45 Years Ago Today Billy Joel Released '52nd Street'

Released on this day in 1978, '52nd Street' is the sixth studio album from Billy Joel. It was the first of four of Joel's albums to top the Billboard charts, and it earned him two Grammys. Featuring the singles: "My Life", "Big Shot", and "Honesty" as well as deeper cuts like "Stiletto" and my all-time fave "Zanzibar," the album won the 1979 Grammy for Album of the Year. The album title refers to Joel's record label, which was headquartered on 52nd Street (in the CBS Building) at the time of the album's release. The studio where the recording took place was also on 52nd Street. 52nd Street also holds the title of first album commercially released on compact disc, reaching store shelves on October 1, 1982, in Japan. The album has gone on to sell over 8 million copies worldwide.

In honor of the anniversary, check out a few of the album's classic videos.


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