Naturally one goes from Ice Cube’s You Know How We Do It to Billy Joel’s Just the Way You Are when drinking pints of Guinness at very fine drinking establishments. It’s got to be one of the first times in history (at least recorded) that somebody listened to those two songs back to back, no? #GuinnessChallengeSeason out here going for Guinness World Records.
That’s enough of that, Billy Joel actually told the Today Show back in ‘05 that this is his “cringe song. It was written about somebody who said, ‘I love you and that’s forever.’ It lasted about 10 years.”
Fellas, I know this might not be the stuff you want to read about but you may NEED to read about it. Imagine going 10 years strong with your lady, you come from work, decide to celebrate the decade-long struggle, and without thinking you put on a tune that Billy Joel finds cringe. Psshh… Couldn’t be me, no sir, my hypothetical wife and I will go with She’s Always a Woman, Uptown Girl, and maybe a bit of Vienna (if I don’t feel like traveling), who knows, depends on the mood she’s in hypothetically speaking, of course.
According to Joel, some critics of this song thought he was being misogynistic because he was telling a woman she wasn't "allowed" to change. He told SiriusXM in ‘16, "No, no, no. Don't go changing to try and please me. People forget these things. If they don't like what I do, they'll go, 'Oh yeah, he hates women. Look at this. Don't change, stay the way you are, the same old someone that he knew. Wow, he really doesn't like her.' Don't change for me. If you wanna change for yourself, fine. But you don't have to change for me because I'm happy exactly the way you are. That's why I love you in the first place." (SongFacts)
When he first wrote the song, he thought it was just decent and would only get played at weddings. In fact, he almost didn’t put it on his album, The Stranger. His producer, Phil Ramone, convinced him otherwise and the tune ended #3 on US Billboard’s Hot 100, #7 on Ireland’s, and #19 over in the UK.
This song was covered by the likes of Barry White and Frank Sinatra. Barry White’s cover version actually reached #12 in the UK, while Billy Joel got a real kick out of ‘Ol Blue Eyes singing this, "When we have a soundcheck we always send up my own material and we do 'Just The Way You Are' with this cheesy Las Vegas swing and make a whole joke of the thing and Sinatra did it exactly the same way. I screamed when I heard it! You sure this isn't me singing this, Frankie, or is it a joke or whaaat?" (SongFacts)
I’m just going to let the saxophone take this one away…
Ahhhh…poor Billy Joel. A real bummer it didn’t work out, but at least he won a Grammy for this - the 1979 Song of the Year. Not bad for just a wedding song.
**Goooood morning New York, you just listened to Billy Joel’s Just The Way You Are on 106.7 Lite FM, New York’s Best Music Variety. Here is your reminder that the holidays are just around the corner, Christmas music will be played 24/7 starting this Friday at 5 PM.**
Great tune, on to the pints of Guinness….
#GuinnessChallengeSeason
@Kids don’t try this at home. Not just because you’re underage and will have plenty of pints to drink if that ends up being your thing when you’re older but also because Guinness is actually best served in a pint glass from a tap. A pint of Guinness varies depending on the drinking establishment. If the keg it sits in is rarely poured, it can lead to some underwhelming taste. Rather than stealing gimmicks, I’d like to start taking Notes while drinking Guinness. My grandfather from Connemara, who I never got the chance to meet, Thomas Davis, used to drink pints and by all accounts was a self-taught thinker. The one rule I’ve imposed on myself is that I will only have 1 pint per sitting from each establishment I review, so @AnyoneWorrying, don’t worry about my drinking habits. The Guinness Challenge is to “cut the G” on your first sip (more like a gulp and a half). If this is your first time hearing about it, I didn’t come up with the fun challenge @YouTheReader can try the next time you have a Guinness. The 0.0 to 10.0 scale will be extraordinarily nuanced but as a reference point, the only perfect 10.0 I plan ever to give out is at the Guinness Factory in Dublin one day.
Song On In The Background: I Rage, I Melt by Click Click
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Does not look like the libraries I used to go to, they play music and serve alcohol here. Maybe I would’ve gone to the library more in college if they served Guinness. In their back area, they have Alice in Wonderland being played on a projector. Shelves on the walls are filled with books. I was just handed a mini plastic purple fish with my pint. It is a toy that comes with their buy-one-get-one-free they do during Happy Hour from 5 to 8 pm. Bar’s bar, no food. They have a Vince Carter slam magazine cover hanging up in the corner.
The Library Bar’s slogan is “Beer. Booze. B Movies. MEGASUS.” They lived up to it based on my experience. It’s a true dive bar where you might not get much reading done but at least they have got books. I still have the purple fish toy that comes with their buy-one-get-one-free so I’ll have to have another pint of Guinness a the Library again soon!
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Meagan is the bartender. Ass Juice is their specialty cocktail. It is sort of like jungle juice and sweet. They have a pool table in the back. Bacon-infused vodka also sticks out as a different drink they serve. I requested I get a look at the bottle and Meagan showed me so I can confirm there is in fact bacon in a clear vodka bottle. They have a Big Buck Hunter game. Double Down Saloon has a big back patio. Behind the bar, clothes pins are hanging up credit cards for the patron tabs along with $1 bills. The jukebox in the corner is playing tunes. Meagan is from Brooklyn originally. The Ass Juice is $4. Dive bar vibe.
Much like The Library, Double Down Saloon in New York City, is a true dive bar. If you puke, you have to clean it yourself, it’s their golden rule. Also, their Ass Juice turns into Ass Nog if you’re looking to get into the Christmas spirit. I look forward to having another pint of Guinness at Double Down Saloon again soon!
Song On In The Background: Just the Way You Are by Billy Joel
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: “My Goodness My Guinness” poster hanging up. It’s happy hour right after work so the bartender is busy. Located in the historic district of Tribeca. They have a very cool pint glass cleaner on the bar where when you press a button water shoots up from the old worn-out wooden bar top. A lot of networking going on around me, I’m sure many business cards are being exchanged. MLB Network is on TV. The Yankees stink right now. It’s time to start writing about football. Walkers has a good pint of Guinness, the water cleaner hits every wall in the bar if you press the button without a pint glass to wash.
This is Where I Leave You is one of Netflix’s top 10 most-watched movies this year and Walker’s Bar was the setting for one of their scenes. The bar originally opened all the way back in 1896, as they have a Saloon Liquor License on their storefront with dates from 1895-96. Walker’s kitchen is open every day from Noon to 10 PM, while the bar opens up at 11 AM on the weekends, and lastly, the bar stays open un 4 AM every night. The classy, old-school, corner bar rich with tradition has been a Tribeca staple for well over a century and continues to be so. The low-key neighborhood feel with American bar food and dark-wood dining room give it a nice old New York feel to it. I look forward to getting another pint of Guinness at Walker’s again soon!