不斷尋找自我的音樂人～Billy Joel／比利喬

如果時間停止轉動　 我     只想聽見你的歌…
這些年來，你過得好嗎？

關於「鋼琴詩人」Billy Joel 的事蹟，雖然銀河網路人稱「蔣爸」的資料跟我在國外網站找的有一點點小出入，不過大致上已經是非常完整的了。如果你想多了解 Billy Joel，不妨一看。

Billy Joel - Turnstiles (1976)

「Turnstiles」的原意是指如同這張專輯封面所示，捷運、地下鐵入口處的那種旋轉閘門或繞桿，對於經歷了年少輕狂、厭倦了五光十色、帶著謙遜的態度省視自己過去，並以全新態度期許生活的 Billy Joel 而言，或許更有「轉淚點」的深層意義。

從這張發自內心真摯告白的專輯中，他一氣呵成地凝聚了個人情緒，以一種個人風格極重的思路，順暢地將心底的聲音轉化為音樂，痛定思痛的他更以「New York State of Mind」表達了對一個城市的認同與圓融的心境，顯得質樸而認真：

New York State Of Mind

Some folks like to get away

Take a holiday from the neighborhood
Hop a flight to Miami Beach
Or to Hollywood
But I'm talking a Greyhound
On the Hudson River Line
I'm in a New York state of mind
有人喜歡遠離這兒，到他方享受假期。
跳上飛機，去邁阿密海灘或好萊塢。
但我卻是搭上哈德遜河沿線的灰狗巴士，
我的心，嚮往著紐約。

I've seen all the movie stars
In their fancy cars and their limousines
Been high in the Rockies under the evergreens
But I know what I'm needing
And I don't want to waste more time
I'm in a New York state of mind
我看過私人豪華轎車上的電影明星，
到過蒼綠的洛磯山脈，
但我知道我真正想要的，而我再也不想浪費時間了，
我，心繫紐約。

It was so easy living day by day
Out of touch with the rhythm and blues
But now I need a little give and take
The New York Times, The Daily News
要跟動人的節奏藍調脫節，
日復一日地生活不算太難，
如今我只須付出一點點代價，
買份紐約時報，或是紐約日報....

It comes down to reality
And it's fine with me 'cause I've let it slide
Don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside
I don't have any reasons
I've left them all behind
I'm in a New York state of mind
回到現實，一切都還好因為我順其自然地活著，
不再介意是在中國城或河濱區,
沒有任何理由，理由都被我拋諸腦後，
我，心繫紐約。

It was so easy living day by day
Out of touch with the rhythm and blues
But now I need a little give and take
The New York Times, The Daily News
要跟動人的節奏藍調脫節，
日復一日地生活不算太難，
如今我只須付出一點點代價，
買份紐約時報，或是紐約日報....

It comes down to reality
And it's fine with me 'cause I've let it slide
Don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside
I don't have any reasons
I've left them all behind
I'm in a New York state of mind
回到現實，一切都還好因為我順其自然地活著，
不再介意是在中國城或河濱區,
沒有任何理由，理由都被我拋諸腦後，
我，心繫紐約。

I'm just taking a Greyhound on the Hudson River Line
'Cause I'm in a New York state of mind
我只是搭著哈德遜河沿線的灰狗巴士，
因為，我，心繫紐約。

「The Stranger, 1977」是繼「Turnstiles」之後較具野心的專輯，光是與專輯同名的主打歌「The Stranger」那前後呼應的鋼琴與口哨聲，包住詞意中那個只有自己知道的陌生人，為他真正帶來走紅滋味的陌生人。

The Stranger 

Well we all have a face
That we hide away forever
And we take them out and show ourselves
When everyone has gone
我們都有不為人知的一面
我們總是將它隱藏的很好
但我們將這一面毫無保留的展現給自己
在沒有人的時候

Some are satin some are steel
Some are silk and some are leather
They're the faces of the stranger
But we love to try them on
有些像綢緞般柔軟，也有些像鋼鐵般冷酷
有些像絲綢般滑順，也有些像皮革般堅韌
這些都是對陌生人的偽裝
但我們卻樂於戴上這些偽裝

Well we all fall in love
But we disregard the danger
Though we share so many secrets
There are some we never tell
但當我們談戀愛時
卻不在乎偽裝被揭穿的危險
就算我們分享再多秘密
還是有些事情從來不說的

Why were you so surprised
That you never saw the stranger
Did you ever let your lover see
The stranger in yourself?
Don't be afraid to try again
Everyone goes south
Every now and then
You've done it, why can't
Someone else?
You should know by now
You've been there yourself
你怎麼這麼驚訝呢?
難道你從來沒見過他嗎?
你讓你的親密愛人看過他嗎?
那個活在你身體裡的陌生人?
別害怕嘗試
每個人都在逃避所有一切
不論是現在還是過去
就面對它吧，為什麼不呢?
還有其他人能夠做到嗎?
你應該知道的
只有你自己能觸及

Once I used to believe
I was such a great romancer
Then I came home to a woman
That I could not recognize
When I pressed her for a reason
She refused to even answer
It was then I felt the stranger
Kick me right between the eyes
我以前也是如此堅信的
我以前是個很棒的夢想家
但我為了一個女人選擇走入家庭
那個我自以為認識的女人
我想要緊緊擁抱她時
她連拒絕都懶得說
當時我真覺得自己像個陌生人
連進入她眼底的資格都沒有

You may never understand
How the stranger is inspired
But he isn't always evil
And he isn't always wrong
Though you drown in good intentions
You will never quench the fire
You'll give in to your desire
When the stranger comes along.
你可能永遠不懂
那個陌生人為什麼如此了解你
但它不總是壞人
也不總是錯的
就算你讓自己沉溺在美好的幻想裡
你也無法澆熄這從你內心熊熊發出的火苗
你將會屈服於你的意志
當那個陌生人來到

當「The Stranger, 1977」為他真正帶來成功的滋味之後，「52nd Street, 1980」專輯中卻又出現了一首令人無奈於現實環境的殘酷、人與人之間戴著偽裝面具的歌曲「Honesty」，殷殷期盼著茫茫人海中，每個人生命裡都能出現一個，至少有一個，不虛偽做作、值得信賴的支柱......

Billy Joel - 52nd Street  (1980)

Honesty

If you search for tenderness
It isn't hard to find
You can have the love you need to live
But if you look for truthfulness
You might just as well be blind
It always seems to be so hard to give 
如果你在尋找溫柔 
那並不難找 
你可以擁有你需要的愛 
但如果你在尋找真誠 
你大概是眼睛瞎了 
那始終是很難給予的 

Honesty is such a lonely word
Everyone is so untrue
Honesty is hardly ever heard
And mostly what I need from you 
誠實    是如此寂寞的字眼 
每個人都這麼地虛偽 
誠實    已經許久不曾聽過 
也是我希望從你身上找到的 

I can always find someone
To say they sympathize
If I wear my heart out on my sleeve
But I don't want some pretty face
To tell me pretty lies
All I want is someone to believe 
我總是可以遇到某些人說他非常同情我 
如果我已心力交瘁 
但我不要美麗的臉孔告訴我美麗的謊言 
我要的是可以信任的人

Honesty is such a lonely word
Everyone is so untrue
Honesty is hardly ever heard
And mostly what I need from you 
誠實    是如此寂寞的字眼 
每個人都這麼地虛偽 
誠實    已經許久不曾聽過 
也是我希望從你身上找到的

I can find a lover
I can find a friend
I can have security
Until the bitter end
Anyone can comfort me
With promises again
I know, I know 我可以找到情人 
我可以找到朋友 
讓我直到悲苦的結局都不受到傷害 
任何人都可以用承諾來安慰我 
我知道，我明白…… 

When I'm deep inside of me
Don't be too concerned
I won't ask for nothin' while I'm gone
But when I want sincerity
Tell me where else can I turn
Because you're the only one that I depend on 
當我過度耽溺 
別太擔心我 
當我離去時，我一無所求 
但當我需要誠實 
告訴我該往何處去 
只因你是我唯一信賴的人

Honesty is such a lonely word
Everyone is so untrue
Honesty is hardly ever heard
And mostly what I need from you
誠實    是如此寂寞的字眼
每個人都這麼地虛偽
誠實    已經許久不曾聽過
也是我希望從你身上找到的

Billy Joel - River Of Dreams  (1993)

「天知道我從來就不是個多崇高的人，我也不確定往後的生命將會如何.....」
夢中的河流如此寬廣且深不見底，但河的對岸是否有我要尋找的呢？是什麼呢？

越過「不惑」之年後的 Billy Joel，在人生的洪流中即使有徬徨有迷惑，有強大的不確定性，但似乎更能清楚地掌握取捨之間的拿捏，與音樂的共鳴點也更強調與聽眾之間的互動，這首輕快節奏下卻同時充滿迷惘情緒及堅定意志的「The River Of Dreams」，也是我很喜愛的一首：

The River Of Dreams

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
From the mountains of faith
To a river so deep
I must be looking for something
Something sacred I lost
But the river is wide
And it's too hard to cross

And even though I know the river is wide
I walk down every evening and I stand on the shore
And try to cross to the opposite side
So I can finally find out what I've been looking for

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the valley of fear
To a river so deep
And I've been searching for something
Taken out of my soul
Something I would never lose
Something somebody stole

I don't know why I go walking at night
But now I'm tired and I don't want to walk anymore
I hope it doesn't take the rest of my life
Until I find what it is that I've been looking for

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the jungle of doubt
To a river so deep
I know I'm searching for something
Something so undefined
That it can only be seen
By the eyes of the blind
In the middle of the night

I'm not sure about a life after this
God knows I've never been a spiritual man
Baptized by the fire, I wade into the river
That runs to the promised land
In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the desert of truth
To the river so deep
We all end in the ocean
We all start in the streams
We're all carried along
By the river of dreams
In the middle of the night