Billy Joel’s Enharmonic Duplicity

Abstract

This article investigates Billy Joel’s chromatic excursions in his contemplative songs, many of which infuse modal mixture chromaticism against a prevailing major key backdrop. In particular, I spotlight Joel’s exploration of “enharmonic duplicity,” in which chromaticism reflects the complexity of human nature through enharmonic transformations. Part 1 explores enharmonicism in “Honesty,” the first of several analyzed B♭ major songs that reinterpret mixture scale degrees (".fn_flat('').fn_scaledegree(3)." and ".fn_flat('').fn_scaledegree(6).") along its route; I also consider how Joel introduces mixture in his opening descending bass lines. Part 2 explores the harmonic and functional ambiguity in the complex song, “Laura.” Part 3 considers the enharmonic complexities of “Vienna” through the lens of the opening bar’s augmented triad; I also consider comparative examples of augmented triads in “Zanzibar” and “Where’s the Orchestra?”. In response to Joel’s vast exposure to the common-practice canon, my approach fuses perspectives from nineteenth-century music with contemporary theories of pop/rock harmony.