Billy Joel's great song seems to be about New York--but, really, it's about Billy Joel. A man has strayed from his love. He has been seduced by "the movie stars in their fancy cars and their limousines." He has yielded to an urge, a chance to "take a holiday from the neighborhood." But reality calls. Casanova is not this man's identity. He is returning to his "marriage," his New York state of mind. Oddly, Billy Joel does not put New York on a pedestal; it's not perfect, and it's not a wonderland. It's just an opportunity for "give and take, rhythm and blues." Also, the life Joel is leaving--an L.A. life--is not hell. In fact, that life was "so easy." We can't really explain our passions; Billy Joel needs to be in New York because he needs to be in New York. The emotional climax occurs toward the end, when he admits that his time in L.A. has been a mistake: "That's fine with me, cuz I've let it ...