The Essential Billy Joel

The Essential Billy Joel
Greatest hits album by Billy Joel
Released	October 2, 2001
Recorded	1973 - 2001
Genre	Rock
Length	154:43
Label	Sony BMG
Billy Joel chronology
Fantasies & Delusions (2001) The Essential Billy Joel (2001) Piano Man: The Very Best of Billy Joel (2005)
International Edition
International/European cover
The Essential 3.0
The Essential 3.0 re-release cover

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic

The Essential Billy Joel is a Sony music compilation of songs by American singer/songwriter Billy Joel. It was released on October 2, 2001, and has been certified Double Platinum by the RIAA. In conjunction with the release of the album, The Essential Video Collection was released, comprising Joel's most popular music videos.

On August 26, 2008, The Essential 3.0 was released containing a third disc with seven additional tracks.

Track listing

All songs written by Billy Joel.

Disc 1

1. "Piano Man" – 5:36
2. "You're My Home" – 3:11
3. "Captain Jack" – 7:16
4. "The Entertainer" – 3:39
5. "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" – 4:36
6. "Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)" – 5:12
7. "New York State of Mind" – 6:02
8. "She's Always a Woman" – 3:19
9. "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" – 3:27
10. "Only the Good Die Young" – 3:53
11. "Just the Way You Are" – 4:48
12. "Honesty" – 3:51
13. "My Life" – 4:42
14. "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" – 2:57
15. "You May Be Right" – 4:11
16. "Don't Ask Me Why" – 2:57
17. "She's Got a Way" (Live) – 2:59
18. "Allentown" – 3:50

Disc 2

1. "Goodnight Saigon" – 7:02
2. "An Innocent Man" – 5:18
3. "Uptown Girl" – 3:14
4. "The Longest Time" – 3:36
5. "Tell Her About It" – 3:49
6. "Leave a Tender Moment Alone" – 3:51
7. "A Matter of Trust" – 4:08
8. "Baby Grand" – 4:03
9. "I Go to Extremes" – 4:20
10. "We Didn't Start the Fire" – 4:48
11. "Leningrad" – 4:03
12. "The Downeaster "Alexa"" – 3:42
13. "And So It Goes" – 3:36
14. "The River of Dreams" – 4:06
15. "All About Soul" – 5:57
16. "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)" – 3:30
17. "Waltz no. 1 (Nunley's Carousel)" – 6:52
18. "Invention in C minor" – 0:59

Disc 3

1. "Worse Comes to Worst" – 3:13
2. "Prelude/Angry Young Man" – 5:16
3. "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" – 7:34
4. "Big Shot" – 4:02
5. "All for Leyna" – 4:12
6. "Pressure" – 4:39
7. "This Is the Time" – 4:59

Chart performance

Chart (2001)	Peak position
The Billboard 200	29
Chart (2008)	Peak position
New Zealand	14
Australia	50

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)	Platinum	70,000^
New Zealand (RIANZ)	Platinum	15,000^
United States (RIAA)	2× Platinum	1,000,000^
^shipments figures based on certification alone xunspecified figures based on certification alone