12 November 1983
Normally I’d sooner listen to roadworks than to a Billy Joel record, but I have time for ‘Uptown Girl’. For one thing, back in 1983 its squarely retro sound meant it was one of the rare current-day hits that got played on whatever radio shows my parents would have on in the kitchen or the car, so I was grateful for that flare sent up from the charts.
Also, it reproduces that Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons vibe quite well, especially in the vocal harmonies, with no other notions beyond meeting that brief. And its uptown-downtown concept is snappy and playful; the girl has agency—personal as well as modelling—and I don’t get the impression that Joel’s character is sneering or sniping at her, perhaps because the set-up has them both winners.
That said, the stampy, clompy beat and Joel’s slightly whiny delivery do get wearying, so after only one listen ‘Uptown Girl’ has delighted me long enough. Mid town.
