Billy Joel Calls This Beatles Album “A Collection of Half-Assed Songs”
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His Love for The Beatles
Billy Joel has always shown deep respect for The Beatles and their influence on his life. In a 2022 interview with CNN, he explained how important the band was during a difficult time in American history. “Everybody was depressed over the Kennedy assassination, and it lasted for a long time,” Joel said. “Who took us out of that depression? The Beatles.”
He also shared how their music personally affected him. “It changed my life. That’s why I do what I do now because of what The Beatles did.” Joel has never hidden how much their songs meant to him, both as a fan and a musician.
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Why He’s Not a Fan of The White Album
Still, Joel doesn’t love everything the group released. In a recent conversation with Bill Maher on the Club Random podcast, Maher brought up The White Album. Joel responded, “I’m not a big fan of The White Album, but some people love it.”
He explained why, saying, “I hear it as a collection of half-assed songs they didn’t finish writing because they were too stoned, or they didn’t care anymore.” Joel added, “I think they had fragments and they put them on the album.” His opinion shows he thought the record lacked the focus found in earlier Beatles albums.
Thoughts on Lennon and McCartney’s Roles
Joel also spoke about what was happening inside the band at the time. He believed that John Lennon wasn’t fully involved anymore. “I think Lennon was dissociating at that point,” he said. He felt that Paul McCartney was doing most of the work, saying McCartney was “carrying the weight.”
According to Joel, things behind the scenes weren’t as smooth as they seemed. He shared his own theory about what was happening between the band members. “They almost broke up a couple of times,” he told Maher. “It was never talked about, it had to look smoothed over for the ten years they were famous. I think they almost broke up a few times, had their ups and downs, sometimes they were more prolific and sometimes they weren’t.”
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A Health Update from Joel
Later in the same interview, Joel talked about his health. He recently had to cancel shows after being diagnosed with Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH), a brain condition. He gave fans a positive update: “I feel good. They keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder, so it sounds a lot worse than what I’m feeling.”
His comments showed he’s still in good spirits, even while managing a serious medical issue.
Watch the interview below:
