Billy Joel made an historical hit in 1989, with pop song We Didn’t Start The Fire. Historical pop songs are a small genre (I can also think of One Week and Big Bang Theory, both by the Bare Naked Ladies), but mighty catchy to listen to, try as you might to catch all the cool references.
Listening to We Didn’t Start the Fire on my Alexa unit (my favorite home robot), I noticed a few entertainment related mentions, set between the political and and pop culture refs. The song moves fast, so you have to listen carefully. (Or at least check the internet for the rapid-fire, rap-like lyrics.)
The lyrics cover major events set between 1949 through 1989.
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Here’s what I caught that have even the tiniest relationship toย entertainment…from the top, using the Wikipediaย to keep me honest:ย (Feel free to tell me what I missed!)
- Doris Dayย enters the public spotlight with the filmsย My Dream Is Yoursย andย It’s a Great Feelingย as well as popular songs like “It’s Magic“.
- South Pacific, the prize-winning musical, opens onย Broadwayย on April 7.
- Televisionย is becoming widespread throughout Europe and North America.
- Marilyn Monroeย soars in popularity with five new films, includingย The Asphalt Jungleย andย All About Eve.
- Marlonย Brandoย is nominated for theย Academy Award for Best Actorย for his role inย A Streetcar Named Desire.
- The King and I, the musical byย Rodgers and Hammerstein, opens onย Broadwayย on March 29.
- The Catcher in the Rye, a controversial novel byย J. D. Salinger, is published.
- Liberaceย has a popular 1950s television show for his musical entertainment.
- Sergeiย Prokofiev, the composer, dies on March 5, the same day as Stalin.
- Arturoย Toscaniniย is at the height of his fame as a conductor, performing regularly with theย NBC Symphony Orchestraย on national radio.
- Rock Around the Clock“ย is a hit single released byย Bill Haley & His Cometsย in May, spurring worldwide interest inย rock and rollย music.
- James Deanย achieves success withย East of Edenย andย Rebel Without a Cause, gets nominated for anย Academy Award for Best Actor, andย diesย in a car accident on September 30 at the age of 24.
- Davy Crockettย is aย Disneyย televisionย miniseriesย about the legendary frontiersman ofย the same name. The show was a huge hit with young boys and inspired a short-lived “coonskin cap” craze. (Also, during the late 1950s, the US Army was developing a small tactical nuclear weapon which was given the official nicknameย Davy Crockett.)
- Peter Pan: A year afterย Walt Disney Animation Studiosย releasedย an animated adaptionย of theย playย byย J. M. Barrie, theย 1954 stage musicalย of the same name starringย Mary Martinย is broadcast onย NBCย live and in color.
- Elvis Presleyย signs withย RCA Recordsย on November 21, beginning his pop career, going on to earn a reputation as the “King of Rock and Roll”.
- Disneylandย opens on July 17, 1955 asย Walt Disney‘s first theme park.
- Brigitteย Bardotย appears in her first mainstream filmย And God Created Womanย and establishes an international reputation as a French “sex kitten”.
- Princess Graceย Kellyย releases her last film,ย High Society, and marriesย Prince Rainier III of Monaco.
- Peyton Place, the best-selling novel byย Grace Metalious, is published. Though mild compared to today’s standards, it shocked the reserved values of the 1950s.
- Borisย Pasternak, the Russian author, publishes his novelย Doctor Zhivago.
- Jackย Kerouacย publishes his first novel in seven years,ย On the Road.
- Theย Bridge on the River Kwai, an adaptation of aย the 1954 novel, is released and receives sevenย Academy Awards, including Best Picture.[15]
- Buddy Hollyย dies inย a plane crashย on February 3 withย Ritchie Valensย andย The Big Bopper, in a day that had a devastating impact on the country and youth culture. Joel prefaces the lyric with a Holly signature vocal hiccup: “Uh-huh, uh-huh.”
- Ben-Hur, a film adapted fromย Lew Wallace‘s 1880 novelย Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christย starringย Charlton Heston, wins eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
- Payola, illegal payments for radio broadcasting of songs, was publicized due toย Dick Clark‘s testimony before Congress andย Alan Freed‘s public disgrace.
- Chubby Checkerย popularizes the danceย The Twistย with his cover of theย song of the same name.
- Psycho: Anย Alfred Hitchcockย thriller, based on a pulp novel byย Robert Blochย and adapted byย Joseph Stefano, which becomes a landmark in graphic violence and cinema sensationalism. The screeching violins heard at this point in the song are a trademark of the film’s soundtrack.
- Ernestย Hemingwayย commits suicide on July 2 after a long battle withย depression.
- Stranger in a Strange Land, written byย Robert A. Heinlein, is a breakthrough best-seller with themes of sexual freedom and liberation.
- Bobย Dylanย is signed toย Columbia Recordsย after aย New York Timesย review by criticย Robert Shelton.
- Lawrence of Arabia: Theย Academy Award-winning film based on the life ofย T. E. Lawrenceย starringย Peter O’Tooleย premieres in the United States on December 16.
- Britishย Beatlemania:ย The Beatles, aย Britishย rock group, gainย Ringo Starrย as drummer andย Brian Epsteinย as manager, and join theย EMI‘sย Parlophoneย label. They soon become the world’s most famous rock band, with the word “Beatlemania” adopted by the press for their fans’ unprecedented enthusiasm. In 1964, their tour of the United States would mark the beginning of “theย British Invasion“.
- Woodstock: Famous rock and roll festival of 1969 that came to be the epitome of theย countercultureย movement.
- Punk rock: Backlash against theย progressive rockย of the early 1970s leads to the emergence of newly formed bands such asย The Ramonesย (founded in 1974),ย AC/DCย (which switched from glam to blues/punk with the hiring ofย Bon Scottย as lead singer the same year) and theย Sex Pistolsย (founded a year later).
- Wheel of Fortune: The hit televisionย game show, on air since 1975, underwent several changes in the early 1980s, including the hiring ofย Pat Sajakย as host in 1981,ย Vanna Whiteย as hostess in 1982, and a move toย syndicationย in 1983, all three of which were still in effect by the time of the song (and remained through the 1990s, 2000s and much of the 2010s as well.ย
- Heavy metalย suicide: In the 1970s and 1980s, heavy metal bands became popular.ย Ozzy Osbourneย andย Judas Priestย in particular were sued for fans’ suicides after listening to their songs “Suicide Solution” and “Better By You, Better Than Me“, respectively.
- Rock-and-rollerย cola wars: Soft drink giantsย Cokeย andย Pepsiย each run marketing campaigns usingย rock & rollย and popular music stars to reach the teenage and young adult demographic.
It’s a pretty impressive song, squeezing events from five decades of world news into only four minutes.
A case could be made to include a lot more relating to entertainment. For example, Richard Nixon featured in the 1999 teen buddy comedy Dick, starring Kirsten Dunst. Malcolm X and JFK also have eponymous movies. “Moonshot” refers to the moon landing project recently popularized in the film First Man.
Here’s the official video for your amusement:
What other pop culture and historical allusions do you think would we shouldย include on this list?
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November 17, 2019
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