5 Billy Joel Songs From The '80s That Are So Underrated

As someone who's been a solo recording artist since the release of his 1971 album "Cold Spring Harbor," Billy Joel has racked up more than a few hit singles over the years, and those songs continue to be huge successes in the streaming age. Take "Piano Man," for example, which has racked up over a billion plays on Spotify as of early 2026. As such, when casual listeners venture into his discography, they're prone to focus on those well-known singles. As a result, more than a few songs have fallen off the radar, and when that happens, great tracks gradually transform into underrated songs.

Our methodology for determining which songs qualify as Joel's most underrated songs of the '80s was straightforward: starting with the least-played Billy Joel songs on Spotify, we decided which ones deserve to be heard more often. The good thing about Joel's back catalog, thankfully, is that his consistency as a songwriter provides a number of tracks that we think could've easily been singles if only they'd been given the opportunity to shine, including the McCartney-esque "Through the Long Night," the Lennon-inspired "Laura," and the piano-pumping "Running on Ice."

In 1980, Billy Joel kicked off his "Glass Houses" album with the sound of broken glass, kicking into motion an LP that has long been viewed by many as his response to the punk and new-wave scene. Whether it's true or not – only Joel knows for sure – there are certainly plenty of catchy rockers on the record, including "You May Be Right," "Sometimes a Fantasy," and the immortal "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me." By the time the album begins to wind to a close, however, it's begun to slow down, which is why "Through the Long Night" stands out in particular.

Eschewing any semblance of rock in favor of a loping McCartney-esque melody, "Through the Long Night" finds Joel sticking with a friend who seems unable to shake the memories of the past: "The warm tears, the bad dreams/ The soft trembling shoulders/ The old fears, but I'm here/ Through the long night with you/ With you." To truly appreciate the music, step away from "Glass Houses" for a bit and listen to the soundtrack to Joel's 2025 documentary "And So It Goes," which offers an instrumental mix of the song that spotlights the production, which — dare we suggest it? — could almost pass at times for the work of the late Sir George Martin.

Over the years, it has often been observed that "The Nylon Curtain" is the most Beatles-influenced album of Billy Joel's career, and "Laura" is a song that particularly strengthens that suggestion. It's a little bit Lennon and a little bit McCartney, but the general sound is definitely from somewhere in the era between "The Beatles" (aka "The White Album") and "Abbey Road." 

Even with its melody, it's still one of Joel's angriest songs, complaining about the titular Laura with frustration over the level of adoration that she has for him. Why is he frustrated? As he sings, "Laura loves me/ Even if I don't care," asking later, "She always says I'm the best friend that she's ever had/ How do you hang up on someone who needs you that bad?" And speaking of that frustration, "Laura" also holds a particular lyrical distinction in the Billy Joel catalog, in that it finds him dropping the F-bomb: "Here I am / Feeling like a f***ing fool." 

As it turns out, the song was actually written by Joel about his mother, using the name "Laura" as an identically syllabled substitute, which would certainly explain another question he poses in the song: "How can she hold an umbilical chord for so long?"

If any of Billy Joel's '80s albums warrant two inclusions on a list of his underrated songs of the decade, it's "The Nylon Curtain." "I was thinking about the great Beatles albums, especially "Sgt. Pepper"'s and all the great sonic stuff they did in the studio," Joel told journalist Gary Graff (via Ultimate Classic Rock) when the LP was released, and nowhere is that influence more evident than on "Surprises." 

Lyrically inspired by Joel's 1982 motorcycle crash and the effect that it could potentially have had on his career, the song starts off with swirling keyboards and then features a descending chord sequence during the verses, which leads into the giddy heights of the chorus. Joel's vocals come closer to echoing John Lennon's on this song than anywhere else on the album, perhaps because of the unabashed similarity to Lennon's best work with the Beatles. 

Given the more radio-friendly songs released as singles from "The Nylon Curtain," the fact that this track didn't end up being released in such a capacity isn't entirely a — ahem — surprise. However, it dideventually find its way to a B-side, although not until 1985, when it was put on the flip side of Joel's "You're Only Human (Second Wind)" single.

Billy Joel's album "An Innocent Man" was his tribute to the doo-wop music that he grew up listening to as a kid in New York City. While six singles released from the album proved to be top-40 hits in the U.S., a seventh release never made it stateside. The track in question is "The Night," which was released in the U.K., and while the doo-wop is strong with this one from the very beginning of the song, it's definitely a slow and steady number, one that never would've had the same kind of chart potential as its peers. 

Notable for including a songwriting credit for Beethoven, because of Joel's borrowing from the second movement of Beethoven's "Pathétique Sonata" for the chorus, "The Night" has a sweeping chorus that makes it perfect for a romantic embrace during a slow dance. If you're looking for something pleasant and unexpected to slip into a nostalgic '80s playlist during a wedding reception, this would be a perfect track to consider.

Billy Joel's album "The Bridge" was an immediate hit when it was released in July 1986, thanks in no small part to radio-friendly tracks like "Modern Woman," "A Matter of Trust," and "This Is the Time," but as far as capturing those who were spinning the actual album, "Running on Ice" was the perfect track to kick things off. 

With rapidly tinkling keys quickly turning into a pounding piano riff for a dramatic verse, followed by a bouncy chorus, "Running on Ice" has a Police feel to it, and its use of synthesizers is an immediate reminder that the days of 1983's "An Innocent Man" are now bygone. The way Joel hurriedly spits out the opening lyrics matches the words he's delivering ("There's a lot of tension in this town/ I know it's building up inside of me"), and the speed of the chorus matches the concept of the title. It's a wonder that the song wasn't released as a single, but it's no less a classic Joel track for it.