Anyone who knows me understands my lifelong affinity for the music of William Martin Joel, known to the masses as Billy Joel. The Piano Man’s career got a big boost throughout this decade, kicking off when Olivia Rodrigo name-dropped “Uptown Girl” in her song “Deja Vu”. From there, Billy released a new single, saw record attendances at his Madison Square Garden shows, and was the subject of a two-part HBO documentary covering his life and half-century-long music career.

“Uptown Girl” is one of Billy’s most well-known and well-loved songs (although for me, it barely scratches my Top Ten.) But not many people cover the track, since it depends on its nostalgic Frankie Valli vibe and to distance the song from that shiny Golden Oldies sound would risk degrading its flavor. Also, Billy composed it in a way where it shifts keys and modes on a dime, making it a difficult track to record or perform unless you’ve done it since 1983.

However, the great Matt Nathanson took on such a challenge, leading to his tender acoustic cover of “Uptown Girl” which he dropped this past week. The “Come On Get Higher” songwriter slowed down Billy’s original, layered it with sparkling guitars and keys, and tucked the backing vocals into the mix to make them more like a pad than a group of schmucks skeeving behind Billy as they all stare at Christie Brinkley passing their garage.

Nathanson has a way with making covers of tracks his own. In 2021, he recorded his take on U2’s 1991 album Achtung Baby, calling it Achtung Matty. He’s also covered the track “Laid” by James, which was featured on soundtracks for American Wedding and American Pie Presents Band Camp. The list of tracks and artists he’s covered goes on. On top of being a great musician in his own right, Nathanson knows how to make classic songs shine in a new light without taking away what made them shimmer in the first place.

If anything, Nathanson’s cover fits the modern moment: It sounds like the indie of the early 2000s, which – if you think about it – is a time period as far away from now as Frankie Valli’s heyday was to the release of An Innocent Man. And yet, despite the years passing, all of the music mentioned – the pop of Frankie, the tribute from Billy, and Matt’s cover – all sound timeless. And the meaning of their songs stay the same: They’re just guys with great voices and hearts of gold playing their guitars at the garage, hoping some sweet girl from cleaner streets swings down their way.

Take a listen to Matt’s cover of “Uptown Girl” below. And should you care about my opinions regarding the Billy Joel original, hit me up. (“Tell Her About It” is objectively a better song and I’ll defend my statement in court.)