The Nylon Curtain

Background

The album is among Joel's most ambitious efforts, and Joel has openly acknowledged that it's one of his personal favorites, calling it "the recording I'm most proud of and the material I'm most proud of." When he recorded the album, he said in an interview that he wanted to "create a sonic masterpiece." So he spent more time in the studio, crafting the sound of the album, than he had on any previous album. He said that the process of making the album was "exhausting." Critics have interpreted the album to be, in part, an homage to the music of The Beatles and John Lennon.

Regarding the album's themes, Joel has stated "It was during the Reagan years, and the diminishing horizons in America at the time [meant that] all of a sudden you weren't going to be able to inherit [the kind of life] your old man had." This pessimism about the American dream, in Joel's view, permeates most of the songs on the album. Joel also said that the theme of the album was "an American dilemma, specifically of people born after World War II." He said that although he doesn't provide solutions to the dilemma, he "hope[d] the record speaks like someone in that age group, if only just to tie us all together as people, as an entity."

The song "Allentown", which brought attention to the plight of America's declining steel industry, spent an unprecedented six weeks at No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1983.

Pop-culture journalist Chuck Klosterman praised songs from the album, specifically "Laura" and "Where's the Orchestra?," in his book Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Billy Joel.

1. "Allentown" – 3:52
2. "Laura" – 5:05
3. "Pressure" – 4:40
4. "Goodnight Saigon" – 7:04

5. "She's Right on Time" – 4:14
6. "A Room of Our Own" – 4:04
7. "Surprises" – 3:26
8. "Scandinavian Skies" – 6:00
9. "Where's the Orchestra?" – 3:17

Personnel

Additional personnel

Production