In 2004, Christie Brinkley was at the U.S. Open with her son Jack. As they walked to their seats, Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” began playing through the speakers. She thought it was just a coincidence until her son pointed to the big screen, where both of them were being shown live.
Brinkley has been in the public eye since her modeling career took off in the late 1970s. She’s graced over 500 magazine covers and has become one of the most recognizable faces in the world. Still, that tennis match was the moment she fully realized how closely the world had connected her to the song.
Christie Brinkley shares her story in her new memoir, ‘Uptown Girl’
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In her new memoir, Uptown Girl, Brinkley shares intimate details about her personal life that many readers may not have known. One of those stories is how the “Uptown Girl” music video came together in 1983. It all started on a hot night in New York. A small group, including Joel and Brinkley, decided to shoot the video downtown near CBGB.
Someone suggested using a nearby gas station, and another person said Brinkley should play the lead. She agreed without thinking much of it. It turned out to be one of the most iconic music videos of the decade. Her book, which comes out on April 29, takes readers through stories like this and more from her decades in the spotlight.
Joel Billy didn’t write the song for Christie Brinkley
“Uptown Girl” tells the story of a working-class guy who falls for a wealthy, elegant woman who seems far out of reach. The song shows his rough, everyday life and her polished, glamorous lifestyle. While the song ended up being strongly linked to Brinkley, she reveals it wasn’t actually written about her.
Joel had already begun writing it before their relationship began. According to Brinkley, he was imagining a type of woman who was more fiction than real. She only became part of the song’s story when they filmed the video, and the public began to connect her with the lyrics.