Honesty by Billy Joel
52nd St. Album
Genre: Rock
If you search for tenderness it isn’t hard to find. You can have the love you need to live. But if you look for truthfulness You might just as well be blind. It always seems to be so hard to give. Honesty is such a lonely word. Everyone is so untrue. Honesty is hardly ever heard. And mostly what I need from you. I can always find someone to say they sympathize. If I wear my heart out on my sleeve. But I don’t want some pretty face to tell me pretty lies. All I want is someone to believe. Honesty is such a lonely word. Everyone is so untrue. Honesty is hardly ever heard. And mostly what I need from you. I can find a lover. I can find a friend. I can have security until the bitter end. Anyone can comfort me with promises again. I know, I know. When I’m deep inside of me don’t be too concerned. I won’t as for nothin’ while I’m gone. But when I want sincerity tell me where else can I turn. Because you’re the one I depend upon. Honesty is such a lonely word. Everyone is so untrue. Honesty is hardly ever heard. And mostly what I need from you.
“Honesty” is a song by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel. Columbia Records released the song as the third single from his sixth studio album 52nd Street (1978) in 1979. “Honesty” was solely written by Joel, while production was handled by Phil Ramone. The song was not included on any of Joel’s US-released compilation packages; however, it appears on the Dutch and Japanese editions of Greatest Hits Volume 2, replacing “Don’t Ask Me Why” (1980). “Honesty” is a piano ballad that talks about the inherent lack of shame. The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who generally praised its lyrics and piano instrumentation. It also received comparisons to other songs by Joel. “Honesty” peaked at number twenty-four on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the album’s third consecutive top forty hit. It was certified gold by Recording Industry Association of Japan for ringtone download sales of over 100,000 units. Joel performed the song live several times with Elton John and later with Bryan Adams. “Honesty” has been covered and sampled by various artists, most notably by American R&B recording artist, Beyoncé Knowles. Contents 1 Background and composition 2 Reception 3 Live performances 4 Credits and personnel 5 Track listing 6 Charts and certifications 6.1 Weekly charts 6.2 Certifications 7 Cover versions 8 Beyoncé Knowles version 8.1 Charts 8.1.1 Weekly charts 8.1.2 Year-end charts 9 References 10 External links Background and composition[edit] “Honesty” was solely written by Billy Joel while production was handled by Phil Ramone.[1] It is the second song from his sixth studio album 52nd Street (1978).[1] The song was also included on South Korean and Japanese edition of Joel’s 1985 compilation Greatest Hits Volume 2 as one of the bonus tracks.[2] The song wasn’t included on any of Joel’s US released compilation packages; however, it appears on the Dutch edition as well as the aforementioned Japanese edition of Greatest Hits Volume 2, instead of “Don’t Ask Me Why” (1980).[2] David Spinozza plays the acoustic guitar in the song, Liberty DeVitto plays the drums and Robert Freedman the horn and string orchestration.[1] “Honesty” is a piano ballad with synthesizer embellishments.[3] It opens with “sad and tender” piano chords.[3] According to Ken Bielen in his book The Words and Music of Billy Joel, Liberty DeVitto’s drums and cymbal crashes, remind listeners that “the track is a predecessor of the power ballads of the 1980s and 1990s”.[3] It talks about the inherent lack of honesty even in the closest of relationships. In the song Joel sings the lines “Honesty is such a lonely word”.[4][5] Joel further sings about wearing his heart on his sleeve in “Honesty”.[6] According to Chuck Klosterman of The New York Times, “[the song] implies that the only way you can tell that someone really cares about you is if they tell you you’re bad.”[7] “Leningrad” (1989), a song from Joel’s eleventh studio album Storm Front, has been compared to “Honesty”.[8] According to the sheet music published on the website Musicnotes.com by Faber Music, “Honesty” is a pop rock and classical rock song written in the key of B♭ major.[9] The song is set in common time and performed in a slow tempo of 80 beats per minute.[9] Joel’s vocals range from the note of Bb3 to A4.[9] Reception While reviewing 52nd Street Stephen Thomas Erlewine of the website Allmusic noted that “Honesty” was one of Joel’s best songs.[10] Timothy White of Billboard magazine called the song a pensive pop hit.[11] A writer of Rolling Stone felt that “The sweet music of ‘Honesty’ is sabotaged by trite lyrics”.[12] The Phoenix’s Michael Lawson noted that the song was “well suited for middle-of-the-road tastes”.[13] According to Ken Bielen, “'Honesty’ is a plea for truth, not only in romantic relationships but also from the politicians who affect our lives.”[3] Adam Graham of MTV News described the song as a “big ballad”.[14] The song was nominated in the category for Song of the Year at the 22nd Grammy Awards held on February 27, 1980.[15] “Honesty” peaked at number sixteen on the Canadian Singles Chart.[16] On July 28, 1979 the song debuted at number thirty one on the Dutch Top 40 which later become its peak position.[17] The next week, the song fell seven positions placing at number thirty eight.[17] However on August 11, 1979, “Honesty” charted at number thirty five before falling out of the chart the next week.[17] In New Zealand, “Honesty” debuted at number forty seven, on June 10, 1979 and later peaked at number thirty eight. After its peak position, the song fell out of the chart.[18] On the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US, the song peaked at number twenty four.[19][20] In May 2009, Joel’s version was certified gold by Recording Industry Association of Japan for ringtone download sales of over 100,000 units.[21] Live performances Joel performed the song with Elton John at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey in July 1994. First, they sang “Your Song” (1970) by John and after that they performed “Honesty” while playing on the piano.[22] “Honesty” was also performed by John and Joel on March 29, 1995 in SkyDome, Toronto.[23] The same routine was performed in May 1998 in Dublin.[24] On July 31, 2006, Joel performed the song at a free concert, at the Colosseum, Rome, Italy.[25][26] Credits and personnel Credits for “Honesty” are taken from 52nd Street liner notes.[1] Billy Joel - writing, vocals, piano Phil Ramone - producing David Spinozza - acoustic guitar Robert Freedman - horn and string orchestration
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Even by the standards of arms deals between the United States and Saudi Arabia, this one was enormous. A consortium of American defense contractors led by Boeing would deliver $29 billion worth of advanced fighter jets to the United States' oil-rich ally in the Middle East. Israeli officials were agitated, reportedly complaining to the Obama administration that this substantial enhancement to Saudi air power risked disrupting the region's fragile balance of power. The deal appeared to collide with the State Department’s documented concerns about the repressive policies of the Saudi royal family. But now, in late 2011, Hillary Clinton’s State Department was formally clearing the sale, asserting that it was in the national interest. At a press conference in Washington to announce the department’s approval, an assistant secretary of state, Andrew Shapiro, declared that the deal had been “a top priority” for Clinton personally. Shapiro, a longtime aide to Clinton since her Senate days, added that the “U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army have excellent relationships in Saudi Arabia.” These were not the only relationships bridging leaders of the two nations. In the years before Hillary Clinton became secretary of state, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia contributed at least $10 million to the Clinton Foundation, the philanthropic enterprise she has overseen with her husband, former president Bill Clinton. Just two months before the deal was finalized, Boeing -- the defense contractor that manufactures one of the fighter jets the Saudis were especially keen to acquire, the F-15 -- contributed $900,000 to the Clinton Foundation, according to a company press release. The Saudi deal was one of dozens of arms sales approved by Hillary Clinton’s State Department that placed weapons in the hands of governments that had also donated money to the Clinton family philanthropic empire, an International Business Times investigation has found. Read More
