Streetlife Serenade was Billy Joel's third album, and his second with Columbia Records.

Streetlife Serenade was released in 1974 (see 1974 in music), after the hit songs "Piano Man" and "Captain Jack" from the album Piano Man. While the album did not enjoy the financial success of its predecessor, it marked the beginning of Joel's frosty relationship with music critics and the music industry in general. In the song "The Entertainer", Joel mocks the callousness of executives who care little about a musician's artistry or even feelings:

"I am the entertainer, I've come to do my show/You've heard my latest record, it's been on the radio/It took me years to write it, they were the best years of my life/It was a beautiful song but it ran too long/If you're gonna have a hit you gotta make it fit/So they cut it down to 3:05"

Track listing

all songs by Billy Joel

1. "Streetlife Serenader" - 5:17
2. "Los Angelenos" - 3:41
3. "The Great Suburban Showdown" - 3:44
4. "Root Beer Rag" (instrumental) - 2:59
5. "Roberta" - 4:32
6. "The Entertainer" - 3:48
7. "Last of the Big Time Spenders" - 4:34
8. "Weekend Song" - 3:29
9. "Souvenir" - 2:00
10. "The Mexican Connection" (instrumental) - 3:37

Personnel

• Billy Joel - harmonica, keyboards, vocals, Moog synthesizer
• Richard Bennett - guitar
• Joe Clayton - conductor, conga
• Gary Dalton - guitar
• Mike Deasey - guitar
• Don Evans - guitar
• Wilton Felder - bass, keyboards
• Emory Gordy - bass
• Al Hertzberg - guitar
• Larry Knechtel - bass
  • Art Munson - guitar
• Raj Rathor - guitar
• William Smith - organ
• Michael Stewart - guitar
• Ron Tutt - drums
• Tom Whitehorse - banjo, pedal steel

Production

• Producer: Michael Stewart
• Engineer: Ron Malo
• Digital remastering: Ted Jensen
• Arrangers: Michael Stewart, Billy Joel
• Tape research: John Naatjes
• Art direction: Ron Coro
• Design: Ron Coro
• Photography: Peter Cunningham, Jim Marshall

Charts

Album

Singles