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52nd Street (album)

52nd Street is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on October 11, 1978, by Columbia Records.[2] Presenting itself as the follow-up to his breakthrough studio album, The Stranger, Joel tried to give the new album a fresh sound, hiring various jazz musicians to differentiate it from his previous studio albums.[3]

52nd Street
Studio album by
Billy Joel
ReleasedOctober 11, 1978 (1978-10-11)
RecordedJuly–August 1978
StudioA & R, New York City
Genre
Length40:26
LabelFamily Productions/Columbia
ProducerPhil Ramone
Billy Joel chronology
The Stranger
(1977) 		52nd Street
(1978) 		Glass Houses
(1980)
Singles from 52nd Street
  1. "My Life"
    Released: October 1978
  2. "Big Shot"
    Released: January 1979
  3. "Until the Night"
    Released: March 1979 (UK)
  4. "Honesty"
    Released: April 1979[1]

The album's title is a reference to 52nd Street, a popular street location in Midtown Manhattan for jazz musicians, beginning during the Great Depression and continuing through to the 1950s. Joel's label was headquartered within the CBS Building on West 52nd Street at the time of the album's release. The studio where recording took place was also on 52nd Street, one block away from where Joel's label was headquartered.[citation needed]

52nd Street was an instant commercial success, becoming Joel's first album to reach number one on the Billboard 200, a spot it held for eight consecutive weeks. Three songs reached the Top 40 in the United States, contributing to the album's success: "My Life" (number 3), "Big Shot" (number 14), and "Honesty" (number 24).[4] It was similarly well received by critics, earning two Grammy awards for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and Album of the Year at the 22nd Annual Grammy Awards.[5] The latter Grammy was presented to its producer, Phil Ramone. Upon Ramone's death, 52nd Street's Album of the Year Grammy was passed on to Joel.

The album was among the first commercially released on the compact disc format, reaching store shelves on October 1, 1982, in Japan (it was one of 50 CDs released that day, including The Stranger, but bore the first catalogue number in the sequence, 35DP-1, and so is frequently cited as the first to be released).[6] In keeping with this history, it was also the first release when Sony returned to manufacturing vinyl records in 2018.[7]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [8]
Blender     [9]
Christgau's Record GuideB−[10]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [11]
The Great Rock Discography7/10[12]
Record Mirror     [13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [14]

Reviewing 52nd Street for The Village Voice in 1979, Robert Christgau noted Joel's talent for writing catchy songs and likened him to Elton John, albeit with more "smarm."[15] The Globe and Mail determined that "the music really is starting to sound repetitive and formulaic—as though the songwriter's musical vocabulary is too limited to match his sense of the big city's varied dramas."[16]

Retrospectively, AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised Joel for expanding stylistically on 1977s The Stranger, describing 52nd Street as "more sophisticated and somewhat jazzy."[8] In 2000, it was voted number 621 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[17] In 2003, 52nd Street was ranked number 352 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time",[18] and at 354 on a 2012 revised list.[19]

Track listing

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All songs written by Billy Joel.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Big Shot"4:03
2."Honesty"3:52
3."My Life"4:44
4."Zanzibar"5:13
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Stiletto"4:42
2."Rosalinda's Eyes"4:41
3."Half a Mile Away"4:08
4."Until the Night"6:35
5."52nd Street"2:27

Song notes

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The song "Rosalinda's Eyes" was inspired by Joel's mother, Rosalind Nyman Joel.[20]

Personnel

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Production

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  • Phil Ramone – producer, mixing
  • Kathy Kurs – associate producer
  • Carol Peters – associate producer
  • Jim Boyer – engineer, mixing
  • David Martone – assistant engineer
  • Ted Jensen – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York City, NY)
  • John Berg – cover design
  • Jim Houghton – photography

Accolades

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Grammy Awards

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Year Nominee / work Award Result
1980 52nd Street Album of the Year[5] Won
Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male[5] Won
"Honesty" Song of the Year[21] Nominated

American Music Awards

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Year Nominee / work Award Result
1980 Billy Joel (performer) Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist[22] Nominated

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[51] 2× Platinum 100,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[52] 5× Platinum 500,000^
France (SNEP)[53] Gold 100,000*
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[54] Gold 10,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[56] Gold 470,000[55]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[57] Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[59] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[60] 7× Platinum 7,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 436. ISBN 978-0-86241-541-9.
  2. ^ RIAA lists October 11 as the release date. Billy Joel tweeted that it was October 12.
  3. ^ "Remember When? Billy Joel's '52nd Street'". GRAMMY.com. October 13, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  4. ^ "allmusic ((( 52nd Street > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  5. ^ a b c "Past Winners Search". grammy.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  6. ^ "How Billy Joel's '52nd Street' Became the First Compact Disc Released". Ultimate Classic Rock. October 2012. Archived from the original on July 6, 2017.
  7. ^ "Sony joins vinyl revival with first LP releases in almost 30 years". Archived from the original on September 29, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  8. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "52nd Street – Billy Joel". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 15, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  9. ^ Browne, David (May 22, 2007). "Billy Joel: 52nd Street". Blender. Archived from the original on February 4, 2010. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  10. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "J". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor and Fields. ISBN 0-89919-026-X. Retrieved February 27, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  11. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Joel, Billy". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  12. ^ Strong, Martin C. (2002). "Billy Joel". The Great Rock Discography (6th ed.). Canongate Books. ISBN 1-84195-312-1.
  13. ^ Smith, Robin (November 18, 1978). "Billy Joel: 52nd Street". Record Mirror. p. 18.
  14. ^ Evans, Paul (2004). "Billy Joel". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 434–35. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  15. ^ Christgau, Robert (April 2, 1979). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  16. ^ Gilday, Katherine (November 8, 1978). "52nd Street Billy Joel". The Globe and Mail. p. F9.
  17. ^ Larkin, Colin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
  18. ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time: 52nd Street – Billy Joel". Rolling Stone. November 18, 2003. Archived from the original on December 20, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  19. ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. May 31, 2012. Archived from the original on March 26, 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  20. ^ "Billy Joel's mother, '78 song's namesake, dies". Tyler Morning Telegraph. Associated Press. July 16, 2014. p. 7A.
  21. ^ "Rock On The Net: 22nd Annual Grammy Awards – 1980". Archived from the original on July 2, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  22. ^ "7th American Music Awards". Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  23. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  24. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Billy Joel – 52nd Street" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  25. ^ "Top Albums/CDs – Volume 30, No. 21, February 17, 1979". RPM. Archived from the original on September 23, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  26. ^ "dutchcharts.nl Billy Joel – 52nd Street". Hung Medien, dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  27. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 263. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  28. ^ "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original on September 10, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  29. ^ "Tonlist Top 40". DV. Archived from the original on May 15, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  30. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved May 31, 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Billy Joel".
  31. ^ "- Yamachan Land (Archives of the Japanese record charts) – Albums Chart Daijiten – Billy Joel" (in Japanese). December 30, 2007. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  32. ^ "charts.nz – Billy Joel – 52nd Street". charts.nz. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  33. ^ "norwegiancharts.com Billy Joel – 52nd Street". Hung Medien, norwegiancharts.com. VG-lista. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  34. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
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  36. ^ "Billy Joel – 52nd Street – hitparade.ch". Archived from the original on February 26, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  37. ^ "The Official Charts Company – Billy Joel – 52nd Street". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  38. ^ "Billy Joel Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  39. ^ "Billy Joel – 52nd Street – offiziellecharts.de" (in German). Media Control. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  40. ^ * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  41. ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1978". RPM. Archived from the original on June 19, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  42. ^ "Austriancharts.st – Jahreshitparade 1979" (in German). Hung Medien. Archived from the original on October 11, 2011. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  43. ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1979". RPM. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  44. ^ "Les Albums (CD) de 1979 par InfoDisc" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on February 21, 2014. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
  45. ^ "Japanese Year-End Albums Chart 1979" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  46. ^ "The Top 50 Albums of 1979". Archived from the original on July 4, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  47. ^ "The Top 20 Albums of Vinter 1979". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  48. ^ "Complete UK Year-End Album Charts". Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  49. ^ Billboard.com – Year End Charts – Year-end Albums – The Billboard 200. December 22, 1979. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  50. ^ "日本で売れた洋楽アルバムトップ23 (Top-23 international albums on the Japanese Oricon Year-End Charts 1980)". Archived from the original on February 19, 2007. Retrieved October 21, 2007.
  51. ^ "Australia" (PDF). Cash Box. January 20, 1979. p. 20. Retrieved December 1, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  52. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Billy Joel – 52nd Street". Music Canada.
  53. ^ "French album certifications – Billy Joel – 52nd Street" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  54. ^ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1979". IFPI Hong Kong.
  55. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  56. ^ "Japanese album certifications – ビリー・ジョエル – ニューヨーク52番街 (reissue)" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved July 21, 2022. Select 1994年2月 on the drop-down menu
  57. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Billy Joel – 52nd Street". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on July 30, 2023.
  58. ^ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". THE OFFICIAL NZ MUSIC CHART. Archived from the original on November 7, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  59. ^ "British album certifications – Billy Joel – 52nd Street". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  60. ^ "American album certifications – Billy Joel – 52nd Street". Recording Industry Association of America.
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