Only the Good Die Young
| "Only the Good Die Young" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Billy Joel | |
| from the album The Stranger | |
| B-side | "Get It Right the First Time" |
| Released | May 1978 |
| Recorded | 1977 |
| Genre | Pop rock[1][2] boogie rock[3] |
| Length | 3:55 |
| Label | Columbia |
| Songwriter | Billy Joel |
| Producer | Phil Ramone |
| Billy Joel singles chronology | |
| "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" (1977) "Only the Good Die Young" (1978) "She's Always a Woman" (1978) | |
"Only the Good Die Young" is a song written and recorded by Billy Joel from his fifth studio album The Stranger (1977), released in 1978 as its third of four singles.
Background
"Only the Good Die Young" was controversial for its time, with the lyrics written from the perspective of a young man determined to have sex with a Catholic girl.[4] The song was inspired by a high school love interest of Joel's, Virginia Callahan. The boy/narrator believes that the girl is refusing him because she comes from a religious Catholic family and that she believes premarital sex is sinful.[5] He sings,
You Catholic girls start much too late,
but sooner or later it comes down to fate.
I might as well be the one.
Attempts to censor the song only made it more popular, after religious groups considered it anti-Catholic,[6] and pressured radio stations to remove it from their playlists.[5] "When I wrote 'Only the Good Die Young', the point of the song wasn't so much anti-Catholic as pro-lust," Joel told Performing Songwriter magazine. "The minute they banned it, the album started shooting up the charts." In a 2008 interview, Joel also pointed out one part of the lyrics that virtually all the song's critics missed – the boy in the song failed to get anywhere with the girl, and she kept her chastity.[7]
In 2023, Joel said of the song "It's occurred to me recently that I'm trying to talk some poor innocent woman into losing her virginity because of my lust. It's kind of a selfish song – like, who cares what happens to you? What about what I want?... But on the other hand, it was of its time. This was written in the mid-'70s, and I was trying to seduce girls. Why bullshit about it?"[8]
Reception
Billboard described "Only the Good Die Young" as one of Joel's "strongest and catchiest" songs.[9] Cash Box said that "Billy grabs the fun with a rollicking, handclapping beat, raspy sax solo and racy piano licks."[10]
Demo version
A demo, included in the box set My Lives, is a slower, reggae version of the song. Joel reprised the song's motif in this version with a church organ. Joel has stated publicly that he changed the reggae beat to a shuffle beat at the request of his long time drummer, Liberty DeVitto, who hated reggae music.[6][11]
Track listing
7" single (1978)
- "Only the Good Die Young" – (3:55)
- "Get It Right the First Time" – (3:32)
Charts
- Weekly charts — Year-end charts
- Chart (1978) — Peak
position - Canada RPM Top Singles[12] — 18
- U.S. Billboard Hot 100[5] — 24
- U.S. Cash Box Top 100[13] — 25
- Chart (1978) — Rank
- Canada[14] — 150
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[15] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[16] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000‡ |
| ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- Back to citation Mitchell, Matt (January 20, 2024). "The 25 Greatest Billy Joel Songs of All Time". Paste. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- Back to citation Campbell, Al. Various Artists - Legends: For Your Love (2004) Review at AllMusic. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
- Back to citation "Billy Joel - Only the Good die Young".
- Back to citation Sagert, Kelly Boyer (2007). The 1970s. New York: Greenwood Press. p. 177. ISBN 978-0-313-33919-6.
- Back to citation occurrence 5.0 Back to citation occurrence 5.1 Back to citation occurrence 5.2 Dean, Maury (2003). Rock N' Roll Gold Rush. Algora. p. 242. ISBN 0-87586-207-1.
- Back to citation occurrence 6.0 Back to citation occurrence 6.1 The Story Behind Billy Joel's "Only the Good Die Young". PerformerSongwriter.com archive. Retrieved April 24, 2013
- Back to citation Interview with Oprah Winfrey, The Oprah Winfrey Show, 2008
- Back to citation Banas, Erica (March 10, 2023). "Billy Joel Reflects on Two of His Songs by Today's 'Woke Standards'". WMMR. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
- Back to citation "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. May 20, 1978. p. 92. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
- Back to citation "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. May 20, 1978. p. 24. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
- Back to citation Video on YouTube: Billy Joel tells how "Only The Good Die Young" came to sound the way it does crediting Liberty Devitto
- Back to citation Canada, Library Archives (17 July 2013). "Image: RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
- Back to citation "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles Week ending JULY 15, 1978" (PDF). Retrieved 2025-08-09.
- Back to citation Canada, Library Archives (17 July 2013). "Item: 114 - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
- Back to citation "New Zealand single certifications – Billy Joel – Only the Good Die Young". Radioscope. Retrieved July 18, 2025. Type Only the Good Die Young in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
- Back to citation "American single certifications – Billy Joel – Only the Good Die Young". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 18, 2025.