| The Nylon Curtain | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 23, 1982 | |||
| Recorded | Winter 1981–spring 1982 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 41:57 | |||
| Label | Family Productions/Columbia | |||
| Producer | Phil Ramone | |||
| Billy Joel chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Nylon Curtain | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s | B[2] |
| People | (Positive)[4] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
The Nylon Curtain is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriterBilly Joel, released on September 23, 1982, and produced byPhil Ramone.
The Nylon Curtain peaked atNo. 7 on theBillboardalbums chart, with two million sales in the U.S. It was one of the first albums to be digitally recorded, mixed, and mastered.[citation needed]
The album is among Joel's most ambitious efforts. Joel has called 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, he aimed 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] a process said was "exhausting".[5] Critics have interpreted the album to be, in part, an homage to the music ofthe Beatles and the then-recently deceasedJohn Lennon.[6]
Saxophonist/multi-instrumentalistRichie Cannata left the band before recording, so Joel, bassistDoug Stegmeyer, drummerLiberty DeVitto and guitarists David Brown andRussell Javors recorded the album mostly by themselves, thus making it Joel's first album sinceStreetlife Serenade not to feature a regular saxophonist, althoughEddie Daniels plays clarinet on the closing track "Where's the Orchestra?" alongside Charles McCracken on cello and Dominic Cortese on accordion. Saxophonist/multi-instrumentalistMark Rivera, formerly of the bandTycoon, joined the band on The Nylon Curtain Tour.
Regarding the album's themes, Joel has stated, "It was during theReagan 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 ofpeople born afterWorld 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 journalistChuck Klosterman praised songs from the album, specifically "Laura" and "Where's the Orchestra?", in his bookSex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs.
Joel said 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 because Joel had a motorcycle accident.
The album opens with "Allentown", which is actually about the nearby town ofBethlehem, Pennsylvania.[8] Bethlehem, largely based in the production of steel for automobiles, was experiencing economic difficulties amid theearly 1980s recession that affected the steel industry. Joel wrote the melody for "Allentown" eight years before he completed the lyrics for inclusion onThe 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 said 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 one's real-life responsibilities.[9] The song was recorded with eight overdubbed synthesizer tracks, as well as a segment with four people playing themandolin.[9]
The closing song to Side A, "Goodnight Saigon", is about American soldiers fighting in theVietnam 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 from the soldiers' point-of-view in the midst of the action. Joel, who described himself as adraft dodger in one interview,[10] he had several peers who fought in the war, 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 on aBell UH-1 Iroquois (or "Huey"), a military helicopter that was heavily used during the Vietnam War.
The B-side ofThe 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 aChristmas 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 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 he said the song is open to several interpretations.
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 theBeatles songs "I Am The Walrus" and "Strawberry Fields Forever", 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]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | The Nylon Curtain | Album of the Year[11] | Nominated |
All tracks are written by Billy Joel.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Allentown" | 3:52 |
| 2. | "Laura" | 5:05 |
| 3. | "Pressure" | 4:40 |
| 4. | "Goodnight Saigon" | 7:04 |
| Total length: | 20:41 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "She's Right on Time" | 4:14 |
| 2. | "A Room of Our Own" | 4:04 |
| 3. | "Surprises" | 3:26 |
| 4. | "Scandinavian Skies" | 6:00 |
| 5. | "Where's the Orchestra?" | 3:17 |
| Total length: | 21:01 | |
Musicians
Production
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| 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. | ||
