Billy Joel Says Elton John Is ‘Dragging Down’ His Legacy By Continuing To Put Out New Music

Billy Joel really wishes his old friend Elton John would stop churning out albums. Joel, 69, stopped recording new albums of solo material 25 years ago when he was in his early 40s. The “Piano Man” singer doesn’t understand why, at age 71, Elton John continues to record new music.

Billy Joel made his comments about his former touring partner in a recent interview with Vulture.

“There are artists who continue to record because they feel like that’s what keeps them relevant. But if the quality of their work deteriorates it drags down the entire catalog. Elton [John] would say to me, ‘Why don’t you put out more albums?’ I would say, ‘Why don’t you put out less albums?’ I didn’t want to come out and say, ‘You’re dragging down your legacy.'”

Elton John’s most recent album of new music, Wonderful Crazy Night, was released in 2016. It was his 30th studio album. In contrast, Billy Joel explained why he decided to quit writing new songs in 1993 after the release of his 12th and final studio album, River of Dreams.

“I couldn’t be as good as I wanted to be. I was always trying to feel like there was a real progression in my work, and eventually I realized I was only going to be X good. Because of that I knew I was going to beat myself up for not being better. So I stopped. That’s it.”

Billy Joel thinks Elton John is ‘dragging down’ his own legacy. Do you think Billy Joel has a point? #EverybodyTalks pic.twitter.com/hGR64fRSge

— The Talk (@TheTalkCBS) July 24, 2018

In addition to Sir Elton, Billy Joel also called out Beatles legend Paul McCartney for his output of new music. McCartney has a new studio album, Egypt Station, due out in September.

“People feel compelled,” the singer said. “Paul McCartney, to this day: ‘Gotta be relevant. Gotta be new. Gotta have a hit.’ I stopped feeling like that a long time ago.”

Billy Joel may think that he peaked as a songwriter in his 40s, but he previously defended himself against critics who think he is “coasting” by on his old music catalog. Joel’s impressive music library includes hit ’70s albums like The Stranger and the ’80s fan favorite Glass Houses, the album that featured his megahits “Tell Her About It,” “Uptown Girl,” and “An Innocent Man.”

In a 2016 interview with The Daily Mail, Billy Joel explained that he simply lost the desire to write new songs and he admitted he “hated” the writing process.

“People can say I’m coasting, but I stopped wanting to write songs. It took its toll…I hate writing but I love having written. I just stopped wanting to do it. Elton was always saying, ‘Why don’t you do a new album? Why don’t you write new songs?’ And I would reply, ‘Why don’t you put out fewer albums?’ I guess he wants to remain relevant, but if they don’t sell, what’s the point? I hate to think I’m a nostalgia act, but we all are, anyone who’s going to sell out arenas.”

Indeed, one thing Billy Joel hasn’t stopped doing is performing live. The singer recently performed his 100th show at Madison Square Garden, where he has a residency. Joel started playing the Garden monthly in January 2014, and his shows continue to sell out despite the “recycled” music that he plays.

Joel told CBS News some of his songs have aged better than others. The singer reiterated that he stopped writing music because he was frustrated that he “couldn’t be as good” as he wanted to be. The father of three also admitted the pressure of writing the perfect song drove him to drink.

“It was driving me crazy. And it was wrecking my personal life, too, just not being able to be satisfied,” Joel said. “And drinking became a problem because of that, to try to drown my frustration a little bit…I could look at 25 percent of what I wrote and throw it out and not miss it at all. “