Don t ask me why lyrics

• The fourth single from Glass Houses, this Latin-infused track seems to be addressing a pretentious woman who's forgotten her humble roots. Joel described it as a figurative song based on his experiences in Europe and New York. "It's kind of a stream-of-consciousness commentary," he told Sirius XM in 2016.

• Joel said his time in Madrid probably inspired him to compose the tune, but the piano rhythm was a spoof of music from Spanish movies of the 1940s. He also told Keyboard magazine the song's midsection contains 15 pianos overdubbed on top of each other.

• In the chorus, Joel pronounces "ask" as "axe," possibly exaggerating his Long Island accent as a jab at the woman's affected speech. He knows she's "no stranger to the street" even though she puts on airs and speaks in French (Joel doesn't speak the language but pretends to in the album cut "C'était Toi (You Were The One)").

• This drew comparisons to the work of two famous Pauls: McCartney and Simon.

• Joel borrowed the melody from an unfinished demo called "The Prime Of Your Life," whose chorus also was turned into "The Longest Time."

• Along with handclaps, maracas, and castanets, this features the tapping of high-heeled shoes in the mix. Joel and his producer Phil Ramone were brainstorming percussion ideas to give the bridge a Spanish flavor when Joel noticed that Laura Doty, the studio's receptionist, was wearing shoes with high heels. He asked to borrow them and used them to tap out the flamenco-style rhythm (with his hands, not his feet!) on a table in the lobby of A&R Records.

• Joel performed this with Harry Connick Jr. on the latter's talk show, Harry, in 2017.

• This was used on the TV shows The Orville ("Nothing Left On Earth Excepting Fishes" - 2019) and Freaks And Geeks ("Carded And Discarded" - 2000). It was also featured in the 2014 movie Black Or White, starring Kevin Costner.

• This was Joel's second single to reach #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The first was "Just The Way You Are" from The Stranger.

Miracle of miracles, look what the night dragged in It's a pocket full of misery and trouble on the wind You spoiled the best years of your life, you took them all in vain Now you think that you're forgiven but you can't be born again And you say, "Why?", you say, "Why?", you say, "Why?", don't ask me why I don't love you anymore, I don't think I ever did And if you ever had any kind of love for me, you kept it all so well hid Promises, sweet promises, you kept them from your mind Like all the lost forgotten things you never seemed to find Like all the disappointments you displayed upon your shelf Now you've got no-one to turn to, you've got no-one but yourself And you say, "Why?" (Why, why, why, why?), you say, "Why?" (Why, why, why, why?) You say, "Why?" (Why, why, why, why?), don't ask me why I don't love you anymore, I don't think I ever did And if you ever had any kind of love for me, you kept it all so well hid You spoiled the best years of your life, you took them all in vain Now you think that you're forgiven but you can't be born again And you say (Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why?) And you say (Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why?) I don't love you anymore (Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why?) I don't love you anymore (Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why?) I don't love you anymore (Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why?) I don't love you anymore (Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why?) You say, "Why?" (I don't love you anymore) (Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why?) You say, "Why?" (I don't love you anymore) (Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why?) You say, "Why?" (I don't love you anymore) (Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why?) Don't ask me why (I don't love you anymore) (Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why?) You say, "Why?" (I don't love you anymore) (Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why?) You say, "Why?" (I don't love you anymore) (Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why?)

You say, "Why?" (I don't love you anymore) (Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why?)

You can say the human heart is only make-believeAnd I am only fighting fire with fireBut you are still the victim of the accidents you  leave

​As sure as I'm a victim of desire

       Billy returns to pure pop with "Don't Ask Me Why" which sounds a bit like Paul McCartney.  The song has a Latin beat and rhythm, and sounds a bit out of place on Glass Houses.   The piano interlude, with castanets in the background, sounds like a vampy ballroom number.  It is a carefree tune, musically and lyrically.   

     Don't ask me what the lyrics mean, though I think it's about phoniness and pretension (see also "Big Man on Mulberry Street").   Billy speaks about a person who fools everyone into believing he (or she) is hot stuff as they throw roses at his feet, but is actually "no stranger to the street" and whose "ghosts have gone away."   Maybe a fan will ask him about the song's meaning at a future MasterClass.

    Update:  On SiriusXM radio in January 2016, Billy stated that "Don't Ask Me Why" was more figurative than literal.  It was a "stream of consciousness" song, with various thoughts that came to him.  He also said the Spanish or Latin feel, including the ballroom-dancing like piano solo, was influenced by time he had spent in Madrid.

Billy Joel on "Don't Ask Me Why."  Subscribe to SiriusXM.

​     The song was released as a single on July 24, 1980 and reached #19 on the US charts.   One fan apparently really enjoys the song, creating a YouTube playlist of the song.
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     In 2018, Billy dedicated "Don't Ask Me Why" to his daughter Della Rose (born 2015) at his 100th show at Madison Square Garden.  It is her favorite song. Billy has three daughters:  Alexa Ray, Della Rose, and Remy Anne.
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Della Rose Joel (2015).  Photo: Myrna Suarez.​

Words and Music by Billy Joel

All the waiters in your grand cafeLeave their tables when you blinkEvery dog must have his every dayEvery drunk must have his drinkDon't wait for answersJust take your chancesDon't ask me whyAll your life you've had to stand in lineStill you're standing on your feetOh, all your choices make you change your mindNow your calendar's completeDon't wait for answersJust take your chancesDon't ask me whyYou can say the human heart is only make-believeAnd I am only fighting fire with fireYou are still the victim of the accidents you leaveAs sure as I'm a victim of desireAll the servants in your new hotelThrow their roses at your feetFool them all but baby I can tellYou're no stranger to the streetDon't ask for favorsDon't talk to strangersDon't ask me whyYesterday you were an only childNow your ghosts have gone awayOh, you can kill them in the classic styleNow you parlez-vous francaisDon't look for answersYou took your chancesDon't ask me why

Don't ask me why

A cute rendition of "Don't Ask Me Why" by Della Rose Joel (2018).