Passage: Columbia Records ngawanohkeun Joel ka Phil Ramone, anu bakal ngahasilkeun sadaya albeum studio Joel ti The Stranger (1977) ka The Bridge (1986). The Stranger mangrupa kasuksésan komérsial anu luar biasa, ngahasilkeun opat Top-25 hits dina tangga lagu Billboard: "Just the Way You Are" (#3), "Movin' Out" (#17), "Only the Good Die Young" (#24), sareng "She's Always a Woman" (#17). Album Top Ten munggaran Joel, The Stranger disertifikasi multi-platinum sareng ngahontal nomer dua dina tangga lagu, ngungkulan Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge over Troubled Water, album terlaris Columbia anu sateuacanna. The Stranger ogé nampilkeun "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant", lagu rock klasik anu berorientasi albeum, anu parantos janten salah sahiji lagu anu paling dikenal.
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