7-11-11 - "We Didn't Start The Fire" ~ Billy Joel

You may have preconceived notions about Billy Joel, or even about this song.  I challenge you to put them aside for a few minutes and give it a critical listen.  It's definitely vintage '80s style, and actually made someone's list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever".  In Joel's own words, "It's one of the worst melodies I've ever written. I kind of like the lyric though."  He's on track there - the lyrics are what make the song for me.  (to be fair, the music is catchy, in that awkward way of 80s tunes where if you're in the right mood you dig it, but if not you want to rip your ears off...)


I had a prof in college open a class session with this song.  It was an early class, and most of the kids were kind of dazed and confused and maybe didn't really get it, but I was jamming to it and knew we were in for a fun lesson.  But... you don't care about that.


Joel wrote the song when he turned 40 in 1989, and it's a three-minute rapid fire retrospective look at world history during those 40 years.  The gist of the song is that there's a lot wrong in the world; and "we" don't want to take the blame for problems which we didn't directly cause.  Humanity as a collective over the course of history has done a lot of damage, and yes, we all are responsible in some small part, but most of us are "trying to fight it..."  It plays out as a combination history lesson, morality play, and exhortation to do what you can to make the world a better place.


Surely you'll get some of the references, though if you're around my age you were just a little kid when the song came out so some of the stuff that happened before our time may not be immediately recognizable.  But if you're so inclined, wikipedia breaks down the entire song.


The video goes along with the theme, showing American families over the course of those years and some of the horrible events that occurred during that time frame.  And you have to love Joel sitting in front of a fire drumming on a table with his hands in the choruses:

"Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British Politician sex
J.F.K. blown away, what else do I have to say?

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it..."