We Didn't Start the Fire

We Didn't Start The Fire by Billy Joel is an abnormal but enjoyable song that stands well on its own. Among other topics, the song addresses how history always heads forward, that history moves quickly, and that perspective shapes how one looks at history.

The song shows how history is something that has been, and will continue to trudge forward. The iconic line “we didn’t start the fire” (Billy Joel), with “the fire” being interpreted as the flurry of events that make up history, shows very clearly the idea that history is something that is not unique to our life times. This idea is conveyed metaphorically by the steady pace of the song. As Billy Joel lists people and events he maintains a steady pace. This reflects how history does not speed up or slow down. It merely moves forward.  

The song also conveys the idea that history moves rapidly and does not linger too long at one point. The song has a fast and upbeat pace that is constantly moving to reflect the fast pace of history. Many people and events that had huge and relatively long lasting impacts are given no more than a second before being shoved aside by the next topic. Things like the Suez Crisis, which was a major conflict that included many major world powers, is noted only as “Trouble in the Suez” (Billy Joel). This rapid movement shows how even the largest historical events eventually become no more than notes in history. Their impacts and importance fade over time until the majority of them are forgotten. 

The last, and most important, thing that this song shows is how perspective shapes how we view history. The entire song is written through the lens of Billy Joel. The song starts in 1949, the year Billy Joel was born, and continues to what was present day at the time of writing. Billy Joel wrote the song by thinking of what was happening when he was born, then just moving forward in time with events that were important to him. The part is that he chose things important to HIM, not just major history events. This means that events like the release of “Peter Pan” (Billy Joel) are given just as much note as things like the “water gate” (Billy Joel) scandal. By using the lens of his own perspective Billy Joel sends a powerful message about how we view history and helps us look at history from the perspective of those in history rather than the present. 

Billy Joel’s hit song We Didn’t Start the Fire is an exciting and rhythmic exploration of recent history, but underneath the surface it also an excellent portrayal of history as a whole.

Using meaningful topic selection and melodic strategies the song is able to express the steady and fast nature of history as well as remind us to be aware of our own modern perspectives when judging those of the past.

Actually, in his box set, on the fourth disc, he discusses this song and says that We Didn't Start The Fire is NOT so much about history as a whole, but about HIS life and the things that had happened since his birth. He says that he tried to pick things that were important to HIM, but that the beginning of the song was simply created when he asked himself who the President was at the time of his birth... Harry Truman... and who a famous acress was... Doris Day.

i love this song, it's awesome..how can no one have commented on it yet? well it's obviously about history..yeah gotta love billy joel!!

According to Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Didn't_Start_the_Fire#History

"Joel got the idea for the song when he had just turned 40. He was in a recording studio and met a friend of Sean Lennon who had just turned 21 who said "It's a terrible time to be 21!" Joel replied to him, "Yeah, I remember when I was 21 -- I thought it was an awful time and we had Vietnam, and y'know, drug problems, and civil rights problems and everything seemed to be awful." The friend replied, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, but it's different for you. You were a kid in the fifties and everybody knows that nothing happened in the fifties". Joel retorted, "Wait a minute, didn't you hear of the Korean War or the Suez Canal Crisis?" Joel later said those headlines formed the basic framework for the song."

i was always amazes at how he mentions so many people and still got it all to rhyme and/or sound really good together. wow...great song.

This song got me hooked on the one and only Billy Joel. I remember sitting on my brothers bed when he turned on the song...and I just sat there in amazement...I had to be like 5 or 6 or so at the time, and I couldn't stop singing, "We didn't start the fire..."

BILLY JOEL ROCKS MY FACE!

-Heather-

Odd how no one mentions that this song is Banned from VH1 since the September 11th attacks on the US.

The line is "Rock and Roller, Cola Wars" Remember that whole battle with Pepsi and Coke and then New Coke? That is what he is talking about...or so I think

"We didn't start the fire"

The problems did not start with any of our generations, despite each generation thinking that they are the cause of all the problems of their time.

"It was always burning Since the world's been turning"

There have been problems since the beginning of existence.

"No we didn't light it But we tried to fight it"

Everyone has been trying to fight the problems in their times.

"But when we are gone Will it still burn on, and on, and on, and on"

Despite the efforts to stop the problems, they continue to exist even after the generations pass on.

Talks about the history