Billy Joel - Big Shot

What this video is

Released in early 1979, 'Big Shot' arrived as Billy Joel was consolidating his status as a major mainstream rock figure following the breakthrough of The Stranger (1977). The video captures the cultural milieu of late-1970s Manhattan — satirizing the excesses of the nouveau riche party scene, referencing venues like Elaine's restaurant and fashion designer Halston — at a moment when New York's celebrity social…

Why it matters

A key artifact in the mainstreaming of rock as pop spectacle, 'Big Shot' represents the transitional moment between the 1970s album-rock era and the image-conscious MTV age. Its video form — performance-based, theatrically lit, shot on warm videotape stock — typifies the promotional clip…

The director

Steve Cohen (b. 1954) is a long-tenured creative director, lighting designer, and producer with a career-spanning relationship with Billy Joel beginning in 1974. He evolved from touring lighting designer into producer and creative director for Joel's world…