T or F: If Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers had written and recorded "You May Be Right" instead of Billy Joel, it would have been among their best songs and greatest achievements

and sartorially he seems to fancy himself the Fifth Ramone ... sunglasses, black leather biker jacket, blue jeans.

Billy Joel now looks like a fat, dirty, smelly biker guy with a mustache and long, unkempt hair.

tbh, back in the day billy joel seemed to fancy himself a greasy NYC tough -- like this video, where Billy and crew morph from looking they walked offa the set of either mean streets or the warriors into the slick 1970s NYC studio hobbits that they really were:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3JFEfdK_Ls&feature=player_embedded#!

tom petty vs. billy joel poll?

LISTEN, that's simply the greatest segue in 70s videos. "Yo, Vito. Let's get movin'. Cetera's waiting for us back in the studio!"

LET'S SEE OL' MR. THE WAITING IS THE HARDEST PART PULL SOMETHING LIKE THIS OFF.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhJg1finpyU

otm, also never seen that video before - awesome.

ok that video is kinda neat ... it also gets right to what a scuzz BJ is.

lol compare that song with "Elstree" by the Buggles - songs from 1980 with responsporial vocals that go "O-o-o-o" or "O-o-o."

Oh man, I love ''Elstree'' and wd buy a comp of only such songs

lene lovich's "lucky number" pretty much reigns high and mighty over that particular singing tic, does it not?!?

Just listened to that - great song, but different kind of "oh ooh OHHH" I'd say.

xp The music, vocal melody and production of "You Got Lucky" are a million times more enjoyable than anything in "You May Be Right."

Speaking of "Sometimes a Fantasy," as much as I love Tom Petty, I don't think he has the strength to do this to a piano:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqY6mXULzpw

That's true, "You Got Lucky" has aged well.

I've never disliked You Got Lucky.. I'm not sure why it's been used here for comparison.

How weird it is to see the "You Got Lucky" video today... a young Tom Petty & Heartbreakers finding 30-year-old video games and music equipment. Only change they'd need to make is to have them drive up in a PT Cruiser.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTAhZKP5wCY

I've never disliked You Got Lucky.. I'm not sure why it's been used here for comparison.

I mentioned it just cuz it's sort of thematically similar to "You May Be Right" -- both are basically assertions of "Hey, I'm pretty awesome" to obviously skeptical women.

(And I've always liked the video's complete lack of engagement with the lyrics. It's endearing and makes me wish there had been a Saturday morning cartoon featuring a time-traveling Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.)

idk "You May Be Right" to me comes across as "I'm a piece of crap, but c'mon, you know you really love me..and besides some of my craziness is your fault".

xpost

What exactly is Billy's problem in that clip? The audience just seem to be grooving.

The show was part of Billy's USSR tour, and was being filmed for a documentary/home video release. The lighting crew/director kept bringing up the house lights on the audience in order to get crowd shots. It distracted Billy, obviously, but his claim was that he didn't want the audience to feel like Soviet cops were watching them.

Also, those Yamaha electric pianos weigh as much as Rhode Island. Billy must've turned into the Hulk or something.

HULK JOEL TAKES SHIT FROM NOBODY

i fucking hate this song so much

Friday night HULK SMASH YOUR PARTY
Saturday, Hulk say HULK SORRY
Sunday came,
HULK SMASH IT OUT AGAIN

lol

hahaha

irl lol

If CCR had written and recorded "Witchy Woman" instead of the Eagles...
― chocolatepiekid, Friday, 4 December 2009 20:00 (2 years ago) Permalink

I can sorta hear Petty singing You Might Be Right, and it would sorta work, but what I really want to hear is ^^^

okay full confession: I did not know Kool G Rap's "Road to the Riches" was built around a Billy Joel sample

I don't know if it would be the best thing ever, but this thread is making me wish I could hear Petty covering this tune. He released a live box set with a ton of covers recently, so I guess it could still happen. Someone should send him this thread.

I actually had the idea one night listening to some prog song that it could be converted to the chiming guitars and McGuinn-isms of Petty. I think it was "Northern Lights" by Renaissance, but I just listened to that, and I must have been high.

okay full confession: I did not know Kool G Rap's "Road to the Riches" was built around a Billy Joel sample

Yeah! That's the one being played at the beginning of the "My Life" video upthread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MC2Up4-LJM0

"You May Be Right" as is would fit right in on a Johnny Cougar (Mellancamp) album like American Fool or Uh Huh, when his sound was pretty much cold tapping the Stones before he brought in the violin and the accordion. I definitely think "You May Be Right" has a big time Stones sound especially with the harp and beat.

I think it is a pretty good rock and roll tune, there is just the automatic flinch factor that it is the dude that did "Piano Man".

if looks could kill, this dude's face is genocide

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Billy_Joel_Shankbone_NYC_2009.jpg

hodor

There is definitely some Stones in "You May Be Right" - also some "new wave". Check out his outfit on the cover of the single:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Youmayberight.jpg

Other bands who might be able to do interesting covers of "You May Be Right": The Cars, Elvis Costello

That pic above but one: Who painted a face on a lightbulb?

daaaaamn Joan Jett was mannish in '80.

Man, just listened to the first side of Glass Houses for the first time in a while - it's pretty damned solid. Nobody's idea of a great new wave record but as far as pop-rock goes I'd rate it decently. Wouldn't say it's his best but I think it's underrated within his catalogue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kwTgtjfFlI

dunno about Tom Petty, but somebody coulda really gone somewhere with this - good material on this record!

^^^^ The standout gem on this record, along w/the rarely discussed Don't Ask Me Why. Still have unabashed love for this record more than 30 years after first buying it.

Friday night HULK SMASH YOUR PARTY
Saturday, Hulk say HULK SORRY
Sunday came,
HULK SMASH IT OUT AGAIN

― Doctor Casino, Monday, March 19, 2012 1:51 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Just died lol again.

Also going to be thinking about a Television version of "Hotel California" for the rest of the day.

:D

Hahaha definitely gonna start singing that instead

Not crazy about this song but Tom Petty would have done it much better. I want that version to exist.

There is definitely some Stones in "You May Be Right"

Yeah just gave this a re-listen and the way he's stretching the ends of the lines out ("chaaaa-ange") is so obviously Mick Jagger.

If the Pixies had written and recorded "I'm Affected" instead of the Ramones, it would have been among their best songs and greatest achievements.

When I'm in a store and "You May Be Right" comes on, I start asking myself if the shopping I am doing is absolutely necessary and if maybe it would be alright for me to leave immediately.

If Talkings Heads had written and recorded Rusted Root’s “send me on my way” , it would have been among their best songs and greatest achievements.

someone's gonna literally make the Sinbad Shazam movie now aren't they