According to Joel, this jazzy track is about a loser who wants people to believe he's a big shot as he strolls around Little Italy's Mulberry Street in New York City.
"Big Man On Mulberry Street" is also the title of a famous episode from the TV series Moonlighting. The episode features a dream sequence with Bruce Willis dancing with dancer Sandahl Bergman in a bar, and this song is being played.
Joel came up with the idea for the title character while he was walking down Mulberry Street. He had a studio nearby at the Puck Building in SoHo and would often take walks over to Little Italy clear his head. He explained in Phil Ramone's 2007 book, Making Records: The Scenes Behind The Music: "If I was writing at my studio in the Puck Building and I got stuck, I'd pace the room - it had big windows and a nice view. Sometimes I'd leave the building; I'd go down to Little Italy to get a little food, a little wine, and some espresso. The walk I took on this one night was on Mulberry Street, and I just kind of invented this character that was like 'Mr. Cool.' The character is a nebbish, but in his own mind he's the 'King of Mulberry Street.' When he walks by, the old ladies sitting on the stoop wave to him. It's just one of those things I invented."
See your Spotify stats (with number of plays and minutes listened) and discover new music.
Music data, artist images, album covers, and song previews are provided by Spotify. Spotify is a trademark of Spotify AB.