We Didn't Start The Fire
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"We Didn't Start the Fire" is a song written by American musician
Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...
. The song was released as a single on September 18, 1989, and later released as part of Joel's album '' Storm Front'' on October 17, 1989. A list song, its fast-paced lyrics include a series of brief references to 119 significant political, cultural, scientific, and sporting events between 1949 (the year of Joel's birth) and 1989, in mainly chronological order. The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and, in late 1989, became Joel's third single to reach number one in the United States ''Billboard'' Hot 100. ''Storm Front'' became Joel's third album to reach number one in the US. "We Didn't Start the Fire", particularly in the 21st century, has become the basis of many pop culture parodies, and continues to be repurposed in various television shows, advertisements, and comedic productions. Despite its early success, Joel later noted his dislike of the song musically, and it was critically panned as one of his worst by later generations of music critics.


History

Joel conceived the idea for the song when he had just turned 40. He was in a recording studio and met a 21-year-old friend of Sean Lennon who said "It's a terrible time to be 21!". Joel replied: "Yeah, I remember when I was 21 – I thought it was an awful time and we had
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
, and y'know, drug problems, and civil rights problems and everything seemed to be awful". The friend replied: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, but it's different for you. You were a kid in the fifties and everybody knows that nothing happened in the fifties". Joel retorted: "Wait a minute, didn't you hear of the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
or the Suez Canal Crisis?" Joel later said those headlines formed the basic framework for the song. Joel later criticized the song on strictly musical grounds. In 1993, when discussing it with documentary filmmaker David Horn, Joel compared its melodic content unfavorably to his song " The Longest Time": "Take a song like 'We Didn't Start the Fire'. It's really not much of a song ... If you take the melody by itself, terrible. Like a dentist drill." When asked if he deliberately intended to chronicle the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
with his song he responded: "It was just my luck that the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
decided to close down shop oon after putting out the song, and that this span "had a symmetry to it, it was 40 years" that he had lived through. He was asked if he could do a follow-up about the next couple of years after the events that transpired in the original song, and he commented: "No, I wrote one song already and I don't think it was really that good to begin with, melodically".


Critical reception

Upon its release, "We Didn't Start the Fire" was met with a mixed response. David Giles from '' Music Week'' wrote, "Promising return which finds Joel in rockier mood with a very wordy song cramming in references to virtually every major figure and event in the twentieth century. After all that, the message of the lyrics is foggy and confused, but this should certainly see him back in the charts." Though the lyrics are rapid-fire with several people and events mentioned in each stanza, there is widespread agreement on the meaning of the lyrics. Steven Ettinger wrote: After a cover by
Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...
was released in 2023 to negative critical reception, the song was once again brought to the forefront, and modern critics panned even the original song as one of Joel's worst in his entire catalog.


Music video

A music video for the song was directed by Chris Blum. The video begins with a newly married couple entering their 1940s-style kitchen, and shows events in their domestic life over the next four decades, including the addition and growth of their children and grandchildren, the 1950s housewife burning dinner, a distraught 1960s housewife whose disinterested husband and children won't eat her cooking, popping pills, the hippie counterculture children burning their bras and draft cards while smoking marijuana in the kitchen, and the eventual death of the family's father. The passage of time is also depicted by periodic redecoration and upgrades of the kitchen, while an unchanging Billy Joel looks on in the background. Joel is also shown banging on a table in front of a burning backdrop depicting various images that include the execution of Nguyễn Văn Lém and the assassination of Lee Harvey Oswald, among others.


Derivations

Many parodies and takeoffs have been based on the song (often expanding to events that have occurred since 1989). These parodies include ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
parody "They'll Never Stop the Simpsons" at the end of the 2002 " Gump Roast" episode, and the San Francisco
a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...
group The Richter Scales' 2007 Webby Award-winning parody "Here Comes Another Bubble". On May 17, 1990, the Irish rock band the Memories reached number one on the Irish Singles Chart with their version of the song entitled "The Game (Italia '90)" which celebrated
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
's
qualification Qualification may refer to: Processes * Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), a competitive contract procurement process established by the United States Congress * Process qualification, ensures that manufacturing and production processes can ...
for the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. Billy Joel partially covered the Memories version when he performed in
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
. In 2004, Boris Novković and Dino Dvornik released a song "Malo Nas Je, Al' Nas Ima" ("We Are Few, But We Exist"), listing
Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
n VIPs and events. In 2006,
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...
sampled the song to make an anthem for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in
Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
, changing the lyrics according to the country. In 2007, JibJab released an installment of their then-annual "Year in Review" videos, which was set to the tune of "We Didn't Start the Fire". In 2013, YouTuber Dane Boedigheimer, known as the creator of the popular comedic web series ''
Annoying Orange ''Annoying Orange'' is an American comedy web series created by Dane Boedigheimer (known online as DaneBoe). Set in a world of anthropomorphic food, the series follows its titular protagonist, Orange, who always annoys others by telling c ...
'', produced a parody as part of
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
's Comedy Week titled "We Didn't Start the Viral", although the video's audio was later replaced for copyright infringement despite being considered
fair use Fair use is a Legal doctrine, doctrine in United States law that permits limited use of copyrighted material without having to first acquire permission from the copyright holder. Fair use is one of the limitations to copyright intended to bal ...
as a work of parody. In June 2013, pop band Milo Greene performed a version of the song for '' The A.V. Club'' A.V. Undercover series. In 2019, talk show host Jimmy Fallon performed a version of the song for '' The Tonight Show'', which highlights characters and moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since ''
Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
'', leading to '' Avengers: Endgame'', with backup by cast members Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner,
Don Cheadle Donald Frank Cheadle Jr. (, ; born November 29, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his roles in film and television, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Don Cheadle, multiple accolades including two Golden Globe Award ...
, Mark Ruffalo, Paul Rudd, Danai Gurira, Karen Gillan and Brie Larson. On June 28, 2023,
Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...
released their own version of the song with updated lyrics that reference events that happened from 1989 to 2023. Unlike Joel's original, Fall Out Boy's version did not list events in chronological order. On September 12, 2023, the band performed it at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards. The song was widely panned by fans and critics, especially for its lack of chronological sequencing present in Joel's original and its omission of some events and people, particularly the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Fall Out Boy bassist and lead songwriter, Pete Wentz, said in an interview regarding the exclusion: “It’s like, that’s all anybody talked… You know what I mean? I don’t know. It felt like there was a couple of things that felt like a little on the nose. And then there were a couple of things where it was like … Bush V. Gore, we needed the rhyme.”


Personnel

*
Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...
– vocals, clavinet, percussion * Liberty DeVitto – drums, percussion *David Brown – lead guitar * Joey Hunting – rhythm guitar * Crystal Taliefero – backing vocals, percussion *Schuyler Deale – bass guitar *John Mahoney – keyboards *Sammy Merendino – electronic percussion *Kevin Jones – keyboard programming *Doug Kleeger – sounds effects and arrangements


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


In popular culture

In 2021, a weekly podcast began, hosted by Katie Puckrik and Tom Fordyce, entitled '' We Didn't Start the Fire''. Each week they examine a subject mentioned in the Billy Joel song, in lyric order, and discuss its importance and cultural significance with an expert guest. The song features prominently, along with a number of other Billy Joel songs, in the streaming series '' The Boys'' from Amazon Prime in which the character Hughie Campbell, played by Jack Quaid, has a preoccupation with the American singer. In the '' Veep'' series finale "Veep", the song plays as Selina Meyer and Jonah Ryan are announced as their party's presidential and vice-presidential candidates for the 2020 election. This is a recall back to the episode "Mother", during which Meyer said that Billy Joel would perform at her inauguration after vote recounting in Nevada following an Electoral College tie diminished her chances of winning.


Events and people outlined

The following events and individual's names, with Joel's lyric for each appearing in bold, are listed in the order that they appear in the song, which is almost entirely chronological. The lyrics for each item are minimal, and the items are punctuated by the chorus and other lyrical elements. The following list includes longer, more descriptive names for clarity. Events and names from a variety of contexts – such as popular entertainment, foreign affairs, and sports – are intermingled, giving an impression of the culture of the time as a whole. There are 118 items listed in the song.


1940s


1949

* Harry Truman is inaugurated after he wins the 1948 United States presidential election following a partial term after the death of
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
. * Doris Day releases her debut album '' You're My Thrill'', and stars in two hit movies, '' My Dream is Yours'', and '' It's a Great Feeling''. * Red China is established by The Communist Party of China which wins the
Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermitt ...
. * Johnnie Ray, a
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
progenitor, signs his first recording contract with Okeh Records. * '' South Pacific'', the award-winning musical, opens on Broadway. * Walter Winchell, an influential radio and newspaper journalist, begins to denounce Communism as the main threat facing America. * Joe DiMaggio signs a record-breaking $100,000 contract with the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
.


1950s


1950

* Joe McCarthy, a U.S. Senator, gains national attention and begins his anti-Communism crusade with his Lincoln Day speech. *
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
is first elected to the
United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
. *
Studebaker Studebaker was an American wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana, with a building at 1600 Broadway, Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 as the Studebaker Brothers Man ...
, a popular automobile company, begins its financial downfall. *
Television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
becomes widespread throughout Europe and North America. *
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
invades
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
, beginning the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
. *
Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...
appears in five films, including '' The Asphalt Jungle'' and ''
All About Eve ''All About Eve'' is a 1950 American Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. It is based on the 1946 short story (and subsequent 1949 radio drama) "The Wisdom of E ...
.''


1951

* The Rosenbergs, married couple Ethel and Julius, are convicted of espionage. * H-Bomb development begins in the United States. * Sugar Ray Robinson, a champion boxer, defeats Jake LaMotta in the " St. Valentine's Day Massacre". * Panmunjom, a border village in Korea, is the location of truce talks between the parties of the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
. * Marlon Brando is nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in '' A Streetcar Named Desire''. * '' The King and I'', the musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein, opens on Broadway. * '' The Catcher in the Rye'', a controversial novel by J. D. Salinger, is published.


1952

* Dwight D. Eisenhower is the landslide winner of the 1952 United States presidential election. *
Vaccine A vaccine is a biological Dosage form, preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease, infectious or cancer, malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verifi ...
for polio is successfully developed by Jonas Salk. *The new Queen of England: Princess Elizabeth succeeds to the throne as Queen
Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
and is crowned the following year. * Rocky Marciano defeats Jersey Joe Walcott, becoming the world heavyweight boxing champion. * Liberace first broadcasts ''The Liberace Show''. * George Santayana, philosopher, essayist, poet and novelist, dies.


1953

*
Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
, leader of the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, dies. * Georgy Malenkov succeeds Stalin for six months. * Gamal Abdel Nasser acts as the true power behind the new Egyptian nation as Muhammad Naguib's minister of the interior. * Sergei Prokofiev, a popular Russian composer, dies. * Winthrop Rockefeller had a highly publicized divorce in 1953, but Nelson Rockefeller and John D. Rockefeller III also made headlines that year. Billy Joel himself has stated that Nelson Rockefeller was meant, in particular for his fame as governor of New York state. However, Nelson was governor from 1959 to 1973, whereas all other items in this verse happened in 1953. * Roy Campanella, a baseball catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers, receives the National League's
Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...
award for the second time. * Communist Bloc: The East German uprising of 1953 is crushed by the Volkspolizei and the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany.


1954

* Roy Cohn resigns as
Joseph McCarthy Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican Party (United States), Republican United States Senate, U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death at age ...
's chief counsel and enters private practice. * Juan Perón is at the height of his power as
President of Argentina The president of Argentina, officially known as the president of the Argentine Nation, is both head of state and head of government of Argentina. Under Constitution of Argentina, the national constitution, the president is also the Head of go ...
before a coup the following year. * Arturo Toscanini is at the height of his fame as a conductor, performing regularly with the NBC Symphony Orchestra on U.S. national radio. * Dacron is an early artificial fiber made from the same plastic as polyester. * Dien Bien Phu falls to Việt Minh forces, leading to the creation of North Vietnam and South Vietnam as separate states. * " Rock Around the Clock" is a hit single released by Bill Haley & His Comets.


1955

* Albert Einstein dies at the age of 76. * James Dean achieves success with '' East of Eden'' and '' Rebel Without a Cause'', but dies in a car accident at the age of 24. * Brooklyn's got a winning team: The Brooklyn Dodgers win their first and only
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
before their move to Los Angeles. * ''
Davy Crockett Colonel (United States), Colonel David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American politician, militia officer and frontiersman. Often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier", he represented Tennesse ...
'', a Disney television
miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
about the legendary frontiersman
Davy Crockett Colonel (United States), Colonel David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American politician, militia officer and frontiersman. Often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier", he represented Tennesse ...
, was a huge hit and inspired a short-lived " coonskin cap" craze. * Peter Pan, recently featured in a Disney animated feature, is also the subject of a stage musical starring Mary Martin, broadcast on NBC live and in color. *
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
signs with
RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...
, going on to earn a reputation as the "King of Rock and Roll". * Disneyland opens as Walt Disney's first theme park.


1956

* Brigitte Bardot stars in '' And God Created Woman'', the film that establishes her international reputation as a French "sex kitten". *
Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
, is the site of the Hungarian Revolution. *
Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
is the site of the Montgomery bus boycott, one of the pivotal events in the civil rights movement. * Nikita Khrushchev makes his famous Secret Speech denouncing Stalin's " cult of personality". * Princess Grace Kelly appears in her last film '' High Society'' and marries Prince Rainier III of Monaco. * '' Peyton Place'', the best-selling socially scandalous novel by Grace Metalious, is published. *The Suez Crisis intensifies with more trouble as
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
nationalizes the
Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...
.


1957

* Little Rock,
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
, is the site of a standoff between
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Orval Faubus and President Eisenhower over the Little Rock Nine attending a previously whites-only high school. * Boris Pasternak, the Russian author, publishes his novel '' Doctor Zhivago''. * Mickey Mantle is in the middle of his career as a famous
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
outfielder and American League All-Star for the sixth year in a row. * Jack Kerouac publishes his novel '' On the Road'', a defining work of the Beat Generation. * Sputnik becomes the first artificial satellite, launched by the Soviet Union, marking the start of the space race. * Zhou Enlai,
Premier of the People's Republic of China The premier of China, officially the Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, is the head of government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and leader of the State Council. This post was established in 1911 near the e ...
, survives an assassination attempt. * '' The Bridge on the River Kwai'' is released, and receives seven
Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
, including Best Picture.


1958

* Lebanon is engulfed in a political and religious crisis that eventually involves U.S. intervention. * Charles de Gaulle is elected first president of the French Fifth Republic following the Algerian Crisis. *
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
begins as the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants move, respectively, to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
. * Starkweather homicide: Charles Starkweather killed eleven people, mostly in
Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The city covers and had a population of 291,082 as of the 2020 census. It is the state's List of cities in Nebraska, second-most populous city a ...
. * Thalidomide babies: Many pregnant women taking the drug Thalidomide had children born with congenital birth defects.


1959

* Buddy Holly dies in a plane crash with Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. Joel prefaces the lyric with a Holly signature vocal hiccup: "Uh-huh, uh-huh." * '' Ben-Hur'', starring
Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008) was an American actor. He gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous Cinema of the United States, Hollywood films including biblical epics, science-fiction f ...
, wins eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. * Space Monkey: A rhesus macaque and a squirrel monkey become the first two animals to be launched by
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
into space and survive. * Mafia leaders are convicted in the Apalachin meeting trial, confirming it as a nationwide conspiracy. * Hula hoops sales reach 100 million as the latest toy fad. * Fidel Castro comes to power after a
revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
in Cuba. * Edsel is a no-go: Production of this much-advertised car marque ends after only three years due to poor sales.


1960s


1960

*A U-2 spy plane flown by American CIA pilot Francis Gary Powers was shot down over the Soviet Union, causing the U-2 Crisis of 1960. It does not refer to the band U2 which were formed in 1976. * Syngman Rhee is rescued by the CIA after being forced to resign as leader of
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
. * Payola, illegal payments for radio broadcasting of songs, are publicized by
Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American television and radio personality and television producer who hosted ''American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 1989. He also hosted five incarnations of the Pyramid (game show), ...
's testimony before Congress and Alan Freed's public disgrace. * John F. Kennedy, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, beats Vice President
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
in the 1960 U.S. presidential election. * Chubby Checker popularizes the dance The Twist with his cover of the song of the same name. *'' Psycho'', an Alfred Hitchcock thriller, becomes a landmark in graphic violence and cinema
sensationalism In journalism and mass media, sensationalism is a type of editorial tactic. Events and topics in news stories are selected and worded to excite the greatest number of readers and viewers. This style of news reporting encourages biased or emoti ...
. The screeching violins heard at this point in the song are a trademark of the film's soundtrack. * Belgians in the Congo: The Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville) was declared independent of Belgium.


1961

* Ernest Hemingway dies by suicide after a long battle with depression. * Adolf Eichmann, a "most wanted" Nazi war criminal, is convicted in Israel for crimes against humanity during World War II. * '' Stranger in a Strange Land'', written by Robert A. Heinlein, is a breakthrough best-seller with themes of sexual freedom and liberation. * Bob Dylan (then known as Robert Zimmerman) is signed to Columbia Records after a ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' review by critic Robert Shelton. *
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
s separation into
West Berlin West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...
and
East Berlin East Berlin (; ) was the partially recognised capital city, capital of East Germany (GDR) from 1949 to 1990. From 1945, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet occupation sector of Berlin. The American, British, and French se ...
is cemented when the Berlin Wall is erected. * The Bay of Pigs Invasion, an attempt by United States-trained Cuban exiles to invade
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
and overthrow
Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...
, fails.


1962

*'' Lawrence of Arabia'', an Academy Award-winning film starring Peter O'Toole, premiered. * British Beatlemania starts as
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
become one of the world's most popular rock bands. * Ole Miss: Southern segregationists rioted over the enrollment of black student James Meredith at the University of Mississippi. * John Glenn flew the first American-crewed orbital mission termed " Friendship 7". * Sonny Liston knocks out and beats the rarely defeated Floyd Patterson in the first round of the world
heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...
boxing championship.


1963

* Pope Paul VI becomes
pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...
when Cardinal Giovanni Montini is elected to the title. * Malcolm X incites controversy, including his statement that "the chickens have come home to roost" about John F. Kennedy's assassination. * British politician sex scandal: British Secretary of State for War John Profumo has a scandalous sexual relationship with showgirl Christine Keeler. *US President JFK is assassinated in
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
,
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
.


1965

* Birth control: '' Griswold v. Connecticut'' challenges a Connecticut law prohibiting contraceptives. * Ho Chi Minh: In opposition to North Vietnamese president Ho Chi Minh, the United States deploys troops in South Vietnam.


1968

*Richard Nixon back again: After losing to Kennedy in 1960, former Vice President Nixon is elected president in 1968.


1969

* Moonshot:
Apollo 11 Apollo 11 was a spaceflight conducted from July 16 to 24, 1969, by the United States and launched by NASA. It marked the first time that humans Moon landing, landed on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin l ...
involves the first human landing on the Moon. * Woodstock music festival attracts 400,000, as a touchstone of the
counterculture of the 1960s The counterculture of the 1960s was an anti-establishment cultural phenomenon and political movement that developed in the Western world during the mid-20th century. It began in the early 1960s, and continued through the early 1970s. It is ofte ...
.


1970s


1972–1975

* Watergate: The Republican burglary of the
Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal executive leadership board of the United States's Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. According to the party charter, it has "general responsibility for the affairs of the ...
's headquarters at the Watergate office complex leads to the resignation of President Nixon. *
Punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
is birthed with the formation of bands such as The Ramones and the Sex Pistols.


1976–1977

* Menachem Begin becomes Prime Minister of Israel and negotiates the Camp David Accords with
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
's president. * Ronald Reagan, former governor of California, begins his US presidential campaign in 1976, and is elected in 1980. * Palestine: The ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict escalates as Israelis establish settlements in the
West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
. *Terror on the airline: Numerous aircraft hijackings take place, including an Air France flight diverted to Uganda, where the plane was stormed in Operation Entebbe.


1979

*The Ayatollah restored to leadership in
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
: The
Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...
replaces secular
Shah Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi with Islamic rule by Ayatollahs led by former exile Ruhollah Khomeini. * Russians invade Afghanistan: The Soviet Union deploys its army into
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
, beginning a decade-long war.


1980s


1981–1982

*'' Wheel of Fortune'', an American television game show, debuted in 1975, hires Pat Sajak and Vanna White before becoming widely popular in syndication.


1983

* Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space by flying aboard ''Challenger'' on the STS-7 shuttle mission. * Heavy metal suicide: Heavy metal songs such as " Suicide Solution" and " Better By You, Better Than Me" are blamed by the families of fans who committed suicide. * Foreign debts: Persistent trade and budget deficits lead to numerous countries defaulting on their debts. * Homeless vets: Veterans of the Vietnam War, including many disabled in the service, are becoming homeless and impoverished. * AIDS: The immunodeficiency disease caused by HIV emerges as a pandemic.


1984

* Crack cocaine became a widely used form of the drug in impoverished inner cities. * Bernie Goetz shoots four young black men who were trying to mug him on a New York City subway train, and is acquitted of charges.


1987–1988

* Hypodermic needles found on the shore: Medical waste was found washed up on the beaches of
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
,
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, and
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
after being illegally dumped at sea.


1989

* China under martial law: China declares martial law, resulting in the use of military forces against protesting students to end the Tiananmen protests. * The cola wars sponsored by famous rock and rollers: Soft drink giants Coke and Pepsi each run marketing campaigns using rock & roll and popular music stars, including
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
and Whitney Houston.


See also

* List of references in "We Didn't Start the Fire" * " We Didn't Start the Fire", updated version by
Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...
* " Do You Remember These", a song covering the 1950s * " Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)" * " Pencil Thin Mustache" * " 19 Somethin'", a song covering the 1970s and 1980s * " 25 Years of Rock" — A BBC radio series looking at each year from 1955 to 1979 that charted news stories, social and political events with a rock soundtrack. ** The Rock 'n' Roll Years" — a BBC television series based on ''25 Years of Rock'' but with a timespan from 1956 to 1989.


References


Bibliography

*


External links

* / BillyJoelVEVO channel
" All 59 people name-dropped in Billy Joel's 'We Didn't Start the Fire': Where are they now?"
from '' The Los Angeles Times'', September 26, 2019
List of events mentioned in the song
{{Authority control 1989 songs 1989 singles American pop rock songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Billy Joel songs Cashbox number-one singles Columbia Records singles List songs Novelty songs Patter songs Songs about nostalgia Songs about Richard Nixon Songs based on actual events Songs based on American history Cold War in popular culture Songs written by Billy Joel Sony Music Entertainment Japan singles Works about the Cold War Cultural depictions of Lee Harvey Oswald 1989 quotations Quotations from music Song recordings produced by Mick Jones (Foreigner) Song recordings produced by Billy Joel