In “The Downeaster Alexa’”, Billy Joel sings of my beloved Montauk where we vacationed for 34 consecutive summers until Covid hit. Sadly, for various reasons, we have not returned since then. The references in the song to actual places, nautical and otherwise, such as Block Island Sound, Gardiner’s Bay, and Islanders juxtaposed against more mythical or religious lines (“giants out there in the canyon,” “where God only knows,” and “I am trawling Atlantis”) help convey a sense of a life rooted in gritty realism but controlled by larger forces.
– ‘Storm Front‘ at The Elephant’s Trunk
I saw Billy Joel’s Stormfront tour in ’91 in Sydney with my schoolmate Gary. He’s actually the one who drew the caricature of my family – that’s the featured image in my ‘Reflection’ menu. Anyway, Gary was a massive Billy Joel fan. We used to go back and forth over music because while he was all about Billy, I leaned more towards Elton John. I still remember when Elton’s Kiss the Bride came out – Gary would mock me by belting out, “I want to kiss the bridegroom!” A clever comeback, just like his caricature. So yeah, I went to the concert mostly to appease Gary, though I did (and still do) dig a lot of Joel’s music – especially today’s featured track.
I’m not sure how I forgot about ‘The Downeaster ‘Alexa’, but I was happily reunited with it through my friend Nancy’s aptly titled blog post, Storm Front, over at The Elephant’s Trunk.
I’m about to do something I don’t usually do – reblog Nancy’s article below. Given her personal connection to the song and remarkable talent as a writer, I think it’s only fitting to hand over the reins to her on this occasion. She gives the track the justice it truly deserves.
[Verse 1]
Well I’m on the downeaster “Alexa”
And I’m cruising through Block Island Sound
I have charted a course to the Vineyard
But tonight I am Nantucket bound
We took on diesel back in Montauk yesterday
Left this morning from the bell in Gardiner’s Bay
Like all the locals here I’ve had to sell my home
Too proud to leave, I work my fingers to the bone
[Verse 2]
So I could own my downeaster “Alexa”
And I go where the ocean is deep
There are giants out there in the canyons
And a good captain can’t fall asleep
I got bills to pay and children who need clothes
I know there’s fish out there, but where God only knows
They say these waters aren’t what they used to be
But I got people back on land who count on me
[Verse 3]
So if you see my downeaster “Alexa”
And if you work with the rod and the reel
Tell my wife I am trolling Atlantis
And I still have my hands on the wheel
[Bridge]
Yay-o
Yay-o
Yay-o
Yay-yay-o
[Verse 4]
Now I drive my downeaster “Alexa”
More and more miles from shore every year
Since they told me I can’t sell no stripers
And there’s no luck in swordfishing here
I was a bayman like my father was before
Can’t make a living as a bayman anymore
There ain’t much future for a man who works the sea
But there ain’t no island left for islanders like me
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
Thanks for the nod, Matt. Hope all is well.
It’s such a personally enlightening and contextually valuable article you wrote! And all the more – you reunited me with this stand-out from Billy. I’m very grateful. Cheers Nancy.
A pleasure, Matt. Cheers!
Great song I had heard before but kind of forgotten about – unlike other tracks from “Stormfront” like “We Didn’t Start the Fire”, “I Go to Extremes” and “Leningrad.”
My intro to Billy Joel was 1982’s “The Nylon Curtain,” an album I really loved. I also never thought I would see the actual Allentown. In fact, it’s only about a 1.5-hour car ride from my house. I’ve also been to neighboring town Bethlehem various times, home of the former Bethlehem Steel, which has reinvented itself as a regional musical hub.
Since “The Nylon Curtain,” I’ve always liked Billy Joel. I also got to see him once in the early 2000s at New York’s Madison Square Garden – long before his longtime residency there, which came to an end last July after an incredible 100-plus shows!
You came to Billy earlier than I did. Apart from his early major classics, my listening appreciation of him was born out of songs from ‘Innocent Man’, ‘The Bridge’, ‘Storm Front’ and ‘River of Dreams’. Which reminds me I should add ‘Uptown Girl and ‘A Matter of Trust’ and may be ‘Longest Time’ to my collection.
Your personal and geographical connection with the places is cool! It must have been wild to see him at Madison Square Garden during one of his 100 plus shows. Cheers.