The “Just The Way You Are” singer, 76, recalled an instance in which he was knocked unconscious by his father after putting his own spin on Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” during piano practice as a child. Howard, an accomplished classical pianist in his own right, required that all songs be performed as they were originally written.

I’ve long believed that the first hugely popular music you realize you hate is in many ways as important a discovery as the first music you realize you love. There’s something crucial and formative about the recognition that an artist whose music is beloved by millions makes your skin crawl,

He didn’t see the film until it was finished, so he stuck by that, and we took that as permission to tell the real story about Billy Joel.”

Alexa Ray Joel watched the new documentary about her father, 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes,' with mom Christie Brinkley. The film premieres in two parts on July 18 and July 25, on HBO Max.

Directors Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin join Morning Joe to discuss the new two-part HBO documentary film 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes'.

The original version, released in 1983, was a huge international hit, and starred supermodel Christie Brinkley - who would later become Joel’s second wife and also features in the documentary - in the video.