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When musician Billy Joel sat down to pen his hit song Uptown Girl, he had someone other than his future-wife-to-be Christie Brinkley on his mind.
It turns out, the now 65-year-old was actually singing about supermodel Elle MacPherson.
A new biography on the singer-songwriter claims that the 1983 ballad, which featured Christie in the music video, was inspired by the Aussie bombshell – his love interest at the time.
And it wasn’t until a 19-year-old Elle and Billy’s fling ended that Christie became his leading lady.
Above: Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley
The book, Billy Joel: The Definitive Biography also suggests that the song was originally going to be called ‘Up Town Girls’, and be about Elle, Christie and an undiscovered Whitney Houston, whom Billy had met while holidaying in the Caribbean. But once Billy and Christie started dating, he changed it to what it is known today.
Author Fred Schruers, who interviewed Billy for 100 hours before penning the biography, goes on to detail the night the Grammy Award-winning artist invited Christie back to his penthouse apartment, only to find Elle waiting inside.
While both girls were desperately vying for the superstar’s attention, Christie decided to leave and although Elle stayed, Billy was in love with Christie.
Christie Brinkley in ‘Uptown Girl’ music video.
Billy later went on to marry Christie in 1985, but their marriage didn’t last. The couple called it quits in 1993, following reports of financial woes and infidelity.
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