Billy Joel’s 1980 single ‘It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me’ was written partly as a rebuke to critics who dismissed his music as unfashionable or derivative. The song matters because it became one of his biggest hits while directly challenging the idea that changing styles and trends should determine whether music is worthwhile.

Joel said the lyrics targeted critics who publicly expressed prejudices about what counted as credible music, particularly amid the changing fashions of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The track was released on his album *Glass Houses*, reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, and reinforced Joel’s move towards a more direct rock sound after criticism of his earlier work.