Keeping the Faith (song)

"Keeping the Faith" is a song by rock singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released from his 1983 album An Innocent Man. It reached #18 on the main US Billboard Hot 100 chart and #3 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The song was the only single from the album that failed to chart on the UK Singles Chart, despite the success of An Innocent Man in the United Kingdom. "Keeping the Faith" is the last track on and final single from the album.

"Keeping the Faith"
Single by Billy Joel
from the album An Innocent Man
B-side"She's Right on Time"
ReleasedSeptember 1984
Recorded1983
GenrePop rock, doo-wop
Length4:41
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Billy Joel
Producer(s)Phil Ramone
Billy Joel singles chronology
"This Night"
(1984)		 "Keeping the Faith"
(1984)		 "You're Only Human (Second Wind)"
(1985)
Music video
"Keeping the Faith" on YouTube

The song was remixed for release as a 7" vinyl single. An extended remix was also released on US promotional 12" vinyl singles (Columbia AS 1982). Both 7" and 12" releases state "Special Mix" on the label and both have a printed run time of 4:44. The actual run times for the 7" and 12" are 4:52 and 5:27, respectively. The 7" remix is available on the My Lives box set, incorrectly stating the version as "12" Remix." The 12" remix has never been released on CD or in digital format for stores like iTunes - despite customer demand.

Music video

The music video for the song depicts a court trial to determine whether Joel is innocent and is "keeping the faith" (as the song "An Innocent Man" plays in the background.) Richard Pryor makes a cameo appearance at the beginning of the video, standing at the bottom of the courthouse steps, reading a newspaper with the headline "Billy Joel: Guilty or Innocent?". The courtroom audience is populated by 1950s acts on one side, and 1960s acts (including a Jimi Hendrix lookalike) on the other, and shows Joel singing and dancing throughout the video. Joel's wife-to-be Christie Brinkley appears in the video as the "red haired girl in a Chevrolet". At the end, Joe Piscopo makes a cameo, reading a newspaper with the headline "Billy Joel: An Innocent Man!", and after giving a one hundred dollar tip, quips to a shoeshine boy, "Keep the faith, kid."

The cover for the single shows an image of Joel and the judge (character actor Richard Shull) in the "jukebox" courtroom from the video.

Background

The song itself is set in the 1980s, with the singer reminiscing about the 1950s lifestyle. As a result, Joel lists many prominent items of the time, in particular, Lucky Strike cigarettes, chino pants, Sen-Sen mints, Trojan condoms, and Old Spice after shave, as well as many fashion styles common during the time, including matador boots "with the Cuban heel", and the Pompadour hairstyle. At the same time, Joel questions being overly sentimental about the past, singing, "The good old days weren't always good./ And tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems."

Chart positions
Chart (1984) Peak
position
Canadian Singles Chart[1] 81
New Zealand Singles Chart 38
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 18
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks 3

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-10-23. Retrieved 2011-07-01.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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