Billy Joel Admits He Didn’t Want ‘Just the Way You Are’ On 'The Stranger'

Billy Joel revealed that he almost left his classic hit "Just the Way You Are" off his iconic 1977 album The Stranger.

The "Piano Man" opened up about the beloved single to YouTube personality Rick Beato, where he admitted it was Linda Ronstadt who urged him to include the song on the LP.

"I said, 'I don't like this song that much,'" Joel told Beato, recalling how he played the track for Ronstadt in the studio. "Linda goes, 'Are you out of your mind? That's a hit record. You got to put that on the album. That's a great song.' She talked me into it. So, I have to thank Linda for that song." Watch the clip here.

Beato then noted that in Joel's HBO documentary And So It Goes, Paul McCartney revealed that the song was one of the only ones that he wished he had written himself.

"That blew me away," the "Vienna" musician admitted. "He's like the melodic king. He can do no wrong with melody."

"Just the Way You Are" became Joel's first top 10 in the United States, ultimately peaking at the third spot on the Billboard Hot 100. It would go on to win two Grammys, including "Record of the Year" and "Song of the Year."

Watch the full interview below.