"An Innocent Man" is a 1983 song performed by
Billy Joel
William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...
released as the third single from
his album of the same name. The song, whose musical style is an homage to
Ben E. King and
the Drifters
The Drifters are an American pop and R&B/soul vocal group. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, formed in 1959 and ...
, reached No. 10 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, the third consecutive top 10 single from the album. It also spent one week at No. 1 on the ''Billboard''
adult contemporary chart
The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stati ...
.
[Hyatt, Wesley (1999). ''The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits'' (Billboard Publications)]
Joel was quoted in a 1997 interview describing the high notes he sang during the song: "I had a suspicion that was going to be the last time I was going to be able to hit those notes, so why not go out in a blaze of glory? That was the end of Billy's high note."
Reception
''
Cash Box
''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
'' said that "sounding soulful with a suburban lilt, Joel takes a cue from the
Righteous Bros. in a performance that recalls Joel’s previous '
Until the Night.'"
Walter Everett described the song's lyrics as "one of Joel's deepest".
Chart positions
Certifications
See also
*
List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1984 (U.S.)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Innocent Man, An
1983 singles
Billy Joel songs
Songs written by Billy Joel
Song recordings produced by Phil Ramone
Columbia Records singles
1983 songs