"Sometimes a Fantasy" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter

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 ...

, taken from his seventh studio album, '' Glass Houses'' (1980). Released by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

in October 1980, the single peaked at No. 36 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song is a "melodic, fast paced rocker" and starts with Joel dialing a number on a telephone (which he is depicted doing on the single cover). The lyrics are about a sexually frustrated man who tries to convince his significant other to have

phone sex Phone sex is a conversation between two or more people by means of the telephone which is sexually explicit and is intended to provoke sexual arousal in one or more participants. As a practice between individuals temporarily separated, it is as ...

. He explains that he is lonely since they are far away from each other (which is implied by the fact that his phone call is "long distance").

Music video

The video starts with Joel in bed, dialing a woman's number. She then picks up the phone and the music starts playing. While on the phone, Joel sings the song's lyrics to her throughout the video. Then, in the end, it turns out the entire call was just a fantasy, and no one picked up.

Other versions

The single version of "Sometimes a Fantasy" released in the United States and Canada has a running time of 4:19, making it longer than the album version, which runs at 3:40. The 45 RPM single also uses a different mix with guitars panned in different locations. The album's version ends with a fade out, while the single version does not, and instead includes Joel letting loose a

Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

' honoring yowl of "I got blisters on my blisters!", a reference to

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...

's outburst, "I got blisters on my fingers" at the end of " Helter Skelter". The extended version of the song was available as a US 7" vinyl, a Canadian 7" vinyl, a US promo 7" vinyl, a US DJ-promo 12" vinyl and (at 4:22) as the Japanese B-side of " All for Leyna" (available as a 7" and a 7" promo). The single was released in other countries as a 3:39 version, namely in Australia, the Netherlands and the UK (7" promo). The longer single version was not available on any of Joel's compilation albums or reissues until the 2022 digital-only release '' 50 Years of the Piano Man''. The official music video for this single uses an alternate vocal track, different from the album and single releases. A version of the song is included on Joel's 1987 live album, '' Kontsert''.

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 ...

'' said that it "starts with a telephone ring and a

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western musi ...

vocal before its transition into a melodic, fast-paced rocker." ''

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 ...

'' called it a "pulsating rocker for AOR-pop."

Personnel

– vocals, Yamaha

electric grand piano The electric grand piano is a stringed musical instrument played using a keyboard, in which the vibration of strings struck by hammers is converted by pickups into electrical signals, analogous to the electric guitar's electrification of the tra ...

, synthesizers * Richie Cannata – organ * Dave Brown – electric guitar *

Russell Javors Russell Javors (born June 13, 1952) is an American rock guitarist. He is best known as a rhythm guitarist for Billy Joel from 1976 to 1989. Career At age 15, Javors was performing songs with his childhood friend Liberty DeVitto. He met Doug Stegm ...

– electric guitar *

Doug Stegmeyer Douglas Alan Stegmeyer (December 23, 1951 – August 25, 1995) was an American musician who was best known as a bassist and back-up vocalist for Billy Joel. Stegmeyer also performed as bassist for Debbie Gibson and Hall & Oates. Life and car ...

– bass *

Liberty DeVitto Liberatori "Liberty" DeVitto (born August 8, 1950) is an American rock drummer. He is best known for his work as a drummer for singer-songwriter Billy Joel's recording and touring band. He has been a session drummer on recordings of other artists ...

– drums, percussion

Chart history

References

{{Authority control 1980 songs 1980 singles Billy Joel songs Columbia Records singles Songs about telephone calls Song recordings produced by Phil Ramone Songs written by Billy Joel American new wave songs American synth-pop songs American punk rock songs American hard rock songs