An Innocent Man is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on August 8, 1983. The concept album is a tribute to the American popular music of Joel’s adolescent years with Joel paying homage to a number of different popular American musical styles from the late 1950s and early 1960s, most notably doo-wop and soul music. The album cover artwork was taken on the front steps of 142 Mercer Street, just north of the intersection of Mercer and Prince Street in the SoHo neighborhood in New York City.
The album featured three Billboard Top 10 hit singles: “Tell Her About It” (No. 1), “Uptown Girl” (No. 3) and “An Innocent Man” (No. 10). Four other singles were released from the album: “The Longest Time” (No. 14), “Leave a Tender Moment Alone” (No. 27), “Keeping the Faith” (No. 18) and “This Night” (US B-side of “Leave a Tender Moment Alone”). “Tell Her About It” and “Uptown Girl” garnered international success—”Uptown Girl” reached No. 1 in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. An Innocent Man remained on the US Pop album chart for 111 weeks, becoming Joel’s longest charting studio album behind The Stranger. For over a year, the album remained on the charts in the UK, Japan and Australia.
1. “Easy Money” (Homage to James Brown and Wilson Pickett) 4:04
2. “An Innocent Man” (Homage to Ben E. King and The Drifters) 5:17
3. “The Longest Time” (Homage to doo-wop groups like Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers) 3:42
4. “This Night” (Homage to Little Anthony and the Imperials; also to Ludwig van Beethoven’s Pathetique sonata) 4:17
5. “Tell Her About It” (Homage to Motown groups like The Supremes and The Temptations) 3:52
6. “Uptown Girl” (Homage to Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons) 3:17
7. “Careless Talk” (Homage to Sam Cooke) 3:48
8. “Christie Lee” (Homage to Little Richard or Jerry Lee Lewis) 3:31
9. “Leave a Tender Moment Alone” (Homage to Smokey Robinson) 3:56
10. “Keeping the Faith” (Lyrical homage to Pre-British Invasion Rock n Roll) 4:41
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