“My Life” by Billy Joel

Billy Joel's "My Life" first turned up on 52nd Street in 1978, then went out as a single that fall and climbed to 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 early the next year. It kicks off with drums, bass and Joel's left hand on the piano before his right hand tosses in the keyboard riff that keeps popping back between sections, a hook you can't shake.

Phil Ramone produced, with Jim Boyer engineering and mixing, and the band is right there with him: Liberty DeVitto on drums, Doug Stegmeyer on bass, Steven Abdul Kahn on acoustic guitar. Two guests from Chicago, Peter Cetera and Donnie Dacus, sing backup and come in alongside Joel on the bridge and the outro, and the whole thing bounces with a stubborn, do-it-my-way cheer.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.