A show of cross-generational mutual respect took place at New York’s Madison Square Garden last night (24 August), as Billy Joel invited Olivia Rodrigo on stage to perform her 2021 single Deja Vu and his 1983 hit Uptown Girl.
There’s a relationship between the two songs, of course - the second verse of Deja Vu features the lines “I'll bet that she knows Billy Joel, ‘cos you played her Uptown Girl”, as Rodrigo muses on how the shared experiences she enjoyed with an ex are now being re-lived by him with someone else.
This explains why, prior to performing Deja Vu, Rodrigo turned to Joel at the piano and said “I couldn’t have written this next song without you, so thank you”.
Inevitably - and at Rodrigo’s request - the pair immediately followed up by duetting on Uptown Girl.
If you’re a Joel fan (or even if you’re not, to be honest) it’s also worth noting that the Bob Moog Foundation is currently raffling off a vintage Minimoog Model D that bears his signature. It belonged to David Rosenthal, Joel’s musical director.
Tickets for the raffle are $25 each, or five for $100, 12 for $200, or 35 for $500. They can be purchased from the Bob Moog Foundation website until 31 August, or when 5,000 have been sold.
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