| Billy Joel – Don't Ask Me Why Lyrics | 4 months ago |
| I can find no corroboration, but I've always wondered whether the song was about Leona Helmsley. Born Lena Rosenthal into humble beginnings, she married her way into being a rich, and infamous NY hotelier (known as the Queen of Mean). By the time Joel wrote the song (released in 1980), she was quite well known, and the broad outlines of her life to that point were public knowledge. The song was written before Helmsley's convictions on financial crimes in 1989, so there couldn't be an reference to those events. | |
| Billy Joel – Keeping The Faith Lyrics | 5 months ago |
| @[D:54372]. Dodge Silver "Keeping the faith," as commonly understood, means upholding traditions - beliefs, values, ritual, and secular practices - in the current generation. If Joel is taken at face value about his intent for the song - look fondly on the past and move on from it - he couldn't have chosen a less apt cliché for the lyrics and title. | |
| Billy Joel – Keeping The Faith Lyrics | 5 months ago |
| @[D:54371]. Dodge Silver | |
| Dire Straits – Walk Of Life Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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I'd like to someone to complete the list of the song/artist allusions in this song: "Be Bop a Lula"L Everly Brothers; Gene Vincent "Baby, What'd I Say": Ray Charles "I Got a Woman": Ray Charles "Sweet Lovin' Woman": Dobie Gray "Hand Me Down My Walkin' Shoes": ??? "Song about the knife": ??? |
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| Billy Joel – The River Of Dreams Lyrics | 7 years ago |
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This song appears on Joel's final studio album. Given that context, the meaning is crystal clear: Joel is saying that he's lost access to his creativity — "the river of dreams." He can't cross it to get more commercial or personal success ("the promised land"). This river of dreams has always been where he makes sense of major elements of daily life (truth, faith, doubt). It's hard to accept that his creativity is ending ("something I'd never lose, something somebody stole"). He can't yet imagine a life beyond songwriting and performing ("I don't know what comes after this"). It's a poetic goodbye to the most important part of a creative artist's identity. |
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| Billy Joel – The Great Wall Of China Lyrics | 7 years ago |
| @[TDEguitar2:26489], thanks for the straightforward background of the song. Joel was always terrific at telling his life's stories in his songs (Uptown Girl, Big Shot, The Entertainer). | |
| Billy Joel – Don't Ask Me Why Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| If the song were only about Helmsley, what do the lined "You can say the human heart is only make believe And I am only fighting fire with fire. You are still a victim of the accidents you leave As sure as I'm a victim of desire" have to do with her? | |
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