“We Didn’t Start the Fire” is a hit song by Billy Joel, released in September 1989 as the lead single from his album Storm Front. The song became one of Joel’s most iconic tracks, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. The lyrics consist of a rapid-fire list of historical events, cultural references, and significant figures spanning from 1949 (the year of Joel’s birth) to 1989. The song reflects on the continuous flow of history and human events, capturing moments that shaped the second half of the 20th century.
The idea for “We Didn’t Start the Fire” came to Billy Joel during a conversation with a friend who remarked that the current younger generation was experiencing more difficult times than previous ones. Joel, who was born in 1949, disagreed, pointing out that every generation faces its own challenges. To illustrate this, he wrote the song as a list of significant events and cultural moments that had occurred during his lifetime. The song includes references to over 100 events, people, and cultural touchstones, such as JFK, Sputnik, Watergate, Woodstock, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and Rock and Roller Cola Wars. The year 1989, when the song was released, marked the end of the Cold War, which is one of the many historical contexts within the song.
The central theme of “We Didn’t Start the Fire” is the idea that history is an ongoing process, filled with events that happen regardless of any one generation’s actions. The song’s chorus, “We didn’t start the fire / It was always burning, since the world’s been turning,” suggests that while each generation contributes to history, it does not begin or end with them. Instead, the “fire” represents the ongoing state of global affairs and societal issues. Musically, “We Didn’t Start the Fire” is a rock song with a driving drumbeat, piano, and guitar that create an urgent, energetic feel. Joel’s vocal delivery is quick-paced to keep up with the rapid succession of references, almost resembling a form of spoken word or rap. The song’s structure follows a straightforward verse-chorus pattern, with each verse covering a different set of historical events, while the chorus serves as a recurring reminder of the continuous nature of history. The fast-paced delivery and the long list of references make the song distinctive, as it requires attentive listening to catch all the events mentioned.
“We Didn’t Start the Fire” was a commercial success, becoming Billy Joel’s third No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. It also charted well internationally, reaching the top 10 in several countries, including Canada, Australia, and the UK. The song’s popularity helped drive the success of the Storm Front album, which went on to sell over 4 million copies in the U.S. alone. The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year.
The music video for “We Didn’t Start the Fire** is a visual representation of the song’s themes, showing a family’s home changing over the decades while historical events play out in the background. As the house’s decor evolves to reflect different time periods, various clips and images of the events mentioned in the song appear, providing a visual timeline. The video illustrates the passing of time and the cultural changes that occur from one generation to the next, reinforcing the song’s message about the continuous flow of history.