as a single, the song was deemed too long (at 5:37) by Columbia Records executives. Two verses were cut in half and spliced together for the release (at 4:33). A promo 45 contained an even shorter edit (at 3:16), which also removed the 4th verse and final chorus. These single edits were remixed bringing out the acoustic guitars and harmonicas. Joel's followup "The Entertainer" refers to the editing of it by commenting: "It was a beautiful song, but it ran too long. / If you're gonna have a hit, you gotta make it fit. / So they cut it down to 3:05." Composition Joel wrote and originally performed the song in the key of C major. It has a waltz time signature and begins with a jazzy piano solo before moving into its piano and harmonica introduction. The verses and the chorus feature a descending walking bassline in C that ends with a D–G turnaround. Instrumentally, Joel's 1973 version features piano, harmonica, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, accordion, mandolin, and drums. Joel regretted the fact that the verses and the chorus of the song both use the same chord sequence and a similar melody, stating that the melody "doesn't go anywhere [musically]". Nevertheless, Joel also included minor harmonic variation and a different melody in the song's bridge section. Track listing 7" US single (1973) "Piano Man" – 4:30 "You're My Home" – 3:08 Music video The first music video for this song was released in 1973. It features Joel portraying Bill Martin, a bar act performing the song, and shows a typical American bar as a setting. A new version of the video was shot in 1985, with new extras, and a much more crowded and upbeat bar scene. The original video used an alternate take of the song but it was at the same length as the album version, while the new video used said album version. Popularity The single broke into the Billboard Top 40 in April 1974 at #30, going on to ultimately peak at #25, making it Joel's first top 40 hit. In Canada, the song peaked at #10, and established Joel as a star there. Initially, "Piano Man" was a moderate hit in the US. However, following the 1977 release of Joel's album The Stranger, the song became one of his best-known and best-loved songs. During the first Face to Face tour featuring Elton John and