No Man's Land (Billy Joel song)
| "No Man's Land" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Billy Joel | ||||
| from the album River of Dreams | ||||
| B-side | "No Man's Land" (live) | |||
| Released | February 1994 (UK)[1] | |||
| Length | 4:48 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter | Billy Joel | |||
| Producers |
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| Billy Joel singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "No Man's Land (Audio)" on YouTube | ||||
"No Man's Land" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released in February 1994 by Columbia Records as the second single and opening track from his twelfth studio album, River of Dreams (1993). The song, both written and co-produced by Joel, is about the growth of suburbia and its negative environmental and social aspects. It was performed by Joel on the premiere episode of Late Show with David Letterman on August 30, 1993. The song peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart.
In 2017, Joel performed the song in concert as part of the story line in the Thanksgiving episode of the sixth season of the TV series Arrow.[2] In 2018, he recalled the song as containing his best lyrics, with "biblical imagery skewed by consumerism".[3] On the 1994 River of Dreams Tour, Joel often opened concerts with "No Man's Land".
Critical reception
[edit]Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "Woken up after his own 'Lullaby', Joel immediately puts on his rocking shoes. ACE programmers, for whom he is a core artist, don't panic! Lead guitar is only used for fill ins."[4]
Track listings
[edit]All songs were written by Billy Joel.
- UK CD single
- "No Man's Land" (LP version) – 4:45
- "No Man's Land" (live) – 5:03
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[5] | 71 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100 Tipparade)[6] | 11 |
| Spain (Top 40 Radio)[7] | 38 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[8] | 50 |
| US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[9] | 18 |
References
[edit]- ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 437. ISBN 978-0-86241-541-9.
- ^ Abrams, Natalie. "'Arrow' to feature Billy Joel". EW. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
- ^ Marchese, David (July 2018). "In Conversation: Billy Joel". Vulture.com. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
- ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 18. April 30, 1994. p. 11. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2235." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
- ^ "Billy Joel – No Man's Land" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
- ^ "Billy Joel Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
