3: Here We Are Waving Brenda and Eddie Goodbye

3. "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" by Billy Joel [Video: Scenes From an Italian Restaurant.]

Yes, this is my favorite Billy Joel song. But it wasn't always.

The very first music I purchased as a kid was the 8-track of Billy Joel's album "The Stranger." (My brother had already purchased ELO "A New World Record," ELO "Out of the Blue," and Queen "News of the World," but "The Stranger" was the first I purchased with my own money.) (It was also the only 8-track I ever purchased. I saw the writing on the wall, and when "52nd Street" came out, I bought it on cassette. My brother was still buying 8-tracks for a while longer.)

When I first listened to "The Stranger," I thought of "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" as "that long song." I didn't really care for it. Why? Well, it was a long song, it starts off kind of slow, and, unlike most of the other songs on the album, I wasn't familiar with it.

But, given some time and some maturity, by the time I reached high school my opinion of the song had changed. While I still wasn't a huge fan of the slower "Bottle of Red" opening and closing to the song, but found the "Things Are Okay with Me These Days" and "Brenda and Eddie" parts of the song incredible.

Really, it's the "Brenda and Eddie" part that carries the song. The big waterbed. The paintings from Sears. The deep pile carpet. The Parkway Diner. (They can never go back there again.) Ah, the summer of '75! It's too bad Brenda was so lazy and Eddie couldn't afford that kind of life.

Of course, now I look at it as a bit of masterful songwriting by one of the best of all time. I think it certainly helps that the song wasn't a hit. Yes, it's a very well-known song, but it's only well-known to true Billy Joel fans. It's a song that very, very rarely gets played on the radio. It's like the great secret song you have to really search to know. It's not for everybody, just for me and the other really smart people with good taste. (Yes, I'm a really smart person with good taste.) (If you don't believe me, just ask me.)

Yes, here we are waving Brenda and Eddie goodbye!

COMING UP NEXT: Orchestral maneuvers (in the dark.)