On This Day, February 15, 1979: Billy Joel wins Record & Song of the Year at the Grammys

On This Day, February 15, 1979…

At the 21st annual Grammy Awards, Billy Joel won Record and Song of the Year for the love song “Just the Way You Are.”

The track, written for Joel’s first wife and former manager, was the second single off his fifth studio album The Stranger, and was his first U.S. Top 10 single, with the tune peaking at #3. It was also his first gold single.

Over the course of Joel’s career, he has won five Grammy Awards and was awarded a Grammy Legend Award in 1991.

On February 4, 2024, Joel returned to the Grammys to perform “Turn the Lights Back On,” his first new single in 17 years, as well as the classic “You May Be Right.”