"We Didn't Start The Fire"

@JesseInTX Really?

I get the chronology and they did more cultural signposts but I don't see the political slant,

@Burnley123 I’m not going to list every instance or example but I’ll start with the fact that they didn’t do it chronologically and picked and chose certain things to make the rhymes.

One example of the difference- “Trump impeached twice” in n the lyric. All they needed to say was “Trump” and let the listener decide the historical impact. Billy named several politicians he liked and disliked simply by mentioning their name. “Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon”, “Eisenhower “Richard Nixon back again”, “Reagan”. Nothing else about them.

Second example- later in the song they say “climate change” and that’s fine. Let the listener decide the historical context. But earlier in the song they say “polar bears got no ice” which is an outright lie and a completely politically motivated lyric.

There’s many others and I would challenge you to read them with an open mind, no matter what side of the political spectrum you are on, and not as you listen to the melody.

That was the brilliance of the original. No bias either way and chronological by year.

@JesseInTX I see where you are coming from. I don't know where they stand as a band, politically, but we know all too well that it's rare for anyone with any level of celebrity status to go against the grain. I honestly have to go back and see if the original was in chronological order or I'm willing to take your word if you have already done the homework on it.
For me, I guess I would have to say its more the nostalgia that comes along with hearing a version of a song I have always liked, with events that I lived through and remember well. For instance, "Columbine" really gave me chills.

@JesseInTX That climate change is real and man-made is an objective scientific fact. That Trump has been impeached twice is also a fact.

@NickyLee I am probably the biggest Billy Joel fan on SW. I first saw him live in 1981 (Nylon Curtain Tour), since then I’ve seen him live 26 times. The last one was last September in Houston. Have seen him in Houston, Austin, Dallas, New Orleans and at the Garden in NYC. Researched him, and fortunate enough to meet him and spend a few hours with him over the years. The song starts in 1949, the year he was born. Who was the president, who was the movie star, what world wide was happening, etc. Do the research and you’ll see what I’m getting at.

Columbine was going to be another example. But why was Sandy Hook mentioned first? Columbine was 1996, why put 2012 before that? Either they’re not talented enough as writers and don’t have a sense of history, which is what the original was about, or they have a agenda.

@Burnley123 So what if Billy Joel sang about JFK cheating on his wife? “Ho Chi Min, bay of pigs invasion, JFK did Marilyn”. Billy didn’t do that. He mentioned names and you as the listener decide where you are. It wasn’t a political statement. Climate change is a debate, not a fact. Trumps first impeachment was based off lies which was proven by Biden’s DOJ. The second one raises serious 1st amendment issues. As I said just say “Trump” or “Donald Trump”. Let the listener decide the historical context. That was the brilliance of Billy. He had his side, but didn’t alienate anyone.

If you or others can’t see that then you don’t need to study the original song further.

@JesseInTX I think Billy Joel was too woke. He should have said McCarthy saved America, that Nixon was unfairly framed and that the Bay of Pigs invasion was undermined by Antifa.

[quote]The second one raises serious 1st amendment issues.[/quote]

🤣

@Burnley123 dude you just lost any credibility you had. Billy Joel woke?