This section tells a story in the third person about high school sweethearts who were an 'it' couple, who marry young and quickly divorce. Clarinet, trombone, tuba and saxophone solos then lead into a rock and roll section (which Joel calls 'The Ballad of Brenda and Eddie'). This segues into a triumphant and uptempo jazz-influenced section as the classmates catch up with each other's lives and begin to reminisce. 'Italian Restaurant' begins as a gentle, melodic piano ballad depicting, in the first person, a scene of two old classmates reuniting in an Italian restaurant. The song is effectively a medley of three distinct pieces. Joel admitted, years later, that the shout-out to the local restaurant was similar to shouting out ' Yankees' at a Manhattan concert.

Joel dedicated that performance to Christiano's, a restaurant in the nearby hamlet of Syosset, which operated until February 2014. On May 6, 1977, before the song's official release, Joel premiered it in a performance at the C.W. Īt 7 minutes and 37 seconds, it is the longest of Joel's rock music studio cuts, only surpassed by live recordings and five tracks from Joel's 2001 classical album Fantasies & Delusions. In an interview, Joel cites the second side of The Beatles' album Abbey Road as one of its primary musical influences. However, this restaurant was not the inspiration for the song (See: Joel's Comments).Īlthough never released as a single, it has become one of Joel's most celebrated compositions among fans and critics alike it appears on most of his compilation albums and is a live favorite. The back cover of The Stranger LP depicting the band members seated at the former Guido's Restaurant in Manhattan.

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