American singer-songwriter Billy Joel has released 13 studio albums, eight live albums, 19 compilation albums, 14 video albums, 82 singles, three promotional singles and 45 music videos.
Joel's debut solo album, Cold Spring Harbor, was released in November 1971 and sold poorly, also containing a mastering error. Joel reemerged in the music industry two years later, with breakthrough album Piano Man and a new contract with Columbia Records. However, his next two albums (Streetlife Serenade and Turnstiles) did not sell to Columbia's expectations, prompting them to consider dropping Joel. However, his next album, The Stranger, released in September 1977, was a huge success, to this day remaining his best-selling studio album release, achieving 12× Platinum (Diamond status) in the US as well. His success increased with further albums such as 52nd Street, Glass Houses, The Nylon Curtain, and An Innocent Man. Joel's 1985 compilation album Greatest Hits – Volume I & Volume II is the 2nd best-selling album by a solo artist in RIAA history, achieving 23× Platinum certification in the US (behind Thriller by Michael Jackson). Joel's last rock album to date, River of Dreams, was released in 1993. His final studio album is Fantasies & Delusions, an album compiled of classical music. Joel himself does not perform on the album, though the music is composed by him. In July 2025, the two-part documentary retrospective Billy Joel: And So It Goes was released and paired with an extensive companion soundtrack.
Throughout his career, he has sold more than 150 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists in history. According to Recording Industry Association of America, Joel has sold 85 million certified albums in the United States, making him the 4th best-selling solo artist of all time (behind Garth Brooks, Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson). Billboard ranked him as the 9th Greatest male soloist of all time (19th overall).
Albums Studio albums + List of albums, with selected chart positions and certifications Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications USPeak chart positions for albums in the United States: All except Cold Spring Harbor, Piano Man, Streetlife Serenade, Turnstiles, 52nd Street, Glass Houses, The Nylon Curtain and Songs in the Attic: Cold Spring Harbor, Piano Man, Streetlife Serenade, Turnstiles, 52nd Street, Glass Houses, The Nylon Curtain and Songs in the Attic: AUSAustralian chart peaks: Top 100 (Kent Music Report) peaks to 19 June 1988: N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid 1983 and 19 June 1988. Top 50 (ARIA Charts) peaks from 26 June 1988: Top 100 (ARIA Charts) peaks from January 1990 to December 2010: "The Downeaster "Alexa"" (ARIA Chart) peak: "Hard Day's Night" (ARIA Charts) peak: AUT CANPeak chart positions for albums in Canada: Piano Man: Streetlife Serenade: The Stranger: 52nd Street: Glass Houses: The Nylon Curtain: An Innocent Man: The Bridge: Storm Front: River of Dreams: GER JPNPeak chart positions for albums in Japan: All except Piano Man, My Lives and She's Always a Woman: Love Songs: Piano Man: My Lives: She's Always a Woman: Love Songs: NLD NOR NZ UK Cold Spring Harbor Released: November 1, 1971 Label: Family Productions Formats: CS, 8T, LP 158 — — — — 44 — — — 95 Piano Man Released: November 14, 1973 Label: Columbia Formats: CS, 8T, LP 27 14 — 26 — 112 — — — 98 RIAA: 5× Platinum ARIA: Platinum MC: 2× Platinum Streetlife Serenade Released: October 11, 1974 Label: Columbia Formats: CS, 8T, LP 35 85 — 16 — — — — — — RIAA: Platinum Turnstiles Released: May 19, 1976 Label: Columbia Formats: CS, 8T, LP 122 12 — — — 286 — — — — RIAA: Platinum ARIA: Gold The Stranger Released: September 29, 1977 Label: Columbia Formats: CS, 8T, LP 2 2 — 2 — 3 36 — 2 24 RIAA: Diamond (12× Platinum) ARIA: Platinum BPI: Gold RIAJ: Gold MC: 5× Platinum 52nd Street Released: October 11, 1978 Label: Columbia Formats: CS, 8T, LP 1 1 4 1 19 9 33 5 1 10 RIAA: 7× Platinum ARIA: 2× Platinum BPI: Gold MC: 4× Platinum RIAJ: Gold RMNZ: Platinum Glass Houses Released: March 12, 1980 Label: Columbia Formats: CS, 8T, LP 1 2 4 1 24 6 20 2 6 9 RIAA: 7× Platinum AUS: Platinum BPI: Gold MC: 5× Platinum The Nylon Curtain Released: September 23, 1982 Label: Columbia Formats: CS, 8T, LP 7 4 20 12 34 2 1 9 10 27 RIAA: 2× Platinum ARIA: Platinum MC: Platinum An Innocent Man Released: August 8, 1983 Label: Columbia Formats: CS, 8T, LP 4 3 — 12 36 3 14 9 1 2 RIAA: 8× Platinum ARIA: Gold BPI: 3× Platinum MC: 3× Platinum The Bridge Released: July 25, 1986 Label: Columbia Formats: CD, CS, 8T, LP 7 2 18 10 34 2 20 13 12 38 RIAA: 2× Platinum BPI: Silver MC: 2× Platinum Storm Front Released: October 17, 1989 Label: Columbia Formats: CD, CS, LP 1 1 10 4 5 8 14 — 9 5 RIAA: 4× Platinum ARIA: 2× Platinum RIAJ: Platinum BPI: Platinum BVMI: Platinum IFPI AUT: Gold MC: 2× Platinum River of Dreams Released: August 10, 1993 Label: Columbia Formats: CD, CS, LP 1 1 2 6 2 3 23 9 1 3 RIAA: 5× Platinum ARIA: 3× Platinum RIAJ: Platinum BPI: Platinum BVMI: Platinum IFPI AUT: Platinum MC: 3× Platinum RMNZ: Platinum Fantasies & Delusions Released: September 27, 2001 Label: Columbia, Sony Classical Formats: CD, download 83 — — — — — — — — — "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
Live albums + List of albums, with selected chart positions and certifications Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications US AUS AUT GER JPN NLD NOR NZ SWE UK Songs in the Attic Released: September 14, 1981 Label: Columbia Formats: CS, 8T, LP 8 9 — 51 3 — 12 30 38 57 RIAA: 3× Platinum Kohuept Released: October 26, 1987 Label: Columbia Formats: CD, CS, LP, 8T 38 10 — — 16 39 — 13 — 92 RIAA: Platinum 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert Released: May 2, 2000 Label: Columbia Formats: CS, CD, download 40 — — 64 17 — — — — 68 RIAA: Gold 12 Gardens Live Released: June 13, 2006 Label: Columbia Formats: CD, download 14 22 11 80 52 — — — — 95 Live at Shea Stadium: The Concert Released: March 8, 2011 Label: Sony Formats: CD, Aload 35 — — 41 41 — — — — — A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia (expanded version of Kohuept) Released: May 19, 2014 Label: Columbia Records Formats: 2CD, 2CD + DVD, 2CD + Blu-Ray, DVD — — — — — — — — — — Live at Carnegie Hall 1977 Released: April 13, 2019 Label: Legacy Formats: LP — — — — — — — — — — Live at the Great American Music Hall 1975 Released: April 23, 2023 Label: Columbia Formats: 2×LP (RSD limited edition) — — — — — — — — — — "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
Compilation albums + List of albums, with selected chart positions and certifications Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications US AUS AUT GER JPN NLD NOR NZ SWE UK Billy Joel: The Box Set Released: 1980 Label: Columbia Formats: 12" box set — — — — — — — 45 — — Greatest Hits – Volume I & Volume II Released: July 1, 1985 Label: Columbia Formats: CD, CS, 8T, LP 6 2 30 33 4 7 1 1 45 7 RIAA: 23× Platinum ARIA: 9× Platinum RIAJ: 3× Platinum+Gold BPI: Platinum IFPI AUT: Gold IFPI NOR: Platinum MC: 2× Platinum Starbox Released: 1988 Label: Columbia Formats: CD — — — — 20 — — — — — Souvenir: The Ultimate Collection Released: January 1990 Label: Columbia Formats: CD, CS — 1 — — — — — — — —ARIA: Platinum A Voyage on the River of Dreams Released: 1994 Label: Columbia Formats: CD — 33 — — 70 — — 47 — — Greatest Hits Volume III Released: August 19, 1997 Label: Columbia Formats: CD, CS, LP 9 12 7 23 15 18 7 18 — 23 RIAA: Platinum RIAJ: Gold ARIA: Gold BPI: Silver The Complete Hits Collection: 1973–1997 Released: October 13, 1997 Label: Columbia Formats: CD, CS, LP — 20 — — — — — 17 — 33 RIAA: 2× Platinum The Ultimate Collection Released: December 20, 2000 Label: Columbia Formats: CD, LP — 12 — 58 19 36 3 2 3 4 ARIA: 2× Platinum BPI: Platinum IFPI NOR: Gold IFPI SWE: Gold RIAJ: Platinum The Essential Billy Joel Released: October 2, 2001 Label: Sony Formats: CD 15 50 — — — — — 14 — 157 RIAA: 4× Platinum ARIA: 3× Platinum BPI: Gold RMNZ: Platinum Piano Man: The Very Best of Billy Joel Released: November 15, 2004 Label: Columbia Formats: CD, download — 14 15 93 17 — — 13 — 7 ARIA: Platinum BPI: 6× Platinum RIAJ: Platinum My Lives Released: November 22, 2005 Label: Sony Formats: CD box set 171 — — — 175 — — — — — The Hits Released: November 16, 2010 Label: Sony Formats: CD, download 34 — — — — — — — — — RIAA: Gold She's Always a Woman: Love Songs Released: November 23, 2010 Label: Sony Formats: CD — — — — 113 — — — — — Billy Joel: The Complete Albums Collection Released: November 8, 2011 Label: Sony Formats: CD box set — — — — — — — — — — Collected Additional Masters Released: November 8, 2011 Label: Sony Formats: CD, streaming — — — — — — — — — — Opus Collection Released: March 20, 2012 Label: Starbucks Formats: CD 80 — — — — — — — — — She's Got a Way: Love Songs Released: January 22, 2013 Label: Legacy Formats: CD — — — — — — — — — — 50 Years of the Piano Man Released: April 8, 2022 Label: Columbia Formats: Digital — — — — — — — — — — Billy Joel: And So It Goes Released: July 26, 2025 Label: Columbia Formats: Streaming — — — — — — — — — — "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
Video albums + List of video albums, with selected chart positions and certifications Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications USVideoPeak chart positions for albums on the Top Music Video chart in the United States: The Video Album – Volume I: The Video Album – Volume II: Eye of the Storm: Live at Yankee Stadium: Greatest Hits Volume III: The Video: The Essential Video Collection: Live at Shea Stadium: The Concert: Live from Long Island Released: 1983 Label: CBS Formats: VHS The Video Album – Volume I Released: 1986 Label: CBS Formats: LaserDisc, VHS 2 RIAA: Gold The Video Album – Volume II Released: 1986 Label: CBS Formats: LaserDisc, VHS 4 RIAA: Gold Eye of the Storm Released: May 15, 1990 Label: CBS Formats: LaserDisc, VHS 16 RIAA: Gold Live at Yankee Stadium Released: November 21, 1990 Label: Sony Formats: VHS 15 RIAA: Platinum Greatest Hits Volume III: The Video Released: October 13, 1997 Label: Columbia Formats: LaserDisc, VHS, DVD 24 RIAA: Gold The Essential Video Collection Released: November 20, 2001 Label: Sony Formats: VHS, DVD 17 The Ultimate Collection Released: 2001 Label: Sony Music Video Enterprises Formats: DVD ARIA: 5× Platinum BPI: Gold RIANZ: Platinum Piano Man: The Very Best of Billy Joel Released: November 15, 2004 Label: Columbia Formats: DVD — My Lives Released: November 22, 2005 Label: Sony Formats: DVD — Live from the River of Dreams Released: 2007 Label: Columbia Formats: DVD —ARIA: Gold The Essential 3.0 Released: August 26, 2008 Label: Sony Formats: DVD — Live at Shea Stadium: The Concert Released: March 8, 2011 Label: Sony Formats: DVD 1ARIA: 2× Platinum Billy Joel: And So It Goes Released: July 18 & 25, 2025 Label: HBO Formats: Streaming — "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
Singles + List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album US AUS "And So It Goes": "Shameless": AUT CANPeak chart positions for singles in Canada: "Piano Man": "The Entertainer": "Just the Way You Are": "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)": "Only the Good Die Young": "She's Always a Woman": "My Life": "Big Shot": "Honesty": "You May Be Right": "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me": "Don't Ask Me Why": "Sometimes a Fantasy": "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" (live): "She's Got a Way" (live): "Pressure": "Allentown": "Tell Her About It": "Uptown Girl": "An Innocent Man": "The Longest Time": "Leave a Tender Moment Alone": "Keeping the Faith":