Lyrics to Scenes from an Italian Restaurant?
Lisa Korneluk
Does anyone have the lyrics to Scenes From an Italian Restaurant
by Billy Joel that they could post? I've convinced myself that he
makes a mistake with the dates but I can't verify it unless I can see
it in writing and look at the whole song in front of me.
Thanks in advance,
Lisa
Dave Campbell, KLYF
Try alt.music.billy-joel... this thread has already been pursued there...
Mike Goodwin
>Thanks in advance,
>Lisa
I can't remember how the begining goes; the "A bottle of red, a bottle of
white" part but here are the parts with the dates you mention:
Brenda and Eddie were the popular steadies
and the king and the queen of the prom,
Riding around with the car top down and the radio on.
Nobody looked any finer
or was more of a hit at the parkway diner
But we always knew they would want more than that out of life
Surely Brenda and Eddie would always know how to survive.
Brenda and Eddie were still going steady
in the summer of '75
When they decided that marriage would be at the end of July
Everyone said they were crazy
Brenda you know that you're much too lazy
and Eddie could never afford to live that kind of life
Oh, but there we were wavin' Brenda and Eddie goodbye
Well they got an apartment with deep pile carpets
and a couple of paintings from Sears
A big waterbed that they bought with the bread
they had saved for a couple of years
But they started to fight when the money got tight
and they just didn't count on the tears.
Oooh. Oooh. Lets Rock and Roll
(Music interlude)
Well they lived for a while in a very nice style
but it's always the same in the end
They got a divorce as a matter of course
and they parted the closest of friends
Then the king and the queen went back to the green
but you can never go back there again.
Oooh. Oooh.
Brenda and Eddie had had it all ready
by the summer of '75
From the high to the low to the end of the show
for the rest of their lives
Couldn't go back to the Greasers
The best they could do was pick up their pieces
And we always knew they would both find a way to get by
Oh and that's all I heard about Brenda and Eddie
Can't tell you more cause I told you already
and here we are wavin Brenda and Eddie goodbye
Hope this helps...
Mike
*-------------------------------------------------------------*
| Mike Goodwin | The Ginsu Bat'leth. |
| | It slices! It dices! |
| mgoo...@interaccess.com | It makes Julian Bashir fries! |
*-------------------------------------------------------------*
Bevin E Hartnett
I hope this helps out.
A bottle of white, a bottle of red
perhaps a bottle of rose instead
We'll get a table near the street
in our old familiar place
you and I face to face
A bottle of red, a bottle of white
it all depends upon your appetite
I'l lmeet you anytime you want
in our Italian restaurant.
Things are okay with me these days got a good job got a good office
got a new wife got a new life and the family's fine
We lost touch long ago You lost weight I did not know
that you would ever look so nice after so much time
Do you remember those days hanging out at the village green
The Engineer boots leather jackets and tight blue jeans
you drop a dime in the box play a song about New Orleans
Cold beer, hot lights. My sweet romantic teenage nights.
Brenda and Eddie were the popular steadies and the king and the queen
of the prom
riding around with the car top down and the radio on
Nobody looked any finer or was more of a hit at the parkway diner
We never knew we could want more than that out of life
surely, Brenda and Eddie would always know how to survive
Brenda and Eddie were still going steady in the summer of seventy five
When they decided the marriage would be at the end of July
Ev'ryone said they were crazy, "Brenda you know that you're much too
lazy
Eddie could never afford to live that kind of life"
Oh but there we were waving Brenda and Eddie goodby.
Well, they got an apartment with big pile carpets and a couple of
paintings from Sears
A big water bed that they bought with the bread they had saved for a
couple of years.
They started to fight when the money got tight and they just didn't
count on the tears. Rock N'Roll!!!!!!
Instrumental
Well, they lived for a while in a very nice style but itsalways the
same in the end. THey got a divorce as a matter of course and they
parted the closest of friends.
The king and the queen went back to the green but you can never go
back there again.
Brenda and Eddie had had it already by the summer of seventy five
from the high to the low to the end of the show for the rest of their lives.
They couldn't go back to the greasers. Best they could do was pick up
their pieces
We always knew they would both find a way to get by.
Oh, That's all I heard about Brenda and Eddie, can't tell you more
'cause I told you already and here we are waving at Brenda and Eddie
goodbye
A bottle of red, a bottle of white
Whatever kind of mood you're in tonight.
I'll meet you anytime you want in our Italian restaurant
THAT"S ALL!!!!
Bevin
sarah hope
: Brenda and Eddie were still going steady
: in the summer of '75
: Brenda and Eddie had had it all ready
: by the summer of '75
Well, which is it? Were they still going steady or had they had it already?
Must have been a looooong summer! :)
Sarah
Antaeus Feldspar
Sarah -- here's my take on the meaning of this.
Both dates are correct and intentional, and the second reference,
just to clear things up, is "B. and E. had had it already / By the summer
of '75." They *were* still going steady, but the loving part of their
relationship, the real core of it, was already gone -- perhaps their
decision to marry was in part trying to pretend that their relationship
hadn't gone wrong. The two aren't mutually exclusive. I think it makes
more sense to reveal *first* that they were still going steady in summer
of '75, and deciding to marry, with all their friends trying to warn them
that their relationship didn't have what it took to last -- and *then*,
only in hindsight, reveal that in truth, they had had it already even
before they got married. They just ignored the truth, just as they
ignored all their friends' warnings about their life ahead.
There's a Harlan Ellison story I've read about, where a man sells
his soul to the devil to find out what the happiest moment of his life
will be. It's only after the deal is made that he finds out: the
happiest moment in his life was catching a fly ball, at age 7. He has to
live the rest of his life, not in anticipation of an upcoming joy above
all joys, but knowing that nothing in his life will ever feel that good
again. I think that Brenda & Eddie are similar: They don't realize
until later that their moment of joy -- well, they've had it already.
They still get married, but we know how THAT works out.
just my theory, developed after years of meditating upon the song.
-jc
Lisa Stanar
In a previous article, inte...@violet.berkeley.edu (sarah hope) says:
>Mike Goodwin (mgoo...@interaccess.com) wrote:
>: Brenda and Eddie were still going steady
>: in the summer of '75
>
>: Brenda and Eddie had had it all ready
>: by the summer of '75
>
>Well, which is it? Were they still going steady or had they had it already?
>Must have been a looooong summer! :)
It's actually both, once at the beginning after
Surely Brenda and Eddie would
always know how to survive
Brenda and Eddie were still going
steady in the summer of '75
When they decided the marriage would
be at the end of July
And then again after
But you can never go back there again
Brenda and Eddie had had it
already by the summer of '75
from the high to the low to
the end of the show
for the rest of their lives
:)
--
"Shes got spiders inside her head, shes in danger,
shes easily led."
David Fenton
sarah hope
: I think that Brenda & Eddie are similar: They don't realize
: They still get married, but we know how THAT works out.
: just my theory, developed after years of meditating upon the song.
: -jc
I like this interpretation :)
Sarah
Gordon S. Brooks
> Does anyone have the lyrics to Scenes From an Italian Restaurant
> by Billy Joel that they could post?
Here's my attempt from memory:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
A bottle of white,
A bottle of red,
Perhaps a bottle of rose instead.
We'll get a table near the street
In our old familiar place,
You and I face-to-face.
A bottle of red,
A bottle of white,
It all depends upon your appetite.
I'll meet you any time you want
In our Italian restaurant.
Things are okay with me these days,
Got a good job, got a good office,
Got a new wife, got a new life
And the family is fine.
We lost touch long ago,
You've lost weight, I did not know
That you could ever look so nice after so much time.
Do you remember those days hanging out in the Village Green?
Engineer boots, leather jackets and tight blue jeans.
You drop a dime in the box, hear a song about New Orleans.
Cold beer. Hot lights. My sweet romantic teenage nights.
Brenda and Eddie were the popular steadies and the king and the queen of
the prom.
Riding around with the car top down and the radio on.
Nobody looked any finer, or was more of a hit at the Parkway Diner.
We never thought we could want more than that out of life.
Surely Brenda and Eddie would always know how to survive.
Brenda and Eddie were still going steady in the Summer of '75
When they decided the marriage would be at the end of July.
Everyone said they were crazy. "Brenda you know you're much too lazy,
And Eddie could never afford to live that kind of life."
Oh but there we were waving Brenda and Eddie good-bye.
Well they got an apartment with deep pile carpet
And a couple of paintings from Sears.
A big water bed that they bought with the bread
They had saved for a couple of years.
But they started to fight when the money got tight
And they just didn't count on the tears.
Brenda and Eddie had had it already by the Summer of '75
From the high to the low to the end of the show for the rest of their
lives.
They could go back to the greasers. The best they could do was pick up
their pieces;
We always knew they would both find a way to survive.
Oh, and that's all I heard about Brenda and Eddie,
Can't tell you more 'cause I told you already
And here we are waving Brenda and Eddie good-bye.
Bottle of red,
Bottle of white,
Whatever kind of mood you're in tonight.
I'll meet you any time you want
In our Italian restaurant.
---------------------------------------------------------
| Gordon S. Brooks, Producer |
| Philips Media, Los Angeles Studio |
| |
| (gor...@aimla.com or 70725...@compuserve.com) |
---------------------------------------------------------
Josh Rich
Isn't one of those years '79?
JR.
Kerri-Anne Lavin
Gordon S. Brooks
inte...@violet.berkeley.edu writes:
> : Brenda and Eddie were still going steady
> : in the summer of '75
>
> : Brenda and Eddie had had it all ready
> : by the summer of '75
>
> Well, which is it? Were they still going steady or had they had it
already?
> Must have been a looooong summer! :)
> Sarah
>
I think the point is that Brenda and Eddie had had it already before they
even got married. Just my interpretation! :)