In Billy Joel’s song Scene From An Italian Restaurant, he combines three songs into one. He did this because he was inspired by one of his all-time favorite bands The Beatles. In The Beatles Abbey Road album, their producer created a song called The Long One which was a combination of all of their unfinished songs. Billy Joel liked this idea so he decided to make his own song like this.
When listening to the song, you are able to see a range of different tempos and instruments which helps separate the different songs. He also sings at different paces and volume levels which breaks up these different songs. Through the breaks of each of these songs, Joel also plays only instruments for about a minute. Having these transitions makes it evident when these different songs will be played but it also helps these songs flow together into one while also having a creative approach.
Throughout this long song, he incorporates different instruments but uses the same ones throughout the different sections of the song. This song also tells the story of an Italian restaurant he used to go to after performing and shares different experiences he’s had there by creating music. You are able to tell through the different paces and tempos used by the experience that he had. Some parts of the song are quieter while other parts are louder and some sections of the song are fast pace while others are slower.