You're Only Human (Second Wind)
Encyclopedia
"You're Only Human" is a song
written in 1985 and performed by Billy Joel
for the express purpose of teenage suicide prevention
.
Joel, who had once attempted suicide himself, was asked if he could write a song about suicide
in the hopes of promoting its prevention in teenagers. He agreed, but was concerned about his original draft which took a downbeat tone he thought would in fact encourage kids to end it all. In response, Joel created a new song with a bouncy joyous beat and lyrics that stress personal
forgiveness
and optimism
about life.
Joel donated all the royalties from the song to the National Committee for Youth Suicide Prevention.
The song appeared on Billy Joel's Greatest Hits
in 1985 and became a top ten hit, peaking at #9 on the Billboard
chart. It was digitally recorded.
During the song, Joel audibly laughs after briefly hesitating during one of the verses. At the prompting of Paul Simon
and Christie Brinkley
(who were listening in the studio) he decided to keep it in the recorded version as it seemed to illustrate his point in the song about personal fallibility.
" on his harmonica
. The entire video pays homage to It's a Wonderful Life
, as the angelic Joel shows the young man - who's about to jump off a bridge because of a break-up with his girlfriend - what life will be like without him, as his family and friends mourn his death - as well as showing him the joys in his future he'll be missing if he dies (e.g. high school graduation, marriage). The video ends with the man choosing to live, and reconciling with his girlfriend. The drowning teen in the music video is Adam Savage
, who would later gain fame as a special effects artist and the co-host of the popular science
television show MythBusters
. The video was shot on Staten Island
and Manhattan
and features landmarks such as the 59th Street Bridge and Monsignor Farrell High School
.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written in 1985 and performed by Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
for the express purpose of teenage suicide prevention
Suicide prevention
Suicide prevention is an umbrella term for the collective efforts of local citizen organizations, mental health practitioners and related professionals to reduce the incidence of suicide....
.
Joel, who had once attempted suicide himself, was asked if he could write a song about suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in the hopes of promoting its prevention in teenagers. He agreed, but was concerned about his original draft which took a downbeat tone he thought would in fact encourage kids to end it all. In response, Joel created a new song with a bouncy joyous beat and lyrics that stress personal
Personal
Personal may refer to:* Personal hygiene* Personal identity * Personal web pagePersonal may also refer to:* Personal advertisement, an ad, like a classified ad, generally meant to find romance or friendship...
forgiveness
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is typically defined as the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution. The Oxford English Dictionary defines forgiveness as 'to grant free pardon and to give up all...
and optimism
Optimism
The Oxford English Dictionary defines optimism as having "hopefulness and confidence about the future or successful outcome of something; a tendency to take a favourable or hopeful view." The word is originally derived from the Latin optimum, meaning "best." Being optimistic, in the typical sense...
about life.
Joel donated all the royalties from the song to the National Committee for Youth Suicide Prevention.
The song appeared on Billy Joel's Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (Billy Joel albums)
Billy Joel's Greatest Hits is a collection released in two sets, 12 years apart. The first set, consisting of two discs, titled Volume I and Volume II, was released in 1985. The second, single disc titled Volume III was released in 1997. All songs but the last three on Volume III, "To Make You Feel...
in 1985 and became a top ten hit, peaking at #9 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
chart. It was digitally recorded.
During the song, Joel audibly laughs after briefly hesitating during one of the verses. At the prompting of Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
and Christie Brinkley
Christie Brinkley
Christie Brinkley is an American model and actress best known for her three consecutive appearances on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in the late 1970s and early 1980s, for her long-running contract with CoverGirl, the longest ever of any model in history, and for her marriage...
(who were listening in the studio) he decided to keep it in the recorded version as it seemed to illustrate his point in the song about personal fallibility.
Music video
At the beginning of the video, Joel plays "Piano ManPiano Man (song)
"Piano Man" was Billy Joel's first major hit and his signature song. "Piano Man" was released as a single in November 1st, 1973 and has been on several albums...
" on his harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
. The entire video pays homage to It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern....
, as the angelic Joel shows the young man - who's about to jump off a bridge because of a break-up with his girlfriend - what life will be like without him, as his family and friends mourn his death - as well as showing him the joys in his future he'll be missing if he dies (e.g. high school graduation, marriage). The video ends with the man choosing to live, and reconciling with his girlfriend. The drowning teen in the music video is Adam Savage
Adam Savage
Adam Whitney Savage is an American industrial design and special effects designer/fabricator, actor, educator, and co-host of the Discovery Channel television series MythBusters. His model work has appeared in major films, including Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and The Matrix...
, who would later gain fame as a special effects artist and the co-host of the popular science
Popular science
Popular science, sometimes called literature of science, is interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is broad-ranging, often written by scientists as well as journalists, and is presented in many...
television show MythBusters
MythBusters
MythBusters is a science entertainment TV program created and produced by Beyond Television Productions for the Discovery Channel. The series is screened by numerous international broadcasters, including Discovery Channel Australia, Discovery Channel Latin America, Discovery Channel Canada, Quest...
. The video was shot on Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
and Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and features landmarks such as the 59th Street Bridge and Monsignor Farrell High School
Monsignor Farrell High School
Monsignor Farrell High School is a Catholic secondary school located in the Oakwood section of Staten Island, New York. Opened in 1961, the school was named in honor of Monsignor Joseph Farrell, a prominent Catholic priest, as well as a religious, political and community leader on Staten Island.The...
.
Single and album edits
The single version is nearly 30 seconds shorter than the album version, removing the sax solo between the bridge and the third verse.Chart positions
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 6 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
15 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 22 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 17 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
94 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
9 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
2 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Rock Tracks | 26 |