'We Didn't Start the Fire..'

[katanalori]

This song & it's title was an answer to a Final Jeopardy -- only one person got it right. Question was (paraphrased) "What 1980's song do history teachers praise for its educational value." Never could understand all the references on Billy Joel's song -- fortunately, with this VIDEO, given the picture(s), now can "see" what our "ears" couldn't. Anyway, checked to see purpose behind the song. Apparently, it's Joel's homage to the 40-years of historical headlines since his birth (1949). Wish we could have appreciated the depths of this song when it was released. Twenty years later, it's amazing what Joel was able to put into music and lyrics lasting only a few minutes.



Whether you are a Billy Joel fan or not, you probably remember his great song, 'We Didn't Start the Fire..'


Here it is, set to pictures... . It's a neat flashback through the past half century. I never did know all the words. Turn up volume, sit back and enjoy a review of 50 years of history in less than 3 minutes! Thanks to Billy Joel and some guy from the University of Chicago with a lot of spare time and Google. Top left gives you full screen....top right lets you pause. Bottom left shows the year. The older you are, the more pictures you will recognize. Anyone over age 60 should remember 90% of what they see.

But it's great at any age !!!

click below

http://yeli.us/Flash/Fire.html

[Orrex]

1. That insipid song single-handedly killed whatever respect I still had for him at that point

[katanalori]

2. sorry .......

Did you like "Piano Man?" I have Billy Joel's Hits" playing on the stereo right now.

[Orrex]

4. I liked most of his stuff up until that album, as a matter of fact

But around the time that it came out, he suffered from media hyper-exposure, and he developed a habit of overpraising himself and his creative process.

It was this slide toward pretentiousness that cured me of any fondness I'd had for him, and it basically went downhill from there. We Didn't Start The Fire with its pummeling, grade-school rhyme scheme, made me wonder what all the fuss was about, especially since it was ultimately nothing but a semi-random and empty list of historical buzzwords.

It was beloved by VH1, the network which would later give us hundreds of hours of similarly empty programming about historical (or pop-historical) buzzwords.

[katanalori]

12. ok, you have convinced me to switch to..........

Jack Johnston. Love "Sleep Through the Static."

[KansasVoter]

14. LOL....get over yourself.

[Orrex]

16. :yawn:

[notesdev]

15. I agree with you

it was a big cop-out, I was embarrassed for him to see it hit the radio

Like recognizing the world is in the shitter, then throwing up your hands saying "it was always that way" and using that as an excuse not to even try to change it.


Bruce Hornsby had a much better attitude. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1NAGhiVqdg

[KansasVoter]

17. LOL....this is really funny. Billy Joel sold out! I can't tell if this is a serious thread.

[notesdev]

18. cop out not sold out

[Zoeisright]

25. Boooooo.

No need to be rude to people who like it.

[Orrex]

26. I haven't said anything at all about people who like the song

I've attacked the song as insipid (etc.), but I don't see how that's being rude to anyone.

Except perhaps to Mr. Joel himself, and he can take it up with me if he cares to do so.

[MrSlayer]

33. Right there with you. I despise that song.

I do not believe hate is strong enough to describe my feelings.

[PDJane]

3. That's great!

And yes, I recognized all of those images, which means I'm much too old! It is rather interesting to see them all lined up that way......

[WiffenPoof]

5. Actually Billy Joel...

stated that he was trying to write a rap song believe it or not. But it didn't turn out.

=PLA

[tabatha]

6. Did you put that together?

Pretty interesting I have to say. History "flashing" before one's eyes. Liked the Sally Ride part.

[katanalori]

8. No, I did not put it together...........

Interesting side note - my husband took Sally Ride to his high school prom.

[tabatha]

10. That is interesting.

Was she super bright?

[katanalori]

13. Probably.

But he doesn't remember. Witch of a mother-in-law kept picture of he and Sally on her wall - NO pics of me and he.

He just said he knew her from tennis, which they were both good at (aspiring tennis pros at age 17).

[tabatha]

19. Wow, that is witchy.

Anyone who does that has issues; bad issues and does not respect her son.

[davidinalameda]

7. that is like the coolest!

I can't imagine the time and effort he put into i

[Canuckistanian]

9. That's interesting

I didn't know there were so many references in that song.

[hlthe2b]

11. I recognize one heck of a lot of that... so not sure whether to be...

feeling REALLY old? or just thankful for a "boomer" post that wasn't deriding us for all the world's ills (though we surely saw enough of them).

Thanks for sharing. I really never paid any attention to this song by Billy Joel. I surely will, now. ;)

[tabatha]

20. I guess, from the detractors, no artist

is allowed to "bomb" now and again.

How puritanical.

[Bill Bored]

21. I liked the song. But try this if you haven't seen it. It was made by a DUer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WmC4grXdIk

[Bonobo]

22. It is a TERRIBLE song.

A real plague on the ears.

Also unimpressed with the 'lyrics'.

It's like he just listed up random names and strung them together to sort of make decent thymes.

DAVY CROCKET?? WTF? Why Davy Crocket?

[Bill Bored]

23. See if this explains it:

Click here.

[Journeyman]

29. I imagine this explains it better. . .

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTI0ODU1MzcwNl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNjU4MTIyMQ@@._V1._SX214_CR0,0,214,314_.jpg

[Bill Bored]

32. OK, I'll buy that. I do remember the song now that you mention it. nt.

[Zoeisright]

24. That is fabulous - thank you so much!

My husband, an English teacher, wants to get his kids to write more verses as a writing exercise to bring it up to the current date. What a great project!

[Stardust]

27. That was FUN! Thank you (and a poke in the eye to the grousers.)

[silverweb]

28. I enjoyed that. Thanks!

Big Billy Joel fan here, but that was one song I never quite "got." Now I get it. :D

And kudos to Ye Li for doing such a fabulous job of finding the images for each reference in the lyrics. That was obviously a labor of love and was very well done.

[Wheezy]

30. I loved

when my son did a school project on this song. It gave us a chance to talk through some world events in a way that interested him.

[NBachers]

31. So is it safe down here to say I like it too?

*duck*