“We Built This City” was released by Starship, which was a band formed from the remnants of Jefferson Starship, itself an evolution of Jefferson Airplane. It was released on August 26, 1985 as the lead single from their debut album Knee Deep in the Hoopla. It quickly became a worldwide hit, topping charts in the United States, Canada, and Australia. The song’s catchy melody and upbeat tempo made it a staple of 80s music.
Starship emerged in the 1980s after Jefferson Starship underwent several lineup changes, with Grace Slick and Mickey Thomas taking lead vocals. By this time, the band had moved toward a more mainstream, commercial sound, and “We Built This City” was a major part of that transformation.
The song was written by Bernie Taupin (best known for his work with Elton John), Martin Page, Dennis Lambert, and Peter Wolf. The idea behind the song was to reflect the band’s experience in the music industry and the changing landscape of rock music, focusing on how the industry had become more corporate and commercialized. The lyrics of “We Built This City” have often been a point of contention. They express a kind of urban disillusionment, where the singer feels disconnected from the city, yearning for a more authentic cultural landscape. The chorus, with its repeated “We built this city on rock ‘n’ roll” line, has been both praised for its catchy simplicity and criticized for lacking depth.
“We Built This City” was a major commercial success reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. It also topped charts in countries like Australia and Canada, and it performed well in Europe, reaching the Top 10 in several countries. Despite its success, the song has been widely debated, with some viewing it as a quintessential 1980s pop anthem, while others see it as a symbol of the over-commercialization of music during that era
Although “We Built This City” was a commercial hit, it has since faced critical backlash, often being listed as one of the “worst” or “most disliked” songs in various polls and publications. Many critics feel that the song’s polished, synthetic sound and corporate themes contradict the rebellious spirit of rock that it claims to defend.
Starship – We Built This City – Lyrics