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The Biggest Revelations in HBO’s Billy Joel Documentary: Women, Family, and Music

BBG News

76-year-old Billy Joel, with his impressive record of 33 top 40 hits and 5 Grammy Awards, showcases a vibrant and eventful life that takes center stage in the newly released documentary titled “And So It Goes“.

Under the direction of Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin, a two-part HBO documentary promises to evoke a Billy Joel mood. Titled after one of his favorite songs, it showcases the best songs from this Long Island native’s extensive catalog – over 110 out of 121 songs in total. The film particularly focuses on the tracks that propelled him to new career heights, such as “Just the Way You Are,” “Piano Man,” “Captain Jack,” and “We Didn’t Start the Fire.

Apart from many personal family photos and home videos, the audience will be treated to exclusive moments of the musician seated at his home piano for interviews, practicing for his Madison Square Garden residency. They’ll also catch a unique glimpse of Joel playing “Piano Man” at Columbia Records on the very day he signed with the label. His four wives, daughter Alexa, and half-brother Alex, a conductor, will share heartwarming family anecdotes, while industry executives and musicians like Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, and P!nk will discuss the profound influence of Joel on rock ‘n’ roll.

Lacy mentioned that he hadn’t watched the movie until it was completely done, and they are very pleased about this fact,” Lacy said. “The film was produced independently.

Here’s a look at the most notable moments in And So It Goes.   

The women who inspired Billy Joel

In this documentary series, the three former wives of Billy Joel are interviewed, and they all express positive sentiments about their relationships with him.

In “And So It Goes,” we have the first interview with Joel’s first wife, Elizabeth Weber, who played a significant role in his career by selecting “Just the Way You Are” for one of his early albums, “The Stranger.” This song later won two Grammy Awards, and Paul McCartney expresses his long-standing desire to have composed it himself within this series. Elizabeth served as Joel’s manager until their separation in 1982, coinciding with the year he overcame a motorcycle accident that highlighted his risky lifestyle and alcohol consumption.

She expresses her deep affection for Bill, stating that it’s an enduring feeling. She cherishes the strength of their union, which surpassed individual qualities, and takes great pride in this.

In a fun twist of events, Christie Brinkley, his second wife and a model, helped make Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” music video successful by playfully strutting through a gas station while Joel, dressed as an attendant, pretended to chase her. As she puts it, “It was exciting to experience a whirlwind romance, and some of those experiences found their way into the music.” They were one of the most famous celebrity couples back then, often seen striking dramatic poses for photographers. Together they had a daughter, Alexa Joel, who is also a singer. However, Brinkley claims that Joel became challenging to cohabit with due to his forgetfulness regarding actions taken while under the influence of alcohol.

In this account, it’s mentioned that his third spouse, Katie Lee Biegel (who was 23 at the time and a chef), married him in 2004. She persuaded him to attend the Betty Ford rehabilitation program following an ultimatum due to some issues they faced. In the documentary, she admits that their age gap led to incompatibility. Katie desired to join Joel at all the parties he was invited to, while Joel preferred staying home. She expresses, “I wished we could do everything together, but it seems our age difference played a role there.” Additionally, she hinted at lingering resentment since she had been the one who urged him to seek help at Betty Ford.

Joel has been married to Alexis Roderick, who previously worked at Morgan Stanley, since 2015. At the time they met, he was already in retirement mode. He would cook salmon teriyaki for her when she returned home from work. In one of his interviews, he mentioned playing the piano as a means to win her over, but she appeared unimpressed. However, he was glad that she appreciated him as an individual rather than just as a performer. They now have two young children. As Alexis puts it, “After years of learning and personal growth, my kids have the best possible version of him.

According to Levin, it’s notable that he’s had many powerful women influencing him throughout his life. He points out this fact because he was brought up by a single mother and selected two strong women to direct the movie “And So It Goes.

Billy Joel’s search for his father

In the documentary series titled “And So It Goes,” Joel recounts his relentless pursuit to locate his absentee father, Howard Joel, whom he lost contact with in the 1950s and who abandoned his family at that time.

In the early ’70s, when Howard Joel was around twenty years old, he encountered his father in Vienna. During this time, he also met his half-brother Alex, a renowned classical music composer who features in the film “And So It Goes“. Remarkably, Howard Joel had the opportunity to perform alongside Billy Joel on stage at a concert in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1995.

In “And So It Goes,” Billy Joel candidly admits, “Our bond wasn’t deeply rooted.” He refers to his father as the enigmatic piece in his life puzzle. Remarkably, he chose to pardon his father for his absence. When his dad passed away in 2011, a wave of unexpected emotion swept over him, thinking, “He’s gone now, and I can never truly know him. Yet, there was no lingering resentment within me.

According to Alexa Joel’s explanation, it was somewhat saddening for the man that his father couldn’t visit him; instead, he had to travel to Vienna. Yet, he managed to establish a profound connection with his brother Alex, who happens to be a conductor.

In 2001, he teamed up with pianist Hyung-Ki Joo to create a classical album as a heartfelt homage to his father’s deep affection for classical music. As Howard Stern, the commentator, expresses in “And So It Goes,” it seems that his motivation stems from wanting to understand and connect with his father through the medium of music.

Since his own father-son bond was distant, he has made a commitment to actively engage as a father towards his two young daughters born via Alexis Roderick Joel. At this point in his life, rather than concentrating on writing and recording, he’s dedicated to being the best dad possible. In his words, “I want to experience these moments. I don’t want them to miss out on what I missed.

The stories behind Billy Joel classics

Regardless if someone is familiar with the tunes and joins in singing, they’ll likely respond, ‘Ah, I see now. I understand where Billy was in his life during that period, and what prompted him to compose that particular song,’ according to Levin.

When Joel explains his method for composing songs, he says that he doesn’t focus much on using figurative language like metaphors or similes. Instead, he writes as if he were speaking conversationally.

He composed satirical pieces about the music industry. He wrote “Piano Man” while struggling financially and playing piano at a Los Angeles bar named Executive Lounge, and “The Entertainer” was even more self-referential, detailing the process of releasing “Piano Man” and complaining about achieving success in the music business, as Joel himself describes.

A significant number of Joel’s songs are based on his personal experiences. The song “Vienna” was influenced by his trip to meet his father in Vienna, Austria. Similarly, “New York State of Mind” was sparked by the vibrant autumn foliage he witnessed during a bus ride towards a rental house in the Hudson Valley. Remarkably, there was a piano available in the house, and he quickly composed the song, stating that it flowed out of him in roughly an hour.

Some of his most famous songs are about being head over heels in love. 

She’s Got a Way” expresses his affection for his first spouse, Elizabeth Weber; “The Longest Time” captures the dating phase with Christie Brinkley; and the title track, “And So It Goes,” reflects on the conclusion of relationships.

He points out in the show that true love isn’t just about being on cloud nine and bliss; it often involves pain as well.”

“In essence, he suggests that each note of love has a hint of bitterness, making it somewhat like an unresolved romance, which can be quite daunting to imagine. That’s why he chose to express it this way.

He composed the song “Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)” specifically for his daughter Alexa as a symbol of his constant presence in her life. This gesture is touching for Alexa, who feels deeply moved by her father’s affection, but it’s important to note that the song was penned during a challenging period in his life. At that time, his alcohol consumption was excessive, and his marriage to Christie Brinkley was strained and eventually fell apart.

In simpler terms, Joel says that if there were a single solution to understanding his songs, it would likely be traced back to his connections with other people. He notes that all of his compositions are inspired by someone else.

As a dedicated cinephile, I’d like to share an intriguing behind-the-scenes tidbit about the making of “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” a song that swiftly lists significant figures in recent history. This creative spark was ignited by a conversation between Joel and Sean Lennon, John Lennon’s son. As Lacy puts it, Sean remarked, “Yeah, yeah, you guys are so lucky nothing has happened in your life. Look at all the things we have to deal with.” Upon hearing this, Billy was taken aback, replying, “Are you kidding me?” This exchange served as the catalyst for the powerful and poignant piece that became a staple of their music.

Billy Joel today

Currently, Joel resides in a grand home in Florida with his spouse Alexis Roderick and their two little girls. He takes great pleasure in using his boat, named after his eldest daughter, Alexa. For him, boating is akin to experiencing freedom, as he explains, “you’ve escaped the land and you are self-reliant. You’re steering, you’re guiding your course—so you must always be in charge, and there’s something thrilling about that. I am the one in control. I am the captain of my ship, defying all natural forces. It’s a powerful feeling, it’s very empowering. It’s therapeutic.

In May 2025, according to the New York Times, he announced the cancellation of all his future concerts following a diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus, a condition affecting his hearing, vision, and balance. At present, he is undergoing recovery from surgery and has temporarily stepped away from performing.

Lacy remarks, “He’s always mindful of his humble beginnings, and I believe that’s what resonates with others.” Essentially, he’s referring to a man who hasn’t forgotten he hails from Hicksville, lived in Levittown under modest circumstances, and it took him a long and arduous climb to reach success.

Now he has had more time to reflect on his career, and And So It Goes is a product of that. 

Joel expresses, “Music might have been my salvation,” in the documentary. “It provided me with a purpose to keep living.” Alexa shares that her father would often tell her, “If you pursue your passion, then you’ll find joy in it. That’s essentially the key to life. I believe he found solace, amidst his sorrows and hardships, in doing what he loved, which was music, and that’s what sustained him, kept the melodies flowing.

In the movie, “And So It Goes,” Joel openly admits to his imperfections, stating, “I’ve had plenty of missteps in my past. I’ve grown, I’ve evolved, and I’ve learned from each one.

The finale finds him performing “And So It Goes” on a Steinway, musing that he continues to view himself as an ongoing project.

I’m not done yet. Just like everyone else, I’m navigating through the unknown. I’m continuing my journey of discovery. I might never fully understand everything, but I’m giving it my best shot.

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2025-07-18 23:07

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