Scenes from an Italian Restaurant

Infobox Song
Name = Scenes from an Italian Restaurant


Artist = Billy Joel
Album = The Stranger
Released = September 1977
track_no = 4
Recorded = A & R Recording, Inc., New York City
Genre = Jazz Rock
Length = 7:37
Writer = Billy Joel
Label = Columbia Records
Producer = Phil Ramone
Chart position =
Tracks =
prev = "Just the Way You Are"
prev_no = 3
this = "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant"
next = "Vienna"
next_no = 5
Misc = "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" is a song from Billy Joel's 1977 album "The Stranger".

Although never released as a single, it has become one of Joel's most celebrated compositions among fans, appearing on most of his compilation albums. The song is effectively a of three individual songs which are fused together. In an interview, Joel cites the second side of The Beatles album Abbey Road as one of the main influences behind it. The song starts with a gentle melodic piano ballad, which sets the scene of two old classmates in an Italian restaurant, moving on to a triumphant and uptempo jazz-influenced piece in the middle, which then segues into a rock and roll section (which Joel refers to as "The Ballad of Brenda and Eddie").

On May 6th 1977, before the song's official release, Joel premiered the song at Long Island University C.W. Post Campus which is located in Long Island, New York. He dedicated the song to Christiano's restaurant which is located in Syosset, New York.

At 7:34, it is the longest of Joel's studio cuts.

In the Broadway production "Movin' Out", the lyrics are changed slightly to have the Brenda and Eddie story take place in 1965 instead of 1975.