On Strong Songs Kirk Hamilton, “takes listeners inside a piece of music, breaking it down and figuring out what makes it work.” In this episode Kirk tackles Billy Joel’s magnum opus, “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant”
“Pull up a table and join Kirk for a long look into one of Joel’s most enduring songs, the seven-and-a-half minute, five course musical meal that is ‘Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.’ The centerpiece on Joel’s breakthrough 1977 album The Stranger, Italian Restaurant has got it all: schmaltzy sax, hard rock rhythms, love, heartbreak, and a pair of harmonized clarinets.”
Other Highlights:
- “Dancing Queen” by ABBA
- “Babylon Sisters” by Steely Dan
- “So What” by Miles Davis
- “Like a Prayer” by Madonna
- “Africa” by Toto