During Billy Joel’s recent concert at Madison Square Garden, a fan captured the moment the singer’s ex-wife Christie Brinkley was dancing to the hit song “Uptown Girl.” The clip soon made it to TikTok, showing the 70-year-old smiling and moving her body to the beat with a friend, with whom she briefly appeared on the jumbo screen.
The fan added an overlay to the snap, noting that “Joel wrote ‘Uptown Girl’ about his then-partner Brinkley.” “Tonight she watched him sing the song he wrote about her to all of Madison Square Garden,” they added. “40 years later and your ex man is still grinning at you like that while he sings the song he wrote about how rich and hot you are?” the caption read.
Billy Joel sings ‘Uptown Girl’ and ex Christie Brinkley rocks out
@gnarcar_ 40 years later and your ex man is still grinning at you like that while he sings the song he wrote about how rich and hot you are? Voodoo clam #fyp #billyjoel #christiebrinkley #madisonsquaregarden ♬ original sound – carly
Joel was dating supermodel Elle Macpherson while writing the 1983 release, however, they broke up halfway in and Brinkley starred in the music video. “I think it’s about all the uptown girls, put it that way. He liked tall girls,” Elle said during an episode of Watch What Happens Live, adding that Joel ejected her from a Manhattan apartment to date only Brinkley.
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Joel confirmed his ex-girlfriend’s claim in his 2014 biography, Billy Joel: The Definitive Biography, stating that the single was originally about the models in Manhattan, however, he changed the title and lyrics to singular when he got with Brinkley. They got married two years after and had their daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, shortly after. However, the couple split in 1994 due to scheduling issues and Brinkley wanting to move to the West Coast.
Brinkley and Joel’s relationship
Although many details of their divorce were kept private, Brinkley and Joel seemed to have communication issues in their marriage, per the Sports Illustrated model’s comment to Entertainment Weekly. “Just because people can express themselves through their art doesn’t mean they are great communicators in person,” she told the outlet at the time.
The former couple moved on to other partners after their sad split, with Brinkley marrying real estate mogul Rick Taubman and welcoming a son with him before their divorce. She then wedded Peter Cook, with whom she had a daughter, Sailor Cook, before their divorce in 2008. Joel walked down the aisle with Katie Lee in 2004, however, their union did not last long either leading to another wedding between Joel and Alexis Roderick. Regardless of their long time apart, Brinkley and Joel have found friendship for the sake of their daughter, whom they enjoy singalongs with. “Singalongs are one of my favorite things to do. And you know that’s what makes everybody happy,” the mother of three told Social Life Magazine a few years ago.