"Big Shot" is a 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 ...

from his 1978 album '' 52nd Street'' as its opening track, released as a single in early 1979. The song would become the second hit single from the album, peaking at No. 14 in the United States.

Lyrics and music

The song is superficially about the protagonist mocking a woman with a severe

hangover A hangover is the experience of various unpleasant physiological and psychological effects usually following the consumption of alcohol (beverage), alcohol, such as wine, beer, and liquor. Hangovers can last for several hours or for more than ...

for her intoxicated escapades around town, making numerous social and verbal '' faux pas'' while high on alcohol and other drugs ("But now you just don't remember all the things you said / And you're not sure you want to know / I'll give you one hint, honey; you sure did put on a show!"). The song makes reference to late 1970s ''

nouveau riche ; ), new rich, or new money (in contrast to old money; ) is a social class of the rich whose wealth has been acquired within their own generation, rather than by familial inheritance. These people previously had belonged to a lower social cla ...

'' fads such as

Elaine's Elaine's was a bar and restaurant in New York City that existed from 1963 to 2011. It was frequented by many celebrities, especially actors and authors. It was established, owned by and named after Elaine Kaufman, who was indelibly associated wi ...

restaurant and

Halston Roy Halston Frowick (April 23, 1932 – March 26, 1990), known mononymously as Halston, was an American fashion designer, who rose to international fame in the 1970s. Halston's minimalist, clean designs, which were often made of cashmere or ...

. During a Q&A session at

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

in 1996, Joel stated the song is about someone he was very close to, and also about himself. In an interview in 2006, Joel said, "I read that the song 'Big Shot' is said to be about a date I had with

Bianca Jagger Bianca Jagger (born Blanca Pérez-Mora Macías; 2 May 1945)

. I never had a date with Bianca Jagger." But in an interview with

Howard Stern Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American broadcaster and media personality. He is best known for his radio show, ''The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from 1 ...

on November 16, 2010, Joel said the song was written after having dinner with

Mick Mick is a masculine given name or nickname, usually a hypocorism of Michael. Because of its popularity in Ireland, it is often used in the English-speaking world as an ethnic slur for Irish people. In Australia, the meaning also broadened to incl ...

and Bianca Jagger. Joel told Stern that while writing the lyrics to "Big Shot", he was thinking of Mick singing the song to Bianca. In the official music video, Joel does appear to be mimicking Mick Jagger during the second verse.

Reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' described "Big Shot" as "an upbeat rocker" with "very contemporary lyrical content", stating that it was driven by "powerfully rhythmic backing". ''

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 it is "tough-edged and sassy" with "a dramatic

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...

of guitars, piano, horns and drums", a "rich" lyric and "catchy" vocals. ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' said that "Joel's fine sense of sarcasm and his finesse as a story-teller are perfectly blended." Walter Everett characterized the song's live performances as "swaggering bravado", epitomized by Joel's stage presence through "stage-crossing, piano-hopping, chest-thumping performances".

Release

The single release of the song had an abridged outro compared to the album version. Live versions were released on the albums '' Kontsert'', '' 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert'', ''

12 Gardens Live ''12 Gardens Live'' is the fourth live album by American singer/songwriter Billy Joel, recorded during a former record run of 12 sold-out concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York City in early 2006. It was released on June 13, 2006. Althou ...

'', and '' My Lives.''

''Rock Band 3''

The song was made available to download on December 14, 2010, for use in the ''

Rock Band 3 ''Rock Band 3'' is a 2010 rhythm game developed by Harmonix. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, on October 26, 2010. Mad Catz took over both roles and re-released the title on Novembe ...

'' music gaming platform in both Basic rhythm, and PRO mode which allows the use of a real guitar/bass guitar, and MIDI-compatible electronic drum kits/keyboards in addition to vocals.

Charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 1978 songs 1979 singles Billy Joel songs Songs written by Billy Joel Song recordings produced by Phil Ramone Columbia Records singles