For Billy Joel, inspiration for his music often came from unlikely places — a restaurant slogan, a passing thought, a half-finished lyric. But when it came to creating what he calls his favourite song in his entire catalog, Joel looked to The Beatles for guidance.
That song was “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” the sprawling, multi-part classic from The Stranger (1977).
A Bottle of Red, a Bottle of White
The story begins in a New York City restaurant across from Carnegie Hall, where Joel was struck by the waiter’s casual line:
“Bottle of white, bottle of red, perhaps a bottle of rosé instead?”
Joel instantly heard a melody in the words. Soon, he began piecing together fragments of other unfinished lyrics — “Things are okay with me these days” among them — and realized he had the beginnings of something much bigger.
The Beatles’ Abbey Road Medley Connection
While the lyrics were coming together, Joel was still searching for a musical structure to hold it all. That’s when he turned to his greatest inspiration: The Beatles.
Speaking to USA Today, Joel recalled how the Fab Four built the iconic B-side medley on Abbey Road:
“They didn’t have completely finished songs or wholly fleshed-out ideas, and George [Martin] said, ‘What have you got?’ John said, ‘Well I got this,’ and Paul said, ‘I got that.’ They all sat around and went, ‘Hmm, we can put this together and that’ll fit in there.’ And that’s pretty much what I did.”
Joel applied the same method — stitching together his song fragments into a seamless narrative suite, much like the Beatles had done with “You Never Give Me Your Money” through “The End.”
Scenes from the Restaurant
The result was “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” a musical journey that shifts between soft balladry, jazzy interludes, and driving rock. Each transition is like moving from table to table in a bustling trattoria — different stories, same setting.
For Joel, the song captured life’s bittersweet turns: youthful dreams, love found and lost, and the comfort of looking back years later with a glass of wine in hand.
Billy Joel’s Favourite Song
Despite writing a string of timeless hits — from “Piano Man” to “Uptown Girl” — Joel has repeatedly said that “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” stands above the rest.
“That’s my favourite of all my songs,” he admitted, calling it the one that best encapsulates him as an artist.
And fittingly, the piece owes part of its brilliance to the band that inspired countless musicians of his generation — The Beatles.
Conclusion
Scenes from an Italian Restaurant may be pure Billy Joel, but its DNA carries the influence of the Abbey Road medley. Just as The Beatles stitched together fragments into something timeless, Joel did the same — creating not just his favourite song, but one of the most beloved moments in his career.
