Given his troublesome past, the themes of this record - cynicism, rebellion, change and reminiscence - are unsurprising. For all of Joel's famed gift for melody - which is certainly in evidence here - it is impossible to ignore the tone of his music, which at times can be very cutting. Indeed, the album's title is indication enough of these feelings.
'Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)', the opening track, makes all this clear. This is Joel's searing and famous anthem on working class life and his refrain says it all: "It seems such a waste of time/If that's what it's all about/If that's movin' up then I'm movin' out." Interestingly enough, despite the obvious cynicism, there is just a hint of hope - he is moving out, and perhaps it is to a better place. And this contrast of emotions is, in fact, another of The Stranger's themes.
For example, there is surliness of the title track - "Well we all have a face/That we hide away forever" - which is immediately followed by the tender love song, 'Just the Way You Are' by the lyrics: "I said I love you and that's forever/And this I promise from the heart/I could not love you any better/I love you just the way you are."
Fittingly enough, these disparate ideas all come together perfectly in 'Scenes From an Italian Restaurant'. While it may lack the melodic impact of songs like 'She's Always a Woman' and 'Movin' Out', it definitely makes up for this with its simple, yet poignant lyrics.
The song is about two old friends, who "lost touch long ago", having dinner. "A bottle of white, a bottle of red/Perhaps a bottle of rose instead/We'll get a table near the street/In our old familiar place/You and I--face to face".
Predictably, they begin to reminisce: "I remember those days/Hanging out at the village green/Engineer boots, leather jackets/And tight blue jeans/Drop a dime in the box/Play a song about New Orleans/Cold beer, hot lights/My sweet romantic teenage nights".
As they inevitably mythologize their youth, they force themselves to conclude: "But you can never go back there again." And yet, despite the dashing of yet more working class dreams, there is again just a hint of something better to come: "I'll meet you anytime you want/In our Italian Restaurant."
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