Billy Joel has never been one to sugarcoat things; he’s been as open as ever when it comes to his musical tracks, recovery, health, and family life. But in HBO’s new two-part documentary “Billy Joel: And So It Goes,” the 76-year-old legend opens up like never before. From his battle with addiction to a once-tense friendship with another icon, Elton John, Joel bears the bruises of fame. He shows how tough love can cut deep before it heals, and John and the “Rocket Man” are living proof of that.
“Elton had made a comment that he thought I needed real rehab,” Joel recalled, referencing John’s 2011 Rolling Stone interview that left him blindsided. “He chalked it up to, ‘Oh, he’s a drunk.’ And that really hurt me.”
Billy Joel Gets Candid
At the time, Joel and John had recently wrapped a leg of their iconic “Face to Face” tour. It was an on-again, off-again collaboration that began in 1994 and saw the two icons trading piano solos across sold-out arenas. It became one of the longest and most successful shows in pop music, growing more than $40 million in just 24 days, back in 2003. But behind the music and the flashing lights, there was apparent tension.
“He’s going to hate me for this,” John once told Rolling Stone, “but every time he goes to rehab, they’ve been light… I love you, Billy, and this is tough love.”
Joel didn’t appreciate the unsolicited diagnosis, which caused even more strain in the friendship. “I said, wait a minute? Don’t you know me better than that? And there was bad blood for a little while,” he said in the film. “It was like all the signs were pointing to me: Enough. I wrote this letter to the band: ‘I don’t want to do this anymore. I’m gonna stop.”
A Friendship on the Rocks, & the Road to Healing
The wound didn’t scab over quickly. For years, Joel resented the comparison to John, not just musically, but personally. Especially since the two were so close, once in a lifetime and both struggled with similar issues.
“Why would I want to work with another well-known piano player’s band?” Joel asked in the documentary, referring to a past suggestion that he tour with John’s musicians. “The lack of imagination was staggering.”
But things thawed out eventually, thankfully, which fans couldn’t be more grateful for. When John and lyricist Bernie Taupin were honored at the 2013 Songwriters Hall of Fame, John took the stage and said, “Mr. Joel, I haven’t seen you tonight, but I love you dearly.”
Joel responded in kind, asking from the stage, “Is Elton still here, by the way? We’re OK. Call me. It’s the same phone number.”
Now, with both men decades removed from their darkest days, John has long been sober after his own battles with alcohol and substance abuse. Hashing it out through the years, the two seem to be on solid ground again. Joel even told the Los Angeles Times in 2023 that he stopped drinking “a couple of years ago,” explaining, “It wasn’t a big AA kick. I just got to a point where I’d had enough.”
The Documentary, the Diagnosis, & What’s Next
Still, life isn’t all piano bars and standing ovations. Joel recently revealed he’s living with normal pressure hydrocephalus. It’s a rare brain condition that affects balance, hearing, and vision, which forced him to cancel his 2025 tour. Despite the terrifying name and the dictionary explanation, Joel says he’s receiving “excellent care” and staying hopeful.
“I know a lot of people are worried about me and my health, but I’m okay,” Joel told People in July. “What I have is something very few people know about, including me… I’m doing my best to work with it and to recover.”
And despite missing the world premiere of “And So It Goes” at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival, Joel is still very much a part of the story. He, along with the creators and those behind the scenes, made sure it was raw, vulnerable, and real.
Whether you’re a lifelong fan or just someone who’s ever cried to “Vienna” or “Piano Man” multiple times like we have, this documentary isn’t just about music. It’s about redemption, resilience, and what happens when your oldest frenemy calls you out on record. For your well-being, of course.
Both parts of “Billy Joel: And So It Goes” are now streaming on HBO Max.
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Billy Joel Reveals How Elton John Helped Him With Recovery: ‘Tough Love’