I Go to Extremes

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"I Go to Extremes"
Single by Billy Joel
from the album Storm Front
B-side"When in Rome"[1]
ReleasedJanuary 1990
GenreRock
Length4:23
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Billy Joel
Producer(s)
Billy Joel singles chronology
"Leningrad"
(1989) 		"I Go to Extremes"
(1990) 		"The Downeaster 'Alexa'"
(1990)

"I Go to Extremes" is a song by American singer Billy Joel from his eleventh studio album, Storm Front (1989), released as the album's second US single in early 1990. It reached the number-six position on the US Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number three on the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart. The song was also a top-10 hit on both the Billboard Adult Contemporary and Album Rock Tracks charts. The song also reached at number 70 on the UK Singles Chart.[2]

At one point considered a song about a manic-depressive, the song was originally written as an apology to Joel's wife at the time, Christie Brinkley. The B-side to the single was "When In Rome", which appeared on the same album. The music video consists of Joel and his backing band playing the song in a room. The song received mostly positive response, and a live version appears on the album 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert. During live performances, Joel would often jokingly change the lyrics to the chorus, as well as to various lines in the song.

Writing and recording[edit]

The St. Paul Pioneer Press believes that the song chronicles the highs and lows of a "manic-depressive".[3] However, according to Joel, the song is an apology that is directed to his then wife, Christie Brinkley.[4] Joel was apologizing for his erratic personality.[4] In live concerts, Joel would often jokingly create new lyrics for the chorus, such as "I go for ice cream", and "I got a new wife on the cover of Life."[5][6][failed verification] The song is believed to be about Joel's own lifestyle.[7] The B-side to the single release was another song from the album, "When in Rome".[1] The music video consists of Joel playing with musicians in a room.

Reception[edit]

Dennis Hunt of The Los Angeles Times believed the song was the highlight of the album, saying that it was the only song that wasn't "tainted by a social message."[8] The Fresno Bee sarcastically says "Oh, Billy, stop it - you're just soooo extreme! Have your machine call my machine, and we'll do this extreme thing together."[9] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said of the song, "I realized a lot of rock critics must have tin ears. Why else would they pan Billy Joel?"[10] Jan DeKnock of The Chicago Tribune believed that the song was "another sure-fire winner from his [Joel's] "Storm Front" LP."[11] Robb Frederick of The Daily Collegian believed that the song "shows remorse for a moodiness which almost reaches the degree of schizophrenia".[12] John MCalley of Rolling Stone called the song "hard-driving", and thought the character in the song was "futilely [trying] to account to his girlfriend for his inconsistent moods and wavering confidence."[13] The Miami Herald believed that the song had potential to be a "great" song, but was still disappointed.[14] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic believed that the song was one of the strongest songs of the album, also calling it "catchy."[15] Matthew Bernstein of The Boston Globe believes that it's a great work-out song.[16]

Personnel[edit]

Charts[edit]

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States January 1990
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • cassette
 Columbia [30]
Japan January 21, 1990 Mini-CD CBS/Sony [31]
United Kingdom February 19, 1990
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
 CBS [32]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Billy Joel – I Go to Extremes". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  3. ^ "Joel Shines on 'Storm Front'". St. Paul Pioneer Press. January 7, 1990. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  4. ^ a b MacDonald, Patrick (April 13, 1990). "He's Between Rock and a Hard Place". Seattle Times. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
  5. ^ S. Cohn, Jonathan (June 29, 1990). "It's Back to Basics in a Show of Old Favorites". Harvard Crimson. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  6. ^ Bernade, Scott (March 4, 1990). "Joel Storms into Miami". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  7. ^ "Piano Man Billy Joel Just Wants to Have Fun". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. July 5, 1990. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  8. ^ Hunt, Dennis (June 3, 1990). "Mixed Media: Eye of the Storm". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  9. ^ "In Rating Singles, The 'Nays' Have It". Fresno Bee. March 9, 1990. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  10. ^ "Billy Starts the Fire At Star Lake". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 18, 1990. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  11. ^ DeKnock, Jan (January 19, 1990). "It's Out with the Old, In with the New". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  12. ^ Frederick, Robb (December 7, 1989). "Billy Joel Catches a Flame". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  13. ^ MCalley, John (November 30, 1989). "Billy Joel: Storm Front: Music Reviews: Rolling Stone". The Daily Collegian. Archived from the original on May 6, 2007.
  14. ^ "Billy Joel Reaches Too Far for Too Little". Miami Herald. November 4, 1990. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  15. ^ "allmusic ((( Storm Front > Overview )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  16. ^ Bernstein, Matthew (April 14, 2007). "From Start to Finish: Tunes for the Long Haul". The Boston Globe.
  17. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9243." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  18. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 9060." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  19. ^ "Billy Joel – I Go to Extremes" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  20. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – I Go to Extremes". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  21. ^ "Billy Joel – I Go to Extremes" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  22. ^ "Billy Joel – I Go to Extremes". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  23. ^ "Billy Joel Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  24. ^ "Billy Joel Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  25. ^ "Billy Joel Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  26. ^ "Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1990". RPM. Retrieved July 8, 2020 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  27. ^ "Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1990". RPM. Retrieved July 8, 2020 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  28. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1990". Archived from the original on July 6, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2009.
  29. ^ "The Year in Music 1990: Top Adult Contemporary Singles". Billboard. Vol. 102, no. 51. December 22, 1990. p. YE-36.
  30. ^ "Great Rock Discography". p. 437.
  31. ^ "愛はExtremes | ビリー・ジョエル" [Love Extremes | Billy Joel] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  32. ^ "New Singles". Music Week. February 17, 1990. p. 35.
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