Billy Joel "We Didn't Start the Fire" 1989


         Music has been around since the beginning of human history. Music even predates written language to before ancient Mesopotamian times, for even in the "cradle of civilization," people used music as a form of self-expression. So it is rather common to see the progression of music through time while it is not common to see the progression of time through music. Yet this is exactly what Billy Joel does in his hit song "We Didn't Start the Fire." Joel demonstrates the infinite continuity of chaos in the world, as well as human attempts to pretend that the world is perfect.


          Each verse of the song represents one time period of problems and world-changing events, starting with the late 1940s and early 1950s. In correlation with the lyrics, which are nothing more than a list of people, places and events, the video also shows these time periods but instead by following a "typical American family." The kitchen's design, the hairdos, the clothing, and the brand names change according to the time period of the lyrics. While much of the time the family seems very happy, living the American dream, and smiling with each other, they also show glimpses of the irrepressible chaos seeping into their everyday lives.


          Billy Joel juxtaposes the images of well-known examples of American success and prosperity with the words he is spouting out of well-known examples of world-changing events. This is used to amplify the ignorance of the American family to everything going on outside their small lives. Joel uses "The Lone Ranger" and "Life" magazine as examples to the American people trying to escape from the madness in their own lives and that going on everywhere else as well. Not only does Joel spout out headlines from these time periods to exhibit the never-ending problems in the world, but he also throws in smaller issues into the video as well. Quick glimpses of drug abuse, bra burning, neglectful parenting, and materialism are shown but then quickly changed to big smiles, happy families, and the American perfection.


         Every day new headlines appear on the news, in the paper, and on the radio. Every day people hear about the chaos around the world and freak out for a little while, but, soon enough, a new story will get around and everyone will forget about "yesterday's news." Billy Joel wants us to realize that World War II happened in the 40s, that the Civil Rights Movement took place in the 60s, that the Cold War occurred in the 80s, and that there was an Ebola outbreak in 2014. There will always be new problems and new reasons to freak out, but Joel wants us to understand that, we are all in it together. We may not have "started the fire" but that doesn't mean we can't "fight it." Also, instead of panicking over things that will most likely not even affect you, Joel tells us to start paying more attention to the problems and chaos surrounding our personal lives, be it drug abuse in the 60s or bullying in the 21st century, because even those problems will become "old news."