"Piano Man" is based on Joel's real-life experiences as a lounge musician in Los Angeles from 1972 to 1973, which he had decided to pursue in an effort to escape his contracted New York City–based record company at the time, Family Productions, following the poor commercial performance of his debut album, Cold Spring Harbor (1971).

Joel's first major hit and his signature song, "Piano Man" peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in April 1974.

[6] In 2015, the Library of Congress selected "Piano Man" for preservation in the National Recording Registry for its "cultural, historic, or artistic significance".

[7] "Piano Man" is a fictionalized retelling of Joel's own experience as a piano-lounge singer for six months in 1972–73 at the now defunct Executive Room bar in the Wilshire district of Los Angeles.

[8] In a talk on Inside the Actors Studio, Joel said that he had to get away from New York due to a conflict with his then recording company and hence lived in Los Angeles for three years with his first wife.

[12] Cash Box said that the "soft, tender narrative tune, reminiscent of that material being spun by Harry Chapin, is going to attract a ton of folks looking to sink their teeth into an equal blend of music and lyric".

Americans tuning in to a Sunday, April 14, 2024 CBS broadcast of Joel's 100th concert in his Madison Square Garden residency became enraged when local affiliates abruptly cut away in the middle of the song to air their late newscasts.

CBS blamed the issue on a "timing error" (the special had been delayed 30 minutes due to Masters Tournament coverage running long) and announced it would rebroadcast the entire program later in the week.