"Sometimes a Fantasy" 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 as the last single from his album '' Glass Houses''. The single peaked at #36 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song is a "melodic, fast paced rocker." It starts with Joel dialing a number on a telephone (which he is depicted doing on the single cover). The lyrics are about a sexually frustrated man who tries to convince his significant other to have

phone sex Phone sex is a conversation between two or more people by means of the telephone which is sexually explicit and is intended to provoke sexual arousal in one or more participants. All parties participate voluntarily; it is typically accompanied ...

. He explains that he is lonely since they are far away from each other (which is implied by the fact that his phone call is "long distance").

Music video

The video starts with Joel in bed, dialing a woman's number. She then picks up the phone and the music starts playing. While on the phone, Joel sings the song's lyrics to her throughout the video. Then, in the end, it turns out the entire call was just a fantasy, and no one picked up.

Other versions

The single version of "Sometimes a Fantasy" released in the United States and Canada has a running time of 4:19, making it longer than the album version, which runs at 3:40. The 45 RPM single also uses a different mix with guitars panned in different locations. The album's version ends with a fade out, while the single version does not, and instead includes Joel letting loose a

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

' honoring yowl of "I got blisters on my blisters!", a reference to

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

's outburst, "I got blisters on my fingers" at the end of " Helter Skelter". The extended version of the song was available as a US 7" vinyl, a Canadian 7" vinyl, a US promo 7" vinyl, a US DJ-promo 12" vinyl and (at 4:22) as the Japanese B-side of "

All for Leyna "All for Leyna" is a song by Billy Joel from the 1980 album '' Glass Houses''. "All for Leyna" was released as a single in the United Kingdom, where it reached #40 on the UK Singles Chart. The lyrics tell the story of the protagonist who meets ...

" (available as a 7" and a 7" promo). To date, the long version is not available on any of Joel's compilation albums, reissues, and is not available in CD or mp3 format. The single was released in other countries as a 3:39 version, namely in Australia, the Netherlands and the UK (7" promo). The official music video for this single uses an alternate vocal track, different from the album and single releases. A version of the song is included in Joel's 1987 live album, '' Kontsert''.

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 ...

'' said that it "starts with a telephone ring and a

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...

vocal before its transition into a melodic, fast-paced rocker." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of the three main music industry trade magazines in the United States, along with '' Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 under the name ''Music Vendor'', but in 1964 it was changed to ''Record Wo ...

'' called it a "pulsating rocker for AOR-pop."

Personnel

– vocals, Yamaha electric grand piano, synthesizers *

Richie Cannata Richie Cannata (born March 3, 1949) is an American music producer, saxophonist, keyboardist and studio owner. He is most notable for playing saxophone in Billy Joel's band alongside Liberty DeVitto, Russell Javors, and Doug Stegmeyer. After leav ...

– organ * Dave Brown – electric guitar *

Russell Javors Russell Javors (born June 13, 1952) is an American rock guitarist. He is best known as a rhythm guitarist for Billy Joel from 1976 to 1989. Career At age 15, Javors was performing songs with his childhood friend Liberty DeVitto. He met Doug Stegm ...

– electric guitar *

Doug Stegmeyer Douglas Alan Stegmeyer (December 23, 1951 – August 25, 1995) was an American musician who was best known as the bassist and back-up vocalist for Billy Joel. Stegmeyer also performed as bassist for Debbie Gibson and Hall & Oates. Biography ...

– bass *

Liberty DeVitto Liberatori "Liberty" DeVitto (born August 8, 1950) is an American rock drummer. He is best known for his work as a drummer for New York singer-songwriter Billy Joel's recording and touring band. He has also been a session drummer on recordings of ...

– drums, percussion

Chart history

References

{{Authority control 1979 songs 1980 singles Billy Joel songs Columbia Records singles Songs about telephone calls Song recordings produced by Phil Ramone Songs written by Billy Joel American synth-pop songs American punk rock songs American hard rock songs