We Didn T Start The Fire Analysis

In the song “We didn´t start the fire” Billy Joel does a summary of the most relevant events that took place between 1949 and 1989. The events mentioned in the song include political, cultural, and historical events. Billy Joel´s generation was involved in these events mentioned in the song. His generation is blamed for all the conflicts that occurred in those forty years, when in reality, those conflicts have roots many generations in the past. He portrays the positive and negative effects his generation had in the world. In the positive side, they had advances in science and many cultural events. In the other hand, they were involved in dozens of conflicts all around the world that left misery and death. He emphasizes that many of the

Just as it was a crucial time for America in terms of politics and social issues, it was just as big for the music industry. People expressed their social opinions and political beliefs in a way that was the most true to them. Music was, and still is, a worldwide phenomenon for it has been able to take the shape of justice and to mold the minds of it’s listeners. Artists at the time had extreme social and political influence and used their defined stances on cultural issues to influence their music as well as their

The United States has a storied musical history, shaped by a massively diverse population and geography. “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “Dixie’s Land” are two of the most important songs to American popular music history, and shaped the outcome of the Civil War and much of the past two centuries. Historically they represent entirely opposite ideals, but they interact immensely over the course of American history. Their complicated evolving relationships with society and each other represent the changing politics and culture of the United States from the Civil War to present day.

We Didn’t Start the Fire. Billy Joel’s “We Didn't Start the Fire,” released in 1989, was a pop hit that summarizes many socially and politically important events from 1949 until 1989. The song starts with Harry Truman who led our country into the end of World War II and ends with “Rock and Roller Cola Wars” which was the competition between Coca Cola and PepsiCo in which Coke chose Paula Abdul as their main Spokesperson and Pepsi chose Michael Jackson.

“We Didn’t Start the Fire” is a song written by Billy Joel. The song's lyrics consist historical events, people, and other important things in history from 1949-1989 mainly around the Cold War. The Cold War was a major event in history that changed humanity forever. The song explains that the citizens going about their day aren’t responsible for the Major events going on in the world during this time. People around the world didn’t try to stop the fighting though. The Chorus of the song discusses the fact that nothing we have done in recent years is directly responsible for the problems with the world. The next line after that explains that every generation tries to fix the issues of the last generation and anything we try to fix won’t have

Hypodermics on the shore was a topic included in the song “ We Didn’t Start the Fire” because it was a minor problem that added to a much more widespread problem. The "Syringe Tide" caused a huge amount of people to become unhappy because they were afraid they would become infected with AIDS or HIV from the needles. This event caused Congress to band the dumping of sewage into the ocean. William J. Hughes, which is the euphoric Representative, Democrat of New Jersey, said: "This is a turning point in human history.". Other officials agreed, and they all thought that this act was the most important environmental measures ever enacted.

The 1930’s was a decade of extremely hard times, following the stock market crash and an extreme depression. In spite of the tremendous hardships in America during this decade, it also became a time of great music that is still remembered today. Jazz music was highly popular in this time, and Billie Holiday was a famous jazz performer. She stood out from many other musicians because of her intense and passionate performances. Jazz arose from “unacceptable” segments of society, but quickly grew like wildfire. We often think of the 1930’s as the decade that jazz became civilized, and famous throughout popular culture through the work of pioneering artists like Billie Holiday. People did not own televisions or cable, so radio was their main source of entertainment, and music during this decade was both up beat and a source of relaxation. “Strange Fruit” defied musical category because it was considered too artsy to be folk, and too explicitly political to fit into jazz. This is why “Strange Fruit” became such a powerful phenomenon. Many other artists later took on this song, changing the genre but still portraying the same message. Nina Simone dramatized “Strange Fruit” in the context of the Civil Rights Movement. More important artists like Jeff Buckley, Rene Marie, Labor Camp Orchestra, and many others made their own rendition on the song, still leaving all of their audiences moved by the powerful imagery of the lyrics.

The songs of the slave represent the sorrows of his heart; and he is relieved by them, only as an aching heart is relieved by its tears” (Douglass 12). Music was a way for slaves to release their anger and sorrow in hope to find relief of their oppression. During this time in history, slaves possessed little to no rights so one of their only ways to express their beliefs was through songs. Josephine Wright states that “enslaved African Americans turned to song […] to tell their histories, record experiences, articulate aspirations for justice, vent anger, and protest the institution of slavery (414). Out of fear, slaves could not openly protest against the way they were treated.

Society has been molded by a variety of influences upon it. Looking back in time, society has changed drastically within the recent years, and continues to change as time moves forward. Time creates history, and history is the recording of events that have brought an impact upon society. In the year of nineteen eighty-nine, Billy Joel, a musician, released the song, “We Didn’t Start The Fire.” The lyrics of this song name events that the majority of people knew and talked about in the time period those events happened. The musician put forty years of history into a song, starting from the year nineteen forty-nine of which he was born, and ending at nineteen eighty-nine when the song was written. The term “fire” is metaphorically used for

The music that was present in World War II was extremely versatile and happy, which helped keep spirits high among everybody. Styles such as swing, blues, and jazz were popular music styles at the time. By the end of 1941, 96.2% of Americans owned radios. This granted greater access to music and information on the war. This is in contrast to World War I, where most citizens of the world were not as connected to the war through radio. In a way, the mass distribution of music was unifying for the American citizens and troops. However, many African-American musical artists used music to highlight the hypocrisy of the Americans fighting for freedom at that time because there was still a lot of segregation and discrimination in the United States and in it’s military.

American history was radically changed when President Abraham Lincoln gave the very famous Emancipation Proclamation. This lead to the freedom of millions of African Americans who sought the same liberty and equality that was promised to everyone under the United States constitution. These liberties, of course, were not achieved right away. During the Reconstruction era, which is the decade right after the Civil War, many of the recently freed slaves did not have money, property, or credit. They could not buy the necessary things to enjoy their freedom, which lead to sharecropping, a glorified form of slavery. Sharecropping is a system of agriculture in which a landowner lets a tenant use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on their portion of land (Sharecropping).. Added on to this, facilities were segregated to prevent the black man from enjoying the same things as the white man due to Jim Crow laws which were enacted after the Reconstruction era. The struggle for equality and rights continued during the Gilded Age (1873-1900), the Progressive Era (1900-1920s), the Great Depression (1930s), WWII (1939-1945), the beginning of the Cold War (1947), up until the Civil Rights movement (1954-1968). At this point in history, African Americans fought for their rights and changed the course of American history. Music was a very important tool used by African Americans that helped achieve this. Ever since the slavery times, music was a big part of their culture

     The power of song helped slaves through their dehumanized lives. They created unity in songs of religion and denounced the power their masters held over them. They were going to rebel in all facets of life. Slaves knew “that a happy slave is an extinct man” (p.33). The meanings of these songs can not be overstated. One who knew the importance of song was Frederick Douglass. “They told a tale of woe...they breathed the prayer and complaint of souls boiling over with the

African American influence in music has been an ever present and controversial subject in American history. Stemming from many different cultures, religions and backgrounds, large portions of American music was introduced by, and credited to African Americans. Although in many cases, this music was used for entertainment by the masses or majority, contrary to popular belief, black music served a greater purpose than just recreation. Dating all the way back to the beginning of slavery in the U.S. during the 17th century, music has been used to make a statement and send a message. As African American music progressed over the years, there were common themes expressed as the genres evolved. It has been an open letter to the world, documenting and protesting the ongoing oppression faced by blacks in the United States, as well as an outlet for frustration. For many African Americans, the music gave them the only voice that couldn’t be silenced by their oppressors.

Music allows an artist to give those whose voice may not be loud enough to be heard. Their music can cover any issue of poverty, discrimination, segregation, people of color, oppression, and etc. The lyrics are the key part to get any point across but also any footage that accompanies gives the viewer more of an insight into these issues. Many artist/bands like Bob Dylan, Fort Minor, Joyner Lucas, Hurray for the Riff Raff, and Michael Jackson address many issues the class talked about and the point of view of those who are viewed as minorities. The music these artists and bands produce gives the listener an idea of what exactly is happening in the world and what has happened. Each song individually covers the importance that we, as humans, must change the way we think and act and listen to the problems others have and even if it does not affect us.

Throughout time, music has been an influential part of society. As a form of entertainment and expression, its impact has always been felt both economically and emotionally. During the Vietnam war, music evolved into more a form of expression rather than pure entertainment. Emotionally charged songs became a method to oppose the war, and vent frustrations. While many songs opposed the war, numerous others focused on peace and happiness. They provided a positive perspective in an otherwise depressing time. Along with incorporating passion into music, cultural diversity increased in music greatly. Black artists became progressively more popular and accepted in the musical scene. This respect