to worry so much about getting old because I can still have a use in this world in my old age. I thought 'Vienna waits for you…'" Certifications Reception and legacy It was played in a 1981 episode of Taxi called "Vienna Waits". Marilu Henner's character Elaine Nardo refers to the song while on vacation in Europe with Alex Reiger, played by Judd Hirsch. Due to licensing restrictions, the song has been omitted from the episode on DVD, though is intact on the Hulu versions of the episode. In a July 2008 New York Times article, Joel cited this as one of his two favorite songs, along with "Summer, Highland Falls". Writing in 2022, Tim Grierson of MEL Magazine attributed the song's endurance to it being featured in the 2004 film 13 Going on 30, prominence on social media platforms like Twitter and TikTok through the early 2020s, and its messaging, leading to a popularity that he identifies as particularly strong among younger people. He further wrote, "unlike something like 'Piano Man,' it hasn’t been shoved down our throats for the entirety of our lives. 'Vienna' feels like something you get to discover on your own and then claim for yourself". PopMatters critic David Pike rated it one of the "41 essential pop/rock songs with accordion." Cover versions In 2011, American singer Ariana Grande covered the song, initially sending the MP3 to her fans if they donated to her 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami appeal, and then later making it available to the public via her YouTube channel. In 2012, American Idol contestant Elise Testone performed the song on the 11th season of the show the week the contestants sang Billy Joel's songs. In 2013, Christian Borle performed it in "The Phenomenon", the 14th episode of the second season of Smash. In 2015, the Austrian band Granada released their version, "Wien wort auf di", sung in an Austrian dialect of German. In 2015, Mac Miller covered the song under his alias Larry Fisherman. In 2016, contestant Andrew DeMuro performed the song at the Blind Auditions on The Voice of the show and was made a part of Adam Levine's team. In 2019, Grace VanderWaal performed Vienna during her "Ur So Beautiful" tour. In 2019, Israeli singer Roie Labes released his version for the song in Hebrew, named "וינה". In 2019, actor Ben Platt performed the song in the eighth episode