New York City – Billy Joel, the iconic singer-songwriter, recently performed at Madison Square Garden, where his ex-wife Christie Brinkley joined him on stage as he sang “Uptown Girl,” a song inspired by her. The crowd was delighted to see Brinkley dancing and singing along to the hit track with a huge grin on her face. Released in 1983, “Uptown Girl” was a tribute to Brinkley, whom Joel later married in 1985, before divorcing in 1994. Brinkley even starred in the music video for the song.
During a 2010 interview on “The Howard Stern Show,” Joel revealed that when he first started writing “Uptown Girl,” he was dating Elle MacPherson and had originally titled the song “Uptown Girls.” However, as his relationship with MacPherson ended, Brinkley became the sole inspiration for the song. Joel emphasized that despite claims that the song was not about Brinkley, it was indeed written for her.
The couple shares one child together, Alexa Ray Joel, who is now 38 years old. Joel has been married multiple times, with marriages to Elizabeth Weber until 1982, Katie Lee from 2004 to 2009, and Alexis Roderick since 2015. With Roderick, Joel has two daughters, Della Rose Joel, 8, and Remy Anne Joel, 6.
In a 2019 interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Brinkley expressed her fondness for “Uptown Girl,” stating how much she enjoys having it as her theme song. She mentioned how fun it is to have a song associated with her that plays at various events and occasions. The song continues to be a nostalgic reminder of her past with Joel.
Recently, Joel celebrated his record-setting 100th show at Madison Square Garden, where he has been performing since January 2014. The special event was televised on CBS, but fans were left disappointed when the broadcast ended prematurely during his performance of “Piano Man.” Despite the interruption, Joel’s legacy as a legendary performer remains unrivaled.