BILLY JOEL 100. Today: #3. More-  tomorrow.

Caffè Lattè presents:

THE 100 MOST ESSENTIAL SONGS BY

BILLY JOEL

William Martin Joel was born in The Bronx, New York in 1949. He grew up on Long Island and began studying the piano in 1953. Billy joined his first band 10 years later. In 1971, he signed a recording contract as a soloist. That year, he released his solo debut album. Since then, his music has been the soundtrack for countless fans.

Here are 100 of his best works…

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3

WE DIDN’T START THE FIRE

After turning 40, a conversation with a friend of Sean Lennon got Billy thinking. As a history fan, he started recollecting events from his lifetime. As well as memories of tragedies, he realized that each generation has its own challenges and has attempted to resolve as many of them as possible. Like Sean’s friend, the blame is often attributed to older members of society. This cycle is described by Billy in “We Didn’t Start The Fire”: “we didn’t start the fire, no we didn’t light it, but we tried to fight it”. Among the historical figures mentioned in the lyrics are: Josef Stalin, Juan Peron, Albert Einstein, Elvis Presley, Princess Grace, Charles de Gaulle, Richard Nixon, Malcolm X and John F. Kennedy. The lead single from ‘Storm Front’ became Billy’s final #1 single in America. It reached #2 in Australia and Canada. The single peaked at #7 in Britain.

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