A Matter of Trust (1986) – Billy Joel

76-year-old Billy Joel is recovering from hydrocephalus (NPH), a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the skull and exerts pressure on the brain. He described his balance problems as feeling “like being on a boat” and noted that the condition was once known as “water on the brain.” His daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, has been providing updates on his recovery. In fact, Alexa appears as a baby in the music video for today’s song – A Matter of Trust – alongside her mother and Joel’s then-wife, Christie Brinkley. Joel even named his boat after Alexa, who was nine years old when it was built, and later turned it into a touching song ‘The Downeaster ‘Alexa’.

Billy Joel is no stranger to this blog, and there’s a story I often enjoy retelling – my apologies to those who’ve heard it before. I saw Billy Joel’s Storm Front tour in ’91 in Sydney with my schoolmate Gary, who also happens to be the artist behind the caricature of my family featured in the ‘Reflection’ menu. Gary was an enormous Billy Joel fan. We’d go back and forth over music – he was all about Billy, while I leaned more toward Elton John. I still remember when Elton’s Kiss the Bride came out; Gary would badger me by singing, “I want to kiss the bridegroom!” in place of ‘I wanna kiss the bride, yeah!‘. A clever jab, much like his caricature. So, yes – I went to the concert mostly to humour Gary, though I did (and still do) have a soft spot for some of Joel’s music, including today’s featured track.

A Matter of Trust differs from most Joel songs in that it is based on electric guitar rather than piano, which gives it a rock edge, compared to the soft-rock balladry with which he is more often associated. It was released as the second single from his The Bridge and became a top ten hit. The song gained major traction in the Soviet Union as part of a state-sponsored television promotion of Joel’s songs in preparation for his 1987 USSR concerts, recorded on his seventh studio album – Kontsert. The music video below also includes two quick cuts of both Ringo Starr (1:38) and Paul McCartney (2:01) watching from the street. It is the only Joel music video that features him on guitar, a factor he cited when saying it was his favourite of all his videos.

[Intro]
One, two
One, two, three, four

[Verse 1]
Some love is just a lie of the heart
The cold remains of what began with a passionate start
And they may not want it to end
But it will, it’s just a question of when
I’ve lived long enough to have learned
The closer you get to the fire the more you get burned
But that won’t happen to us
‘Cause it’s always been a matter of trust

[Verse 2]
I know you’re an emotional girl
It took a lot for you to not lose your faith in this world
But I can’t offer you proof
But you’re gonna face a moment of truth
It’s hard when you’re always afraid
You just recover when another belief is betrayed
So break my heart if you must
It’s a matter of trust

[Bridge]
You can’t go the distance
With too much resistance
I know you have doubts
But for God’s sake, don’t shut me out

[Verse 3]
This time you’ve got nothing to lose
You can take it, you can leave it whatever you choose
I won’t hold back anything
And I’ll walk away a fool or a king
Some love is just a lie of the mind
It’s make believe until it’s only a matter of time
And some might have learned to adjust
But then it never was a matter of trust

[Bridge]
I’m sure you’re aware love
We’ve both had our share of
Believing too long
When the whole situation was wrong

[Verse 4]
Some love is just a lie of the soul
A constant battle for the ultimate state of control
After you’ve heard lie upon lie
There can hardly be a question of why
Some love is just a lie of the heart
The cold remains of what began with a passionate start
But that can’t happen to us
‘Cause it’s always been a matter of trust

[Outro]
It’s a matter of trust
It’s always been a matter of trust
It’s a matter of trust
‘Cause it’s always been a matter of trust

References:
1. A Matter of Trust – Wikipedia