"Piano Man" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel. First released as a single in the US on November 2, 1973, it was included on Joel's 1973 album Piano Man. The song is sung from the point of view of a piano player at a bar, describing the patrons. "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.[4][5] Following Joel's breakthrough as a popular musician with the release of The Stranger, it became one of his most well-known songs. In 2013, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[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]