2315 – Billy Joel – Keeping the faith (1983)

 

 

Escrita por Billy Joel, foi gravada na primavera de 1983, no A&R Studios, em New York City e lançada em 8 de agosto de 1983 no disco An innocent man, o nono disco de Billy. Saiu também em compacto, em janeiro de 1985, com She’s right on time como Lado B. Foi produzida por Phil Ramone. Era a última canção do disco e ao mesmo tempo foi o primeiro compacto. Chegou ao número 18 no Billboard 100. Chegou também ao número 37 na Espanha, número 38 de Nova Zelandia e número 81 no Canadá. É uma canção autobiográfica sobre os anos adolescentes de Billy Joel, com ele falando do estilo de vida dos anos 50s e 60s. Joel disse que essa canção era uma forma dele explicar que ele tem um grande débito à este tempo da vida dele. Aos amigos selvagens que curtiam rock com ele.

 

A letra:

 

If it seems like I've been lost in let's remember
If you think I'm feeling older and missing my younger days
Oh, then you should have known me much better
'Cause my past is something that never got in my way
Oh, no

Still I would not be here now if I never had the hunger
And I'm not ashamed to say the wild boys were my friends
Oh, 'cause I never felt the desire
To let music set me on fire
And then I was saved, yeah

That's why I'm keeping the faith
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Keeping the faith

We wore matador boots
Only Flagg Brothers had them with the Cuban heel
Iridescent socks with the same color shirt
And a tight pair of chinos
Oh, I put on my shark skin jacket
You know the kind with the velvet collar
And ditty bop shades
Oh, yeah

I took a fresh pack of Luckies
And a mint called Sen-Sen
My old man's Trojans and his Old Spice after shave
Oh, combed my hair in a pompadour
Like the rest of the Romeos wore
A permanent wave, yeah

We were keeping the faith
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Keeping the faith

You can get just so much from a good thing
You can linger too long in your dreams
Say goodbye to the oldies but goodies
'Cause the good ole days weren't always good
And tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems

Learned stickball as a formal education
Lost a lot of fights but it taught me how to lose ok
Oh, I heard about sex but not enough
I found you could dance and still look tough anyway
Oh, yes I did

I found out a man ain't just being macho
Ate an awful lot of late night drive-in food
Drank a lot of take home pay
I thought I was the Duke of Earl
When I made it with a red haired girl
In the Chevrolet, oh yeah

We were keeping the faith
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Keeping the faith

You know the good ole days weren't always good
And tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems

I told you my reasons for the whole revival
Now I'm going outside to have an ice cold beer in the shade
Oh, I'm going to listen to my 45's
Ain't it wonderful to be alive when the rock n' roll plays, yeah
When the memory stays, yeah

I'm keeping the faith
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm keeping the faith

I'm keeping the faith
Yes I am
You know I'm keeping the faith, oh yes I am
You know I'm keeping the faith
Oh, you know I am
I'm keeping the faith, oh yeah

 

A versão de Billy Joel:

 

 

A versão de Angry Young Bird: