Billy Joel played the harmonica himself on “Piano Man”, as well as the piano. The harmonica became one of the song’s defining sounds, helping create its warm, melancholy character and reinforcing Joel’s intimate, one-man-band performance.

Joel wrote the song drawing on his experiences playing lounge bars in the early 1970s, after his debut album failed to gain traction. Its characters reflected his struggles as an aspiring musician, before the song’s success transformed him from a struggling performer into a star while preserving the song’s sense of personal truth.