The Gospel According to Billy Joel

I enjoy listening to all kinds of music, but one of my all-time favorite musicians is Billy Joel. I’ve been fortunate enough to see him in concert twice—once even at Madison Square Garden. There’s a new documentary on HBO about his life and career, and one part that really stood out to me focused on the period around the release of his 1983 album An Innocent Man. That album holds a special place in my heart, as it includes some of my earliest memories of Joel’s music.

The documentary highlighted how An Innocent Man was met with sharp criticism from music pundits at the time. They dismissed it as derivative and unoriginal. Now, my instinct as a loyal fan of the Piano Man was to get defensive—“Speaking of original…that’s original—a music critic who knows nothing about music bashing a musician.” But the reality is that Joel intentionally crafted the album as an homage to the sounds of his youth. You can clearly hear the influence of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons in Uptown Girl, for instance.

In response to the critics, the documentary showed several legendary musicians—Paul McCartney, Sting, and others—talking about how all music comes from somewhere. Every song, every sound, is shaped by what came before. Nothing emerges from a vacuum. That idea made me think of the words from Ecclesiastes: “There is nothing new under the sun.”

That might sound discouraging at first, but I think it’s actually freeing. It reminds us that creativity and faithfulness aren’t about inventing something that’s never been done before—they’re about taking what we’ve been given and offering it in a new way. Whether we’re writing music, raising children, volunteering in our community, or serving in the church, we’re standing on the shoulders of those who came before us. And that’s something to celebrate.

So don’t worry about whether what you’re doing is “original” enough. Instead, ask: Is it faithful? Is it loving? Is it life-giving? If it is, then chances are, you’re making something beautiful—something that echoes God’s work in the world.

May God hold you,

Rev Chris Hester