Billy Joel Explains the Sweet Inspiration Behind ‘Lullabye’

Billy Joel recently took part in an interview with 60 Minutes Australia where he touched on one of the tenderest tunes in his catalog: “Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)” from 1993’s River of Dreams.

Joel wrote the song for his daughter Alexa Ray Joel. The singer-songwriter explained, “Alexa, who’s my oldest and who’s now 34, was about seven years old. Her mom [Christie Brinkley] and I were going to be breaking up, and she knew that was going to happen. During that time, she asked me, ‘What happens when you die?'”

Joel continued, “Now, every child probably asks their parent this, because it’s a scary thing for children. The best way I could explain it to her was, ‘Well, you go into other people’s hearts.’ She seemed okay with that explanation, but I did it with the song. I thought it was a good way to impart that thought.”

When asked how Alexa sees that song today, Joel said, “That’s one of her favorite songs.”

Billy Joel: 7 Great MSG Residency Cameos

• Christie Brinkley

  Joel’s August 2014 residency show saw him dust off “Uptown Girl,” which, of course, is about his ex-wife Brinkley, but the audience blew up once they saw the supermodel on the jumbotron in attendance.

• Jimmy Fallon

  The Tonight Show host joined Joel at his 25 residency gig in January 2016, where he did his best Mick Jagger impersonation for a performance of “Start Me Up.”  It’s equal parts ridiculous and fun.

• Brian Johnson

  Considering Johnson’s somewhat recent retirement from the stage, this performance of “You Shook Me All Night Long” from Joel’s December 2014 residency show is all the more poignant.

• John Mellencamp

  Indiana’s favorite son made his second guest appearance during Joel’s residency at the March 2017 show.  This time around, Mellencamp and Joel dueted on “Authority Song” to a raucous crowd.

• Foreigner’s Lou Gramm and Mick Jones

  During Joel’s January 2018 MSG show, Gramm and Jones surprised the capacity crowd and performed two of their biggest hits, “Urgent” and “Cold As Ice.”

• Bruce Springsteen

  For Joel’s 100th show ever at MSG, The Boss joined The Piano Man on stage performed “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” and “Born To Run”

• John Fogerty

  John Fogerty joined Joel for two songs during his March 2019 MSG gig: Creedence Clearwater Revival classics “Up Around The Bend” and “Fortunate Son.”