Billy Joel: Greatest Hits Volume III — A Retrospective Review

Billy Joel: Greatest Hits Volume III — 1985–1997

Year of Release: 1997

Record Label: Columbia

Genre: Adult Contemporary, Pop, Soft Rock

I’ll admit it freely now: I almost skipped this album.

When Billy Joel Greatest Hits: Volume III arrived in 1997, I was deep into my classical music phase, spending what little discretionary money I had on Marriner, Karajan, Solti, and the great orchestras rather than on pop records that, according to the critics, represented Joel’s “decline.” I’d heard the familiar refrain: after An Innocent Man, the quality dipped, the inspiration thinned, and the later albums were uneven at best. A local newspaper review sealed the deal, dismissing Volume III as a lukewarm farewell from a once-great songwriter. I remember thinking, Why waste the money? Better to buy the Amadeus soundtrack and call it a day.

And for a while, that’s exactly what I did.

But about a year later, armed with a $50 gift certificate and wandering the aisles of one of my favorite brick‑and‑mortar stores, I spotted the Limited Edition 4‑disc Billy Joel Greatest Hits Collection. My Volumes I & II discs were worn from years of heavy rotation, and the boxed set seemed like a practical upgrade: replace two discs with four, get a booklet, and enjoy the bargain. I tossed it into my basket without much thought.

At home, I made a deliberate choice. Instead of revisiting the familiar early hits, I went straight to Disc 3 — the much‑maligned Volume III. I already knew the first five tracks from An Innocent Man and The Bridge, but the remaining twelve were, at the time, terra incognita.

What happened next surprised me.

The Songs I Nearly Missed

I was blindsided — in the best possible way — by the emotional depth and craftsmanship of the material I’d been warned away from. “Leningrad,” in particular, hit me with a force I wasn’t prepared for. Joel’s parallel narrative of Viktor, the Russian clown born amid war, and Joel himself, raised in postwar American suburbia, is one of his most humane and quietly powerful compositions. The opening piano chords evoke a Russian military march, and the lyrics carry a sincerity that critics often overlook. The closing lines — “He made my daughter laugh / then we embraced…” — still catch in the throat. It’s a song about reconciliation, about the end of an era, and about the simple, stubborn humanity that survives politics.

Other tracks grabbed me immediately: the historical whirlwind of “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” the maritime lament of “The Downeaster Alexa,” and the gospel‑infused uplift of “The River of Dreams.” But three songs, then and now, stand out as personal favorites.

“And So It Goes” — The Quiet Heartbreak

Joel has always excelled at melancholy, but “And So It Goes” is one of his most distilled expressions of romantic resignation. The arrangement is spare — just Joel and his keyboard — and that simplicity gives the lyrics room to breathe. The line “So I would choose to be with you / that’s if the choice were mine to make…” remains one of his most poignant acknowledgments of love constrained by circumstance. It’s a song for anyone who has loved someone they knew they couldn’t keep.

“Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)” — A Father’s Promise

Originally conceived as a classical piece in the style of Grieg, “Lullabye” evolved into a tender message to his daughter Alexa during the unraveling of Joel’s marriage to Christie Brinkley. It shares the emotional restraint of “And So It Goes,” but its purpose is different: not farewell, but reassurance. The promise — “no matter where you go, no matter where you are” — is universal. It’s one of Joel’s most beautiful melodies, and part of me still wishes he had included the pure piano version on Fantasies & Delusions.

“To Make You Feel My Love” — Joel as Interpreter

Joel’s cover of Dylan’s “To Make You Feel My Love” is a revelation. He leans into Dylan’s rough‑edged vocal style without parody, finding a sincerity that suits the song perfectly. Joel is, quietly, a gifted mimic — capable of channeling Lennon, McCartney, or Dylan when he chooses — and here he uses that skill to inhabit the song rather than imitate it. I’ve listened to this track many times while thinking about past loves, and Joel’s delivery makes the sentiment feel lived‑in rather than borrowed.

A Collection Worth Owning

In the end, I didn’t just embrace Disc 3 — I bought the standalone Volume III as well. The boxed set remains the better bargain, but it’s not always easy to find, and Volume III holds up on its own merits. The boxed set is not the definitive Joel anthology; several favorites (“Honesty,” “Rosalinda’s Eyes,” “Blonde Over Blue,” “No Man’s Land”) are conspicuously absent. But it offers a surprisingly rich retrospective of Joel’s later career, one that rewards listeners willing to look beyond the familiar radio staples.

I nearly missed this music because I trusted a dismissive review. I’m glad I didn’t. Volume III may not be perfect, but it contains some of Joel’s most heartfelt, mature, and quietly resonant work — songs that deserve far better than the reputation they were given.

Track List

1             Keeping the Faith

2             An Innocent Man

3             A Matter of Trust

4             Baby Grand (Duet with Ray Charles)

5             This Is the Time

6             Leningrad

7             We Didn’t Start the Fire

8             I Go to Extremes

9             And So It Goes

10          The Downeaster ‘Alexa’

11          Shameless

12          All About Soul

13          Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)

14          The River of Dreams

15          To Make You Feel My Love

16          Hey Girl

17          Light as the Breeze