Sunday Sounds: May 31, 2020, “Sleeping With The Television On”
Samantha Colleran, May 2020
Happy last day of the month everyone! Today I want to tell you all about my favorite Billy Joel song (tied with “Just The Way You Are”). I discovered this song a couple of years ago and the second I heard it I knew it would be among my favorites. Glass Houses is one of those albums you listen to and realize just how many great songs are on it, not even just the singles. Sure, “You May Be Right” might be one of the coolest songs to start an album, but its hidden gems among these great hits that drive the album, and “Sleeping With The Television On” is that song for Glass Houses.
The song starts off with the end of The National Anthem and then a loud beep before a drum kicks in and the song really begins. For those of you like me who weren’t alive in the 80s, you may not know that television shows weren’t on 24 hours a day, networks would actually sign off and play static until the morning news (“Tomorrow morning you’ll wake up with the white noise”) and they would play The National Anthem at the end of broadcasts. Billy Joel takes this and turns it into a musical factor, incorporating it into the song to add a literal meaning to “sleeping with the television on”.
The song follows a female protagonist, Diane, an alluring woman who catches the eye of a number of suitors, yet she is constantly shooting down these love interests and never takes a chance on romance, “They never notice the zap gun in your hand/ Until you’re pointing it and stunning their senses”. She comes up with different reasons to not want those who show interest; she’s “looking for someone solid” and “can’t be bothered with those ‘just for the night’ boys”, she won’t listen to the things these men say to her “‘cause it just might be the same old line”. Our main male protagonist, Billy, sings to Diane and tells her to just take a chance, yet he’s conflicted about taking a chance on Diane at the same time, claiming he’s a “fool” that’s fearful of being rejected. Yet by the end of the song it’s obvious Diane will never take a chance on love, she’ll continue shooting people down because she hasn’t been treated properly in the past, and she will forever be “sleeping with the television on” and never actually jump to take a chance on romance.
The instruments blend together to create the new wave sound that began to take over in the 80s, showing Joel’s ability to be versatile in his musical stylings. It’s one of the most perfect pop songs, and one of the overshadowed moments not only on Glass Houses, but in Billy Joel’s entire discography. Check out the hidden gem of a Joel classic below, and let me know your thoughts!
Love discovering hidden gems. Very cool song from one of my favorite albums.