*You can support the channel with RUclips Channel Memberships or through Buy Me a Coffee. Never expected, but always appreciated.❤Links in Description!* Billy Joel is such a BEAST and I love this song!! What should I review next from him?!
He is talking about the state of the world and how new generations always blame older generations for the problems but they didn't start that fire it was always burning since the worlds been turning. Basically, new generations think they have it harder than older generations and that simply is not true. No matter what time in history you look at there has always been things happening that no one can fix.
There are 119 references in the song. It refers to the idea that history is always happening, and the state of the world is not the fault of those currently living in it. Billy Joel is a “history nut” who wanted to be a history teacher, he was talking with someone on the verge of turning 21, who told him that the world was an unfixable mess. Joel replied, “I thought the same things when I was 21”. That was the spark for the song. The song lists many events, each verse references the decade shown in the video. There are many events, the majority of them are examples of bad things, such as war. murder, prejudice, drugs and injustice, mixed in with some positive things like the moon landing, classic literature and entertainment.
It's world history from 1949 to 1989 Billy Joel's 40 birthday. We didn't start the fire meaning his generation. The fire started at the dawn of time and each generation has done what they can yet the fire keeps raging on.
I read that John Lennons son was telling Billy Joel that nothing happened in his (Billy's) lifetime. This was Billy's answer to all the things that happened in his lifetime. And the We Didn't Start the Fire part......generations before his started and his generation tried to put it out, but that would never happen. The fire would be burning forever.
I was 18 years old in 1989, in the Marines serving mess duty before going to School of Infantry. I was serving with a cook in his 20’s and we were talking about this song. I never paid attention in school, but this 20 something year old “kid” gave me the best history lesson I ever had. Telling me about every reference in this song. All before the internet and google.
What I would suggest is taking all of Billy’s song catalog and put on a giant dart board and throw a dart and you will listening to a fantastic piece of music.
I'm only a few yours younger than Billy, so as he mentions these events that occurred during his life, I remember most of them as well. Thus it hits me a lot more than it does a much younger person who has no idea who Princess Grace is, etc.
I was an English teacher at a boarding military school. Every year I did a joint extra credit project with the world history teacher when I did my poetry unit. We challenged the cadets to write a paragraph on each of the 119 references in the song, as well as an analysis of the poem itself. The score was based on how many of the references the cadet addressed, how much information they were able to convey in single paragraph, as well as adherence to basic research paper format. There was always a big response and most cadets said they learned more from this project than anything else in the history class. I contend it was because they were engaged due to the song.
This song will teach you more about American history than you ever learned in school. All of the references are events in American history from 1949 the year of Billy Joel's birth onwards.
You will find many different sounds from Billy Joel... "For the Longest Time" "Uptown Girl" "Always a Woman to Me" "Just the Way You Are" "In the Middle of the Night" so many songs, so many sounds. If you drop a rock in this well, it will be a while before you hear it splash.
This was not the kind of music that my brother listened to, but the first time he heard it, he was fascinated. Because he was a history buff,he caught almost all of the references the first time around.
I've lived through the 60s to 80s references in the song.. The visual reference to Lucille Ball was deliberate to anchor the start of the video in the 50s: the lyrics are taken from headlines of chaos in world history through the Cold War to the 80s. Seeing the iconic decor changes, the kids "grow up"; while listening to world events in each decade. Korean War, Vietnam War, unrest in the Middle East, hijacking airplanes to use the hostages' lives as leverage to get what you want. Marilyn Monroe was in a scandal with JFK. Sally Ride was America's first female astronaut, & was part of the shuttle program.
Billy Joel has so many styles and sounds. He has a song called River of Dreams you should check out. His Brother in law / manager stole millions from him and he wrote this song. All his work is amazing
History lesson from the Billy was born... Hes a lyrical genius!!! MUST react to GOODNIGHT SIAGNON. Its sbout Vietnam War and very raw, but lyrics are amazing. He always has veterans on stage to sing the chorus. ❤
It's so original, and so clever. I wish he would do a part two as this one ends with the eighties, maybe in 2029, that would be another 4 decades, cuz that fires still burning with no end in sight, lol, there's a lot more verses Billy, let's go! Thanks for the reaction, awesome. ✌❤
@@jasonswierenga1443 I completely understand! I am wanting to check out Texas Flood from El Mocambo, so maybe I can try and get to it this week! Heard it is insane! 🔥
The kid who inspired Joel to write this song was John Lennon's son. He said that Joel's generation had it easy because "everybody knows nothing happened in the 50's." That pissed Joel off, and he wrote this song to showcase just how MUCH happened in that decade. Blaming the elders is childish and shows how little the blamer knows about history. EVERY generation has to deal with the crap the previous generations left behind, and that's true all the way back throughout human history. We're ALL part of the fabric of history, and ordinary people rarely if ever have the power to change things, so sneering at grandma is self-serving and doesn't help anything.
You have to take it as a very condensed history of the world since 1949 to 1989, when Billie got to 40 years old. Major personalities, events, etc. It must have been crazy difficult to write the lyrics choosing names and events and make it all rime. I wonder how many cups of coffee and headaches he had to make it all work together with the music. For me, he is an insanely crazy genius.
BJ rules! You can't really go wrong with him but I do have a suggestion you must check out, 'Scenes From an Italian Restaurant'-my favorite song of his. So many hits from him, Only the Good Die Young, You May Be Right, Movin' Out, Vienna, Allentown, My Life, Uptown Girl, New York Sate of Mind, The Stranger...and on and on.
“children of thalidomide” In the 1950s-60s, doctors prescribed pregnant women thalidomide to prevent morning sickness which caused a major birth defects. Limb deformities: Short or missing arms and legs and many, many other defects.
This is American history in a song! Teachers actually use it as a teaching tool. Some of the lyrics are fun, but so many references were so terribly horrible. This was a reaction, in a way, for Millennials who blamed Boomers for everything. Billy Joel wanted to show them that we didn’t start the dumpster fire-every before generation added fuel. (I’m technically a boomer, but my grouping has become the Jones Generation-those of us born in the very late fifties and early sixties really didn’t have anything in common with those born in 1945.)
I totally agree with you. 1959 baby here. I didn't know I was part of the "Jones Generation". But, it makes sense. A lot of baby boomer families have two halves. One group of kids pre WWII and one post war. I have a sister that is 17 years older and a brother 15 years older than me. Then my dad went overseas and when he came home, my parents started making babies again. I am #6 of 8. Either way, I came of age in the seventies. I got to listen to all the really great bands of the 70s and 80s!
If I remember right this was events and people that made headlines from 1948 until 1988 and what made him decide to write this song he and some younger people was talking about different things and one of the younger people said something about his generation messing up the world and he said don’t blame it on us we didn’t start the fire. Just want to let you know The Fall 7:51 Ou Boys love the song and asked Billy Joel if they could use the course and beat and write their version of the song and he told them yes
Covers basically from WWII end to the fall of the Berlin Wall., the key history figures and events of the 20th century. This should be used in modern history classes.
A panorama of events during Billy's life. Please react to the "updated" version of the song done by the group FalloutBoy. I'm sure you will catch some of the references there too!
If you look up everything he mentions you get an overall idea of the top news of the 4-5 decades that this song covers. "children of thalidomide" References a drug given to pregnant women in the 60's to treat nausea, and was later found to cause birth defects. The only statement I think he's trying to say is "time passes but the same issues keep repeating, and it's a never ending cycle that the current generation didn't start but have to deal with. "Scenes from and Italian restaurant" is an awesome song.
The song is events and names of famous and infamous people people of the 20th century in chronological order. If you watch the video it shows a family from getting married and moving into their apartment to going through stages of life during this time in history he is singing about All the way through their children's adulthood
Let's Gooooo! Such a freaking banger. This references world culture and historical events. He's saying there's been stuff going on for years and we didn't start the fire but we want to put it out. You may be right is another banger from him. Check out Led Zeppelin Achilles last stand studio version if you haven't heard it. John's drumming is phenomenal. Great reaction and Peace out ✌️ ☮️ 🙏
It’s Billy’s history (and ours). Read these comments and they’ll tell you the story of why he wrote this. Boomers know all of these mentions because we lived them.
Watch this one Billy Joel - We Didn't Start The Fire (LIVE) 2008 this was performed to 110,000 people at the historic Shea Stadium ruclips.net/video/JVGkSLhXm8s/видео.html
This is the big history during his lifetime . He was born in the late 40s. He started with Harry Truman. We didnt start the fire means the world condition wasn't started by his generation. They tried to fight it. It's been throughout time before him, during his life and will continue. It's the human condition.
Seton Hill Studios: The words may seem random to people now, but they were in chronological order of worldwide major events, which everyone in the Western world understood at the time. It was his, and everyone else’s, common knowledge and common experience at the time. Next, I’d suggest his first big hit “Moving Out(Anthony’s Song)”. It is also about a particular place and time, the people, and how they looked at their circumstances. New York in the 70s, when it was still the center of the world. It now sounds ‘historical’.
Not cultural references. All historic events and people during his life. The message is that the world has always had problems. It's not just the the current world that's been on fire.
Queen Elizabeth II became Queen in 1952, she and her husband were in Africa on an official visit because her father couldn’t make the trip. February 6, 1952, King George VI died and Elizabeth was now queen. When she arrived in London, she didn’t have clothes to wear for mourning and had to send for the clothes so she could disembark. Because of this it is a rule that the royals must have clothes for mourning with them when they are on visits.
Basically he was talking to someone from a younger generation they didn't think much had gone on in his lifetime compared to this time in history so this is basically what went on in Billy Joel's lifetime not all of history just in his lifetime the show this person that this isn't the first time the world's been in crisis for the first time something great happened
"Wheel of Fortune", Sally Ride, heavy metal suicide…” 1980s: Wheel of Fortune debuted on TV. Sally Ride was the first NASA female astronaut. “heavy metal suicide”: in 1985, Ozzy Osbourne was sued by the parents of a kid (who was a huge Ozzy fan), “self-deactivated” himself. Claiming Ozzy’s lyrics to his song “Su1cide Solution” made him do it. Later, Judas Priest was sued by the parents of 2 young fans who “self-deactivated” after listening to JP album, Stained Class” for 6 straight hours.
“Foreign debts, homeless vets, AIDS, crack, Bernie Goetz…” Foreign debts: The 1980s was marked by a period of high inflation attributed to the US growing foreign debts. In 1980, the total federal debt in the US was $914 billion. In 2024: $35 TRILLION. homeless vets: in the 1980s, the number of homeless Vietnam vets skyrocketed for various reasons… nearly 10 years AFTER military combat in Vietnam ended. AIDS: On June 5, 1981, the CDC published a report describing a rare lung infection affecting 5 gay men in Los Angeles. Since the 1981 report was issued: about 42 million people have died from HIV/AIDS. Crack: the crack epidemic began in the early 80s in USA cities Bernie Goetz: on December 22, 1984, Goetz was riding on a NYC subway and shot 4 black men who he claimed tried to mug him. Caused a major debate in NYC (and the country)m. The pro-Goetz camp agued that he acted in self defense, that crime in NYC was out of control in the city and subway passengers were often the targeted. The Daily News poll was released in January 1985 showed 49% of NYers approved of Goetz's actions, while only 31% disapproved. Interesting times.
HI1 I love your reactions and your personality TY.will u PLEASE listen to AVI KAPLAN MOVE OUR SOULS AND CHANGE ON THE RISE.I hope you will love it as much I did,TY🥰
If you are interested you might want to check out Hildegard von Blingin’ version of this song. She has her own RUclips channel where she releases her version of different songs that she has given a medieval interpretation to them. Listen to her version is a quick way to learn about history during medieval times.
All the past mistakes that people made. One I caught this time was thalidamide babies whose mothers took an anti-nausea medicine that sometimes left their children with no limbs. It's why we have so many warnings about the danger medications might have on babies now. Wow he put a lot in this song!
A friend’s son said nothing of note was happening in modern history and Billy Joel wrote this song about significant events that occurred just in his own lifetime. Fall Out Boy did a 2000’s updated version.
Yeah I ever if you noticed the kitchens are changing that starts off like in the 30s or 40s and then it's like the 50s and then it's the 60s and it's a 70s and et cetera et cetera and they're talking about naming things that was going on in that time
*You can support the channel with RUclips Channel Memberships or through Buy Me a Coffee. Never expected, but always appreciated.❤Links in Description!*
Billy Joel is such a BEAST and I love this song!! What should I review next from him?!
He is talking about the state of the world and how new generations always blame older generations for the problems but they didn't start that fire it was always burning since the worlds been turning. Basically, new generations think they have it harder than older generations and that simply is not true. No matter what time in history you look at there has always been things happening that no one can fix.
There are 119 references in the song. It refers to the idea that history is always happening, and the state of the world is not the fault of those currently living in it. Billy Joel is a “history nut” who wanted to be a history teacher, he was talking with someone on the verge of turning 21, who told him that the world was an unfixable mess. Joel replied, “I thought the same things when I was 21”. That was the spark for the song. The song lists many events, each verse references the decade shown in the video. There are many events, the majority of them are examples of bad things, such as war. murder, prejudice, drugs and injustice, mixed in with some positive things like the moon landing, classic literature and entertainment.
Best History lesson in Chronological order of the Historical Events that has happened in Billy Joel’s life. Best History Lesson, Ever!
Every home schooling parent should do this with their own kids!
You should look each reference up and get a good history lesson all prepared for you.
It's been assigned in many high school history classes.
Mostly chronological. I suspect a couple of references were moved for rhythmic reasons.
It covers the years 1949-89, from when Billy Joel was born until his 40th birthday.
These are all the major events that happened in Billy’s life from his birth to the time he wrote the song.
It's world history from 1949 to 1989 Billy Joel's 40 birthday.
We didn't start the fire meaning his generation. The fire started at the dawn of time and each generation has done what they can yet the fire keeps raging on.
He sings Goodnight Saigon, Honesty, Big Shot, Stiletto, dozens to listen to ....... every song it top notch! Billy was a genious
Started the history/culture lesson from his year of birth to the year the song was written around his 40th birthday.
I read that John Lennons son was telling Billy Joel that nothing happened in his (Billy's) lifetime. This was Billy's answer to all the things that happened in his lifetime. And the We Didn't Start the Fire part......generations before his started and his generation tried to put it out, but that would never happen. The fire would be burning forever.
Oh wow!! Great insight! Appreciate it!
Which son Sean or Julian
Im thinking Sean since John lived in New York
@@RockinMamaT Pretty sure it was Julian. When this song was written Sean was still a child.
All things news worthy in Billy's life (at the time he wrote the song).
Chronological order of Current events thru his life.
I consider like a collage of world history.
The song is a timeline of Billy Joel's memory of world events from his birth to the time this song was written.
Appreciate it! 😁
Up Town Girl
Joel is a genius with this song.
Keep listening to Billy Joel’s songs and you will discover you cannot pigeon hole his music.
LETS GO……,…..I like it
I was 18 years old in 1989, in the Marines serving mess duty before going to School of Infantry. I was serving with a cook in his 20’s and we were talking about this song. I never paid attention in school, but this 20 something year old “kid” gave me the best history lesson I ever had. Telling me about every reference in this song. All before the internet and google.
this was an exercise in memory that Billy did for his birthday showing what happened in the world during his lifetime.
Santa
What I would suggest is taking all of Billy’s song catalog and put on a giant dart board and throw a dart and you will listening to a fantastic piece of music.
" Scenes From an Italian Restaurant " is another one of his huge hits.
I'm only a few yours younger than Billy, so as he mentions these events that occurred during his life, I remember most of them as well. Thus it hits me a lot more than it does a much younger person who has no idea who Princess Grace is, etc.
My favorite Billy Joel song!!!
Better history than American Pie, IMO!
❤
The references are in chronological order from 1949 to 1989. And yet he made them rhyme.
Try out "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" ..... interesting storyline that runs through that one...
I was an English teacher at a boarding military school. Every year I did a joint extra credit project with the world history teacher when I did my poetry unit. We challenged the cadets to write a paragraph on each of the 119 references in the song, as well as an analysis of the poem itself. The score was based on how many of the references the cadet addressed, how much information they were able to convey in single paragraph, as well as adherence to basic research paper format. There was always a big response and most cadets said they learned more from this project than anything else in the history class. I contend it was because they were engaged due to the song.
This song will teach you more about American history than you ever learned in school. All of the references are events in American history from 1949 the year of Billy Joel's birth onwards.
There are references from around the world in the lyrics, not just from the US.
Steven, great reaction. Billy Joel's catalog is large & spans several decades!
Even more powerful now.
888 words
Fire refers to the chaos. We all have to deal with all the troubles someone before us caused.
🚜🤠🐂
You will find many different sounds from Billy Joel... "For the Longest Time" "Uptown Girl" "Always a Woman to Me" "Just the Way You Are" "In the Middle of the Night" so many songs, so many sounds. If you drop a rock in this well, it will be a while before you hear it splash.
I'm not the biggest Billy Joel fan but I do dig this. Cheers
This was not the kind of music that my brother listened to, but the first time he heard it, he was fascinated. Because he was a history buff,he caught almost all of the references the first time around.
I've lived through the 60s to 80s references in the song.. The visual reference to Lucille Ball was deliberate to anchor the start of the video in the 50s: the lyrics are taken from headlines of chaos in world history through the Cold War to the 80s. Seeing the iconic decor changes, the kids "grow up"; while listening to world events in each decade. Korean War, Vietnam War, unrest in the Middle East, hijacking airplanes to use the hostages' lives as leverage to get what you want. Marilyn Monroe was in a scandal with JFK. Sally Ride was America's first female astronaut, & was part of the shuttle program.
Billy Joel has so many styles and sounds. He has a song called River of Dreams you should check out. His Brother in law / manager stole millions from him and he wrote this song. All his work is amazing
History lesson from the Billy was born... Hes a lyrical genius!!! MUST react to GOODNIGHT SIAGNON. Its sbout Vietnam War and very raw, but lyrics are amazing. He always has veterans on stage to sing the chorus. ❤
Anything by GAP band, also Bananarama!
A great song. I add to it The Temptations BALL OF CONFUSION. That's what the world is today. Even more relevant today! Nice reaction Steve 👍👍
Billy Joel RIVER OF DREAMS is, a must
Do the "KEEPING the Faith" video by Billy Joel then "You may be Right" song.
2 great ones!
Nice one, Steven. A favourite from the 80’s. As an Aussie it sounds like an American history lesson to me. I still remember every single word. ❤️🇦🇺
It's so original, and so clever. I wish he would do a part two as this one ends with the eighties, maybe in 2029, that would be another 4 decades, cuz that fires still burning with no end in sight, lol, there's a lot more verses Billy, let's go! Thanks for the reaction, awesome. ✌❤
Billy Joel is the best! Love your reaction!
@@anitawright7169 Loved this tune!! So glad you enjoyed the reaction and have a great day! 😁
This is one of my favorite Billy Joel songs. He’s gone on record saying it’s one of his least favorite.
I enjoyed it!! Definitely a different feel than what I’ve heard from him but still a banger!! 🔥
Villy Joel songs. My Life, Still Rock & Roll To Me, Twll Her About It, Pressure& Tou May Be Right to start.
all about generations and where we were when he wrote it. Turmoil worldwide.
The video follows a single family from marriage through the kids growing up.
The events are not random. He's taking you through the decades. The opening "I Love Lucy" scene puts us in the 1950s.
I love this song so much. You should totally check out Fall Out Boys sequel!
"Pressure"
More srv please and thank you love your channel ❤
More to come for sure! Thanks for hanging out and so glad you are enjoying the content! Have a great one!
I don't have much money I love your channel ❤️
@@jasonswierenga1443 I completely understand! I am wanting to check out Texas Flood from El Mocambo, so maybe I can try and get to it this week! Heard it is insane! 🔥
The kid who inspired Joel to write this song was John Lennon's son. He said that Joel's generation had it easy because "everybody knows nothing happened in the 50's." That pissed Joel off, and he wrote this song to showcase just how MUCH happened in that decade. Blaming the elders is childish and shows how little the blamer knows about history. EVERY generation has to deal with the crap the previous generations left behind, and that's true all the way back throughout human history. We're ALL part of the fabric of history, and ordinary people rarely if ever have the power to change things, so sneering at grandma is self-serving and doesn't help anything.
The names are progressing through history as the kitchen gets updated as well.
Such a clever song and video! 😁
You have to take it as a very condensed history of the world since 1949 to 1989, when Billie got to 40 years old. Major personalities, events, etc.
It must have been crazy difficult to write the lyrics choosing names and events and make it all rime. I wonder how many cups of coffee and headaches he had to make it all work together with the music. For me, he is an insanely crazy genius.
BJ rules! You can't really go wrong with him but I do have a suggestion you must check out, 'Scenes From an Italian Restaurant'-my favorite song of his. So many hits from him, Only the Good Die Young, You May Be Right, Movin' Out, Vienna, Allentown, My Life, Uptown Girl, New York Sate of Mind, The Stranger...and on and on.
Fall Out Boy recently made a "Part Two", if you will with more current references. Also a banger.
As Gen X, I definitely try to forgive the generations before me because you never know what is going to happen!
And what it's about is that they're saying that we didn't cause it it's been going on for years all the problems in the world we didn't start it
Appreciate the insight! 😁
Last year, Fall Out Boy released a cover of this with additional lyrics to fill in the decades since it came out.
You are fantastic love it
Thanks so much! 😄
I love this song.
I just found your channel today. I went back and watched several videos and you made me smile and made my day better. Thank You. New Sub. 😊
@@Alex_CantDrive55 That made my day! So glad you found the channel and are enjoying the content! Thanks for hanging out! 😁
“children of thalidomide”
In the 1950s-60s, doctors prescribed pregnant women thalidomide to prevent morning sickness which caused a major birth defects. Limb deformities: Short or missing arms and legs and many, many other defects.
Wow!! 😳😳
Check out Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind" - live from The Old Grey Whistle Test. It will blow you away!
It refers to all the chronological events in his life; he was the baby in the first few frames. listen again, you’ll get it
This is American history in a song! Teachers actually use it as a teaching tool. Some of the lyrics are fun, but so many references were so terribly horrible. This was a reaction, in a way, for Millennials who blamed Boomers for everything. Billy Joel wanted to show them that we didn’t start the dumpster fire-every before generation added fuel. (I’m technically a boomer, but my grouping has become the Jones Generation-those of us born in the very late fifties and early sixties really didn’t have anything in common with those born in 1945.)
😊❤ Hi! 😅 DITTO what you said!! 1961 here!! LOL 😂 😊❤❤
I totally agree with you. 1959 baby here. I didn't know I was part of the "Jones Generation". But, it makes sense. A lot of baby boomer families have two halves. One group of kids pre WWII and one post war. I have a sister that is 17 years older and a brother 15 years older than me. Then my dad went overseas and when he came home, my parents started making babies again. I am #6 of 8. Either way, I came of age in the seventies. I got to listen to all the really great bands of the 70s and 80s!
@@objectiveobserver4278 Another ‘59 baby and we definitely had the best music!
Great song. And it was just a charts song.
If I remember right this was events and people that made headlines from 1948 until 1988 and what made him decide to write this song he and some younger people was talking about different things and one of the younger people said something about his generation messing up the world and he said don’t blame it on us we didn’t start the fire. Just want to let you know The Fall 7:51 Ou Boys love the song and asked Billy Joel if they could use the course and beat and write their version of the song and he told them yes
Angry Young Nan is piano at its best
Covers basically from WWII end to the fall of the Berlin Wall., the key history figures and events of the 20th century. This should be used in modern history classes.
A panorama of events during Billy's life. Please react to the "updated" version of the song done by the group FalloutBoy. I'm sure you will catch some of the references there too!
One song that I thought of in a similar vein is Don McLean's American Pie.
It’s on the channel too! Absolutely love that song! ❤️
If you look up everything he mentions you get an overall idea of the top news of the 4-5 decades that this song covers. "children of thalidomide" References a drug given to pregnant women in the 60's to treat nausea, and was later found to cause birth defects. The only statement I think he's trying to say is "time passes but the same issues keep repeating, and it's a never ending cycle that the current generation didn't start but have to deal with. "Scenes from and Italian restaurant" is an awesome song.
Whenever the older generation blames the younger people they can always respond to them "we didn't start the fire"
Haha 🤣
Saigon Is my favorite Billy Joel song
🇬🇧
Great reaction SteVen 👌🫂🎼🎶
Thank you! 😁
postww2 20th century chronology. Up to the late 80s.
Just think of all the headline stuff that's happened in every decade of your life. Then put them together and you got a song.
The song is events and names of famous and infamous people people of the 20th century in chronological order. If you watch the video it shows a family from getting married and moving into their apartment to going through stages of life during this time in history he is singing about All the way through their children's adulthood
Let's Gooooo! Such a freaking banger. This references world culture and historical events. He's saying there's been stuff going on for years and we didn't start the fire but we want to put it out. You may be right is another banger from him. Check out Led Zeppelin Achilles last stand studio version if you haven't heard it. John's drumming is phenomenal. Great reaction and Peace out ✌️ ☮️ 🙏
Code of silence
If you want your mind blown you should check out Attila- wonder woman. Billy joel is on fire in it
It’s Billy’s history (and ours). Read these comments and they’ll tell you the story of why he wrote this. Boomers know all of these mentions because we lived them.
Watch this one Billy Joel - We Didn't Start The Fire (LIVE) 2008 this was performed to 110,000 people at the historic Shea Stadium ruclips.net/video/JVGkSLhXm8s/видео.html
I'd like to hear additional verses, covering the next few decades to the present.
...Mr. Joel, are you listening?
Fall Out Boy did this last year!
This is the big history during his lifetime . He was born in the late 40s. He started with Harry Truman. We didnt start the fire means the world condition wasn't started by his generation. They tried to fight it. It's been throughout time before him, during his life and will continue. It's the human condition.
Absolutely! Great insight and thanks for sharing! ❤️
Seton Hill Studios: The words may seem random to people now, but they were in chronological order of worldwide major events, which everyone in the Western world understood at the time. It was his, and everyone else’s, common knowledge and common experience at the time. Next, I’d suggest his first big hit “Moving Out(Anthony’s Song)”. It is also about a particular place and time, the people, and how they looked at their circumstances. New York in the 70s, when it was still the center of the world. It now sounds ‘historical’.
Not cultural references. All historic events and people during his life. The message is that the world has always had problems. It's not just the the current world that's been on fire.
Fan video would've been easier to follow along.
Queen Elizabeth II became Queen in 1952, she and her husband were in Africa on an official visit because her father couldn’t make the trip. February 6, 1952, King George VI died and Elizabeth was now queen. When she arrived in London, she didn’t have clothes to wear for mourning and had to send for the clothes so she could disembark. Because of this it is a rule that the royals must have clothes for mourning with them when they are on visits.
Basically he was talking to someone from a younger generation they didn't think much had gone on in his lifetime compared to this time in history so this is basically what went on in Billy Joel's lifetime not all of history just in his lifetime the show this person that this isn't the first time the world's been in crisis for the first time something great happened
3:26 it's a literal year by year time-line. All the major stuff that happened in that year
"Wheel of Fortune", Sally Ride, heavy metal suicide…”
1980s:
Wheel of Fortune debuted on TV.
Sally Ride was the first NASA female astronaut.
“heavy metal suicide”: in 1985, Ozzy Osbourne was sued by the parents of a kid (who was a huge Ozzy fan), “self-deactivated” himself. Claiming Ozzy’s lyrics to his song “Su1cide Solution” made him do it.
Later, Judas Priest was sued by the parents of 2 young fans who “self-deactivated” after listening to JP album, Stained Class” for 6 straight hours.
Thanks for the breakdown!! 🤘🏻
“Foreign debts, homeless vets, AIDS, crack, Bernie Goetz…”
Foreign debts: The 1980s was marked by a period of high inflation attributed to the US growing foreign debts. In 1980, the total federal debt in the US was $914 billion. In 2024: $35 TRILLION.
homeless vets: in the 1980s, the number of homeless Vietnam vets skyrocketed for various reasons… nearly 10 years AFTER military combat in Vietnam ended.
AIDS: On June 5, 1981, the CDC published a report describing a rare lung infection affecting 5 gay men in Los Angeles. Since the 1981 report was issued: about 42 million people have died from HIV/AIDS.
Crack: the crack epidemic began in the early 80s in USA cities
Bernie Goetz: on December 22, 1984, Goetz was riding on a NYC subway and shot 4 black men who he claimed tried to mug him. Caused a major debate in NYC (and the country)m. The pro-Goetz camp agued that he acted in self defense, that crime in NYC was out of control in the city and subway passengers were often the targeted. The Daily News poll was released in January 1985 showed 49% of NYers approved of Goetz's actions, while only 31% disapproved.
Interesting times.
You should react to some Johnny Cash like Folsom Prison Blues or Cocaine Blues that's when it's a little better and the Man in Black that's the best
HI1 I love your reactions and your personality TY.will u PLEASE listen to AVI KAPLAN MOVE OUR SOULS AND CHANGE ON THE RISE.I hope you will love it as much I did,TY🥰
If you are interested you might want to check out Hildegard von Blingin’ version of this song. She has her own RUclips channel where she releases her version of different songs that she has given a medieval interpretation to them. Listen to her version is a quick way to learn about history during medieval times.
All the past mistakes that people made. One I caught this time was thalidamide babies whose mothers took an anti-nausea medicine that sometimes left their children with no limbs. It's why we have so many warnings about the danger medications might have on babies now. Wow he put a lot in this song!
Oh wow!! 😳
A friend’s son said nothing of note was happening in modern history and Billy Joel wrote this song about significant events that occurred just in his own lifetime. Fall Out Boy did a 2000’s updated version.
Yeah I ever if you noticed the kitchens are changing that starts off like in the 30s or 40s and then it's like the 50s and then it's the 60s and it's a 70s and et cetera et cetera and they're talking about naming things that was going on in that time
That’s super cool!! What an awesome video! 😁
Lucille Ball Passed away one month before this came out at age 77. This is not her.
Came here to see see if anyone mentioned this. Lucy was awesome though. And like so many legends, greatly missed.
The scene at the beginning of the video is supposed to be Lucille Ball in her role as a 1950s housewife.