About the Song
My Life is one of Billy Joel’s signature tracks, featured on his 1978 album 52nd Street. Released as a single in the fall of that year, the song quickly rose to the top, reaching No. 2 on the U.S. adult contemporary chart and peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song, which is about asserting one’s independence and forging one’s own path, became iconic not only as a pop hit but also as the theme for the 1980 sitcom Bosom Buddies — though, due to licensing issues, a soundalike version was used for the show instead of Joel’s original.
The sitcom starred Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari as two men who, after their apartment burns down, take refuge in a women-only hotel by dressing in drag. Despite the show’s quirky premise, the theme song My Life captured the spirit of the 1980s with its sense of freedom and self-determination.
Interestingly, a bit of trivia tied to the song suggests that the verse “closed the shop, sold the house, bought a ticket to the west coast; now he gives them a stand-up routine in LA” might refer to comedian Richard Lewis, a New York native, known for his sharp humor.
My Life marked Billy Joel’s seventh Billboard Top 40 hit, cementing his place in pop music history. Joel’s relationship with fellow piano-playing rock legend Elton John is often compared, with Elton’s Your Song (1970) predating Joel’s Piano Man (1974) on the Top 40 charts.
Behind the scenes, My Life wasn’t without its drama. Producer Phil Ramone, who had worked with Joel on The Stranger and continued their collaboration on 52nd Street, had a rare conflict with drummer Liberty DeVitto during the recording process. Ramone wanted a very straightforward beat for the track, but DeVitto initially resisted, claiming it was “disco bulls–t.” Despite the tension, the final version of My Life became a gold record and remains one of Joel’s most enduring anthems.
Lyrics
Got a call from an old friend we’d used to be real close
Said he couldn’t go on the American way
Closed the shop, sold the house, bought a ticket to the west coast
Now he gives them a stand-up routine in L.A.
I don’t need you to worry for me ’cause I’m alright
I don’t want you to tell me it’s time to come home
I don’t care what you say anymore this is my life
Go ahead with your own life leave me alone
I never said you had to offer me a second chance
I never said I was a victim of circumstance
I still belong
Don’t get me wrong
And you can speak your mind
But not on my time
They will tell you you can’t sleep alone in a strange place
Then they’ll tell you can’t sleep with somebody else
Ah but sooner or later you sleep in your own space
Either way it’s O.K. you wake up with yourself
I don’t need you to worry for me ’cause I’m alright
I don’t want you to tell me it’s time to come home
I don’t care what you say anymore this is my life
Go ahead with your own life leave me alone
I never said you had to offer me a second chance
I never said I was a victim of circumstance
I still belong
Don’t get me wrong
And you can speak your mind
But not on my time
I don’t care what you say anymore this is my life
Go ahead with your own life leave me aloneAdvertisement
