FEATURE:
Groovelines
Fall Out Boy - We Didn't Start the Fire
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THIS might be…
IN THIS PHOTO: Billy Joel/PHOTO CREDIT: Mike Slaughter/Toronto Star/Getty Images (via The New York Times)
the first cover versions I have featured in Groovelines. There is a special reason for that. Perhaps one of his more divisive tracks, Billy Joel released We Didn’t Start the Fire back in 1989. From his album, Storm Front, the single reached number one in the U.S. and seven in the U.K. You can read more about it here. Even if the album was given mixed reviews, I think that its lead single is a smash. The song runs major political and cultural events in chronological order. A great no other artist had attempted before, everything from the H-Bomb, Peter Pan, Bob Dylan and Wheel of Fortune were all checked off. I cannot imagine how long it took Joel to write the song. Making it all rhyme and scan would have been a tricky feat! As you can imagine, for a song that is original yet quite strange, it was open to parody. The Simpsons did their own version during one episode. In 2021, a weekly podcast began which was hosted by Katie Puckrik and Tom Fordyce. Called We Didn't Start the Fire, each week they examined a subject mentioned in the song, in lyric order, where they discussed its importance and cultural significance with an expert guest. As so much has happened since 1989, there was this opportunity for someone to update We Didn’t Start the Fire. Even they did not do things chronologically – perhaps the downside of the new version – Fall Out Boy have taken on the impossible chalice of cramming in over thirty-three years’ worth of history into a song!
One big reason why I wanted to look into the song was because of a lot of the reaction it garnered. There are a few problems reapproaching a song that was quite divisive when it came out. Even though Billy Joel covered most major events in his 1989 original (and he wasn’t really a fan of the song himself!), there were some bemused by the song. Not something we’d associate with Joel in terms of sound and lyrics, I think that retrospective views have been a bit kinder. It has a cheesiness to it, but I like that history lessons have been taught around We Didn’t Start the Fire. Many children learned about important events because of this song. In fact, I think I may have featured the original in a Groovelines a while ago. It is educational and original. I like Joel’s vocals and the fact he commits to it. The cover version has garnered some negativity. Many highlight some unwise lyrical couplets – rhyming ‘George Floyd’ with ‘Asteroid’ (a video game) maybe lacks sensitivity – and some saw it as tasteless and ill-judged. Fall Out Boy’s bassist and lyricist of the new version, Pete Wentz, sort of had to defend the song. Although he tried to make it chronological and had to discount some events (such as the COVID-19 pandemic), there is a lot in there. It was always going to be the case that stuff would not make the cut. In terms of its reaction, I think that a lot of it is unfair. We Didn’t Start the Fire suggests itself to an update, as it is literally history and culture ran in chronological order. That gap between 1989 and 2023 needed to be filled and explored! There are articles dedicated to explaining what is wrong with Fall Out Boy’s cover.
It is always going to be one of those situations where you won’t please everyone. It is much harder to include everything relevant in a new We Didn’t Start the Fire, as there is arguably more to explore in the past thirty-four years than the first eighty-nine of the twentieth century. The Internet has given access to a galaxy of new possibilities. So much has happened in terms of popular culture, it was impossible to get everything down. The New York Times covered the song. Pete Wentz wrote in an email what the song means to him and why Fall Out Boy covered it:
“I remember hearing the song when I was a kid,” Pete Wentz, the bassist, wrote in an email. “The ‘J.F.K. blown away’ line always stuck out to me. I would always start the verses but get kind of lost a few references in.”
He continued, “This song was omnipresent in that era, but in a way where it crept through the cracks of pop culture. I remember talking about the lyrics in history class.”
According to Mr. Wentz, instead of a straight cover of the song, the band wanted to amend the lyrics to reflect the 34 years that had passed since its release.
“I listen to Billy Joel’s and so many of the things in it are either massive moments or just kind of shoulder shrugs within history now,” he wrote. “It’s interesting to see what he referenced from the ’50s and ’60s and what he didn’t. And in some ways it’s just etchings inside of a cave — documentation that we existed and these things happened, both triumphant and terrible. We made this song for ourselves and then we hoped our fans would have fun with it.”
Brady Gerber is a rock music critic who contributes to New York and Pitchfork. As a fan of the original, he is quite fond of Fall Out Boy’s take.
“I think every generation gets their own ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire,’” Mr. Gerber said. “I still think the melody is really catchy and fun. And I remember that the initial reaction to Billy Joel’s original version wasn’t really great. I think a lot of people actually hated the song at the time. So it’s funny, because I’m also seeing a lot of people criticizing the song thinking it’s ridiculous, but it’s also just a ridiculous song to begin with.”
While it’s hard to capture every historical moment, the song mimics the original in that its references span a wide range, covering climate change as well as Pokémon and the “Twilight” films.
Fall Out Boy did, however, leave out one of the most recent historical events: “I think our biggest omission was a Covid reference,” Mr. Wentz said, “and we debated it, but we leave that to the next generation’s update!”.
I still think, despite the parodies and endless references to the original 1989 Billy Joel hit, We Didn’t Start the Fire is ripe for revision. Maybe Fall Out Boy’s version means nobody else would try it, but it is a fascinating phenomenon. The way some have attacked it whilst others really like it. It is quite close to the original in terms of melody and rhythm. I think some of the inclusions and notable omissions has been what has split people. Rather than it being embarrassing or tasteless, I actually think that a slight rearrangement and some pertinent inclusions – like The Simpsons and Beyoncé - would have made it a bit better. It has been opinion-splitting. I am fascinated by the new Fall Out Boy version and what people are saying about it. The band’s lead, Patrick Stump, gives it his all at least! It is clear, because many highlight things that could have been included, that there is interest in the original and that idea of tackling history. Will the new version be taught in classes and used as historical reference?! At least it makes us think about the important events, people and moments from the past thirty-four years. It makes me wonder if anyone will pick up the baton from Fall Out Boy and write the third version of We Didn’t Start the Fire…
A few decades from now!