Everything about Just The Way You Are totally explained
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This article refers to the 1977-song. For the 1984 movie with the same title, see Just the Way You Are (film).
"
Just the Way You Are" is a love song from
Billy Joel's 1977 pop rock album,
The Stranger. It was written as a birthday gift to Joel's first wife Elizabeth Weber. After they divorced, Joel said that when performing the song, he'd imagine what he'd eat for dinner or what he'd do after the show, or even accidentally sing alternate lyrics written by
Liberty DeVitto ("She took the dog, the house, the car"). This was his first US Top 10 (reaching #3) and UK Top 20 single, and it was also Joel's first
Gold single in the US. "Just the Way You Are" won the 1978 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
The track features an alto sax solo by jazz artist
Phil Woods, who replaced Richie Cannata (who played sax for most of the songs on
The Stranger) when the latter's style of playing was deemed unfit for the song. Guitarist Steve Khan, who played on most of the songs on
The Stranger missed playing this one because he was on a trip, and had to be replaced. The
bossa nova style of the song was strongly encouraged by producer
Phil Ramone. Upon learning this would be the beat used for the song, drummer Devitto threw his drumsticks at Joel and said, "I'm not a damned cocktail lounge drummer!"
Joel has gone on record stating that he personally dislikes the song and was originally going to leave it off the album. However, at the request of both
Linda Ronstadt and
Phoebe Snow (both were recording in other studios in the same building at the time), Joel and Ramone agreed to leave it on the album.
Single and album edits
When "Just the Way You Are" was released as a single, it was shortened by over a minute. The differences are the removal of the second verse and an early fade.
Cover versions
"Just the Way You Are" has been
covered by several artists, including
Diana Krall,
Grover Washington, Jr.,
Barry White,
Shirley Bassey, and
Frank Sinatra. It is referenced in the
Fountains of Wayne song "Peace and Love" (which repeats the first line of the song, albeit, as the singer notes, in a different chord). The song was programmed into the
Yamaha PSS series of
synthesizers, popular in the late 1980s, as a demonstration mode.
"Just the Way You Are" was covered by
Maggie Gyllenhaal in the 2005 movie
Happy Endings.
This song plays in the background during the Holiday Inn scene in the movie
The Blues Brothers.
Also in a skit on
Sesame Street, Billy Joel and
Marlee Matlin bring a used piano to Oscar the Grouch and tell him that in order to get the piano, he's to listen to a love song performed by Joel and signed by Matlin. Oscar is initially angry but listens to the song. The song's lyrics are reworded to fit Oscar's personality and Joel explains that they don't want Oscar to become happy or change himself; they like him grouchy and "just the way you are." Oscar becomes infuriated when Matlin hugs and kisses him, which he claims "Never do that to a grouch!" Joel and Matlin leave after Oscar says that he doesn't want the piano after all because "I've heard this piano! It's tuned!" Then he says that although he hated the love song, "this one kinda really made me angry," and lets out a satisfied sigh.
Chart positions
Further Information
Get more info on 'Just The Way You Are'.
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