Four/ Piano Man

And the piano sounds like a carnival!
And the microphone smells like a beer.
And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar
And say, "Man, what are you doin' here?"

What Billy Joel waterbird would be complete without this song?!? Like the owner of the Alexa, he's got to pay the bills: fortunately he's got a lot of lonely bar patrons to "put bread in my jar" – possibly so he can buy pearls for a girlfriend like Virginia in "Only the Good Die Young." Like "Modern Woman," we are again talking about music within a song, and "Man, what are you doin' here?" sounds like a good question to ask the people who "go right on with the show" in "Miami 2017."

Posted by Katie on April 2, 2006 09:54 PM | Categories: Billy Joel

Six/ Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)

I've seen the lights go out on Broadway-
I saw the Empire State laid low.
And life went on beyond the Palisades,
They all bought bright Cadillacs-
And left there long ago.
We held a concert out in Brooklyn-
To watch the Island bridges blow.
They turned our power down,
And drove us underground-
But we went right on with the show...

This song presents an interesting perspective on the theme that's been present throughout this waterbird game. Billy sings about the fall of the great Broadway, yet rather than feeling a sense of loss, the listener gets the feeling that New Yorkers maintained their pride throughout Broadway's demise.

I had a hard time picking the lyrics from this song -- the beginning seemed very applicable, but the end does a better job conveying the invincible tone: "You know those lights were bright on Broadway-
But that was so many years ago...
Before we all lived here in Florida-
Before the Mafia took over Mexico.
There are not many who remember-
They say a handful still survive...
To tell the world about...
The way the lights went out,
And keep the memory alive...."

"Downeaster Alexa," "Modern Woman," and "Captain Jack" all create the feeling of yearning for the past. "Miami 2017" describes the glories of the past while maintaining that their memories will live on.

Posted by Lauren on April 2, 2006 07:19 PM | Categories: Billy Joel

Seven/ The Entertainer

Ah, it took me years to write it,
They were the best years of my life.
It was a beautiful song,
But it ran too long.
If you're gonna have a hit,
You gotta make it fit,
So they cut it down to 3:05.

Despite the light and humorous tone of the song, there is still a sense of bitterness in it in lines like these. Despite the years of work that went into his song, the faceless industry pares it down, leading to a sense of loss like we see in "Captain Jack." Similarly, even though it deals with a very different lifestyle from that in "Allentown," neither can get by without hard work – again, a single song may take years to write.

On a different level, both "The Entertainer" and the lines from "Modern Woman" are rock and roll songs that talk about rock and roll. Does that make them meta-rock?

And as for "Only the Good Die Young," like Virginia is expected to conform to the values of her religion, the entertainer's song is forced to conform to industry standards.

Posted by Katie on March 31, 2006 01:51 PM | Categories: Billy Joel

Ten/ Captain Jack

"So you play your albums and you smoke your pot
And you meet your girlfriend in the parking lot
Oh, but still you're aching for the things you have not got
What went wrong..."

As Katie articulated in her explanation of space 9, many of the songs occupying spaces on the board discuss struggles -- a yearning for better times, a better class, or better luck. "Captain Jack" tells the story of a man who seems to be living as he pleases and disregarding typical societal conventions, yet who still wishes for that which he shuns.

Posted by Lauren on March 31, 2006 09:08 AM | Categories: Billy Joel

Nine/ Modern Woman

Rock and roll just used to be for kicks,
And nowadays it's politics,
And after 1986 what else could be new?

n.b.: I always thought it was "what else could we do?" but every lyrics site I look at has it this way. Very disappointing, I think it sounds better my way! Though to be honest, I've never been sure how to interpret it...not that this helps me with that. I am distressed!

These lines from "Modern Woman" get at the core of all the songs we have quoted thus far. These songs aren't just light and fluffy "Sugar, sugar, you are my candy girl!" kind of songs. They actually have some substance. This is pretty clear in "Downeaster Alexa" and "Allentown," which are about the hardships of lower class life. Though "Only the Good Die Young" and "Uptown Girl" are more upbeat, they are still sung from the point of view of lower class guys: the latter refers to the tensions of a relationship in which the lovers are from different social classes; the former seems to criticize a conservative (and stereotypically upper class Catholic) way of looking at love.

Posted by Katie on March 27, 2006 04:39 PM | Categories: Billy Joel , Billy Joel

Nine/ Modern Woman

Rock and roll just used to be for kicks,
And nowadays it's politics,
And after 1986 what else could be new?

Posted by Katie on March 27, 2006 04:39 PM | Categories: Billy Joel , Billy Joel

Eight/ Uptown Girl

"You know I can't afford to buy her pearls
But maybe someday when my ship comes in
She'll understand what kind of guy I've been."

Space eight relates to spaces 2 and 3 because it speaks of waiting for one's "ship to come in." It relates to space 5, very superficially, because both songs mention a necklace (I know, I know -- it's a stretch, but the waterbird board can have all different levels of connection, right?)

Posted by Lauren on March 21, 2006 03:25 PM | Categories: Billy Joel

Five/ Only the Good Die Young

You got a nice white dress and a party on your confirmation.
You got a brand new soul and a cross of gold.
But Virginia, they didn't give you quite enough information!
You didn't count on me when you were counting on your rosary.

The connection between this and "Allentown" is that the older generation is imparting information that isn't helpful to the younger generation. There is a contrast in whether this is false information ("Allentown" – "the promises our teachers gave" that haven't come true) or a lack of information ("Only the Good Die Young" – "they didn't give you quite enough information").

Posted by Katie on March 21, 2006 02:45 PM | Categories: Billy Joel , Billy Joel

Five/ Only the Good Die Young

Posted by Katie on March 21, 2006 02:45 PM | Categories: Billy Joel , Billy Joel

Three/Allentown

"Well we're waiting here in Allentown
For the Pennsylvania we never found,
For the promises our teachers gave,
If we worked hard,
If we behaved."

Both "Allentown" and "Downeaster Alexa" are reflective of better times. "Allentown" speaks of lost hope and a lack of promised opportunities. "Downeaster Alexa" reminisces about more successful times on the sea.

"Allentown" relates to spot number one because both songs speak of something that is still missing -- something that the singer is "searching" for.

Posted by Lauren on March 21, 2006 02:43 PM | Categories: Billy Joel

Two/ The Downeaster Alexa

"I've got bills to pay and children who need clothes.
I know there's fish out there but where God only knows.
They say these waters aren't what they used to be,
But I've got people back on land who count on me."

Besides the obvious water connection to "River of Dreams," both quotes look back to better times and talk about searching for something that isn't there anymore.

Posted by Katie on March 20, 2006 05:15 PM | Categories: Billy Joel , Billy Joel

Two/ The Downeaster Alexa

Besides the obvious water connection to "River of Dreams," both quotes look back to better times and talk about searching for something that isn't there anymore.

Posted by Katie on March 20, 2006 05:15 PM | Categories: Billy Joel , Billy Joel

One/ River of Dreams

"I must be searching for something. Something sacred I lost. But the river is wide. And it's too hard to cross."

One, being the first space played in this board, began the connections involving a search for something better, or something that existed a long time ago.

Posted by Lauren on March 20, 2006 01:30 PM | Categories: Billy Joel , Billy Joel

One/ River of Dreams

"I must be searching for something. Something sacred I lost. But the river is wide. And it's too hard to cross."

One, being the first space played in this board, began the connections involving a search for something better, or something that existed a long time ago.

Posted by Lauren on March 20, 2006 01:30 PM | Categories: Billy Joel , Billy Joel

Return to main page.