It’s often easier to spot genius in others than in ourselves, and the story of how Billy Joel‘s “Just the Way You Are” almost didn’t get recorded is a perfect example.

The lilting ballad is now an easy-listening standard, but Joel wasn’t fond of it when he wrote it. In fact, he considered leaving it off his album The Stranger until Linda Ronstadt heard it and changed his mind.

View this post on Instagram

‘Are you out of your mind?’

Joel shared the story in a recent interview with Rick Beato:

“The first really big hit I had was a song called ‘Just the Way You Are,’ which was a ballad,” Joel said. “I didn’t even want to put it on the album cuz I thought it was…too soft, too mushy. Linda Ronstadt and Phoebe Snow were in the studio, and we played the song for them. I said, ‘I don’t like this song that much.’ Linda Ronstadt goes, ‘Are you out of........

© Upworthy