Billy Joel has revealed in an interview with musician Rick Beato why he largely stopped writing original songs after his 1993 album River of Dreams, saying he wanted to protect his legacy rather than risk it "trailing off". He explained that, having become a husband and father, he no longer felt the drive to devote himself monk-like to songwriting, and feared that continuing to release new material without the same motivation would dilute what he had already achieved.

Joel compared his output to the Beatles, noting he had written twelve albums and felt that was "just enough". He did briefly return to writing for a classical piano record, which he needed to "get out of my system", before deciding definitively to stop, telling himself "Stop. Don't kill it." He has not ruled out songwriting entirely, releasing "Turn the Lights Back On" in 2024, his first new single in 17 years, and has continued performing, including a January comeback appearance, despite cancelling a tour last spring after being diagnosed with the brain condition Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus.