I Go to Extremes

"I Go to Extremes" is the fourth track on American singer Billy Joel's 11th studio album, Storm Front (1989). It was released as the second single from the album in 1989. It reached the number-six position on the US Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number three on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart. The song was also a top-10 hit on both the Billboard Adult Contemporary and Album Rock Tracks charts.

"I Go to Extremes"
Single by Billy Joel
from the album Storm Front
B-side"When in Rome"[1]
Released1989
GenreRock
Length4:23
Label
Songwriter(s)Billy Joel
Producer(s)
Billy Joel singles chronology
"Leningrad"
(1989)		 "I Go to Extremes"
(1989)		 "The Downeaster 'Alexa'"
(1990)

At one point considered a song about a manic-depressive, the song was originally written as an apology to Joel's wife at the time, Christie Brinkley. The B-side to the single was "When In Rome", which appeared on the same album. The music video consists of Joel and his backing band playing the song in a room. The song received a mostly positive response, and a live version appears on the album 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert. During live performances, Joel would often jokingly change the lyrics to the chorus, as well as to various lines in the song.

Writing and recording

The St. Paul Pioneer Press believes that the song chronicles the highs and lows of a "manic-depressive".[2] However, according to Joel, the song is an apology that is directed to his then wife, Christie Brinkley.[3] Joel was apologizing for his erratic personality.[3] In live concerts, Joel would often jokingly create new lyrics for the chorus, such as "I go for ice cream", and "I got a new wife on the cover of Life."[4][5] The song is believed to be about Joel's own lifestyle.[6] The b-side to the single release was another song from the album, "When in Rome".[1] The music video consists of Joel playing with musicians in a room.

Reception

The song reached the top ten in the US at number six and reached number 70 on the UK Singles Chart.[7] A live version of the song appeared on his album, 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert.

Dennis Hunt of The Los Angeles Times believed the song was the highlight of the album, saying that it was the only song that wasn't "tainted by a social message."[8] The Fresno Bee sarcastically says "Oh, Billy, stop it - you're just soooo extreme! Have your machine call my machine, and we'll do this extreme thing together."[9] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said of the song, "I realized a lot of rock critics must have tin ears. Why else would they pan Billy Joel?"[10] Jan DeKnock of The Chicago Tribune believed that the song was "another sure-fire winner from his [Joel's] "Storm Front" LP."[11] Robb Frederick of The Daily Collegian believed that the song "shows remorse for a moodiness which almost reaches the degree of schizophrenia".[12] John MCalley of Rolling Stone called the song "hard-driving", and thought the character in the song was "futilely [trying] to account to his girlfriend for his inconsistent moods and wavering confidence."[13] The Miami Herald believed that the song had potential to be a "great" song, but was still disappointed.[14] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic believed that the song was one of the strongest songs of the album, also calling it "catchy."[15] Matthew Bernstein of The Boston Globe believes that it's a great work-out song.[16]

Personnel

Charts

Release history
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States 1989
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • cassette
 Columbia
Japan January 21, 1990 Mini-CD CBS/Sony [30]
United Kingdom February 19, 1990
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
 CBS [31]

References
  1. "Billy Joel – I Go to Extremes". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  2. "Joel Shines on 'Storm Front'". St. Paul Pioneer Press. January 7, 1990. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  3. MacDonald, Patrick (April 13, 1990). "He's Between Rock and a Hard Place". Seattle Times. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
  4. S. Cohn, Jonathan (June 29, 1990). "It's Back to Basics in a Show of Old Favorites". Harvard Crimson. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  5. Bernade, Scott (March 4, 1990). "Joel Storms into Miami". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  6. "Piano Man Billy Joel Just Wants to Have Fun". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. July 5, 1990. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  7. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  8. Hunt, Dennis (June 3, 1990). "Mixed Media: Eye of the Storm". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  9. "In Rating Singles, The 'Nays' Have It". Fresno Bee. March 9, 1990. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  10. "Billy Starts the Fire At Star Lake". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 18, 1990. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  11. DeKnock, Jan (January 19, 1990). "It's Out with the Old, In with the New". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  12. Frederick, Robb (December 7, 1989). "Billy Joel Catches a Flame". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  13. MCalley, John (November 30, 1989). "Billy Joel: Storm Front: Music Reviews: Rolling Stone". The Daily Collegian. Archived from the original on May 6, 2007.
  14. "Billy Joel Reaches Too Far for Too Little". Miami Herald. November 4, 1990. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  15. "allmusic ((( Storm Front > Overview )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  16. Bernstein, Matthew (April 14, 2007). "From Start to Finish: Tunes for the Long Haul". The Boston Globe.
  17. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9243." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  18. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 9060." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  19. "Billy Joel – I Go to Extremes" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  20. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – I Go to Extremes". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  21. "Billy Joel – I Go to Extremes" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  22. "Billy Joel – I Go to Extremes". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  23. "Billy Joel Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  24. "Billy Joel Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  25. "Billy Joel Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  26. "Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1990". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  27. "Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1990". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  28. "Billboard Top 100 – 1990". Archived from the original on July 6, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2009.
  29. "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  30. "愛はExtremes | ビリー・ジョエル" [Love Extremes | Billy Joel] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  31. "New Singles". Music Week. February 17, 1990. p. 35.
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