Which Billy Joel Album Actually Sold the Most? The Answer Might Surprise You
Billy Joel is one of the biggest-selling artists in music history, with a career packed with classic songs, multi-million-selling albums and unforgettable performances.
But which Billy Joel studio album actually sold the most?
You might immediately think of Piano Man, The Stranger or perhaps Glass Houses.
The answer — and the albums that make the rest of the Top 10 — might surprise you.
In our latest SoundJamm music history deep dive, we count down Billy Joel’s best-selling studio albums, looking at the records that turned the New York singer-songwriter into one of the defining artists of his generation.
Billy Joel: From Piano Man to Global Superstar
Billy Joel’s career stretches across decades, but his journey to becoming a worldwide superstar wasn't instant.
His breakthrough came with Piano Man, released in 1973.
The title track would eventually become his signature song, but even that famous album doesn't necessarily sit where you might expect when Billy Joel's records are ranked by overall sales.
Everything changed dramatically later in the decade.
The Stranger Changed Everything
Released in 1977, The Stranger became a major turning point in Billy Joel's career.
Working with legendary producer Phil Ramone, Joel created an album packed with songs that would become classics.
These included:
Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
Just the Way You Are
Only the Good Die Young
She's Always a Woman
Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
The success of The Stranger helped transform Billy Joel from a successful singer-songwriter into an international star.
But his commercial story didn't end there.
52nd Street and the Rise of Billy Joel
Billy Joel followed The Stranger with 52nd Street in 1978.
Instead of simply remaking his previous album, Joel kept developing his sound.
Songs like My Life, Big Shot , and Honesty helped make the album another enormous success.
By this point, Billy Joel had become one of the biggest names in American music.
Glass Houses Revealed a Different Billy Joel
The 1980 album Glass Houses showed another side of Billy Joel.
Rock music was changing.
Punk and new wave were becoming increasingly important, and Joel responded with an album featuring a harder, more aggressive sound.
You May Be Right became one of the album's defining songs, while It's Still Rock and Roll to Me became another major Billy Joel hit.
Commercially, Glass Houses became another important chapter in his incredible run of successful albums.
An Innocent Man Brought Billy Joel Back to His Roots
Billy Joel reinvented himself again with An Innocent Man in 1983.
This time, he looked backwards.
The album celebrated the doo-wop, soul and early rock 'n' roll music that had influenced Joel when he was growing up.
The result produced several hugely successful songs, including:
Uptown Girl
Tell Her About It
The Longest Time
An Innocent Man
Uptown Girl in particular introduced Billy Joel to another enormous audience and remains one of his most recognisable songs.
What About Piano Man?
For many casual listeners, Piano Man is almost synonymous with Billy Joel.
That's what makes a sales countdown so interesting.
An artist's most famous song doesn't necessarily come from their biggest-selling album.
Likewise, the albums critics and dedicated fans love most aren't always the records that achieved the greatest commercial success.
That's exactly what makes Billy Joel's catalogue fascinating to explore.
Billy Joel's Best-Selling Albums Ranked
Rather than ranking these albums according to personal opinion, SoundJamm looks at the commercial side of Billy Joel's career.
Where do albums such as Piano Man, Turnstiles, The Stranger, 52nd Street, Glass Houses, An Innocent Man, Storm Front and River of Dreams actually appear when sales are compared?
There are some genuine surprises.
And the difference between the albums fans consider Billy Joel's greatest and those that sold the most tells an interesting story about his career.
Watch the Full Billy Joel Top 10 on SoundJamm
Want to discover which album reaches Number One?
Watch Which Billy Joel Album Actually Sold the Most? (The Answer Might Surprise You) on the SoundJamm YouTube channel.
The full video counts down Billy Joel's biggest studio albums and explores the stories, songs and turning points behind them.
If you're interested in Billy Joel, classic rock, music history, legendary albums, iconic songs and the stories behind the music, explore more from SoundJamm.
SoundJamm — The Stories Behind the Music.
What Is Your Favourite Billy Joel Album?
Sales numbers tell us which records were commercially successful.
They don't tell us which album means the most to you.
So what's your favourite?
The Stranger? Glass Houses? Piano Man? 52nd Street? Turnstiles? An Innocent Man?
Or is there an underrated Billy Joel album you think deserves more attention?
Join the conversation and tell us your choice.
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