Billy Joel has openly acknowledged that his friend and fellow songwriter Bruce Springsteen received more critical acclaim than he did throughout their careers, and that he believed Springsteen deserved it. Despite Joel's commercial success and musical versatility across genres including jazz, new wave and arena rock, critics never fully embraced him in the way they did guitar-driven artists like Springsteen, something Joel attributed less to jealousy and more to a fundamental difference in songwriting approach.

Joel explained that Springsteen's lyrical prowess gave him an advantage with critics, who tend to value wordsmithing highly, whereas Joel himself always prioritised music over lyrics when writing songs. He recalled having no resentment towards Springsteen's superior press coverage, praising songs such as "Born to Run" and "Meeting Across the River" as evidence of genuine talent. Joel's piano-based sound, in contrast to the guitar-centric image typically associated with rock coolness, was also cited as a factor that kept him at a slight distance from critical favour, despite his own significant hits and adventurous albums like "The Stranger" and "52nd Street".