Highlights
- After marrying and divorcing Christie Brinkley, Billy Joel had a memorable moment in 2024 when she danced to "Uptown Girl" at his concert.
- "Uptown Girl" was originally written about Elle McPherson but later became about Christie Brinkley.
- At the same concert where Brinkley danced to "Uptown Girl", Joel's daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, joined him onstage.
As one of the biggest music stars of all time, there is no doubt that Billy Joel will go down in history. As a result, of Joel's legendary career, fans want to know the meanings behind his top songs and why he quit writing music.
Many of Joel's followers are also interested in the musician's love life, including how much money he lost because of his divorces. Those two aspects of Joel's life came together when he and his ex-wife Christie Brinkley brought their relationship full circle in 2024.
This article will reveal how Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley shared an amazing moment in 2024 in front of thousands of fans. Then, the article will look at Joel and Brinkley's daughter made his April 2024 even better.
Christie Brinkley Danced To Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl" In Front Of Thousands Of Fans in 2024
For many years, Billy Joel was one of the biggest music stars in the world. As a result of his years of success, Joel has continued to cash in on his many beloved songs decades after they were released.
One example of a way that Joel continues to make money off his music in 2024 is that he is still paid a fortune to perform in concert. Since Joel has always continued performing, his ongoing success typically isn't noteworthy. However, one of Joel's 2024 concerts led to a truly newsworthy moment.
In April 2024, Joel performed a concert at New York's Madison Square Garden. During his performance, a full-circle moment took place in front of the crowd. When Joel performed his beloved song "Uptown Girl", footage of his ex-wife Christie Brinkley dancing to the song in the audience could be seen on huge screens.
For anyone unfamiliar with Joel and Brinkley's history, it may not be clear why her dancing to "Uptown Girl" at his concert was a big deal. After all, "Uptown Girl" was an incredibly popular song that generations of people have danced to. However, the reason why that song is special for the former couple is the role Brinkley played in the history of "Uptown Girl".
How many top ten hits has Bill Joel released, according to Billboard?
Song: | Chart Peak: |
|---|---|
"An Innocent Man" | 10 |
"A Matter of Trust" | 10 |
"Modern Woman" | 10 |
"You're Only Human (Second Wind)" | 9 |
"You May Be Right" | 7 |
"I Go To Extremes" | 6 |
"My Life" | 3 |
"Just The Way You Are" | 3 |
"The River Of Dreams" | 3 |
"Uptown Girl" | 3 |
"Tell Her About It" | 1 for 1 week |
"We Didn't Start The Fire" | 1 for 2 weeks |
"It's Still Rock And Roll To Me" | 1 for 2 weeks |
RelatedDid Billy Joel Scam His Former Drummer Out Of 30 Years Worth Of Royalties? The Truth About Their Messy Lawsuit
Billy Joel's longtime drummer, Liberty DeVitto, took the music legend to court over years of royalties.Before "Uptown Girl" was released in 1983, Joel ultimately wrote the song about Brinkley. During an interview with Howard Stern that was quoted by Far Out Magazine, Joel told the story about why he wrote the song.
As Joel explained, he began writing the original version of the song when he was dating Elle McPherson.
“What they were trying to do was debunk that it was all about Christie. I wasn’t even dating Christie when I started writing the song; I was dating Elle. It was an amazing time. That’s why I started writing a song called ‘Uptown Girls’. It was plural. I couldn’t believe the situation I was in; it was unbelievable.”
However, as Joel explained to Stern, the song went through a huge change after he broke up with McPherson. Following Joel and McPherson's split, he went on to begin dating Christie Brinkley. As Joel told Stern, the version of "Uptown Girl" that was released was written about Brinkley.
“Then I started to date Christie, after Elle and I had stopped dating. Rather than the song being about all these different girls, she became the uptown girl. I started writing it about one person. They got the story wrong. It is about Christie.”
RelatedHugh Jackman Has Become 'Odd And Erratic' Because Of His Divorce From Deborra-Lee Furness
Hugh Jackman's divorce from Deborra-Lee Furness has led to his "odd and erratic" social media activity, according to an insider.On top of "Uptown Girl" being written about Brinkley, the supermodel also played a major role in the song's promotion upon its release.
When "Uptown Girl" was released as a single, one of the keys to its success was its popular music video. That music video, which was in heavy rotation on MTV and MuchMusic at the time, starred Joel and Brinkley.
Between the fact that Brinkley inspired and helped promote "Uptown Girl", there is no doubt that she is heavily associated with the song. On top of that, it would have been very understandable if performing "Uptown Girl" had been difficult for Joel after his marriage to Brinkley fell apart.
What is the timeline of Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley's relationship, according to InStyle?
Event: | Timeline: |
|---|---|
First Meeting | Early 1983 |
"Uptown Girl" Music Video | 1983 |
Get Married | March 23, 1985 |
Joel and Brinkley's Daughter's Birth: | December 29, 1985 |
Get Divorced | 1994 |
With all that in mind, it is pretty amazing that fans got to see Brinkley dancing in the crowd as Joel performed "Uptown Girl" decades after their 1994 divorce.
Billy Joel's April 2024 Concert Included A Song By His Daughter With Christie Brinkley, Alexa Ray Joel
Since Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley once were an iconic couple, fans went wild when he sang "Uptown Girl" to her as she danced. While there is no doubt that was an incredible moment, the night of that concert must have been amazing for their family in another way.
RelatedBilly Joel Completely Lost It On Stage During A Miserable Tour Through The Soviet Union In The 80s
During the '80s. Billy Joel was such a massive deal that he played a huge concert in the Soviet Union that went horribly wrong after he freaked out.During the same concert that included Brinkley dancing on the big screens, Billy Joel was joined by someone even more special in his life. A Page Six article about the concert revealed that Joel and Brinkley's daughter, Alexa Ray Joel went up onstage with her father.
More than joining her father onstage, Alexa Ray Joel briefly took the spotlight from both of her famous parents. Alexa Ray Joel did this by singing a song titled "To Sir With Love" to her father, Billy Joel.
As the daughter of one of the most accomplished singer-songwriters of all time, Alexa Ray Joel clearly grew up with an appreciation for music. As a result, Alexa Ray Joel grew up to become a singer who has performed with her dad many times.
On top of growing up in the shadow of a music legend, Alexa Ray Joel's mom is also one of the biggest supermodels of all time. As was the case with her father, Alexa Ray Joel also embraced her mom's career. In fact, Alexa Ray Joel once modeled for a Sports Illustrated spread alongside her mother.
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