Shades of Grey

 Billy Joel- Shades Of Grey

The first song I'm posting is sung by a man most people I hope have heard of from his hit songs Piano Man and River of Dreams. Billy Joel is an exceptional singer and musician who writes all of his songs, and the song I've chosen by him is called Shades of Grey from his album River of Dreams (1993). This song really spoke to me because of its truth. The song is essentially about how nothing in life is in black and white, and although he saw it that way when he was young, as he matured and became wiser, he began to understand that there are two sides to every story. While he used to see the enemy as simply his target, now “Shades of grey are all that I find when I look to the enemy line.”

 In our world, barely anything is absolute, yet people seem to see many issues that way. Compromise is something hard to find, and Billy Joel includes this by saying "the only people I fear are those who never have doubts. Save us all from arrogant men, and all the causes they're for." People without doubt are the ones who act without thought, or refuse to act out of ignorance and arrogance. I see this every day everywhere from school to the Government, and nothing seems to change.

The meaning behind the song is complemented, simply, by the masterful music itself. Billy Joel sings the verses in a way that sounds like a story, while he sings the chorus the way he sings most of his songs, though the chorus is followed by an interlude that sets this song apart from the rest of the album. All in all, Billy Joel succeeds again at creating a great song that not only sounds great, but relates strongly to my life.

Lyrics:

Some things were perfectly clear, seen with the vision of youth
No doubts and nothing to fear, I claimed the corner on truth
These days it's harder to say I know what I'm fighting for
My faith is falling away
I'm not that sure anymore

Shades of grey wherever I go
The more I find out the less that I know
Black and white is how it should be
But shades of grey are the colors I see

Once there were trenches and walls and one point of every view
Fight 'til the other man falls - kill him before he kills you
These days the edges are blurred, I'm old and tired of war
I hear the other man's words
I'm not that sure anymore

Shades of grey are all that I find
When I look to the enemy line
Black and white was so easy for me
But shades of grey are the colors I see

Now with the wisdom of years, I try to reason things out
And the only people I fear are those who never have doubts
Save us all from arrogant men, and all the causes they're for
I won't be righteous again
I'm not that sure anymore

Shades of grey are all that I find
When I look to the enemy line
Ain't no rainbows shining on me
Shades of grey are the colors I see

Shades of grey wherever I go
The more I find out the less that I know
Ain't no rainbows shining on me
Shades of grey are the colors I see

River of Dreams Album

Billy Joel (2006)