Last night HBO aired part 1 of Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin’s revealing Billy Joel documentary called “And So It Goes.”

It was two and a half hours long, and I could watch it again, frankly.

A lot of people must have tuned in because this morning no less than SEVEN Billy Joel albums are on the iTunes Top 100 including greatest hits packages, “The Stranger,” “52nd St,” and “Glass Houses.”

The second part will air next Friday night, July 25th.

This is quite a tribute to Billy, who’s home, recovering from having fluid on the brain.

For someone who hasn’t released a new album since 1993, the whole story is kind of amazing. But Billy’s music resonates through generations, it never gets old, just better. I heard “My Life” on the radio the other day, and it sounded fresh as a daisy. Part of the credit goes to my old friend, late producer Phil Ramone. But it’s really the magic of Billy combining pop, R&B, jazz, doo wop, and showtunes.

The HBO doc is pretty comprehensive, but it skips over a few periods just for the sake of time. I was lucky enough to see Billy perform at the tiny Cellar Door in Washington in April 1976. It was just him on piano, and I can still remember him playing the piano intro to “Angry Young Man” like it was yesterday. The doc sort of wipes out the period between “Turnstiles” and “The Stranger,” but Billy was having a tough time then. Little did he know that, like Bruce Springsteen, was about to break wide open.

If you missed the show last night, the doc can be found on the HBO VOD on the TV and probably on HBO Max as well. It’s a winner, and one that will definitely be in the mix this fall for the Critics Choice Documentary Awards.

PS I could watch Part 2 now, but I’m going to wait until next Friday and savor the whole experience! If you thought there was drama in Part 1 with that first wife, Elizabeth, wait til we hear the story of how her brother, Frank, stole millions from Billy. It’s quite a tale.