Abou the song
“We Didn’t Start the Fire” by American recording artist Billy Joel is a standout track from his 11th studio album, *Storm Front* (1989). Released as the lead single on September 27, 1989, by CBS Records and Columbia Records, the song was both written and produced by Joel, with co-production from Mick Jones, a member of the band Foreigner. Inspired by a conversation with Sean Lennon in the studio, the song blends new wave elements with pop-rock sensibilities, delving into historical events that Joel felt were disconnected from his generation.
The song’s innovative approach of stringing together over 100 historical events from Joel’s birth year in 1949 to 1989 garnered praise from music critics. It marked a departure from Joel’s usual songwriting process, with the lyrics penned before the melody, resulting in a distinctive style that bridged narrative content seamlessly with musical arrangement.
Upon its release, “We Didn’t Start the Fire” received widespread critical acclaim, highlighted as a standout track from the *Storm Front* album. It achieved significant commercial success, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States, where it remained for two consecutive weeks. Internationally, it also performed strongly, entering the top 10 in several countries including Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, and New Zealand, and reaching the top spot in the US.
The song’s music video, directed by Chris Blum, narrates the story of a newlywed couple in the 1940s, depicting their journey through the subsequent decades, including parenthood and eventually becoming grandparents, all set against the backdrop of the historical events referenced in the song’s lyrics. This visual storytelling complemented Joel’s thematic exploration of generational change and societal evolution.
To promote “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Billy Joel performed the song on numerous television shows and major award ceremonies, including *Late Night with David Letterman*, *Saturday Night Live*, and *Top of the Pops*, as well as during his concert tours. The song’s enduring popularity has seen it featured in various films and TV shows, cementing its place in popular culture.
In Billy Joel’s expansive discography, “We Didn’t Start the Fire” remains a pivotal track, featured on several compilation albums including *Souvenir: The Ultimate Collection* (1990), *The Essential Billy Joel* (2001), *Piano Man: The Very Best of Billy Joel* (2004), and *The Hits* (2010). Its legacy as a musical chronicle of 20th-century history continues to resonate with audiences worldwide, solidifying its status as one of Billy Joel’s most enduring and culturally significant songs.
Video
Lyrics
Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray
South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio
Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television
North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe
Rosenbergs, H-bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom
Brando, “The King and I”, and “The Catcher in the Rye”
Eisenhower, Vaccine, England’s got a new queen
Marciano, Liberace, Santayana, goodbye
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning, since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it, but we tried to fight it
Joseph Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and Prokofiev
Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc
Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dacron
Dien Bien Phu falls, “Rock Around the Clock”
Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn’s got a winning team
Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland
Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Krushchev
Princess Grace, Peyton Place, Trouble in the Suez
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning, since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it, but we tried to fight it
Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac
Sputnik, Chou En-Lai, “Bridge on the River Kwai”
Lebanon, Charles de Gaulle, California baseball
Starkweather homicide, children of thalidomide
Buddy Holly, Ben Hur, space monkey, mafia
Hula hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-go
U2, Syngman Rhee, Payola and Kennedy
Chubby Checker, Psycho, Belgians in the Congo
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning, since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it, but we tried to fight it
Hemingway, Eichmann, “Stranger in a Strange Land”
Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasion
“Lawrence of Arabia”, British Beatlemania
Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson
Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British politician sex
JFK – blown away, what else do I have to say?
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning, since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it, but we tried to fight it
Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back again
Moonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock
Begin, Reagan, Palestine, terror on the airline
Ayatollah’s in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan
“Wheel of Fortune”, Sally Ride, heavy metal suicide
Foreign debts, homeless vets, AIDS, crack, Bernie Goetz
Hypodermics on the shore, China’s under martial law
Rock and roller, cola wars, I can’t take it anymore
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning, since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
But when we are gone
It will still burn on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning, since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it, but we tried to fight it
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning, since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it, but we tried to fight it
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning, since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it, but we tried to fight it