We didn’t start the fire – Billy Joelhttps://youtu.be/cDPnsTRAvIM Poetry of lyrics It is enlightening to read the lyrics to see how Billy Joel rhymed the historical events. I broke up the lyrics to make it easier to get the feeling of the song.
The chorus of the song is interesting in saying that "we (that generation) didn't light the fire (cause the problems), but we tried to fight them." What he is saying that the generation of young people in each era were not responsible for the problems and culture of the times. But many tried to rebel or even fought to solve the problems.
Lyrics (Copyright 1989 Sony Music Entertainment)
Note: The dates at the left link to the facts page to give details about the listed events.
The chorus of the song is interesting in saying that "we (that generation) didn't light the fire (cause the problems), but we tried to fight them." What he is saying that the generation of young people in each era were not responsible for the problems and culture of the times. But many tried to rebel or even fought to solve the problems.
Lyrics (Copyright 1989 Sony Music Entertainment)
Note: The dates at the left link to the facts page to give details about the listed events.
1949 Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnny Ray South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio 1950 Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, Television North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe 1951 Rosenbergs, H-bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom Brando, The King and I, And The Catcher In The Rye 1952 Eisenhower, Vaccine, England's got a new queen Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye (chorus) 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 1953 Joseph Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and Prokofiev, Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc 1954 Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dacron Dien Bien Phu Falls, Rock Around the Clock 1955 Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn's got a winning team Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland 1956 Bardot, Budapest Alabama, Khrushchev Princess Grace, Peyton Place Trouble in the Suez (chorus) 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. 1957 Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac Sputnik, Chou En-Lai, Bridge On The River Kwai 1958 Lebanon, Charles de Gaulle, California baseball Starkweather homicides, Children of Thalidomide 1959 Buddy Holly, Ben Hur, Space Monkey, Mafia Hula Hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-go |
1960 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 1961 Hemingway, Eichmann, Stranger in a Strange Land Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasion 1962 Lawrence of Arabia, British Beatle-mania Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson 1963 Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British Politician sex J.F.K. blown away, What else do I have to say? (chorus) 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. 1964-1989 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 shores, China's under martial law, Rock and roller, cola wars, I can't take it anymore (chorus) 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. Historical events The events are generally grouped according to date until towards the end of the song. After you finished the Mini-Quiz, see the next page: "We Didn't Start the Fire" (Facts) for an explanation of each item. Summary Sometimes songs or poems can lead you to the history of the times. The song "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel provided a good listing of important historical events and personalities between 1949 and 1989. |