subject: The Story Behind We Didn't Start The Fire [print this page] Billy Joel has always been one of the best singers known internationally. Aside from being a great singer, he is also known to be a great composer. One of the songs he wrote that caught the attention of both fans and critics was "We Didn't Start the Fire." While it was one of the most popular songs in the United States and Great Britain, it was also voted as one of the worst songs ever.
So, why did Billy Joel write "We Didn't Start the Fire?"
It was in 1989 when Billy Joel turned forty years old. He wanted to write a song about the things that happened in his life for forty years. So, he started by listing down all the things that transpired in 1949, his birth year, and created the first stanza of "We Didn't Start the Fire." He mentioned the famous people and events which included U.S. President Harry Truman, singer Doris Day, Red China which was started to be controlled by communists during that year, singer Johnnie Ray, the Broadway Musical "South Pacific," report Walter Winchell, and baseball player Joe Dimaggio. The rest of the stanzas of the song talk about the people and events that broke news from 1950 until 1989.
So, was there any other reason behind his decision to write this song? Why did Billy Joel write "We Didn't Start the Fire?" Well, it's also because he wanted to reminisce about the things that transpired and the things that he witnessed happening from his toddler years until he reached the age of forty. Furthermore, he has always been known as a lover of history. Aside from music, he is also passionate about history books. There was even a time in his life when he considered becoming a history teacher. His passion for the subject is one of the answers to the question "Why did Billy Joel Write We Didn't Start the Fire?," a question that has been bothering so many fans and critics.
Billy Joel has always been known to create the melody first before the lyrics. However, in the case of this song, he wrote the words first before he created the melody. This is probably why the melody was not appreciated by all. As a matter of fact, Billy Joel admitted that the melody of this particular song was not that good. Nonetheless, the song was appreciated by many and was even included in the top ten of the Billboard charts not only in the United States but also in Great Britain. Moreover, the song became a nominee for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year.
But as the saying goes, "We can't please everybody." There were detractors asking still the same question, "Why did Billy Joel write We Didn't Start the Fire?" The song may have been followed by many, but it was also included in the "50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs Ever" and the "50 Worst Songs Ever" of the magazines "VH1" and "Blender," respectively.
by: Brian Jones
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