Billy Joel is not going to pander to fair weather fans by putting the likes of “Piano Man” on his list of his top five Billy Joel songs. On The Late Show last night, Stephen Colbert asked Joel to disclose his personal favorites. In descending order they are ”Vienna,” “And So It Goes,” “You May Be Right,” “She’s Right On Time,” and, in first place, “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant.”
So, no, the collection isn’t entirely obscure—after all, Joel’s written a lot of beloved tunes—but it’s also not completely obvious. For what it’s worth, Joel seemed more confident in his choices than Bruce Springsteen, who previously had to participate in this game. “I actually think about that when I’m on stage: What would I like to see me do?” Joel explained. “I tend to like the album tracks, not the ones that are the hit singles.” We’re just thankful he didn’t make us think of new “We Didn’t Start The Fire” jokes.