“We Didn’t Start the Fire” (Lyrics) History Summary from 1949-1989
About 4 min read
In 1989, singer Billy Joel released a popular song entitled We Didn’t Start the Fire. The song simply lists historical personalities and events from 1949 until 1989. Just hearing the mention of them brought back memories of the times to many listeners. The lyrics of the song proved to be a good summary of the history of that era.
Questions you may have about this are:
- How good a song can a list of names be?
- What are the lyrics to the song?
- What about these people and events?
This lesson will answer those questions.
Also see: “We Didn’t Start the Fire” (Facts) for an explanation of each item.
Poetry of lyrics
It is enlightening to read the lyrics to see how Billy Joel rhymed the historical events. I broke up the lyrics to make it easier to get the feeling of the song.
The chorus of the song is interesting in saying that “we (that generation) didn’t light the fire (cause the problems), but we tried to fight them.” What he is saying that the generation of young people in each era were not responsible for the problems and culture of the times. But many tried to rebel or even fought to solve the problems.
Lyrics
Note: The dates at the left link to the facts page to give details about the listed events.
1949
Harry Truman, Doris Day,
Red China, Johnny Ray
South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio
1950
Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon,
Studebaker, Television
North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe
1951
Rosenbergs, H-bomb,
Sugar Ray, Panmunjom
Brando, The King and I,
And The Catcher In The Rye
1952
Eisenhower, Vaccine,
England’s got a new queen
Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye
(chorus)
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it
1953
Joseph Stalin, Malenkov,
Nasser and Prokofiev,
Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc
1954
Roy Cohn,
Juan Peron,
Toscanini, Dacron
Dien Bien Phu Falls, Rock Around the Clock
1955
Einstein, James Dean,
Brooklyn’s got a winning team
Davy Crockett, Peter Pan,
Elvis Presley, Disneyland
1956
Bardot, Budapest
Alabama, Khrushchev
Princess Grace,
Peyton Place
Trouble in the Suez
(chorus)
We didn’t start the fire.
It was always burning, since the world’s been turning.
We didn’t start the fire.
No, we didn’t light it.
But we tried to fight it.
1957
Little Rock, Pasternak,
Mickey Mantle, Kerouac
Sputnik, Chou En-Lai,
Bridge On The River Kwai
1958
Lebanon, Charles de Gaulle,
California baseball
Starkweather homicides,
Children of Thalidomide
1959
Buddy Holly, Ben Hur,
Space Monkey, Mafia
Hula Hoops, Castro,
Edsel is a no-go
1960
U2, Syngman Rhee,
Payola and Kennedy
Chubby Checker, Psycho,
Belgians in the Congo
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning, since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it
1961
Hemingway, Eichmann,
Stranger in a Strange Land
Dylan,
Berlin,
Bay of Pigs invasion
1962
Lawrence of Arabia,
British Beatle-mania
Ole Miss, John Glenn,
Liston beats Patterson
1963
Pope Paul, Malcolm X,
British Politician sex
J.F.K. blown away,
What else do I have to say?
(chorus)
We didn’t start the fire.
It was always burning, since the world’s been turning.
We didn’t start the fire.
No, we didn’t light it.
But we tried to fight it.
1964-1989
Birth control, Ho Chi Minh,
Richard Nixon back again
Moonshot,
Woodstock,
Watergate, punk rock
Begin,
Reagan
Palestine,
Terror on the airline
Ayatollah’s in Iran,
Russians in Afghanistan
Wheel of Fortune, Sally Ride,
Heavy metal, suicide
Foreign debts,
Homeless Vets,
AIDS, Crack, Bernie Goetz
Hypodermics on the shores,
China’s under martial law,
Rock and roller, cola wars,
I can’t take it anymore
(chorus)
We didn’t start the fire.
It was always burning, since the world’s been turning.
We didn’t start the fire.
No, we didn’t light it.
But we tried to fight it.
Historical events
The events are generally grouped according to date until towards the end of the song.
After you finished the Mini-Quiz, see the next page: “We Didn’t Start the Fire” (Facts) for an explanation of each item.
Summary
Sometimes songs or poems can lead you to the history of the times. The song “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel provided a good listing of important historical events and personalities between 1949 and 1989.
Songs can tell about history of the times
Resources and references
The following resources provide information on this subject: