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The Nylon Curtain

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The Nylon Curtain
Studio album by
Billy Joel
ReleasedSeptember 23, 1982
RecordedWinter 1981–spring 1982
Studio
Genre
Length41:57
LabelFamily Productions/Columbia
ProducerPhil Ramone
Billy Joel chronology
Songs in the Attic
(1981) 		The Nylon Curtain
(1982) 		An Innocent Man
(1983)
Singles from The Nylon Curtain
  1. "Pressure"
    Released: September 1982
  2. "Allentown"
    Released: November 1982
  3. "Goodnight Saigon"
    Released: February 1983
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record Guide: The '80sB[2]
People(Positive)[4]
Rolling Stone[3]

The Nylon Curtain is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on September 23, 1982, and produced by Phil Ramone.

The Nylon Curtain peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard albums chart, with two million sales in the U.S. It was one of the first albums to be digitally recorded, mixed, and mastered.

Background

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The album is among Joel's most ambitious efforts, and Joel has openly acknowledged that it is one of his personal favorites, calling it "the recording I'm most proud of and the material I'm most proud of."[5] When he recorded the album, he said in an interview that he wanted to "create a sonic masterpiece." Joel spent more time in the studio, crafting the sound of the album, than he had on any previous album.[5] He said that the process of making the album was "exhausting."[5] Critics have interpreted the album to be, in part, an homage to the music of The Beatles and the then-recently deceased John Lennon.[6]

Saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist Richie Cannata left the band prior to recording, so Joel, bassist Doug Stegmeyer, drummer Liberty DeVitto and guitarists David Brown and Russell Javors recorded the album mostly by themselves, thus making it Joel's first album since Streetlife Serenade not to feature a regular saxophonist, although Eddie Daniels plays clarinet on the closing track "Where's the Orchestra?" alongside Charles McCracken on cello and Dominic Cortese on accordion. Saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist Mark Rivera, formerly of the band Tycoon, joined the band as of The Nylon Curtain Tour to replace Cannata.

Regarding the album's themes, Joel has stated "It was during the Reagan years, and the diminishing horizons in America at the time [meant that] all of a sudden you weren't going to be able to inherit [the kind of life] your old man had."[5] This pessimism about the American dream, in Joel's view, permeates most of the songs on the album. Joel also said that the theme of the album was "an American dilemma, specifically of people born after World War II."[7] He said that although he doesn't provide solutions to the dilemma, he "hope[d] the record speaks like someone in that age group, if only just to tie us all together as people, as an entity."[7]

Pop-culture journalist Chuck Klosterman praised songs from the album, specifically "Laura" and "Where's the Orchestra?", in his book Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs.

Production

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Joel stated in an interview that most of the songs on the album were written in the same sequence in which they appear on the album. The album's production schedule was slightly thrown off near the end of production due to Joel getting into a motorcycle accident.

The album opens with "Allentown", which despite the name is actually about the nearby town of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.[8] Bethlehem, largely based in the production of steel for automobiles, was experiencing economic difficulties in the midst of the early 1980s recession which impacted the steel industry. Joel wrote the melody for "Allentown" eight years before finishing it, later completing the lyrics in time for inclusion on The Nylon Curtain.

According to Joel, the titular character from the song "Laura" was supposed to represent anyone who knows how to "push your buttons" and make you feel guilty. He also explained that the character, despite having the female-oriented name "Laura", could represent anybody, regardless of sex.

"Pressure" is about reaching a certain age and realizing the real-life responsibilities one has to deal with.[9] The song was recorded with eight different overdubbed synthesizer tracks, as well as a segment with four people playing the mandolin.[9]

The closing song to Side A, "Goodnight Saigon", is about American soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War, and was written by Joel at the request of his veteran peers who fought during the war. Joel wanted to avoid creating a political song that took sides, instead opting to describe things entirely from the soldiers' point-of-view in the midst of the action. Although Joel never fought as a soldier in Vietnam (Joel explained in an interview that he was a draft dodger during the time of the war[10]), he had several peers at the time who did, some of whom never returned, and received input from many of his friends who had served in the army in order to accurately depict what it was like being stationed in Vietnam.[9][10] The song opens and closes with the sound of the rotors spinning on a Bell UH-1 Iroquois (or "Huey"), a military helicopter which was heavily used during the Vietnam War.

The B-side of The Nylon Curtain opens with "She's Right On Time", an uplifting love song, to contrast with the more serious tone of the preceding "Goodnight Saigon." The song details the anticipated reunion between two lovers, told from the point-of-view of the man in the relationship waiting for the woman to arrive. Since the song was written by Joel around Christmas time, the preparation of a Christmas tree was used as an analogy throughout the song.

"A Room Of Our Own" thematically opposes "She's Right On Time", detailing a couple who needs time away from each other; the song lays out numerous differences between the two.

The song "Surprises", described by Joel as a "grand metaphysical statement", is about how one shouldn't be surprised by their inability to control things, though the song is open to several different interpretations according to Joel.

The first three songs on side B all display a relationship theme. “She’s Right On Time” describing the reunion, “A Room Of Our Own” describing the decline as the lovers drift apart, and “Surprises” with the inevitable separation.

"Scandinavian Skies", which prominently features string parts inspired by the songs "I Am The Walrus" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" by The Beatles, was inspired by a horrifying drug experience Joel went through during a flight.

The closing song, "Where's The Orchestra?", is about a man who goes to see a live play expecting a musical, only to realize that it's a regular stage show; according to Joel, this is a metaphor for life, specifically the realization that it's not as grand and over-the-top as it is sometimes made out to be. Joel tried to make the song feel reminiscent of musical plays. In the studio recording, Joel's vocals play from the left speaker channel, whereas the orchestral backing is in the right speaker channel, to emulate a man sitting in a theater seat and watching a play. The song closes by reprising the melody of "Allentown", thus bringing the album full-circle.[9]

Accolades

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Grammy Awards

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Year Nominee / work Award Result
1983 The Nylon Curtain Album of the Year[11] Nominated

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Billy Joel

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Allentown"3:52
2."Laura"5:05
3."Pressure"4:40
4."Goodnight Saigon"7:04
Side two
No.TitleLength
5."She's Right on Time"4:14
6."A Room of Our Own"4:04
7."Surprises"3:26
8."Scandinavian Skies"6:00
9."Where's the Orchestra?"3:17

Personnel

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Musicians

Additional musicians
  • Bill Zampino – field snare (4)
  • Rob Mounsey – synthesizer (8)
  • Dominic Cortese – accordion (9)
  • Eddie Daniels – saxophone and clarinet (9)
  • Charles McCracken – cello (9)
  • Dave Grusin – string and horn arrangements
  • David Nadien – concertmaster (1, 3–7, 9)
  • "String Fever" – strings (2, 8)

Production

  • Phil Ramone – producer
  • Laura Loncteaux – assistant producer
  • Jim Boyer – engineer, remix
  • Bradshaw Leigh – associate engineer
  • Michael Christopher – assistant engineer
  • Larry Franke – assistant engineer
  • Andy Hoffman – assistant engineer
  • Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, NYC – mastering engineer
  • Kenneth Topolsky – production manager
  • Paula Scher – artwork
  • John Berg – inner sleeve design
  • Chris Austopchuk – front cover design
  • Benno Friedman – back cover photo

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[33][34] Platinum 50,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[35] Platinum 100,000^
Japan (Oricon Charts) — 356,000[18][36]
Netherlands (NVPI)[37] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[38] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b AllMusic
  2. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (1990). "Billy Joel". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  3. ^ Holden, Stephen (February 20, 2009) [October 14, 1982], "Music Reviews : The Nylon Curtain by Billy Joel", Rolling Stone, archived from the original on February 20, 2009
  4. ^ "Picks and Pans Review: The Nylon Curtain". People. November 22, 1982. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d Billy Joel Interview on Nylon Curtain
  6. ^ Nylon Curtain Album Review
  7. ^ a b Campbell, Mary (October 30, 1982). "Bill Joel Uses Seven Fingers at the Piano". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. p. 12D. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  8. ^ LivingDedGrrl. ""Allentown" - Billy Joel, 1982 (rock)". Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d "Billy Joel 'Behind Nylon Curtains' Interview - 1982". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 5, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Billy Joel interview with Bryant Gumbel". YouTube.
  11. ^ "Rock on the Net: 25th Annual Grammy Awards – 1987". Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  12. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 156. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  13. ^ "Billy Joel – The Nylon Curtain – austriancharts.at" (in German). Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  14. ^ Library and Archives Canada. Archived May 13, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved March 5, 2012
  15. ^ ( the book ). November 13, 1982. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  16. ^ "dutchcharts.nl Billy Joel – The Nylon Curtain". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  17. ^ "Tonlist Top 40". DV. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  18. ^ a b "a-ビリー・ジョエル – Yamachan Land (Japanese Chart Archives) – Albums Chart Daijiten – Simon and Garfunkel" (in Japanese). Original Confidence. December 30, 2007. Retrieved August 17, 2011.[permanent dead link]
  19. ^ "charts.nz – Billy Joel – The Nylon Curtain". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  20. ^ "norwegiancharts.com Billy Joel – The Nylon Curtain". Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  21. ^ "swedishcharts.com Billy Joel – The Nylon Curtain". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  22. ^ "The Official Charts Company – Billy Joel – The Nylon Curtain". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  23. ^ Allmusic – The Nylon Curtain > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums
  24. ^ "Album Search: Billy Joel – The Nylon Curtain" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved March 3, 2012.[dead link]
  25. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  26. ^ "Top 100 Albums '82". RPM. December 25, 1982. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  27. ^ "1982年アルバム年間ヒットチャート (Japanese Year-End Albums Chart 1982)" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  28. ^ "The Top 20 Albums of Høst 1982". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  29. ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1983". RPM. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  30. ^ "Dutch Charts – Jaaroverzichten Album 1983". Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  31. ^ "日本で売れた洋楽アルバムトップ10 (Top-ten international albums on the Japanese Oricon Year-End Charts 1987)". Archived from the original on September 17, 2007. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  32. ^ "Top Pop Albums of 1983". billboard.biz. December 31, 1983. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  33. ^ "Kent Music Report No 453 – 28 February 1983 > Platinum Albums 1982 (Continued)". Kent Music Report. Retrieved January 24, 2020 – via Imgur.com.
  34. ^ "CBS International Certifications" (PDF). Cash Box. February 5, 1983. p. 19. Retrieved December 7, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  35. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Billy Joel – The Nylon Curtain". Music Canada.
  36. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  37. ^ "de branchevereniging van de entertainmentindustrie". Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2011.Note: User needs to enter "Billy Joel" in the "Artiest" field and click below "zoek" button.
  38. ^ "American album certifications – Billy Joel – The Nylon Curtain". Recording Industry Association of America.
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