PRNewsFoto/Colorado College/Myrna SuarezAside from mentioning the state in a song lyric, Billy Joel doesn’t really have any connection to Colorado, but that’s not stopping one of the state’s institutions of higher learning from hosting a symposium on the Piano Man.
On October 7 and 8, Colorado College will host It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me: The Music and Lyrics of Billy Joel, which is billed as “the first-ever scholarly symposium” on Joel’s music. The goal is to “shed light on Joel’s songs and why they’re so meaningful for so many people,” according to the college.
Billy is all for the event, since he’ll be participating in a live phone interview during the symposium that’s been dubbed “Take the Phone Off the Hook,” a lyric from his song “Vienna.” In addition, there will be 30 presentations from scholars in music theory, history, comparative lit and musicology, among other fields.
The symposium is being organized by Colorado College’s Assistant Professor of Music, Ryan Bañagale, who says in a statement, “Billy Joel’s career has spanned more than five decades, yet by comparison to musicians such as Bruce Springsteen, virtually no scholarly attention has been given to Joel’s music.” But, the professor adds, “Ultimately, this is about more than just Billy Joel. It’s about the ways that we view the past and the present, as well as ourselves, through the music we love.”
Attendance at the symposium is limited to 450, and it costs just 20 bucks. Registration opens September 1 to the general public. Visit ColoradoCollege.edu for more information.
By the way, Joel name-checked Colorado in “The Ballad of Billy the Kid,” when he sang, “Well, it started with a bank in Colorado.”
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