and Words
It′s nine o’clock on a Saturday
The regular crowd shuffles in
There′s an old man sittin’ next to me
Makin’ love to his tonic and gin
He says, “Son can you play me a memory?
I′m not really sure how it goes
But it′s sad and it’s sweet and I knew it complete
When I wore a younger man′s clothes”
Lyric excerpts from Musixmatch.
I don’t remember precisely when I first discovered this Billy Joel song, ‘Piano Man’. I moved from Puerto Rico to Florida in 1978; at that time, I spoke Cantonese and Spanish. Billy Joel released this single and album in 1973 before I started listening to music in English. Gradually over the ensuing years, I integrated more with American culture and listened to the radio. Billy Joel, a talented singer and songwriter, released many songs during that time. He became an integral part of my American experience.
During college, I picked up The Essential Billy Joel collection. They filled those discs with many songs I recognized; with great anticipation, I happily bought that collection. I may have zipped directly to the songs I knew the first few times. I’m embarrassed to admit that ‘Piano Man’ was not among the songs I recognized, and I thus delayed listening to it.
Once I finally really listened to it, I understood why it’s his trademark song. Both the words and music captivated me. In many ways, this song is the spiritual extension (or perhaps foundation) for this blog. The song tells the tale of a typical evening as he played the piano. It fills you with happiness, sadness, and longing but mostly nostalgia. As the years passed, I could only imagine what this spectacle might look like. The picture I see mentally of this occasion (or perhaps even celebration) persists since that day. It intrigues me.
There’s a local steakhouse called Daniel’s Broiler; they are a series of locations in the Seattle area, though we mostly visit the location in Bellevue. They serve exceptional food in an upscale environment. Daniel’s is a great choice if you’re planning a dinner with friends or an occasion, though you’ll want to make reservations. However, we normally take the elevator to the 21st floor and take an immediate right from the hosting station. This leads us to the bar area where there’s open seating.
The view from the 21st floor is majestic as it looks over the skyline. If you time it well, you can observe as the sun sets over the city. Past that, the dim lights of the dining room will give you just enough brightness to read the menus, but not much more. They configured most tables in the bar area for couples, accommodating 3-4 people when necessary. The ambiance screams “date night”, and that’s precisely what it becomes.
The bar stretches across the length of the dining room and curves towards the end. A set of shelves behind the bar line the back with arrays of bottles, some stored too tall for most humans to reach. Ladders roll along sections of those shelves to aid the bartenders reach the seldom-ordered items on the higher shelves. A balcony extends from the center of the bar area; occasionally, they outfit this area with patio seating. We found it a bit cold and windy.
Past the main bar area through a pair of glass doors lies a cozy dining room called the Prime 21 Lounge. Windows line the far wall, but this room is otherwise devoid of sunlight. In theory, it’s outfitted more for drinking whiskey, though neither of us partake in it. They outfit most of this dining room with lounge booths and shorter tables. A handful of stools line the actual bar. Two tables sit immediately before a cozy fireplace, our favorite tables in the entire restaurant.
A grand piano sits in the center of the main bar area. From casual observation, a protective glass covers the top of that piano cut to shape, though it’s subtle. A musician sits at that piano most evenings. You may sit at the piano while he plays, I think I’ve seen patrons enjoying their drinks while he plays tunes. The set consisted mostly of 1980s music with a sprinkling of tunes from just before or after.
Our first experience with their live music occurred while we enjoyed an intimate dinner at the bar. The ambient noise was about the volume where we may still lean into each other and speak normally, but once the music started, we could barely hear each other. We could barely even think. While I appreciate how this live music is distinctive and unique to this location, it ruined the mood on this particular evening.
To my knowledge, I have neither an exceptional ear nor musical talent. The extent of my music performance spanned one year in middle school in percussion. While my memory is ‘normal’ to me, I recall more details than others. Therefore, people allege that I have an exceptional memory As I listen to music, I commit the version that gets airplay to memory; this is typically the same recording as the studio album. Any deviation from the version in memory sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard.
While Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” is among my favorite songs, watching the official video, a concert clip, is an auditory irritant. This is likely the reason I often find live performances disappointing.
One evening, we listened to this musician play ‘Piano Man’ again, also among her favorite Billy Joel songs. Patrons in the bar also started to sing the familiar words. I turned my head and asked her in a muted voice, “Does he sound like he’s rushing through playing the music?” Her eyes widened in a moment of quiet recognition and acknowledgment. That was it; this is why the song sounded ‘off’. ‘Piano Man’ is not just about playing the music and singing the words. Its charm lies in the telling of the story. Part of that magic lies in the cadence of the notes, and the inflection of the words.
Once we came to this realization the performance sounded almost like playing a record on 45 RPM instead of 33 RPM. Tragically, once we heard the performance this way, we couldn’t not hear it. Every song on this set now sadly sounds like a child rushing through a task because they need to pee. That said, I hope this doesn’t spoil the experience for anyone who reads this passage. I hope the alacrity of his fingers does not mar that music for you.
Daniel’s Broiler remains one of our favorite restaurants. We’ll try to time our visit to finish most of our meal before the music starts. Alternatively, we’ll slip into the cozier Prime 21 Lounge in the back, where the volume of the piano music is considerably lower. Occasionally, they may even close the glass doors separating the rooms.
Truthfully, it could be all in my head. This may all exist in my imagination. The patrons who sit at the bar and listen attentively genuinely enjoy it. While I do not intend to offend anyone, I’ll continue to dodge it for a bit longer.