Billy Joel has shared the video for his comeback single, “Turn the Lights Back On,” his first music video in 17 years.
The video arrives after Joel debuted “Turn the Lights Back On” at the 2024 Grammys. Directed by Warren Fu and the song’s co-writer and producer, Freddy Wexler, the video uses deepfake technology from Deep Voodoo to show Joel singing the song in three different eras: His early career in the 1970s, his mid-career, and now. At the end, a brief montage of Joel’s career, life, and family plays as he sings to a fully empty-but-fully-lit theater. Watch the video below.
In celebration of “Turn the Lights Back On,” Joel’s first solo single since 2007’s “All My Life,” he also stopped by The Late Show with Steven Colbert on Thursday to discuss how the song came together, the Grammys performance, and why his seminal track “Piano Man” is actually a limerick. Additionally, Joel spoke about his hypothetical “Billy Joel & Friends” supergroup, which he named Don Henley, Sting, John Mayer as candidates that he’d like to get together in a band “just to explode and then break up.” Watch all three segments of Billy Joel’s interview on The Late Show below.
Joel may be re-entering the pop pantheon with “Turn the Lights Back On,” but his calendar was already full to begin with — Joel will embark on a summer tour this year with dates alongside Stevie Nicks, Rod Stewart, and his pal, Sting. Get tickets for Billy Joel’s 2024 US tour here.
Billy Joel is also in preparation for a record-breaking 100th consecutive performance at Madison Square Garden, where he’s held a longstanding residence over the last several years. The show goes down on March 18th, and air as a special on CBS one month later on April 18th.