"Root Beer Rag" is a composition from

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the " Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo artist since th ...

's 1974 album ''

Streetlife Serenade ''Streetlife Serenade'' is the third studio album by American recording artist Billy Joel, released on October 11, 1974 by Columbia Records. The album peaked at No. 35 on the US album charts, eventually selling more than one million copies. Jo ...

''. An instrumental track in a very fast

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...

style, it was later released as the B-side of several singles from Joel's ''

52nd Street 52nd Street is a -long one-way street traveling west to east across Midtown Manhattan, New York City. A short section of it was known as the city's center of jazz performance from the 1930s to the 1950s. Jazz center Following the repeal of P ...

'' album, including " Big Shot" in the US, "

Until the Night "Until the Night" is a song written by Billy Joel for his 1978 album, ''52nd Street''. Although passed over for single release in the US, "Until the Night" was issued as the second single from ''52nd Street'' in the UK - following "My Life" - in ...

" in the UK, and "

Honesty Honesty or truthfulness is a facet of moral character that connotes positive and virtuous attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, straightforwardness, including straightforwardness of conduct, along with the absence of lying, cheating, thef ...

" in Japan and some European countries. A live version was included with the DVD that was part of the 30th anniversary re-release of '' The Stranger''. The piece is in

C major C major (or the key of C) is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor a ...

(though the recording is sped up a microtone) and is one of three studio instrumentals that Joel has released. Joel has played the piece in concert frequently over the years, stating that he uses it as "a kind of instrumental palate cleanser." He further stated that it requires his "full attention as the notes spill out."

Background

Author Ken Bielen describes "Root Beer Rag" as a fast

piano work. Joel biographer Hank Bordowitz describes the composition as "homebrewed ragtime". Music critic

Mark Bego Mark Joseph Bego (born 23 September 1952, in Pontiac, Michigan) is an author known for his biographies focusing on the rock & roll and show business genres. Bego has written a total of 59 books, two of which have gone on to become New York Times ...

describes it as Joel "doing his best

Scott Joplin Scott Joplin ( 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Because of the fame achieved for his ragtime compositions, he was dubbed the "King of Ragtime." During his career, he wrote over 40 original ragtime pieces, one r ...

impersonation" and "his one recorded ragtime number." In response to an audience question about the song's origin during one of Joel's musical lectures, he gave the following explanation:

I got my first
Moog Synthesizer The Moog synthesizer is a modular synthesizer developed by the American engineer Robert Moog. Moog debuted it in 1964, and Moog's company R. A. Moog Co. (later known as Moog Music) produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 2014 ...
. This was in the mid 70s and I got my first Moog and I put it on every record. I said 'I have to write an instrumental where I can use this Moog Synthesizer. It kinda turned me off the synthesizers forever after. That's why I wrote that song. Just purely out of stupid self-indulgence.

However, Joel did feature synthesizers on subsequent albums, including ''

Turnstiles A turnstile (also called a turnpike, gateline, baffle gate, automated gate, turn gate in some regions) is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. A turnstile can be configured to enforce one-way human traffic. In addition, a t ...

'' (1976), '' The Stranger'' (1977) - as credited in the liner notes and there is a

Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. ...

on "

She's Always a Woman "She's Always a Woman" is a song by Billy Joel from his 1977 album, '' The Stranger''. It is a love song about a modern woman whom the singer has fallen totally in love with to the extent of falling for her endearing quirks as well as her flaws. ...

" - '' Glass Houses'' (1980), ''

The Nylon Curtain ''The Nylon Curtain'' is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on September 23, 1982, and produced by Phil Ramone. ''The Nylon Curtain'' peaked at on the ''Billboard'' albums chart, with two million sales ...

'' (1982), '' The Bridge'' (1986), '' Storm Front'' (1989) and '' River of Dreams'' (1993). Other instruments include a

pedal steel guitar The pedal steel guitar is a console-type of steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings to enable playing more varied and complex music than any previous steel guitar design. Like all steel guitars, it can ...

and drums, the latter of which are played with

drum brush A percussion mallet or beater is an object used to strike or beat a percussion instrument in order to produce its sound. The term beater is slightly more general. A mallet is normally held in the hand while a beater may be foot or mechanically ...

es. A figure used in the beginning and then throughout the song is similar to one that Joel would use the introductions of later songs, including " Prelude/Angry Young Man."

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

critic

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, oc ...

called the tune "admittedly enjoyable" and suggests that it was influenced by the movie ''

The Sting ''The Sting'' is a 1973 American caper film set in September 1936, involving a complicated plot by two professional grifters (Paul Newman and Robert Redford) to con a mob boss ( Robert Shaw).'' Variety'' film review; December 12, 1973, pag ...

'' and that movie's

-based soundtrack. Bego praises Joel's "stellar" piano work noting "lightning fast keyboard work." However, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'' critic

Stephen Holden Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic. Biography Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...

describes it as "nothing more than filler."

References

{{Authority control 1974 songs 1970s instrumentals Billy Joel songs Rags Rock instrumentals Song recordings produced by Michael Stewart (musician) Songs written by Billy Joel