Watch Billy Joel bring Olivia Rodrigo onstage for stunning rendition of 'Uptown Girl'
25 August 2022, 16:45 | Updated: 30 August 2022, 12:20
Billy Joel duetted with pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo at Madison Square Garden last night (August 24).
Billy Joel is renowned as one of the greatest singers of his generation.
The 73-year-old singer has been in the business almost 60 years and has sung with some of the most iconic singers of all time, so it only seems natural he would bring one of the brightest up-and-coming stars on stage, Olivia Rodrigo, for a rendition of each of their greatest hits.
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“I’m going to bring up another young musician. This is a very talented singer-songwriter,” Billy Joel said, before listing Olivia's accomplishments included her three Grammy Awards wins and a Billboard Music Award.
“She’s very talented. I like her music and so do my kids. Please say hello to Olivia Rodrigo,” Joel said as the crowd cheered.
19-year-old Olivia Rodrigo then came on stage and joined Billy Joel in front of the packed audience.
“Thank you so much for having me, Billy,” Rodrigo said, turning to The Piano Man.
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“I’m such a huge fan, and I kind of wrote this next song about you,” she added, before she began to perform her 2021 hit ‘Deja Vu’, as Billy Joel played the piano.
Lyrics to Rodrigo's hit tell the story of a former partner introducing his new lover to Billy Joel's music.
Watch the fan-recorded video of Billy Joel and Oliva Rodrigo's duets below:
Billy Joel with Olivia Rodrigo - “deja vu” and “Uptown Girl” - Madison Square Garden 8/24/2022
"And I bet that she knows Billy Joel / ‘Cause you played her ‘Uptown Girl,'" Rodrigo sings, later adding: "Play her piano, but she doesn’t know / That I was the one who taught you Billy Joel."
The pair then came to the front of the stage to perform – what Joel introduces as "a song that was referred to in the last song, as per Olivia’s request" – his 1983 classic 'Uptown Girl'.
Billy Joel is famous for collaborating with a variety of artists and bands throughout his 58-year career.
The star has performed with iconic stars including Ray Charles, Def Leppard, Tony Bennett, Miley Cyrus, Elton John, Bon Jovi and Paul McCartney.
Billy Joel 'Uptown Girl' video
His most recent collaboration came in August 2021 when he was joined by Goo Goo Dolls’ John Rzeznik for mesmerising performance of the band's 1998 hit, ‘Iris’ in Buffalo, New York.
His hit song 'Uptown' girl – the video staring his future wife Christine Brinkley – was a number three record in the US, and reached number one in the UK, his only number one in the country.
It was the second biggest-selling single of 1983 in the UK, and was the 19th biggest-selling single of the 1980s, selling 975,000 copies. It had sold over 1.06 million copies by 2017.
