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River of Dreams

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This article is about the Billy Joel album. For the song, see The River of Dreams. For the Hayley Westenra album, see River of Dreams: The Very Best of Hayley Westenra. For other uses, see River of Dreams (disambiguation).

River of Dreams is the twelfth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on August 10, 1993. River of Dreams presented a more serious tone than found in Joel's previous albums, dealing with issues such as trust and long-lasting love. It was rumored that the themes of trust and betrayal, particularly certain lyrics from the songs "A Minor Variation" and "The Great Wall of China", stem from Joel's legal disputes with his former manager and ex-brother-in-law, Frank Weber, who reportedly embezzled millions of dollars from Joel and used dubious accounting practices to cover it up.[9] It was Joel's fourth and last album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart, a position it held for three consecutive weeks.

River of Dreams
Studio album by
Billy Joel
ReleasedAugust 10, 1993 (1993-08-10)
StudioThe Boathouse at the Island Boatyard, Shelter Island
Cove City Sound Studios, Glen Cove, New York
The Hit Factory, New York City
GenrePop[1]
Length49:10
LabelColumbia
ProducerBilly Joel, Danny Kortchmar, Joe Nicolo, David Thoener
Billy Joel chronology
Souvenir: The Ultimate Collection
(1990) 		River of Dreams
(1993) 		Greatest Hits Volume III
(1997)
A Voyage on the River of Dreams
Australian 1994 box set cover
Singles from River of Dreams
  1. "The River of Dreams"
    Released: July 1993
  2. "All About Soul"
    Released: October 1993
  3. "No Man's Land"
    Released: February 1994 (UK)
  4. "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)"
    Released: March 1994[2]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Calgary HeraldB+[3]
Deseret News(favorable)[4]
Entertainment Weekly (A-)[5]
The Los Angeles Times[6]
The New York Times(not rated)[7]
Rolling Stone[8]

River of Dreams is the last rock album Joel has released to date, as his next album, Fantasies & Delusions (2001), features classical compositions with solo piano performed by Hyung-ki "Richard" Joo. Since River of Dreams, Joel has recorded occasional pop/rock singles and continues to play live.

The album cover was a painting by Joel's then-wife, Christie Brinkley. In 1993, Rolling Stone gave her the Top Picks award for "The Best Album Cover of the Year".[10]

The same cover, in 2024, was named one of the worst 50 album covers of all time by Rolling Stone.[11]

Background

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In the summer of 1992, Billy Joel held a series of writing and recording sessions on Shelter Island, New York;[12] these sessions eventually produced seven tracks,[13] self-produced by Joel.[14]

Joel was dissatisfied with the results, and so, on the recommendation of Don Henley, he brought in session guitarist Danny Kortchmar for another take on the songs. Kortchmar agreed to produce, provided he be allowed to use session musicians on the recordings, to which Joel agreed. Only one song from the Shelter Island sessions, "Shades of Grey", would make the final album in its original produced form.[14]

In a 2018 interview with Vulture, Joel expressed disappointment that the album did not yield any hit singles beyond the title track. He further attributed his decision to stop releasing pop albums to the lack of airplay. "The thing was, I put a lot of work into River of Dreams and it was as if the business had left me behind because there are substantial songs on that album that never went anywhere. So I said, 'What's the point of putting myself through writing and recording if it doesn't mean what it's supposed to mean out there in the world?'"[15]

Track listing

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All songs were written and composed by Billy Joel.

  1. "No Man's Land" – 4:48
  2. "The Great Wall of China" – 5:45
  3. "Blonde Over Blue" – 4:55
  4. "A Minor Variation" – 5:36
  5. "Shades of Grey" – 4:10
  6. "All About Soul" – 6:01
  7. "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)" – 3:32
  8. "The River of Dreams" – 4:05
  9. "Two Thousand Years" – 5:19
  10. "Famous Last Words" – 5:01

A Voyage on the River of Dreams

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A Voyage on the River of Dreams is an Australian 3-CD box set released in 1994, which includes the studio album, River of Dreams, along with a 6-track live CD from the '93–'94 River of Dreams Tour, plus a Questions & Answers CD recorded at Princeton University.[16] This box set made the charts in Australia (No. 33) and New Zealand (No. 47), the only places besides Japan where the set was officially released.[17]

Disc one (River of Dreams – Studio album) – as per original album

Disc two (Billy Joel Live) All songs written and composed by Billy Joel, except where noted

  1. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" (Elton John/Bernie Taupin) – 5:08
  2. "No Man's Land" – 5:44
  3. "The Ballad of Billy the Kid" – 5:52
  4. "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)" – 3:40
  5. "The River of Dreams" – 5:28
  6. "A Hard Day's Night" (Lennon–McCartney) – 3:20

Disc three (Questions & Answers Disc)

  1. "Q & A recorded at Princeton University"

Personnel

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  • Billy Joel – lead vocals, clavinet (1, 4), Hammond organ (1, 4, 6, 8, 10), acoustic piano (2, 6–10), organ (2, 9), backing vocals (2), synthesizers (3, 8), keyboards (5)
  • Jeff Jacobs – synthesizers (2), additional programming (8)
  • Tommy Byrnes – guitars (1, 3, 5, 6)
  • Danny Kortchmar – guitars (1–4, 6, 8–10)
  • Leslie West – guitars (1, 2, 4)
  • Mike Tyler – guitars (8)
  • T.M. Stevens – bass (1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10)
  • Lonnie Hillyer – bass (3, 8)
  • Schuyler Deale – bass (5)
  • Jeff Lee Johnson – bass (8)
  • Chuck Treece – bass (8)
  • Zachary Alford – drums (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8)
  • Liberty DeVitto – drums (5)
  • Steve Jordan – drums (9, 10)
  • Jim Saporito – percussion (2)
  • Andy Kravitz – percussion (8)
  • Arno Hecht – baritone saxophone (4)
  • Richie Cannata – tenor saxophone (4)
  • Osvaldo Melindez – trombone (4)
  • Laurence Etkin – trumpet (4)
  • Ira Newborn – orchestrations (2, 6–8)
  • Lewis Del Gatto – orchestra manager (2, 6–8)
  • Frank Simms – backing vocals (1, 2, 8)
  • George Simms – backing vocals (1, 2, 8)
  • Color Me Badd – guest vocals (6)
  • Wrecia Ford – backing vocals (6, 8)
  • Marlon Saunders – backing vocals (6, 8)
  • Crystal Taliefero – backing vocals (6, 8), vocal arrangement (6, 8)
  • B. David Witworth – backing vocals (6, 8)
  • Curtis Rance King Jr. – choir conductor and contractor (6)
  • Choir on "All About Soul" – Phillip Ballou, Katreese Barnes, Dennis Collins, Will Downing, Frank Floyd, Diane Garisto, Stephanie James, Devora Johnson, Marlon Saunders and Corliss Stafford

Production

  • Producers – Danny Kortchmar (Tracks 1–4 & 6–10); Billy Joel (Track 5).
  • Associate Producer on Track 5 – David Thoener
  • Co-Producer on Track 8 – Joe Nicolo
  • A&R – Don DeVito
  • Production Coordinator – Bill Zampino
  • Engineers – Carl Glanville (Tracks 1–7, 9 & 10); Joe Nicolo and Phil Nicolo (Track 8).
  • Assistant Engineers – Dan Hetzel and Brian Vibberts (Tracks 1–7, 9 & 10); Dick Grobelny (Track 8).
  • Recorded by Jay Healy, Bradshaw Leigh, Bob Thrasher and Dave Wilkerson.
  • Mixing – Niko Bolas (Tracks 1–4, 6, 7, 9, 10); David Thoener (Track 5); Joe Nicolo and Phil Nicolo (Track 8).
  • Assistant Mixing on Track 8 – Dick Grobelny
  • Mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound (New York, NY).
  • Technical Support – Andrew Baker*, Lester Baylinson, Steve Bramberg, Laura Delia, Jon "J.D." Dworkow*, Greg Garland, Peter Goodrich, David Hewitt, Dave Hofbauer, Doug Kleeger, Howie Mendelson, Larry DeMarco, Artie Smith and Courtney Spencer.
  • Art and Commerce – Jeff Schock
  • Art Direction – Christopher Austopchuk
  • Cover Artwork – Christie Brinkley
  • Design – Sara Rotman
  • Photography – Glen Erler

Aftermath

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River of Dreams stands as Billy Joel's most recent studio album of original material in the pop/rock genre. Joel has often stated that the album was designed to stand as his final record and that while he still composes music, he no longer writes within the pop/rock music vein and has no more interest in the recording industry.[18] Joel's succeeding studio album Fantasies & Delusions, released in 2001, was an instrumental album of classical piano pieces containing no pop songs whatsoever. In 2019, a group of Billy Joel fans created a petition at Change.org asking him to put out at least one more studio album with new songs of original materials in the pop/rock genre,[19] but it obtained less than 300 signatures, and some of the signatories stated that they wanted Joel to record cover songs or remakes of his earlier hits rather than new material.[20]

Accolades

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Grammy Awards

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Year Nominee / work Award Result
1994 River of Dreams Album of the Year[21] Nominated
"The River of Dreams" Song of the Year[21] Nominated
Record of the Year[21] Nominated
Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male[21] Nominated

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Certifications and sales for River of Dreams
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[57] 3× Platinum 210,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[58] Platinum 50,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[59] 3× Platinum 300,000^
Germany (BVMI)[60] Platinum 500,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[63] Platinum 241,000[a][61][62]
Netherlands (NVPI)[65] Gold 50,000[64]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[66] Platinum 15,000^
Sweden (GLF)[67] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[68] Platinum 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[69] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[70] 5× Platinum 5,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

  1. ^ Combined sales of standard edition and its expanded reissue.

References

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  1. ^ a b River of Dreams at AllMusic
  2. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 437. ISBN 978-0-86241-541-9.
  3. ^ Obee, Dave (August 22, 1993). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
  4. ^ Boren, Ray (June 18, 1989). "'RIVER OF DREAMS' FEATURES WELL-CRAFTED SONGS". Deseret News. Deseret News. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
  5. ^ Sandow, Greg (August 13, 1993). "River of Dreams Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
  6. ^ Willman, Chris (August 22, 1993). "BILLY JOEL – "River of Dreams"". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
  7. ^ Holden, Stephen (August 8, 1993). "RECORDINGS VIEW; Billy Joel, A Pundit Of Suburbia". The New York Times. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
  8. ^ Manning, Kara (August 19, 1993). "Music Reviews: River of Dreams by Billy Joel". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 7, 2008.
  9. ^ Goldman, Andrew (May 24, 2013). "Billy Joel on Not Working and Not Giving Up Drinking". New York Times. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  10. ^ "Christie Brinkley biography". Official website. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
  11. ^ The 50 Worst Album Covers of All Time, by Gavin Edwards, Rolling Stone, July 19, 2024
  12. ^ "River of Dreams article". ONE FINAL SERENADE: THE SONGS OF BILLY JOEL (BILLY JOEL FAN SITE). Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  13. ^ Tony Walker (December 1, 2011), Billy Joel Shelter Island Sessions Part 1-No Mans Land-Large.m4v, retrieved July 13, 2019
  14. ^ a b Schruers, Fred (2014). Billy Joel. Crown Archetype. pp. 218–220. ISBN 978-0-8041-4019-5.
  15. ^ Marchese, David (July 23, 2018). "Billy Joel on His Songwriting Silence, the Country Today, and His Ideal Farewell". Vulture. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  16. ^ "Billy Joel – A Voyage On the River of Dreams Australia Box Set". Eil.com. October 14, 1994. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  17. ^ Hung, Steffen (November 27, 1994). "Billy Joel – A Voyage On the River of Dreams". australian-charts.com. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  18. ^ "Billy Joel on Turning 70, Donald Trump and Why He Writes Music Just For Himself Now". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  19. ^ "Fans are petitioning Billy Joel to release a new album". 98.7 The River. February 18, 2019. Archived from the original on July 14, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  20. ^ "We want Billy Joel to record and release a new studio album soon", Change.org.
  21. ^ a b c d "THE 36TH GRAMMY NOMINATIONS : Grammy Nods: The Populists Lead the Way : Awards: Sting, who already has 10 Grammys, earns six nominations. The competition includes Whitney Houston, Billy Joel and R.E.M." Los Angeles Times. January 7, 1994. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  22. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Billy Joel – River Of Dreams". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  23. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Billy Joel – River Of Dreams" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  24. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2234". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  25. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music and Media. American Radio History. October 30, 1993. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  26. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Billy Joel – River Of Dreams" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  27. ^ a b "1993 Year-End Sales Charts - Eurochart Hot 100 Albums 1993" (PDF). Music & Media. December 18, 1993. p. 15. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  28. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 263. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  29. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Billy Joel – River Of Dreams" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  30. ^ "MAHASZ".
  31. ^ "Tonlist Top 40". DV. Retrieved February 9, 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  32. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music and Media. American Radio History. September 4, 1993. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  33. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved May 31, 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Billy Joel".
  34. ^ "ビリー・ジョエル-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック" [Highest position and charting weeks of River of Dreams by Billy Joel]. oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  35. ^ "Charts.nz – Billy Joel – River Of Dreams". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  36. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Billy Joel – River Of Dreams". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  37. ^ "Hits of the World". Billboard. April 12, 1993. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  38. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  39. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Billy Joel – River Of Dreams". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  40. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Billy Joel – River Of Dreams". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  41. ^ "Billy Joel | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  42. ^ "Billy Joel Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  43. ^ * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  44. ^ "End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Albums 1993". Australian Recording Industry Association. ARIA Charts. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  45. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Jahreshitparade 1993". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  46. ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1993". RPM. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  47. ^ "Dutch Charts = dutchcharts.nl". Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  48. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts: 1993" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  49. ^ "1993年 アルバム年間TOP100" [Oricon Year-end Albums Chart of 1993] (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
  50. ^ "The Top 50 Albums of 1993". Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  51. ^ "Hitparade.ch – Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1993". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
  52. ^ "UK best albums 1993". Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  53. ^ "CHART: Billboard Top Pop Albums of 1993". Archived from the original on March 31, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  54. ^ "End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Albums 1994". Australian Recording Industry Association. ARIA Charts. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  55. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts: 1994" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  56. ^ "CHART: Billboard Top Pop Albums of 1994". Billboard. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  57. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 146.
  58. ^ "Austrian album certifications – Billy Joel – River of Dreams" (in German). IFPI Austria.
  59. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Billy Joel – River of Dreams". Music Canada.
  60. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Billy Joel; 'River of Dreams')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  61. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  62. ^ "a-ビリー・ジョエル" [Yamachan Land (Japanese Chart Archives) – Albums Chart Daijiten – Billy Joel] (in Japanese). Original Confidence. December 30, 2007. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  63. ^ "Japanese album certifications – ビリー・ジョエル – River of Dreams" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 1993年10月 on the drop-down menu
  64. ^ "de branchevereniging van de entertainmentindustrie". NVPI. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2011. Note: User needs to enter "Billy Joel" in the "Artiest" field and click below "zoek" button.
  65. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Billy Joel – River of Dreams" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter River of Dreams in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  66. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Billy Joel – River of Dreams". Recorded Music NZ.[dead link‍]
  67. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 17, 2011.
  68. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('River of Dreams')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  69. ^ "British album certifications – Billy Joel – River of Dreams". British Phonographic Industry.
  70. ^ "American album certifications – Billy Joel – River of Dreams". Recording Industry Association of America.
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