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NEW YORK - Billy Joel has released a new pop single, the anti-war Christmas in Fallujah. Just do not expect to hear his voice on it.
At 58, Joel felt he was too old to sing the song, which was inspired by letters the Piano Man received from soldiers in Iraq. So he gave it to Cass Dillon, a 21-year-old singer-songwriter from Long Island.
"I thought it should be somebody young, about a soldier's age," Joel said in a statement on his website. "I wanted to help somebody else's career. I've had plenty of hits. I've had plenty of airplay. I've had my time in the sun. I think it's time for somebody else, maybe, to benefit from my own experience."
Dillon said he was thrilled to be asked.
"When someone of that stature, with that history of great songs behind him with such a huge catalogue asks you to sing something he's written, there's nothing you can do but be completely honoured to perform," Dillon said in a statement.
Christmas in Fallujah is on sale on Apple Inc's iTunes. Net proceeds will be donated to Homes for Our Troops, which builds homes for severely wounded veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.
- AP
