"A Matter of Trust" is a song by

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...

, released in 1986 as the second single from his album '' The Bridge''. The song was the second top 10 single from the album, after "

Modern Woman "Modern Woman" is a song performed by Billy Joel from his album '' The Bridge''. It was the album's lead-off single and was featured on the soundtrack to the film ''Ruthless People''. In the film the song removes an instrumental break present in ...

". The song gained major traction in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

as part of a state-sponsored television promotion of Joel's songs in preparation for his 1987 USSR concerts, recorded on '' Kontsert''.

Music video

The song's music video, directed by

Russell Mulcahy Russell Mulcahy ( ; born 23 June 1953) is an Australian film director. Mulcahy's work is recognisable by the use of fast cuts, tracking shots and use of glowing lights, neo-noir lighting, windblown drapery, and fans. He directed music videos i ...

and conceived and produced by Paul Flattery, features Joel and his band performing on the rooftop of a building in St. Mark's Place in New York City's East Village, and also features shots of various people in the city who eventually gather 'round the building's windows to see Joel perform. Most appear to be enjoying the performance except one woman on a

fire escape A fire escape is a special kind of emergency exit, usually mounted to the outside of a building or occasionally inside but separate from the main areas of the building. It provides a method of escape in the event of a fire or other emergency th ...

who yells at them to "shut up!" However, she is ignored, and even members of the

NYPD The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

do not mind. Joel's then-wife

Christie Brinkley Christie Lee Brinkley (née Hudson; born February 2, 1954) is an American model, actress, and entrepreneur. Brinkley gained worldwide fame with her appearances in ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues'', ultimately appearing on an unprecedented ...

appears in the video holding their baby daughter

Alexa Alexa may refer to: Technology *Amazon Alexa, a virtual assistant developed by Amazon * Alexa Internet, a defunct website ranking and traffic analysis service * Arri Alexa, a digital motion picture camera People *Alexa (name), a given name and ...

. The song differs from most Joel songs in that it is based on electric guitar rather than piano, which gives it a rock edge, compared to the soft-rock balladry with which he is more often associated. It is the only Joel music video that features him on guitar—a factor he cited when saying it was his favorite of all his videos.

Reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' called it "refreshingly untidy rock" with "elegant song structure". ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said that "This generic sounding pop tune may not be one of Joel’s best, but with his gut level vocal and the heavy rock guitar backing featured within it, the tune is given a cutting edge."

Legacy

During the 2020 presidential cycle and

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CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

broadcast commercials promoting the importance of trust and which featured "A Matter of Trust" as background music. CNN states in an email: "This version's stripped-down instrumentals set against the black and white images create space to pause and reflect on this year's chaotic news cycles, and offer hope for how we can grow better together from these unprecedented times."

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matter of Trust, A 1986 singles Billy Joel songs Songs written by Billy Joel Song recordings produced by Phil Ramone Columbia Records singles Music videos directed by Russell Mulcahy 1985 songs