This song, “All My Life” released in 2007, was Billy Joel’s first new song since 1993. It was written in honor of the second anniversary of Billy and Katie Lee. Phil Ramone was the producer. It is a lovely ballad, reminiscent of tunes from years ago including “For Once in my Life” made famous as a slow tune by Tony Bennett.
Billy Joel’s first hit song was “Piano Man” from 1973. He continues to perform, especially in concert in New York City. He is always sold out and he covers his music and others from multiple eras.
This song reminds me of “All My Life” a 1936 ballad by Sam Stept which was sung by Julia Roberts for the movie “Everyone Says I Love You.” What do you think of the similarity.?
—Paul Goldfinger @Blogfinger.net
I was pleased to come across the name of Phil Ramone in the Blogfinger article as Billy Joel’s producer for a song released back in ’07 by Billy Joel. I had the good fortune to know Phil for a while when we met several times at his A&R Recording Studio in the city when he and I designed a new recording console for him. A company that I worked for manufactured this for him and it was a challenge to bring this huge assembly upstairs, seven stores up, and into the main studio which was Phil’s workplace. Phil was determined that this is what was necessary and had to have it.
After all my calculations I told him that it was iffy that the console would not be able to be brought into the building without taking out some windows and getting a crane to get it in. Recognizing that this would be prohibitively expensive and wanting this design so badly he had a huge cardboard and wood same size replica of the unit made to see if it could navigate the seven floors of stairways to the studio. He was right! As they say “made it by a hair”.
Phil was a distinguished legend in the music business being awarded 15 Grammys over time producing for a long list of popular music artist over the years not to mention live and TV productions and having his own record label. He was a gentleman, smart, demanding and yet accommodating when the impossible was, well, impossible, just as long as you were able to convince him contrary to his views.
Meeting and working with Phil was one of those memorable chance happenstances that brings fulfillment to one’s life.
Editor’s note: Thanks Rich for this very special memory that you have shared with us.
Thanks for sharing the Billy Joel song. I can’t believe I had never heard it before.