[2] The song is a cynical and somewhat satirical look at the fleeting fame of a musician and fickle public tastes ("Today I am your champion / I may have won your hearts / But I know the game / You'll forget my name / (And I won't be here / in another year) / if I don't stay on the charts"); this theme would be examined in the later song "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me".

One verse in the song references the shortening of Joel's song "Piano Man" from 5 minutes and 40 seconds to 3 minutes and 5 seconds to fit a radio slot, referenced by the lyrics "It was a beautiful song, / but it ran too long / (If you're gonna have a hit, you gotta make it fit) / So they cut it down to 3:05."

[4] Cash Box called it "positively the strongest disk Billy has cut since 'Piano Man'" and said that "the lyric line abounds with the incisive cynicism that the biz can generate in a performer" and praised the "strong instrumentation and synthesizer.

"[5] Record World called it a "clever cut" in which Joel "returns with a glint in his eye and sarcasm on his lips: it's tough at the top, but even more treacherous on the way up.

The lyrics are as follows: I am the entertainer I dress to fit the style I wear all kinds of sparkles I flash the crowd my smile But when the night is over I stand without my clothes Perspiration stains and varicose veins My eyes bloodshot, my belly's gone to pot And there's a pimple on my nose[7]