Singer and songwriter Billy Joel was at a turning point of his life in 1989. He turned 40 that year and was in the midst of professional instability after completing an energetic but wired tour of the Soviet Union and sacking his manager for fraud. He also stated recording a studio album that year. During the recording, he was having a conversation in the studio with a 21 year old person where the young man illustrated how hard it is for their generation in 1980s to cope with the pressure compared to the older generations. He suggested that it was much more difficult growing up in the 1980s than the 1960s or in the 1970s. Billy Joel, who was and is a history buff, was surprised by the young man's lack of understanding about the turmoil of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Joel on that day decided he will include a mini-history lesson in the album he was working on. There came the song - We didn't start the fire. Joel mentioned 117 important people, conflicts and historical events and cultural touchstones that happened from the year he was born to 1989 in less than five minutes. The song mentions Korean conflict, the Cold War, China becoming a communist state, Richard Nixon becoming president of the U.S., Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam, Watergate scandal, coming of punk rock, Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran and Russia's invasion of Afghanistan. Joel’s concept for the song was to review the major events that had happened during his own lifetime, from his birth in 1949 through the release of the song in 1989.
British rock band, Queen, released one of the most iconic rock songs - 'We will rock you' in their sixth studio album - 'News of the World' in 1977 after the band decided that they needed an anthemic tune to connect easily with the growing audience. Guitarist of the band Brain May came up with a stomp-stomp-clap beat. To accompany the beat, he wrote the lyrics where it begins with a young man dreaming of a better life and getting prepared to be a man. In the second verse, the boy became a young man and starts battling to reach lofty goals and wants to take on the world. In the third verse, the song ends with an old man looking to make peace. The chorus is the band's massage to all the audience - have dreams, get prepared to face the challenges and sing along - we will rock you! The band recorded the song in an empty church to bring the best acoustic sounds.
Bob Dylan was young in the 1960s and he had many questions unanswered. No book or movie or TV show or discussion group could give him answers. His questions included - how long a man must walk before he is called a man, when the cannon balls will be forever banned, how many ears must one man have to hear people cry and how many deaths will it take till the supreme power realizes that too many people have died. Number of questions grew rapidly. One fine spring afternoon, sitting on his porch and thinking about where the answers are; he figured out that answers to his questions were actually blowing in the wind. He realized no one picks up the answers when it comes down with wind and eventually the answers fly away so not too many people get to see and know the meaning of life. With the realization that answers of all his questions actually blow in the wind, he wrote - 'Blowin' in the wind' in 1962. The song was released in May 1963 in the album - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.
YouTube link of covers of these three iconic songs - Father & son duo
British rock band, Queen, released one of the most iconic rock songs - 'We will rock you' in their sixth studio album - 'News of the World' in 1977 after the band decided that they needed an anthemic tune to connect easily with the growing audience. Guitarist of the band Brain May came up with a stomp-stomp-clap beat. To accompany the beat, he wrote the lyrics where it begins with a young man dreaming of a better life and getting prepared to be a man. In the second verse, the boy became a young man and starts battling to reach lofty goals and wants to take on the world. In the third verse, the song ends with an old man looking to make peace. The chorus is the band's massage to all the audience - have dreams, get prepared to face the challenges and sing along - we will rock you! The band recorded the song in an empty church to bring the best acoustic sounds.
Bob Dylan was young in the 1960s and he had many questions unanswered. No book or movie or TV show or discussion group could give him answers. His questions included - how long a man must walk before he is called a man, when the cannon balls will be forever banned, how many ears must one man have to hear people cry and how many deaths will it take till the supreme power realizes that too many people have died. Number of questions grew rapidly. One fine spring afternoon, sitting on his porch and thinking about where the answers are; he figured out that answers to his questions were actually blowing in the wind. He realized no one picks up the answers when it comes down with wind and eventually the answers fly away so not too many people get to see and know the meaning of life. With the realization that answers of all his questions actually blow in the wind, he wrote - 'Blowin' in the wind' in 1962. The song was released in May 1963 in the album - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.
YouTube link of covers of these three iconic songs - Father & son duo
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