submissions
| Billy Joel – Angry Young Man Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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There could not be a more appropriate name for this song. The turmoil suggested by the unbridled 1 minute 30 second prelude leads into the anthem of an angry young man. He is jaded about the failures of his young life and his unfulfilled dreams, but this song is just as much about his supposed hard reactions to these misfortunes. What makes the song particularly interesting is the theme that this ‘angry young man’ enjoys his dark status. It’s as though he sees himself as a martyr and particularly unique in his suffering. It’s his anguish and his subsequent anger that supposedly sets him apart and makes him special. Ultimately, it is better to have an identity in anger than to go on in life with mundane sense of self. |
submissions
| Billy Joel – I've Loved These Days Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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One of Joel’s lesser known songs, but definitely one of his best. The author writes of a primary and a minor theme. Most importantly, Joel recalls his tumultuous lifestyle and comments that though he realizes the negativity of his self-destructive ways, he cannot help but admit that his dangerous routine holds a certain allure. Still and all, he ultimately admits that it’s time to move on. Secondarily, the song hints at the fact that, though we so often try, human pain and suffering cannot be erased by material possessions or grandiose action. |
submissions
| Billy Joel – Piano Man Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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The ultimate slow-it-down, grab a friend, and sway back and forth song. But the tune is a deep metaphor for the fundamental disappointments of life in individuals young and old, public and private sector, and, even, “successful” and “unsuccessful”. It doesn’t matter if you are a Navy lifer, a bartender, or a successful businessman; all people live with disappointments, regrets, and failures. However, the portrait painted by the lyricist shows how all of these flawed, melancholy people come together for one night to put all of their troubles aside and celebrate life with one another. The piano player serves as the focal point of the community’s diversion. In many ways, the song is summed up by the line, ‘He knows that it’s me that they’re coming to see to forget about life for a while’. It ultimately works as a microcosm of any community in which a flawed individual finds a sense of oneness and an escape from an often depressing existence. |
submissions
| Billy Joel – Big Shot Lyrics
| 14 years ago
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Just a rollicking joyride of a song; highlighted by Joel’s infamous ‘DIIIIINNNCHA!’ Not an overly deep song; focused mostly on judgmentally recalling his significant other’s drunken escapades of the previous night. Honestly, it is one of those tunes that’s so much fun it doesn’t need any greater significance. |
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