I Go to Extremes

"I Go to Extremes" is a song by American singer Billy Joel from his eleventh studio album, Storm Front (1989), released as the album's second US single in early 1990. It reached the number-six position on the US Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number three on the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart. The song was also a top-10 hit on both the Billboard Adult Contemporary and Album Rock Tracks charts. The song also reached at number 70 on the UK Singles Chart.^[2]

"I Go to Extremes"
Single by Billy Joel
from the album Storm Front
B-side	"When in Rome"[1]
Released	January 1990
Genre	Rock
Length	4:23
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Billy Joel
Producer(s)	Mick Jones Billy Joel
Billy Joel singles chronology
"Leningrad" (1989) "I Go to Extremes" (1990) "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 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".^[3] However, according to Joel, the song is an apology that is directed to his then wife, Christie Brinkley.^[4] Joel was apologizing for his erratic personality.^[4] 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."^{[5][6][failed verification]} The song is believed to be about Joel's own lifestyle.^[7] 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

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

• Billy Joel – lead and backing vocals, acoustic piano, Hammond organ
• Jeff Jacobs – synthesizers
• David Brown – guitars
• Schuyler Deale – bass
• Liberty DeVitto – drums
• Mick Jones – backing vocals
• Ian Lloyd – backing vocals
• Joe Lynn Turner – backing vocals

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1990) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[1] 48 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[17] 3 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[18] 2 Germany (Official German Charts)[19] 36 Ireland (IRMA)[20] 29 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[21] 43 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[22] 45 UK Singles (OCC)[2] 70 US Billboard Hot 100[23] 6 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[24] 4 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[25] 10

Year-end charts Chart (1990) Position Canada Top Singles (RPM)[26] 25 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[27] 29 US Billboard Hot 100[28] 82 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[29] 39

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	January 1990	7-inch vinyl cassette	Columbia	[30]
Japan	January 21, 1990	Mini-CD	CBS/Sony	[31]
United Kingdom	February 19, 1990	7-inch vinyl 12-inch vinyl CD	CBS	[32]

References

1. "Billy Joel – I Go to Extremes". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
2. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
3. "Joel Shines on 'Storm Front'". St. Paul Pioneer Press. January 7, 1990. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
4. MacDonald, Patrick (April 13, 1990). "He's Between Rock and a Hard Place". Seattle Times. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
5. S. Cohn, Jonathan (June 29, 1990). "It's Back to Basics in a Show of Old Favorites". Harvard Crimson. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
6. Bernade, Scott (March 4, 1990). "Joel Storms into Miami". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
7. "Piano Man Billy Joel Just Wants to Have Fun". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. July 5, 1990. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
8. Hunt, Dennis (June 3, 1990). "Mixed Media: Eye of the Storm". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. 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. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. 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. Retrieved July 8, 2020 – via Library and Archives Canada.
27. "Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1990". RPM. Retrieved July 8, 2020 – via Library and Archives Canada.
28. "Billboard Top 100 – 1990". Archived from the original on July 6, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2009.
29. "The Year in Music 1990: Top Adult Contemporary Singles". Billboard. Vol. 102, no. 51. December 22, 1990. p. YE-36.
30. "Great Rock Discography". p. 437.
31. "愛はExtremes | ビリー・ジョエル" [Love Extremes | Billy Joel] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
32. "New Singles". Music Week. February 17, 1990. p. 35.