Billy Joel on Love- Poetry Analysis

Name Tutor Course Date Billy Joel on Love One of the most captivating modern musicians is Billy Joel. His songs are not only exquisitely written and performed, but also underscore significantly vital themes. One of the most common themes espoused by Joel’s songs is love. In ‘She’s got a way’ and ‘And so it goes,’ Joel’s poeticism and mastery of language come out clearly. In essence, Joel’s songwriting on these two songs utilizes meter, metaphor, and simile in uniquely consistent ways to emphasize about love and the various ways in which it can please and hurt the one who loves. As far as Billy Joel’s music is concerned, love has been a recurrent theme. In this sense, one of the most important issues addressed in his music is the dynamism and its impact on the lives and emotions of the lovers. In the second verse of ‘She’s got a way,’ Joel sings “She’s got a smile that heals me// I don’t know why it is// But I have to laugh when she reveals me.” In these lines, Joel outlines the significance of love in helping to bring out the true character of an individual and its impact on the individual in question. In this sense, Joel makes it clear that love is extremely powerful to the extent that when an individual is revealed and exposed for who they are by the one they love, they cannot help but laugh. This is in itself a manifestation of the power of love in helping shape the attitudes and behaviors of individuals when they are in love and how love essentially determines what is hurtful and what is pleasing. This is demonstrative of Joel’s emphasis on the power of love. In these two songs, Joel provides varying perspectives on love and what it means to love someone. For instance, in the penultimate verse of ‘And so it goes,’ Joel sings “So I would choose to be with you// That’s if the choice were mine to make// But you can make decisions too// And you can have this heart to break.” This verse is arguably one of the most powerful in the song because it represents the reality that love is an individual choice. In this verse, Joel reminds listeners that in the realm of love, the only power one has is over their own emotions and choices. In this way, he demonstrates that love is an individual choice and one that may not always be reciprocated. The fact that each partner can decide on whether they want to continue loving each other in its way demonstrates how loving someone and being in a relationship are individual choices as opposed to an act involving two people. Albeit controversial and contradictory, this verse highlights the reality of love; that loving someone is an individual decision and one that is only influenced by the other in a very small way. In the same song, Joel concludes by singing “And you can have this heart to break// And so it goes, and so it goes// And you’re the only one who knows.” Through the...