Can someone tell me the historical meaning of this song?

Question

Billy Joel- We didn't start the fire. Does it mean that the past affects the present? Thanks

Answer 1

"Joel explained that he wrote this song due to his interest in history; he commented that he would have wanted to be a history teacher had he not become a rock and roll singer. Unlike most of Joel's songs, the lyrics were written before the melody, owing to the somewhat unusual style of the song."

" 'We Didn't Start the Fire' was written by Joel after a conversation with John Lennon's son Sean (as confirmed by the jacket of Piano Man: The Very Best of Billy Joel). Sean was complaining that he was growing up in troubled times."

"The song and video have been interpreted as a rebuttal to criticism of Joel's Baby Boomer generation, from both its preceding and succeeding generations, for being responsible for much of the world's problems. The song's title and refrain imply that the world has been in a frenzied and troubled state since before his generation's birth."

"We Didn't Start the Fire" : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_didn%27t_start_the_fire

"There are many opinions on the origins of the song: the most commonly related is that Billy Joel overheard his teenage nephew complaining over a history essay that 'No history ever happens these days'. Inspiration fired, Joel set out to prove, in musical format, just how much had happened over the last 40 years. He chose to begin with 1949, the year of his birth, and painstakingly built up a chronological list of events, to form one of the most memorable and enduring 'list' songs in pop history."

"Billy Joel's 'We Didn't Start The Fire' - The Song", BBC : http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/A2700488

Answer 2

Joel is saying that his generation (the song narrator's, actually, so it would be Generation X) is not solely responsible for all of the world's problems. Previous generations made plenty of mistakes of their own, and had things in a pretty big mess before Joel's generation even stepped on the scene. So there's plenty of blame to go around, and it would be grossly unfair to dump it all on Gen X.

Answer 3

I think you have almost right. Joel is saying that the present condition of the world is the result of thousands of years of evolution of thought and action, and not strictly the responsibility of the current (his) generation.

Answer 4

I think he meant that there is no such thing as an outside influence but rather all decisions come internally. It's one of the most unique songs during that decade masqueraded as pop music but it's socio-political thoughts are brimming.

Answer 5

"We didn't start the fire, it's been always burning since the worlds been turning" I think steve and navigator got it right!

Answer 6

Yes.