TURNSTILES, Billy Joel's fourth album, is one of several major themes. I'll now explore some of them.

First, many of the songs have a traveling theme. Such locations as Miami Beach, Hollywood, and Chinatown are mentioned in "New York State Of Mind", with "Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)" citing Broadway, Miami, Norfolk, Queens, the Bronx, Mexico, Brooklyn, Harlem, and 42nd Street, all in one song. The latter song, which closes the album, is sung from the point of view of retired baby-boomers living in Florida.

A second, and even more important theme, present on this CD is the fact that you really can't keep living in the past. The song "I've Loved These Days" has a line "Let's drink a toast to how it's been", yet also says "We'll have to change our dated ways", which indicates that while we can remember what things were like in the past, we have to live in the present. This explains why I gave up food-related functions at my old school in favor of looking good for my favorite actresses, as well as why some of my old schoolmates are trying to put their past behind them by siding with authority figures against me. The same theme runs through the opening cut, "Say Goodbye To Hollywood." Pretty deep stuff for a 27-year-old singer-songwriter.

Overall, TURNSTILES is a record about time and what its passage means, and led to me plastering my wall with gorgeous actresses as a deterrent to attending food-related functions at my old school. Along with the hard-rocking GLASS HOUSES, this is one of Billy Joel's best CDs ever.

My Favorite is I've loved these Days

--
love, Q