When Billy Joel released River of Dreams in 1993, he was still at the top of his game. For over a decade, every album he put out had either reached number one or landed in the top ten. River of Dreams followed suit, hitting the top of the charts. But instead of pushing forward like most artists, Joel made an unexpected decision—he walked away from recording new music altogether.
Despite his ongoing success, Joel felt he had said everything he wanted to say. Like The Beatles before him, he capped his studio career at 12 albums and stepped back from songwriting. Though he never stopped performing, he made it clear that he had no interest in making new records, often citing a loss of ambition and the stress of the creative process. “I love having written. I hate writing,” he once admitted.
That didn’t mean he stopped releasing music entirely. In 1997, he became the first artist to cover Bob Dylan’s To Make You Feel My Love—even before Dylan’s own version came out. That same year, he recorded Hey Girl, a classic written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. But when it came to original songs, Joel remained silent for another decade. In 2007, he released Christmas in Fallujah, a politically charged single performed by singer Cass Dillon, and All My Life, a love song dedicated to his then-wife. However, neither track made a major impact, and Joel once again retreated from the studio.
Despite not releasing an album in over 30 years, Joel remains one of the most successful live performers in the world, selling out arenas and stadiums with ease. So when he unexpectedly dropped a new song, Turn the Lights Back On, in 2024, fans hoped it might signal the start of something bigger. But Joel quickly shut down the speculation. When asked if a full album was on the way, he replied with a blunt, “Nope!” adding, “Who makes albums anymore anyway?”
Even Turn the Lights Back On almost didn’t happen. Joel had co-written the song with producer Freddy Wexler, but he had no intention of recording it himself. Instead, he suggested, “We should send it to Adele.” Joel later recalled being “hellbent and determined” not to sing it. However, Wexler had other plans—he convinced Joel to record the song himself.
The result? A deeply emotional ballad that feels like a natural continuation of Joel’s legacy. While it’s unclear if he’ll ever return to the studio again, fans can only hope it won’t be another 17 years before he turns the lights back on once more.
