No Man's Land (Billy Joel song)

"No Man's Land" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel. It was released as the second single and opening track from his 1993 album River of Dreams. The song is about the growth of suburbia and its negative environmental and social aspects. It was performed by Joel on the premiere episode of Late Show with David Letterman on August 30, 1993. The song peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart.

"No Man's Land"
Single by Billy Joel
from the album River of Dreams
B-side"No Man's Land" (live)
ReleasedFebruary 1994 (UK)[1]
Length4:48
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Billy Joel
Producer(s)Billy Joel, Danny Kortchmar
Billy Joel singles chronology
"The River of Dreams"
(1993)
"No Man's Land"
(1994)
"All About Soul"
(1993)

In 2017, Joel performed the song in concert as part of the story line in the Thanksgiving episode of the sixth season of the TV series Arrow.[2] In 2018, he recalled the song as containing his best lyrics, with "biblical imagery skewed by consumerism".[3] On the 1994 River of Dreams Tour, Joel often opened concerts with "No Man's Land".

Track listings

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All songs were written by Billy Joel.

UK CD single

  1. "No Man's Land" (LP version) – 4:45
  2. "No Man's Land" (live) – 5:03

Charts

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Chart (1994) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[4] 71
Netherlands (Single Top 100 Tipparade)[5] 11
UK Singles (OCC)[6] 50
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[7] 18

References

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  1. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 437. ISBN 978-0-86241-541-9.
  2. ^ Abrams, Natalie. "'Arrow' to feature Billy Joel". EW. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  3. ^ Marchese, David (July 2018). "In Conversation: Billy Joel". Vulture.com. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  4. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2235." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  5. ^ "Billy Joel – No Man's Land" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  6. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  7. ^ "Billy Joel Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2021.