No reliable public source reviewed provides comparable lifetime earnings for Billy Joel’s individual songs, so a factual “10 highest-grossing” ranking cannot be made. His official site does list six singles by RIAA certification tier: two Platinum and four Gold. That is a partial certification list, not a revenue ranking or a top ten.
Why a highest-grossing ranking is not available
“Highest-grossing” means comparing money earned. The official sources reviewed do not disclose song-by-song dollar totals or enough comparable figures to rank ten Billy Joel songs by earnings. Certification levels, chart positions, and streaming plays are different measures; none should be presented as song revenue without evidence connecting it to earnings.
Billy Joel’s official biography reports more than 150 million records sold and 33 Top 40 hits, but both are career-level figures, not song-specific earnings or rankings. Billy Joel’s official biography
What Billy Joel’s official single list does show
The official timeline names six singles by RIAA award tier. It identifies two as Platinum and four as Gold, but does not provide individual unit totals or rank songs within either tier. Billy Joel’s official timeline
#1 Best Overall
| RIAA tier on the official timeline | Billy Joel singles listed | What the tier establishes |
|---|---|---|
| Platinum | “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me”; “My Life” | The timeline lists these as Platinum singles; it does not give their individual unit totals or relative order. |
| Gold | “Just the Way You Are”; “Uptown Girl”; “We Didn’t Start the Fire”; “Tell Her About It” | The timeline lists these as Gold singles; it does not give their individual unit totals or relative order. |
The timeline explains Gold as 500,000 U.S. units. This is a certification threshold, not a dollar figure. The list is also only the six singles named on that page; it does not establish that these are Joel’s six highest-earning singles or identify a complete set of ten.
What RIAA certification measures—and what it does not
The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) says RIAA single certifications count sales and on-demand streams toward thresholds of 500,000 units for Gold, 1 million for Platinum, and 2 million or more for Multi-Platinum. Those thresholds count units under the certification methodology; they do not report how much money a particular song earned. NMPA Gold & Platinum Program
Rank #2
- Ideal for Gifting
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- Compact for travelling
Certification is a recorded-music measure, not a full accounting of a composition’s income. It does not combine or disclose the earnings from recording sales and streams, publishing royalties, sync licenses, performances, and other rights. The NMPA program began in 2007, recognizes certifications earned from that year onward, and adds new certifications quarterly, so its scope is not a lifetime earnings ledger.
The RIAA describes its Gold & Platinum program as a benchmark for recorded-music success and offers a searchable database. It also notes that displayed lists include solo titles, while overall artist totals may be higher when collaborations and featured works are counted. RIAA Gold & Platinum
What would be needed to rank the ten highest earners
A defensible ranking would need a consistent measure for each song, such as comparable lifetime revenue across the relevant recording and publishing rights, with a clear market and accounting period. The public materials cited here do not provide that information. Substituting a certification tier, chart performance, or plays on one streaming service would answer a different question and would require a clearly named, consistently sourced metric.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A useful way to explore Joel’s hit catalog
For a listening overview rather than an earnings ranking, Joel’s official timeline records the 1985 release of Greatest Hits Volume I and Volume II, and his official discography includes the compilation in his catalog. It is a convenient way to revisit songs from his career, but its release and certification history does not establish what any individual song earned. Billy Joel’s official discography
Quick Recap
Best Value
- It can be a gift option
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Rank #4
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