Billy Joel's study list Here are the lyrics for Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire". There are tons of Cold War references that need to be explained by the class. Give us your input.
So the songs mainly based on the time period of the 1960s-1990. This is probably one of the few times I have heard the song in its entirety and it is as it says on the website and excellent tool for teachers and students. An excellent website for deciphering every part of the lyrics is: http://www.school-for-champions.com/history/start_fire_facts.htm
One thing that I liked is that he covered all aspects: social, political, foreign relations, and economic issues that we went through as a time. Also it goes periodically until it gets towards the end of the songs...then it’s basically a summary of the whole time period. I think that with the summary he is trying to show how it seems that the country is escalating into dangerous grounds and are doing things that seem ridiculous and unnecessary.
Although it is considered to some to be one of the worst songs ever created "like a term paper written the night before it was due" I think that this song is a good representation of what the people were going through. Although just a scattered list of names and events that was kind of what was going on at the time. Obviously, Billy Joel couldn't explain things in the just under 5 minute song. Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Sputnick, these are all cold war references. This song existing shows the social influence that was going on and that even music artists were writing and singing about the war and other issues. This song can represent a whole generation of people and what they lived through. Billy Joel lived through a difficult generation when many social, economic and political issues were going on and being rallied against.
The song We Didn't Start the fire is basically a recollection of all the events that made the U.S. look weak and which formed it into the "World Police". I hadn't looked at the song lyrics and i never noticed that he really didn't sing anything. But anyways the part that he does sing proves that we now have to patrol the world and quell anything that people don't like. So basically, good song to listen to once a year, and gives good background of why we're the way we are.
I think the way Billy Joel went about writing the song “We Didn’t Start the Fire” is interesting. Though it at first seems kind of like a ridiculous rant, once you are really able to look at the lyrics it is easy to see that each verse is a special representation of events from the Cold War, explaining why we are in the position we are in. It effectively represents this time by providing examples from all aspects of society: political, social, and economic. I think that the way Joel just lists events versus describing them is more effective because the list allows Joel to touch upon so many occurrences in an under five minute long song. This shows that there wasn’t just one cause, but instead an entire five minute list worth of causes, showing how once that ball started rolling, it continued on and on.
When I first heard this song; I was doubting the core values of American Capitalism and instead tempted to court the Harlot that is Communism. As my mind slowly embraced the Socialist Succubus, I was suddenly brought back into the arms of Lady Liberty by the smooth riffs and the master of song that is Billy Joel. The veritable prose that flows from such nonsensical lyrics like "homeless vets, AIDS, Crack, Bernie Goetz" is enough to make even Ho Chi Minh cry out in ecstasy, "I Ruv Appre Pie!". Master DJ BJ spits his fly rhymes and seamlessly blends the worst nightmares of your mother's generation with the ever-appropriate hip-hop/pop sensibility of the very late 80's in a flourish of red, white, and yes, blue. The pure power and raw patriotism captured within the words of this timeless classic can melt even the coldest Russian heart and bring even the filthiest communist to tears. To honor this American treasure, as important, if not more so, than the rough draft of the Constitution, George Washington's false teeth, or Monica Lewinski's dress, school children across this great nation should recite ""Lawrence of Arabia", British Beatlemania. Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson. Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British politician sex. JFK, blown away, what else do I have to say" instead of the pledge. And to pay homage to the Man-God that was Bill Joel, a moment of "silence", appropriately named "A moment of Joel", should be held every May Ninth. But, instead of silence there should be an hour long period of commie-melting guitar riffs.
When I first heard this song I actually found it quite amusing. It is clear that Billy Joel is trying to fit everything major that happened in that time period all within a short amount of time. He just goes and lists all of the important people and events but he never goes into detail with them. In order to really understand what he is talking about especially with the fire you have to look at the lyrics.
Looking at the lyrics allowed me to understand what fire he was talking about. The fire is all of the change both good and bad that is constantly going on all around the world. Part of the things he lists are good either changes like the changes in books and movies, or good events like Martin Luther King Jr and the gaining of black rights. He also lists bad changes like communism in Russia and China. He especially goes on to list all of the people and major events in the fighting of the Cold War. Overall this is a very interesting way to express and partially explain all of the events happening in that time period.
First off I actually memorized the lyrics to this song when I was about eight and occasionally burst out singing it at innapropriate times. I found (and still find) it to be an interesting way to put much of the history and events of the cold war into rythym with a catchy tune and beat. It does a good job of taking into account the social political and economic aspects of America and her foriegn relations at the time. I think that the tone of the song well represents the feelings of many American's outrage at the going ons during the 1960's to the 1990's.
I feel that this song is just a representation of Billy's viewpoint of American culture which at the time was revolving around the cold war. It is definitely a cultural commentary, and also a horrible song haha. I think that by throwing stuff like Mickey Mouse that it tries to bring a childish feel to it. But it could also refer to Walt Disney who many people claimed was a red. I think that this song is probably the start of crud rap music, by tying together hundreds of words in a semi comprehensible manner he is like the first LIL WEEZY. (lil wayne)Maybe he was a red himself trying to kill American music culture?
I remembered this song by heart because I like Billy Joel. It did a great job on depicting the time period, because the lyrics came off as personal so it made you feel like you were there in a way. It was pretty sad too; I could never imagine being put in the position of fighting/killing a fellow human being. The song got me thinking...what has the world come to?
Billy Joel cleverly enough was manage to hit all of the major political, social, and economical events of the time. From Nixon to Bridge on the River Kwai, the song sums up the world and its issues of the over a span of 40 years ('49-'89) in four minutes an 40 seconds. "We didn't start the fire" is a message to the rest of the people of the '80's that major issues were present before them, and that there is nothing they can do to put out that fire even though they try to fight it. This song (mainly the chorus) is a timeless message: there have and always will be issues with the world.
10 comments:
So the songs mainly based on the time period of the 1960s-1990. This is probably one of the few times I have heard the song in its entirety and it is as it says on the website and excellent tool for teachers and students. An excellent website for deciphering every part of the lyrics is:
http://www.school-for-champions.com/history/start_fire_facts.htm
One thing that I liked is that he covered all aspects: social, political, foreign relations, and economic issues that we went through as a time. Also it goes periodically until it gets towards the end of the songs...then it’s basically a summary of the whole time period. I think that with the summary he is trying to show how it seems that the country is escalating into dangerous grounds and are doing things that seem ridiculous and unnecessary.
Although it is considered to some to be one of the worst songs ever created "like a term paper written the night before it was due" I think that this song is a good representation of what the people were going through. Although just a scattered list of names and events that was kind of what was going on at the time. Obviously, Billy Joel couldn't explain things in the just under 5 minute song. Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Sputnick, these are all cold war references.
This song existing shows the social influence that was going on and that even music artists were writing and singing about the war and other issues. This song can represent a whole generation of people and what they lived through. Billy Joel lived through a difficult generation when many social, economic and political issues were going on and being rallied against.
The song We Didn't Start the fire is basically a recollection of all the events that made the U.S. look weak and which formed it into the "World Police". I hadn't looked at the song lyrics and i never noticed that he really didn't sing anything. But anyways the part that he does sing proves that we now have to patrol the world and quell anything that people don't like. So basically, good song to listen to once a year, and gives good background of why we're the way we are.
I think the way Billy Joel went about writing the song “We Didn’t Start the Fire” is interesting. Though it at first seems kind of like a ridiculous rant, once you are really able to look at the lyrics it is easy to see that each verse is a special representation of events from the Cold War, explaining why we are in the position we are in. It effectively represents this time by providing examples from all aspects of society: political, social, and economic. I think that the way Joel just lists events versus describing them is more effective because the list allows Joel to touch upon so many occurrences in an under five minute long song. This shows that there wasn’t just one cause, but instead an entire five minute list worth of causes, showing how once that ball started rolling, it continued on and on.
When I first heard this song; I was doubting the core values of American Capitalism and instead tempted to court the Harlot that is Communism. As my mind slowly embraced the Socialist Succubus, I was suddenly brought back into the arms of Lady Liberty by the smooth riffs and the master of song that is Billy Joel. The veritable prose that flows from such nonsensical lyrics like "homeless vets, AIDS, Crack, Bernie Goetz" is enough to make even Ho Chi Minh cry out in ecstasy, "I Ruv Appre Pie!".
Master DJ BJ spits his fly rhymes and seamlessly blends the worst nightmares of your mother's generation with the ever-appropriate hip-hop/pop sensibility of the very late 80's in a flourish of red, white, and yes, blue. The pure power and raw patriotism captured within the words of this timeless classic can melt even the coldest Russian heart and bring even the filthiest communist to tears.
To honor this American treasure, as important, if not more so, than the rough draft of the Constitution, George Washington's false teeth, or Monica Lewinski's dress, school children across this great nation should recite ""Lawrence of Arabia", British Beatlemania. Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson. Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British politician sex. JFK, blown away, what else do I have to say" instead of the pledge. And to pay homage to the Man-God that was Bill Joel, a moment of "silence", appropriately named "A moment of Joel", should be held every May Ninth. But, instead of silence there should be an hour long period of commie-melting guitar riffs.
When I first heard this song I actually found it quite amusing. It is clear that Billy Joel is trying to fit everything major that happened in that time period all within a short amount of time. He just goes and lists all of the important people and events but he never goes into detail with them. In order to really understand what he is talking about especially with the fire you have to look at the lyrics.
Looking at the lyrics allowed me to understand what fire he was talking about. The fire is all of the change both good and bad that is constantly going on all around the world. Part of the things he lists are good either changes like the changes in books and movies, or good events like Martin Luther King Jr and the gaining of black rights. He also lists bad changes like communism in Russia and China. He especially goes on to list all of the people and major events in the fighting of the Cold War. Overall this is a very interesting way to express and partially explain all of the events happening in that time period.
First off I actually memorized the lyrics to this song when I was about eight and occasionally burst out singing it at innapropriate times.
I found (and still find) it to be an interesting way to put much of the history and events of the cold war into rythym with a catchy tune and beat. It does a good job of taking into account the social political and economic aspects of America and her foriegn relations at the time. I think that the tone of the song well represents the feelings of many American's outrage at the going ons during the 1960's to the 1990's.
I feel that this song is just a representation of Billy's viewpoint of American culture which at the time was revolving around the cold war. It is definitely a cultural commentary, and also a horrible song haha. I think that by throwing stuff like Mickey Mouse that it tries to bring a childish feel to it. But it could also refer to Walt Disney who many people claimed was a red. I think that this song is probably the start of crud rap music, by tying together hundreds of words in a semi comprehensible manner he is like the first LIL WEEZY. (lil wayne)Maybe he was a red himself trying to kill American music culture?
I remembered this song by heart because I like Billy Joel. It did a great job on depicting the time period, because the lyrics came off as personal so it made you feel like you were there in a way. It was pretty sad too; I could never imagine being put in the position of fighting/killing a fellow human being. The song got me thinking...what has the world come to?
Billy Joel cleverly enough was manage to hit all of the major political, social, and economical events of the time. From Nixon to Bridge on the River Kwai, the song sums up the world and its issues of the over a span of 40 years ('49-'89) in four minutes an 40 seconds. "We didn't start the fire" is a message to the rest of the people of the '80's that major issues were present before them, and that there is nothing they can do to put out that fire even though they try to fight it. This song (mainly the chorus) is a timeless message: there have and always will be issues with the world.
Post a Comment