New York City was a mess in 1976. Rubbish piled up on the curbs. The Bronx was literally burning. If you look at the city today—all glass towers and $18 cocktails—it’s hard to imagine the grit that birthed Turnstiles. But that’s exactly where the magic of Billy Joel I seen the lights go out on Broadway begins. It wasn't just a catchy hook. It was a premonition.
Joel had just crawled back to the East Coast after a stint in Los Angeles. He hated it there. L.A. felt fake, sun-bleached, and empty. He missed the humidity and the hostility of Manhattan. So, he hopped a bus—the Greyhound, specifically—and started writing "Say Goodbye to Hollywood." But the real heart of his homecoming was "Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)."
It’s a weird song if you think about it. It’s a sci-fi folk-rock anthem. He wrote it from the perspective of an old man living in Florida in the year 2017, looking back at the total collapse of New York City. It’s dystopian. It’s cynical. And yet, it’s one of the most fiercely loyal songs ever written about a zip code.
The Night the Lights Actually Went Out
When people search for Billy Joel I seen the lights go out on Broadway, they usually confuse the song’s release with the Great Blackout of 1977. Here is the kicker: Joel wrote the song before the lights actually went out.
The song dropped on the Turnstiles album in 1976. He was imagining a future where the city failed. Then, on July 13, 1977, lightning hit a substation in Westchester. The entire city plunged into darkness. Looting broke out. Arsonists ran wild. Suddenly, Joel’s lyrics didn't sound like a sci-fi story anymore. They sounded like a news report.
"I saw the empire state building lay on its side." He wasn't being literal, obviously. He was capturing a vibe. The vibe was that New York was over. President Gerald Ford had basically told the city to "drop dead" regarding a federal bailout. The song resonated because it felt like a wake for a city that wasn't dead yet.
The Anatomy of a Disaster Song
Musically, it’s a powerhouse. It starts with that driving, insistent piano riff that feels like a heartbeat speeding up. Joel has often talked about how he wanted the song to sound like a "celebration of a disaster."
- The percussion is heavy.
- The lyrics are hyper-specific.
- The energy is defiant.
He mentions the churches of Harlem and the ruins of the Island. He talks about the "mafia" taking over the streets. It’s gritty. It’s the sound of a man watching his home burn and deciding to stay for the show.
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Why 2017 Was a Weird Milestone
The song is titled "Miami 2017." For decades, fans waited for that year to actually arrive. When 2017 finally rolled around, Billy Joel was still playing his monthly residency at Madison Square Garden.
Honestly, it’s kind of hilarious. In the song, New York is a ghost town. In reality, in 2017, New York was more expensive and crowded than ever. The "lights" never stayed out. Instead of the city collapsing, it gentrified. The ruins he sang about became luxury condos.
But the song took on a new life after 9/11. When Billy Joel performed "Miami 2017" at the Concert for New York City in October 2001, the lyrics changed meaning. "I seen the lights go out on Broadway" was no longer about a fictional blackout or 1970s decay. It was about the smoke over Lower Manhattan. You could see the tears in the crowd. It became a song of resilience. It proved that New Yorkers love their city most when it’s hurting.
The Production Struggle of Turnstiles
Most people don't realize that the version of "Miami 2017" we all love almost didn't happen. Joel originally recorded the Turnstiles album in L.A. with Chicago’s producer, James William Guercio.
It sounded wrong. It was too slick. It had that "West Coast" sheen that Joel was trying to escape.
He scrapped the whole thing. He fired the session musicians and brought in his own touring band—Liberty DeVitto on drums, Doug Stegmeyer on bass. He wanted the New York sound. That raw, slightly aggressive energy is what makes the track work. If he had kept the L.A. version, we probably wouldn't be talking about it today. It would have been too polished for a song about urban decay.
The Live Version vs. The Studio Version
If you want to experience the "lights go out" energy properly, you have to listen to the version from Songs in the Attic.
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- The studio version is great, but the live version is a beast.
- The drums are louder.
- The piano is more percussive.
- You can hear the crowd roar when he mentions "the Bronx was burning."
That live album was specifically released to show fans that his early songs—the ones recorded before The Stranger made him a superstar—were actually rock songs, not just singer-songwriter ballads.
A Legacy of Urban Mythology
Billy Joel is often called a "pop" artist, which feels like an insult sometimes. He’s a storyteller. "Miami 2017" is a short story set to music. It’s about the fear of losing your identity.
When he sings "they sent a carrier out from Norfolk and they delivered the next day," he's tapping into that weird American fascination with total destruction. We love to watch things fall apart. But the song isn't depressing. It’s weirdly hopeful. The narrator survived. He’s in Miami, telling the story to his grandkids. He’s the keeper of the flame.
The Lyrics That People Misunderstand
There’s a line about "the ladies of the night" and "the people who worked in the towers." In the 70s, those were just descriptions of the city's inhabitants. After 2001, they became haunting.
Joel has a knack for writing lyrics that age into different meanings. He’s not a political songwriter like Dylan, but he’s a social photographer. He snaps a picture of a moment, and decades later, you see things in the background you didn't notice before.
What to Do if You’re a New Fan
If you’re just getting into the deeper cuts of the Piano Man, don't stop at "Piano Man" or "Uptown Girl." Those are the hits, sure. But the soul of his work is in the grit.
- Listen to the 1980 live version from Madison Square Garden.
- Watch the 12-12-12 Concert footage where he plays it for Sandy relief.
- Read about the 1975 fiscal crisis in New York to understand the "why" behind the lyrics.
The song is a time capsule. It captures a version of New York that doesn't exist anymore—a place that was dangerous, cheap, and creatively exploding.
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The Actionable Insight: How to Listen Properly
To truly appreciate Billy Joel I seen the lights go out on Broadway, you need to stop thinking of it as a nostalgia act. Listen to it as a piece of speculative fiction.
Step 1: Contextualize. Pull up a photo of Times Square in 1976. Look at the neon, the grime, and the theater marquees. That is the world he’s saying goodbye to.
Step 2: Compare. Listen to "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" immediately followed by "Miami 2017." It’s the story of a man leaving the fake world (L.A.) to embrace a world that is literally falling apart (NYC). It’s a choice of authenticity over comfort.
Step 3: Track the Riff. Pay attention to the very end of the song—the fading piano. It’s quiet. It’s the sound of the last light flickering out. It’s brilliant arrangement.
Ultimately, the song reminds us that cities are temporary, but stories are permanent. Whether it's a blackout, a financial crash, or a pandemic, the "lights" go out eventually. The trick is having a song to sing while you're sitting in the dark.
The next time you're walking down Broadway, look at the bright lights. Realize they aren't guaranteed. That’s what Billy was trying to tell us fifty years ago. He saw the end coming, and he turned it into a masterpiece.
Go find the Songs in the Attic vinyl. Drop the needle. Turn it up until your neighbors complain. That’s the New York way.