{"id":430,"date":"2017-10-31T07:53:36","date_gmt":"2017-10-31T07:53:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/?p=430"},"modified":"2017-10-31T07:53:36","modified_gmt":"2017-10-31T07:53:36","slug":"we-didnt-start-the-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/assignments\/we-didnt-start-the-fire\/","title":{"rendered":"We Didn’t Start the Fire"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although Billy Joel\u2019s hit song, \u201cWe Didn\u2019t Start the Fire\u201d wasn\u2019t intended to become a deeply political song, people found it to be extremely telling and honest. \u00a0In an interview, Billy Joel states that he tries to stay out of politics. <\/a>\u00a0In another interview he talks about how he thought the song wasn\u2019t very good because the melody was terrible. \u00a0He said that he just started writing down major events in chronological order. \u00a0In general I think it\u2019s a good idea for musicians to avoid being involved with politics as much as they can. \u00a0If a musician wants to get involved, more power to them, but it\u2019s certainly easier to avoid becoming involved. \u00a0Even at Eastman, I find that there are a lot of political events happening behind the scenes that have potential to affect students negatively. \u00a0There are politics with part assignments, paychecks, international students, relations with other schools, funding, scholarships, etc. \u00a0Heck, there could be a (biased because I wrote it) song just about the living situations in the dorms: <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Leaking roof, moldy showers,<\/span><\/p>\n

rats, expired orange juice, <\/span><\/p>\n

res life, piss bottles,<\/span><\/p>\n

throw up in the halls.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Smelly washers, used condoms, \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

mental illness, fire alarms<\/span><\/p>\n

Burned a candle, on probation,<\/span><\/p>\n

The Elevator\u2019s broken<\/span><\/p>\n

We don\u2019t want to live here<\/span><\/p>\n

We have to buy it and we can not fight it<\/span><\/p>\n

We don\u2019t want to live here<\/span><\/p>\n

We have to buy it and we can not fight it<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The list could go on forever. \u00a0Once students become involved with politics they usually end up having to sacrifice time and energy they could be using for becoming better people and musicians. \u00a0So, most of the time when musicians are sucked into politics they don\u2019t have as much energy to focus on a musical career. \u00a0A lot composers and artists use politics as inspiration though. \u00a0For example Shostakovich wrote a lot of music as a satire on Russian leaders. \u00a0Eminem does the same thing in his song, \u201cRole Model\u201d<\/a>. \u00a0Eminem and Shostakovich \u00a0refer to events in their music, but the difference is that Billy Joel\u2019s song is unbiased. \u00a0\u00a0What makes that so cool is that people can interpret the song however they want. \u00a0Billy Joel isn\u2019t very public about controversial topics and he doesn\u2019t apply negative or positive connotations in the lyrics. \u00a0So, people could take the lyrics, \u201cBirth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back again\/Moonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock<\/span>\u201d <\/span>and say that he is against birth control and Nixon. \u00a0Or they could say he thinks birth control and the moon landing is great but Nixon and Punk Rock is now. \u00a0There are many ways to interpret this song depending on the listener\u2019s personal view.<\/span> \u00a0<\/span>In my unprofessional opinion I think that he is liberal simply because is seems like rock stars tend to be more open minded towards topics like gay marriage, abortion\/birth control, immigration, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the song, Billy Joel mentions not only negative events but positive events. \u00a0He sings about vaccines, Prokofiev, James Dean, Einstein, Marilyn Monroe, and many other famous people. \u00a0What\u2019s interesting is that all of these people were icons and held a lot of power in politics due to the fact that they had a large audience. \u00a0Some people, like Prokofiev were directly involved with politics. \u00a0Even though it\u2019s probably easier for musicians to stay out of politics, it seems impossible for famous artists to stay out of the spotlight when they have such large influence. \u00a0By writing this song, it seems like Billy joel is signalling his interest in politics. \u00a0Why would someone write this kind of song if they didn\u2019t have something to say about the topics? \u00a0It seems like people in general tend to signify what their views are and their thoughts either through talking or by reacting to something. \u00a0I think this is especially true with musicians. \u00a0Whenever we play something we find a way to relate to it so that we can express something we think or feel. \u00a0This is just what Billy Joel is doing. \u00a0He\u2019s writing something he can relate to and knows about which resulted in something a lot of people related to. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Role Model:<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Eminem-Role-Model-Uncensored-HQ.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This song is timeless because it makes people think. \u00a0While it\u2019s mostly un relatable to people who didn\u2019t live through the era, it\u2019s a simple form that can be applied to any era. \u00a0I even found a couple \u201cWe didn\u2019t Start the Fire 2017\u201d editions online:<\/span><\/p>\n

Version One:<\/a><\/p>\n

George Bush, Noriega, <\/span>Batman<\/span><\/i>, Genesis by Sega<\/span><\/p>\n

MC Hammer, Kuwait, Long Dong Silver Hi Ho<\/span><\/p>\n

Wayne’s World<\/span><\/i>, Right Said Fred, Cross Colours, Gennifer Flowers giving head<\/span><\/p>\n

Hurricane Andrew, Somalia, Joey Buttafuoco<\/span><\/p>\n

Tonya Harding, Kurt Cobain, <\/span>Forrest Gump<\/span><\/i>, “Insane in the Membrane”<\/span><\/p>\n

Newt Gingrich, <\/span>Pulp Fiction<\/span><\/i>, OJ got away<\/span><\/p>\n

Chupacabra, AOL, Bob Dole, “Macarena” goes to hell<\/span><\/p>\n

Beanie Babies, Spice Girls, Jon Benet Ramsey<\/span><\/p>\n

[chorus]<\/span><\/p>\n

Seinfeld<\/span><\/i>, Monica Lewinsky, Backstreet Boys, Elian set free<\/span><\/p>\n

Y2K, hipster chic, Cheney’s first name is Dick<\/span><\/p>\n

Ralph Nader, “Who Let the Dogs Out,” Florida recount<\/span><\/p>\n

Anthrax letters, 9\/11, world’s gone sick<\/span><\/p>\n

Sopranos<\/span><\/i>, Al Queda, Bin Laden playa hater<\/span><\/p>\n

Lord of the Rings<\/span><\/i>, Napster, Afghanistan<\/span><\/p>\n

Condaleezza, Kobe\/Shaq, Bush lies about Iraq<\/span><\/p>\n

Napoleon Dynamite<\/span><\/i>, John Kerry, and Lindsay Lohan<\/span><\/p>\n

[chorus]<\/span><\/p>\n

TomKat, Kanye West, New Orleans gets wet<\/span><\/p>\n

MySpace, Prius, President Barack Obama<\/span><\/p>\n

iPhones, housing bubble, bank bailout, Kardashian trouble<\/span><\/p>\n

Sarah Palin, global warming, GMOs, Octomama<\/span><\/p>\n

Guantamano, Arab Spring, Paul Ryan, LeBron wins a ring<\/span><\/p>\n

Obamacare, Killer Drones, Lady Gaga, <\/span>Game of Thrones<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Fukushima, Hunger Games, books of binders women names<\/span><\/p>\n

Selfies, twerking, <\/span>Jersey Shore<\/span><\/i>, I can’t take it anymore!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Another 2017 version<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Stephen Bannon, KKK, homophobics, woke baes<\/span><\/p>\n

Trans-Pacific, Gallup polling, Putin\u2019s puppet show<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump is worse than Richard Nixon, addicted to his television<\/span><\/p>\n

North Korea, South Korea, \u201cLittle Marco\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lyin\u2019 Ted, atom bombs, refreshing browsers all day long<\/span><\/p>\n

FAKE NEWS, spreading lies, a crowd that falsely multiplies<\/span><\/p>\n

So-called judges, fake tears, Muslim BAN, stoking fears<\/span><\/p>\n

Paul Ryan, KFC, Scotch tape on a neck tie!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We didn\u2019t start the fire<\/span><\/p>\n

Now the planet’s burning<\/span><\/p>\n

And we\u2019re anti-learning<\/span><\/p>\n

We didn\u2019t start the fire<\/span><\/p>\n

No we didn\u2019t light it<\/span><\/p>\n

But we tried to fight it<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Refugees, Russian hacks, FBI, alt-facts<\/span><\/p>\n

Richard Spencer, Kellyanne, L.L. Bean stock<\/span><\/p>\n

Ivanka\u2019s tanking fashion line, Melania who plagiarized<\/span><\/p>\n

Rick Rolls, taco bowls, Obamacare block<\/span><\/p>\n

John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Congress doesn’t have a plan<\/span><\/p>\n

Bathrobes, emoluments, time to GET SMART!<\/span><\/p>\n

Women\u2019s March, pussy hats, tiny hands, Democrats<\/span><\/p>\n

Orange face, hair disgrace, “glam room” in the White House<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We didn\u2019t start the fire<\/span><\/p>\n

Now the planet’s burning<\/span><\/p>\n

And we\u2019re anti-learning<\/span><\/p>\n

We didn\u2019t start the fire<\/span><\/p>\n

No we didn\u2019t light it<\/span><\/p>\n

But we tried to fight it<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bowling Green, Iraq, Wikileaks, Big Macs,<\/span><\/p>\n

Tax returns, First Amendment, Julian Assange<\/span><\/p>\n

Private server email, Black Lives Matter, third rail<\/span><\/p>\n

Neo-Nazis, Liar Spice, SNL\u2019s not very nice<\/span><\/p>\n

NBC, CNN, voter fraud, Marine LePen, Hamilton, viral memes, is this all a bad dream?<\/span><\/p>\n

Mike Pence, hashtags, late-night #MAGA Twitter brags<\/span><\/p>\n

Rogue accounts, Sally Yates, church is melding into state.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We didn\u2019t start the fire<\/span><\/p>\n

Now the planet’s burning<\/span><\/p>\n

And we\u2019re anti-learning<\/span><\/p>\n

We didn\u2019t start the fire<\/span><\/p>\n

No we didn\u2019t light it<\/span><\/p>\n

But we tried to fight it<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hannity, Infowars, urinating Russian whores<\/span><\/p>\n

Filibuster, VERY SAD, Yemen raid DISASTER!<\/span><\/p>\n

Mar-a-lago golf carts, Brexit, lawsuits, Breitbart<\/span><\/p>\n

Patriots, protests, bathroom bills, policing sex<\/span><\/p>\n

Pope Francis, Facebook feed, corporate lobbies, rampant greed<\/span><\/p>\n

Common sense, equal pay, what else do I have to say?<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We didn\u2019t start the fire<\/span><\/p>\n

Now the planet’s burning<\/span><\/p>\n

And we\u2019re anti-learning<\/span><\/p>\n

We didn\u2019t start the fire<\/span><\/p>\n

No we didn\u2019t light it<\/span><\/p>\n

But we tried to fight it<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Birth control, thin skin, Scott Baio\u2019s a has-been<\/span><\/p>\n

Scientists, gun rights, DeVos was some pick<\/span><\/p>\n

Netanyahu, Palestine, Dakota Access Pipeline<\/span><\/p>\n

Made a \u201cbad deal\u201d with Iran, crumbling Afghanistan<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Feuding friends, Jared K., golden toilets, Doomsday<\/span><\/p>\n

Foreign debts, homeless vets, super-bugs, Trump regrets<\/span><\/p>\n

Plastic garbage washed ashore, U.S. flirts with martial law<\/span><\/p>\n

Schwarzenegger ratings wars, I can\u2019t take it anymore!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We didn\u2019t start the fire<\/span><\/p>\n

Now the planet’s burning<\/span><\/p>\n

And we\u2019re anti-learning<\/span><\/p>\n

We didn\u2019t start the fire<\/span><\/p>\n

No we didn\u2019t light it<\/span><\/p>\n

But we tried to fight it<\/span><\/p>\n

So, I think what makes this piece have so much impact is the honesty and it\u2019s power to make people think about what is happening around them. \u00a0In the \u201cMusic Trumps Politics\u201d<\/a> article we read about, it says that \u201c<\/span>Lamell’s invitation was explicitly intended to create a new group of people for desiring, and taking pleasure in, classical music–a pleasure, according to Lamell, that is apolitical\u201d. \u00a0Like the author of the article, I disagree. \u00a0I think it is virtually impossible for music to be apolitical. \u00a0The artist can write or perform a song intended to be removed from politics, but they can\u2019t stop their audiences from making their own interpretations on their music just like \u201cWe Didn’t Start the Fire\u201d. \u00a0It wasn’t intended to be super political, but there are copious amounts of articles and websites dedicated to decoding the events and politics in the song.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Betsy Devos Brochure (?)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Handlebars by Flobots:<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Handlebars.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

Handlebars is another example of popular music addressing politics!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Although Billy Joel\u2019s hit song, \u201cWe Didn\u2019t Start the Fire\u201d wasn\u2019t intended to become a deeply political song, people found it to be extremely telling and honest. \u00a0In an interview, Billy Joel states that he tries to stay out of politics. \u00a0In another interview he talks about how he thought the song wasn\u2019t very good … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “We Didn’t Start the Fire”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,4],"tags":[216,213,113,212,215,112,214],"class_list":["post-430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music-power-politics","category-assignments","tag-we-didnt-start-the-fire-dorm-edition","tag-billy-joel","tag-eminem","tag-flobots","tag-modern-we-didnt-start-the-fire","tag-politics","tag-shostakovich"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=430"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":438,"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430\/revisions\/438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcornish.digitalscholar.rochester.edu\/MHS123_Fall2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}