Billy Joel- We Didn't Start The Fire

[okayawesome1]

awesomeness x

[1717mikey]

marty mcfly n dr emett brown didnt build the first time machine this homeboi did haha x

[silvershamrock92]

thumbs up if you listened to this song in your history lesson! :P

[kingeclipse666]

billy joel, puso fin a la musica con esta canción, una nueva epoca comienza

[WardyLion]

This was the first ever record I ever bought. It was on 7" vinyl and it was purchased from an independent record store in Chesterfield called "Husdon's" - it's still open today. I was 7 (28 now).

Wardy

[tigerlilly9772]

20 years on and still it's relevant...just needs an update on the last 20 years. I wonder if Joel with ever do a WDSTF II? that would be so cool.....

This video should be shown in all high school world history classes just for the dicussion points that are in it.

[llamajamable]

@tigerlilly9772 wish come true. Our history lessons are based on this song, same with our music lessons

[renethel]

It would be so epic if he updated this, considering how much has happened in the past 20 years!

Billy Joel said he would have been a history teacher if it hadn't been for singing-songwriting. It's cool that he could incorporate his two loves into this!

[WhiteAnge1990]

1 of my fav songs =)

[widlad7]

it does't mention the bodyline controversy!

[SuperHockeyPlayer95]

Stmaldon = win

[rocksoliddude1]

i got an upper second class degree - brag brag brag

[cairosc11]

my social studies teacher played this in class

[JemboCookieMonster]

Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British politician sex JFK, blown away what else do i have to say.

[sxfn15]

bp started the fire!

[stmaldon]

Ryan started the fire!

[MsGibberfish]

pigs didnt start the swine flu!

[Narutofan556]

@MsGibberfish Mexicans did

[thunderboyAAC]

My favorite is when it makes the sound from Physco

[LeChatDeNoir13]

World events from 1949 to 1989. Nice

[sfakasswannabe]

lol College Humor

[UnitedBritannia]

If Ronald Reagan wrote a song, this is what it would sound like.

[TheIrishBrawler]

I keep waiting for billy joel to bust in to a spirit finger routine.

[fklaf]

we didnt start the flame war

[SPAlover16]

I don't get what this song is talking about... I love it but can someone explain it to me???

[JemboCookieMonster]

Events in History in order

[xxhenk321xx]

Epic beat

[thewarriorcatsrock]

chuck norris Dinosaurs

cavemen

all started the fire!!!!

[asadlopez94]

cavemen started the fire -____-

[SecretService80]

Chuck Norris started the fire.

[dollkay081]

Dinosaurs started the fire

[thatlittlerobert]

i know you didnt start the fire because I DID!!

[Eaglezero6205]

I also want to thank who ever uploaded this video because vevos version of it stutters int he middle of the song and cuts off a few seconds of the beginning of the video.

THANKS FOR POSTING THE VIDEO CHEESEBURGER102

[Eaglezero6205]

Hey all the new fans of the song if you google We didn't start the fire explained there is a site that gives you insight to everything he says in the song. It took a while to read it all but very informative. Every time I watch this video I learn something new or notice something different each scene has some meaning behind it. Great Song ,Great Lyrics,Great meaning, great musician. Now Im just trying to research all the background pictures in the video .

[GuitarTrey]

so using this to study for my AP Euopean History test in two days!

[addictivesubstance14]

i loveeeeee loveee loveeeeeeeeee this song! 7:32 gives me goosebumps and just makes you wanna get up and dance!

[Bionic0]

1:28 Juan Peron!! yeahhh!

[schmelzbrot]

But I started the fire :D

[GuitarTrey]

@schmelzbrot why you in the congo then?

[schmelzbrot]

@GuitarTrey Please don't missunderstand me... it was meant to be a joke, I don't know the historic background!

[Ambiorixism]

"Belgians in the congo"

Nice man, I'm Belgian :)

[knotheads666]

...old school music rules forever!

[DCF363]

This is such an awesome song.

[wfjones123]

*Bevis* FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!

[keithdcobbin1]

I! didn't! start! the! fire! it's! been! full! of! devils! every! since! America! has! been! around! that's! why! I'm! moving! over! to! Accra! Ghana! next! year! 2011! to! stay!

[thevidoechater]

talk about an outstanding song.

[THX1205]

1989!

[jodemijaju]

cool ;D

[davidcifuente]

Temaso de Billy Joel, no aburre para nada escucharlo...

[thechillindude1]

skate with this music

[MyAnimatedRomance]

If I were a history teacher, I would use this song to teach XD

I've already learned a lot with it ~_^

[lightning1910]

@MyAnimatedRomance My history actually did. It was awesome

[Smittsamt]

love it

[SH1974]

Billy Joel, where are You now? The world needs Your music more than ever!!!

Please write a

"Song against brainless music",

it will be a tophit!

I promise: I'd buy the album "against brainless music",

twice! ;-)

[erichhartmman]

I agree, it very hard to hear something with some sens these days

[emily4977]

we memorized this song in 5th grade. teacher was sooooooooo much fun.

[emilytyler86]

In high school we had to memorize this song and study the lyrics in American Studies class

[GeeBashBliss]

@emilytyler86

Sounds like a very good way to get children interested in History, especially those with short attention span.

[slomoyr]

very catchy tune

[koolkat6661]

it must have been really hard memorising the song!

[DickSimmons2]

@koolkat6661 for most but, not for one of the masters of music

[frankleproso]

very good +5 :)

[NikoLeproso]

@frankleproso Tienes reazon, hermano me suscribo

[untacotres]

I've just noticed Vevo has chopped at least a minute off of this video. Any reason why? Protest song maybe? I'd be interested in seeing how much paid companies are editing out "offensive" material. Anyways, just a thought.

[papayubz2010]

greeeaaaat!!!!

[papayubz2010]

ohhh!!! i liked it!!!!! thankz men!

[Peeves888]

F+++ING GREAT beat...

Those were the days...

80s 4ever!

[larockera29]

5********

[jessrulzlol]

my science teacher thought it would be nice to listen to this song during class, so the next class everyone brought the lyrics to this song and EVERYONE started to sing this song over and over again. We couldn't stop laughing. then the bell rang and everyone was staring at us.

p.s i go to a girls school.

[freak8Out]

i cant belive i sang the whole song

[mercedesE320fan]

Fuck fighting it!

This is my Life.

[synjakbeta]

this is my favorite song

I can listen to it over and over again

[Juliaflo]

@synjakbeta So can I. It's highly intellectual, and I mean intellectual.



[Naruto0Kyuubi]

The Best Music !

[SANDRILLA1979]

EN ESTE VIDEO APARECE MARLEE MATLIN

[Powermaddd]

Though Billy Joel is correct to imply that past generations do pass problems on or leave them to the next generations, let's not forget that past generations have also lit the fires that keep us warm; We shouldn't take the good things in our lives for granted. Though skewed on the negative aspects of history, this is a poignant music video from a master. My 5th grade teacher had our class analyze this song back in 1990. Too bad it lacks Billy's trademark piano work.

[Numbpk3r2]

It's about these damn baby boomers defending themselves for stealing my social security.

[ryuBones]

greenmotocar is right, the "fire" does refer to struggle. The chorus line is about how previous generations try to blame current issues and problems on the current generation, even though these issues and problems have been there for a long time, and how the current generation is "fighting a fire someone else started", if you will.

And...yeah, the entire song is basically a huge history lesson. That's why some History teachers have their students analyze it. Good stuff. :D

[Phoenixfire81]

An amazing song from an excellant album!!

[McKinney3]

4:16

lol wut? :p

[greenmotorcar]

I think the fire refers to general struggles on the planet. We try to fight turmoil even though it has always existed.

[MrRandomguy09]

no one really relises how much of a history lesson this song actually is, and the fire he is talking about is actually freedom. thats what he meens, think about it.

[McKinney3]

@MrRandomguy09

"no we didn't light it

but we tried to fight it"

We tried to fight freedom?

[keefer2111]

I DID IT!

[fight141]

wow, ten years since i listened to this song, stupid back then profound now,

[greeniesxy]

Thanks so much for this!

[NixolajTheSolo]

Finally, the actual music video! IMHO this is a better music video than the ones that go along with the facts.

Thanks for the upload! :D

[AlessN13]

Great.

[link213109]

Epic History Lesson, FTW

[Xirkk]

@link213109 yes it is

[EricMilleganNAF]

I had to memorize the words to this song in 6th grade for a project! I love this song!

[TheUniverseable]

If i didn't know any better i would've said thats michael keaton in the video.

awesome song !

[Pactanth]

WE DIDNT START THE FIIIIIRE

[esunsinverguenza]

of course you did....you always do!!

[xspartan117x]

@Pactanth yes u did...dont lie

[br0ok1yn]

ill song

[millicent1990]

one of the best songs of al time!!!

[salmerino1994]

Grandeeee....!!!

[funnymaan23]

i like the sound of this song... very early 90's sounding... im having to do a project in one of my classes about this song and the describing of the cold war through the decades

[t5y665yrty56]

the song seems to be all about the us media especially as it relates to american foreign policy.

[chelmsleyu]

When did this come out? I like how Billy mentions "Ayatollah in Iraq" kind of a strange pre-gulf war view..probably more true. That Iran invaded Iraq and Iraq was the victim that the US came in and helped...before we decided Saddam was our enemy... just like Afghanistan!

[usmm05]

In iran

[MrMelinko]

This came out in 1989.

[chelmsleyu]

My bad, how could i have missed that, he said Iran then followed it with Afhanistan.

[dkslfjgh]

For some reason, the Sony Music version is "Private" :(

[legoslie]

Video has a meaning but whatever if you dont get it.....

[billygarlitz]

NO NO NO Nixon definitly started the fire LOL

[RainfangStreambattle]

and i always thought that George Bush started the fire

[billygarlitz]

lol i think the original person to start it was Nixon but Bush threw gasoline on it lol

[RainfangStreambattle]

hmmm you may have a very valid point there...

[Drittkladden]

It's probably 18 years since last time I heard it.

I couldn't even speak English back then =)

[babiibeckii07]

love this song even though im only 15 haha

[biborka2008]

Hellllo, Billy !

[zubinelgenubi]

i'm listening to this song instead of studying for my AP US history test tomorrow

probably not the best idea, but at least i can claim it somewhat relates

[vpirates62]

We had to do a project back when I was in high school, and While I didn't blatantly copy this song, My approach took the same formula. I went to the library and pretty much made a giant timeline with short rhymes. ..oh, and no chorus.

[Marauder131]

@zubinelgenubi how did that test turn out for you? x3

[zubinelgenubi]

actually, I got a 5 on the AP test

[GThazard]

vid sucks music amazing

[jenny21101]

i really think this is genuis way of saying whats up with this shit

[hermionemalfoy1]

Absolutely love this song it's one of my top ten faves ... along with Scorpians Wind of Change and Bryan Adams Everything I do I do It For You.

[trinekoehler]

amazing song and video :D

[3DaysPanic]

I hate this song i'm doing a project on it now, every thing it names a paragraph T-T

[kpaq1]

whenever i'm high this song trips me out so much. i love it.

[LittleBoiFen]

I want to know all of the words to this song...I hear it at work all the time and it drives me nuts not knowing the words.

[throwitoutt]

Love this song ! Super important historical moments all combined into one fantastic , groovy tune! The teacher played it in History class, and no one could stop singing it ALL WEEK ! haha thanks billy !

[firebrigade999]

What has that music got to do with history?.

[throwitoutt]

Wow, are you retarded or what?

[tobs001]

th first song i loved!! first heard it wen i was like 6-7 i think

[ilovemesoomuch]

my teacher plays this for us all the time. WE LOVE IT!! its what we get for extra for my class it roxxs and all my friend think that the song rocks and spunick roxx that is what i was for a school project

[Bezerkling]

Yo triplebirch, you have an awesome teacher!

[sgarak]

a priest came 2 my school and sang this whole song! all of it, i was amazed

[kaki10]

Our teacher is playing this for us from april 28- june 4 EVERYDAY. we have to memorize it and know all the people, good for me i already momorized it know what all of them mean. :)

[triplebirch]

Great song, my teacher had us sing it!

[crazyistia]

ahh this song rox! haha my teacher played it 4 us in class and she told us 2 right down somewords that we heard and everyone heard space monkey and other stuff but i mean everyone had space monkey haha that is kinda weird but just thought id tell u hahathatnx for putting this!

[foreverdream21]

omg thats funny cuz my theacher played this song for us too and told us that we have to find what these song lyrics mean how weird...

[KarmikCykle]

Each line is an important event, in chronological order, that happened between the year Billy Joel (guy who sings the song) was born in and the year he actually wrote the song.

[PrinceWingDog]

Luv this song