The Stranger permanently altered the trajectory of Joel's career, transforming him from a struggling piano man to a stadium-filling superstar. More importantly, it established him as a serious artist whose work could connect with both critics and mainstream audiences. The album balances nostalgia with clear-eyed recognition of limitation and compromise. Its complex relationship with time and memory feels quintessentially American in its tension between idealism and pragmatism.
Featured songs:
Movin’ Out [Antony’s Song]
The Stranger
Just The Way You Are
Vienna
Only The Good Die Young
She's Always A Woman
