Billy Joel announces release of ‘Turn the Lights Back On,’ first single in 17 years

The Piano Man is returning with new music for the first time in 17 years.

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Billy Joel announced the release of “Turn the Lights Back On,” his first solo single since 2007 and second since 1993, Variety reported.

Joel, 74, who has topped the Billboard charts with three No. 1 hits -- “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” and “Tell Her About It” -- will release his new single on streaming services on Feb. 1, according to the entertainment news website. The single will also be released on a limited-edition 7-inch vinyl record, Variety reported.

A lyric video will also be released on Joel’s YouTube channel, according to USA Today.

According to a news release, “Turn the Lights Back On” is a “classic Billy Joel-style tune, embodying the hallmarks of his signature sound and ushering in the next chapter of his story,” Rolling Stone reported. “In the lyrics, he asks, ‘Did I wait too long … to turn the lights back on?’”

The five-time Grammy Award winner co-wrote the single with the song’s producer, Freddy Wexler, according to Variety. Additional writers for the song include Wayne Hector and Arthur Bacon.

Joel’s last single was the 2007 ballad, “All My Life,” USA Today reported. His last pop album was 1993′s “River of Dreams,”and his last studio album was the classical music inspired “Fantasies & Delusions” in 2001, according to the newspaper.

According to Billboard, Joel has placed 42 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, with 13 of them becoming top-10 hits.

Joel hinted at new material during his residency concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Dec. 19, Rolling Stone reported.

“I have good news and bad news,” Joel told the audience. “I’ll give you the bad news first. We don’t have anything new to play for you. The good news is you don’t have to sit through something you have no idea what it is. Although, we got a little something we’re working on you might hear sometime.”

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Through the years UNITED STATES - JANUARY 01: USA Photo of Billy JOEL, Editorial Use Only - No Commercial Use Permitted (Photo by Gems/Redferns) (Gems/Redferns)

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