The Downeaster "Alexa"

"The Downeaster 'Alexa'" is a song originally written, produced, and performed by Billy Joel for his eleventh studio album Storm Front. The album itself went to number one while the fourth single "The Downeaster 'Alexa'" placed at No. 57 in the Billboard Hot 100. The song was included on Billy Joel's Greatest Hits Vol. 3 album in 1997. The song was named for his boat, which in turn was named after his daughter Alexa Ray Joel.

"The Downeaster 'Alexa'"
Single by Billy Joel
from the album Storm Front
B-side"And So It Goes"
ReleasedApril 1990
StudioThe Hit Factory, Times Square Studio, New York, NY
GenreRock
Length3:44
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Billy Joel
Producer(s)
Billy Joel singles chronology
"I Go to Extremes"
(1990)		 "The Downeaster 'Alexa'"
(1990)		 "That's Not Her Style"
(1991)

Content

The violin solo is played by virtuoso Itzhak Perlman.[1]

The song is sung in the persona of an impoverished fisherman off Long Island and the surrounding waters who, like many of his fellow fishermen, is finding it increasingly hard to make ends meet and keep ownership of his boat, a type known as a downeaster.[2]

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan.[3]

Cover versions
  • The Brown University a cappella group The Brown Derbies recorded a version on their album Nightcap, with the main vocals performed by Joel Begleiter.[4]
  • The English roots duo Show of Hands recorded a version on their album Covers.
  • The American rock band O.A.R. has covered the song since 2007[5]
  • A parody of the song was featured on The Howard Stern Show, replacing the lyrics with "Baba Booey" and Howard's common variations of it.
  • This song is also featured in The Hangover Part II during a sequence in which the main characters are on a plane and are driving to a wedding party in Thailand.

Charts
Chart (1990) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[6] 126
Canadian Singles Chart[7] 25
Japanese Singles Chart (Oricon)[8] 6
UK Singles Chart 76
US Billboard Hot 100 57
US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks 18
US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks 33

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[9] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Billy Joel & Itzhak Perlman - The Downeaster 'Alexa' (MSG - March 9, 2015)
  2. Piano Man rocks Albany – Poughkeepsie Journal, Thursday April 19, 2007
  3. Garcia, Alex S. "mvdbase.com - Billy Joel - "The downeaster Alexa"". Music Video DataBase. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  4. (Review of 'Nightcap' by The Brown Derbies. Accessed November 14, 2018.)
  5. Live at the Red Rocks (O.A.R. website. Accessed June 10, 2009.)
  6. "Week commencing 28 May 1990". BubblingDownUnder. May 28, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  7. "RPM 100 Singles". Library and Archives Canada. June 9, 1990. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  8. Oricon Singles Chart Oricon Singles Chart (Retrieved November 2, 2012)
  9. "American single certifications – Billy Joel – The Downeaster 'Alexa'". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
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