https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVcKj1rF0PI
No Video for "How Many Friends" on Youtube anymore :-(
Another battle of two soundalikes. In this case "Captain Jack" came out in 1973 while The Who By Numbers and "How Many Friends" came out in 1975. I think they sound enough alike for it to be a conscious rip-off, but perhaps not.
Anyway, so what’s it gonna be: Billy Joel’s sordid vignettes from Loserville or The Who’s take on loneliness at something resembling the top?
Personally, since they’re so similar sonically, I’m going with Mr. Joel’s languid but melodramatic lyrics about underachievement. Lines like “Your sister’s gone out, she’s on a date/ you just sit at home and masturbate” neatly sum up a certain kind of pathetic life, don't they? And it definitely makes playing connect the dots to Billy Joel’s suicide attempt at age twenty-one much easier.
To be fair, the Who song has always been underrated and it does give such deep psychological insights into the band as “We talk so much shit behind each others back I get the willies,” that it’s hard to just hand the prize to Billy Joel without reservation. Certainly both songs would get a spot on a Rough Guide to Alcoholics Anonymous comp CD though, right? Your thoughts, please.
Poll Results
| Option | Votes |
| Captain Jack | 2 |
| How Many Friends? | 1 |
― Cunga, Monday, 26 October 2009 04:05 (fifteen years ago)