスティ" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 1993年9月 on the drop-down menu
  49. ^ "Japanese ringtone certifications – ビリー・ジョエル – オネスティ" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved September 11, 2021. Select 2009年5月 on the drop-down menu
  50. ^ "French single certifications – Billy Joel – Honesty" (in French). InfoDisc. Select BILLY JOEL and click OK. 
  51. ^ "Mathew Knowles and Music World Present, Vol. 1: Love Destiny". AllMusic. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  52. ^ "Mathew Knowles and Music World Present, Vol. 1: Love Destiny". Amazon. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  53. ^ Mathew Knowles & Music World Present Vol.1: Love Destiny (Compact Disc). Destiny's Child. Columbia Records. 2008.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  54. Apple Inc
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  55. ^ "I Am...Sasha Fierce [Platinum Edition]". AllMusic. Retrieved August 24, 2011.[permanent dead link]
  56. Beyoncé Knowles. Columbia Records. 2008. 0088697417352.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link
    )
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  59. ^ Beyoncé Knowles (October 20, 2009). I Am... Tour. Olympic Gymnastics Arena, Seoul, South Korea.
  60. Gaon Chart
    . Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  61. ^ a b "Annual South Korea International Chart – 2010". Gaon Chart. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  62. ^ a b "Annual South Korea International Chart – 2011". Gaon Chart. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  63. ^ Beyoncé — Honesty. TopHit. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  64. Gaon Chart. Archived from the original
    on March 23, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
  65. Gaon Chart. Archived from the original
    on August 25, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2012.

External links
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