Baby Grand (with Ray Charles)

Joel recorded this as a duet with Ray Charles, who was his favorite piano player/singer (in addition to their musical talents, the pair share something else in common: last names that sound like first names). When Charles showed up at the session, they met for the first time, and Joel was in awe. To break the ice and get to know each other, they each played piano for a while before recording the song. When Ray Charles would meet someone for the first time, he would touch that person's face. When he did this do Joel, he said, "relax," since he could tell Billy was nervous.

In a 1986 promotional interview, Joel said he was sitting at home trying to find inspiration for the song in his surroundings when his baby grand sparked his imagination. "I began looking around at things that have been consistent in my life, and in this age of synthesizers and electronic keyboards the piano has almost become an old-fashioned instrument," he recalled. "I glanced at the baby grand piano and realized that I had a lot of love for that thing. The piano has provided me with a nice living, a career, and happiness. It's gotten me women, and it's gotten me through some strange times." He continued: "Sometimes at night I'd sit down and give myself a concert, and it's almost like the piano did it - I didn't even have anything to do with it. When I was thinking about a theme for Ray and me, it seemed apropos: you know, Ray Charles, piano player. Billy Joel, piano player. Let's talk about a real love in our lives - the baby grand. 'Baby Grand' is really a love song to an instrument."

A baby grand is a type of piano, the instrument of choice for Joel and Charles. In 2016, Joel told Sirius XM part of the reason he chose the baby grand was because he and Christie had just welcomed their baby and she was on his mind. At first, Joel thought he didn't have enough in common with Charles to write a song for him to sing. But then he remembered two things: They both had their fair share of trouble with the ladies (Charles was married twice and fathered 12 children with 10 different women), and they both played the piano. "But if you're a piano player, women may come and go, but that piano will stay there," he said. "That piano ain't movin'. That'll always be there. And I thought, 'This is good subject matter for two singers.'"