Editing We Didn't Start the Fire

{{Short description|1989 single by Billy Joel}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox song
| name          = We Didn't Start the Fire
| cover         = WeDidntStarttheFire.jpg
| alt           = The cover of Billy Joel in a black-and-white photograph posted in a newspaper with its name, The New York Times largely cut out, situated beside the last lines of the lyrics and underneath the header, showing the enlarged name of the artist, and the song title as its sub-header.
| type          = single
| artist        = [[Billy Joel]]
| album         = [[Storm Front (album)|Storm Front]]
| B-side        = House of Blue Light
| released      = {{start date|1989|9|18}}
| recorded      = 
| studio        = 
| genre         = [[Pop rock]]<ref name="Best2004">{{cite book|author=Curwen Best|title=Culture @ the Cutting Edge: Tracking Caribbean Popular Music|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XyyqqOQjhnUC&pg=PA138|year=2004|publisher=University of the West Indies Press|isbn=978-976-640-124-5|page=138}}</ref>
| length        =
* 4:49 (album version)
* 4:29 (single version)
| label         = [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
| writer        = Billy Joel
| producer      =
* [[Mick Jones (Foreigner guitarist)|Mick Jones]]
* Billy Joel
| prev_title    = [[Baby Grand]]
| prev_year     = 1987
| next_title    = [[Leningrad (song)|Leningrad]]
| next_year     = 1989
| misc          = {{External music video|{{YouTube|eFTLKWw542g|"We Didn't Start the Fire"}}}}
}}
{{listen |filename=WeDidntStartTheFire.ogg |title="We Didn't Start the Fire" (1989) |description="We Didn't Start the Fire" lists historical events in stream of consciousness. |format=[[Ogg]]}}
"'''We Didn't Start the Fire'''" is a song written by American musician [[Billy Joel]]. The song was released as a single on September 18, 1989, and later released as part of Joel's album ''[[Storm Front (album)|Storm Front]]'' on October 17, 1989. A [[list song]], its fast-paced lyrics include [[List of references in We Didn't Start the Fire|a series of brief references]] to 119<ref>{{cite web |last=Matthias |first=Meg |title=All 119 References in "We Didn't Start the Fire," Explained |url=https://www.britannica.com/list/all-119-references-in-we-didnt-start-the-fire-explained |website=Britannica}}</ref> significant political, cultural, scientific, and sporting events between 1949 (the year of Joel's birth) and 1989, in mainly chronological order.

The song was nominated for the [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year]] and, in late 1989, became Joel's third single to reach number one in the United States [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]. ''Storm Front'' became Joel's third album to reach number one in the US. "We Didn't Start the Fire", particularly in the 21st century, has become the basis of many pop culture [[Parody|parodies]], and continues to be repurposed in various television shows, advertisements, and comedic productions. Despite its early success, Joel later noted his dislike of the song musically, and it was critically panned as one of his worst by later generations of music critics.

== History ==
Joel conceived the idea for the song when he had just turned 40. He was in a recording studio and met a 21-year-old friend of [[Sean Lennon]] who said "It's a terrible time to be 21!". Joel replied: "Yeah, I remember when I was 21 – I thought it was an awful time and we had [[Vietnam War|Vietnam]], and y'know, [[War on drugs|drug problems]], and [[Civil rights movement|civil rights problems]] and everything seemed to be awful". The friend replied: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, but it's different for you. You were a kid in the fifties and everybody knows that nothing happened in the fifties". Joel retorted: "Wait a minute, didn't you hear of the [[Korean War]] or the [[Suez Crisis|Suez Canal Crisis]]?" Joel later said those headlines formed the basic framework for the song.<ref>{{cite magazine |last = Nadboy |first = Arie |title = I am the Edu-Tainer |magazine = Island Ear |date = March 1996 }} Cited by {{harvp|Bordowitz|2006|p= 169}}.</ref>

Joel later criticized the song on strictly musical grounds.<ref name="shades" /><ref name="oxford1994" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=del Rosario |first1=Alexandra |title=Fall Out Boy updated Billy Joel's 'We Didn't Start the Fire.' Fans say it's 'unhinged' |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2023-06-29/fall-out-boy-we-didnt-start-the-fire-billy-joel-slammed-cover |website=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=September 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230901024030/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2023-06-29/fall-out-boy-we-didnt-start-the-fire-billy-joel-slammed-cover |archive-date=September 1, 2023 |date=June 29, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1993, when discussing it with documentary filmmaker David Horn, Joel compared its melodic content unfavorably to his song "[[The Longest Time]]": "Take a song like 'We Didn't Start the Fire'. It's really not much of a song&nbsp;... If you take the melody by itself, terrible. Like a dentist drill."<ref name="shades">{{cite AV media | people=Horn, David (Director) | date=1993 | title=Billy Joel: Shades of Grey | medium=Motion picture | location=New York | publisher=Thirteen/WNET and Maritime Music}}</ref>

When asked if he deliberately intended to chronicle the [[Cold War]] with his song<ref>The song describes events between 1949 (when the Soviet Union detonated [[List of states with nuclear weapons#Statistics and force configuration|their first atomic bomb]]) and 1989 (when the [[Fall of the Berlin Wall|Berlin Wall fell]]).</ref> he responded: "It was just my luck that the [[Soviet Union]] [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|decided to close down shop]] [soon after putting out the song]", and that this span "had a symmetry to it, it was 40 years" that he had lived through. He was asked if he could do a follow-up about the next couple of years after the events that transpired in the original song, and he commented: "No, I wrote one song already and I don't think it was really that good to begin with, melodically".<ref name="oxford1994">{{Citation |title=Billy Joel - Q&A: Tell Us About "We Didn't Start The Fire"? (Oxford 1994) | date=October 22, 2013 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx3T8pbDcms |language=en |access-date=January 19, 2023}}</ref>

== Critical reception ==
Upon its release, "We Didn't Start the Fire" was met with a mixed response. David Giles from ''[[Music Week]]'' wrote, "Promising return which finds Joel in rockier mood with a very wordy song cramming in references to virtually every major figure and event in the twentieth century. After all that, the message of the lyrics is foggy and confused, but this should certainly see him back in the charts."<ref>{{cite magazine|first=David|last=Giles|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1989/MW-1989-09-30.pdf|title=Singles|magazine=[[Music Week]]|date=September 30, 1989|page=25|access-date=March 13, 2023}}</ref>

Though the lyrics are rapid-fire with several people and events mentioned in each stanza, there is widespread agreement on the meaning of the lyrics. Steven Ettinger wrote:

{{blockquote|Billy Joel captured the major images, events, and personalities of this half-century in a three-minute song{{nbsp}}... It was pure information overload, a song that assumed we knew exactly what he was singing about{{nbsp}}... What was truly alarming was the realization that we, the listeners, for the most part understood the references.<ref name="247Torah">{{cite book |last = Ettinger |first = Steven |title = Torah 24/7: A Timely Guide for the Modern Spirit |publisher = Devorah Publishing Company |year = 2003 |pages = 2 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=PFlr902_FY8C |isbn = 1-930143-73-7 |access-date = April 2, 2010 }}</ref>}}

After a cover by [[Fall Out Boy]] was released in 2023 to negative critical reception, the song was once again brought to the forefront, and modern critics panned even the original song as one of Joel's worst in his entire catalog.<ref>{{cite web |title=The 33 Things Wrong With Fall Out Boy's Updated "We Didn't Start the Fire"|url=https://slate.com/culture/2023/06/we-didnt-start-the-fire-fall-out-boy-lyrics.html |website=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |access-date=September 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628174140/https://slate.com/culture/2023/06/we-didnt-start-the-fire-fall-out-boy-lyrics.html |archive-date=June 28, 2023 |date=June 28, 2023 |quote=Billy Joel’s original is awful—even Joel himself compares its melody to a dentist’s drill |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Good |first1=Owen S. |title=Somehow, Fall Out Boy made an all-time bad song even worse |url=https://www.polygon.com/23777099/fall-out-boy-we-didnt-start-the-fire-lyrics-cover |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |access-date=September 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701184247/https://www.polygon.com/23777099/fall-out-boy-we-didnt-start-the-fire-lyrics-cover |archive-date=July 1, 2023 |date=June 28, 2023 |quote=Where Joel’s day-zero cringegasm... |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=D'Andrea |first1=Christian |title=Fall Out Boy's We Didn't Start the Fire means we live in a circle of hell that would leave Dante breathless |url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/2023/06/fallout-boy-we-didnt-start-the-fire-so-bad-this-is-hell |website=[[USA Today]] |access-date=September 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629184833/https://ftw.usatoday.com/2023/06/fallout-boy-we-didnt-start-the-fire-so-bad-this-is-hell |archive-date=June 29, 2023 |date=June 28, 2023 |quote=So, Fall Out Boy decided to update and somehow make worse the worst Billy Joel song...}}</ref>

== Music video ==
{{external media | width = 210px | float = right | video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFTLKWw542g Billy Joel – We Didn't Start the Fire (Official Video)], 4:05 |video2=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=606RgySQl-A Billy Joel – We Didn't Start The Fire (Official Video, Extended)] 04:26}}
A music video for the song was directed by Chris Blum.<ref>Garcia, Alex S. [http://www.mvdbase.com/video.php?id=14662 Billy Joel – We didn't start the fire] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021111719/http://www.mvdbase.com/video.php?id=14662 |date=October 21, 2018 }}. MVDBase – Music Video Database.</ref> The video begins with a newly married couple entering their 1940s-style kitchen, and shows events in their domestic life over the next four decades, including the addition and growth of their children and grandchildren, the 1950s housewife burning dinner, a distraught 1960s housewife whose disinterested husband and children won't eat her cooking, popping pills, the [[hippie]] counterculture children burning their bras and draft cards while smoking [[marijuana]] in the kitchen, and the eventual death of the family's father. The passage of time is also depicted by periodic redecoration and upgrades of the kitchen, while an unchanging Billy Joel looks on in the background. Joel is also shown banging on a table in front of a burning backdrop depicting various images that include the [[execution of Nguyễn Văn Lém]] and the [[Jack Ruby Shoots Lee Harvey Oswald|assassination of Lee Harvey Oswald]], among others.

== Derivations ==
Many parodies and takeoffs have been based on the song (often expanding to events that have occurred since 1989). These parodies include ''[[The Simpsons]]''' parody "They'll Never Stop the Simpsons" at the end of the 2002 "[[Gump Roast]]" episode,<ref name="WDSTSP">{{cite magazine |author=Seisman, Matt |date=April 16, 2009 |title=We Didn't Start the Song Parody |url=http://techland.com/2009/04/16/we-didnt-start-the-song-parody/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100522180854/http://techland.com/2009/04/16/we-didnt-start-the-song-parody/ |archive-date=May 22, 2010 |access-date=May 28, 2010 |magazine=Techland.com |publisher=Time.com}}</ref> and the San Francisco [[a cappella]] group The Richter Scales' 2007 [[Webby Award]]-winning parody "Here Comes Another Bubble".<ref>{{cite web |title = 12th Annual Webby Awards Nominees & Winners : Online Film & Video |url = http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current.php?media_id=97&season=12#film-viral |year = 2008 |publisher = WebbyAwards.com |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090916202434/http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current.php?media_id=97&season=12#film-viral |archive-date = September 16, 2009 }}</ref>

On May 17, 1990, the Irish rock band the Memories reached number one on the [[Irish Singles Chart]] with their version of the song entitled "The Game (Italia '90)" which celebrated [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland]]'s [[1990 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 6|qualification]] for the [[1990 FIFA World Cup]] in Italy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juaaeH_AjeE|title=The Game (Italia '90)|date=June 21, 2020 |via=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> Billy Joel partially covered the Memories version when he performed in [[Dublin]].

In 2004, [[Boris Novković]] and [[Dino Dvornik]] released a song "Malo Nas Je, Al' Nas Ima" ("We Are Few, But We Exist"), listing [[Croatia]]n VIPs and events.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOXt8Sf7VCk |title=Malo Nas Je Al Nas Ima |language=en |access-date=May 10, 2024 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref>

In 2006, [[Coca-Cola Company|Coca-Cola]] sampled the song to make an anthem for the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]] in [[Latin America]], changing the lyrics according to the country.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.merca20.com/5-populares-canciones-que-la-publicidad-transformo-en-jingles/4/ |title = 5 populares canciones que la publicidad transformó en jingles|website=Merca20.com |date = November 20, 2014 }}</ref>

In 2007, [[JibJab]] released an installment of their then-annual "Year in Review" videos, which was set to the tune of "We Didn't Start the Fire".

In 2013, YouTuber [[Dane Boedigheimer]], known as the creator of the popular comedic web series ''[[Annoying Orange]]'', produced a parody as part of [[YouTube]]'s Comedy Week titled "We Didn't Start the Viral", although the video's audio was later replaced for copyright infringement despite being considered [[fair use]] as a work of parody.<ref>{{cite web |last1 = Kurp |first1 = Josh |title = 'We Didn't Start The Viral' Is A Musical Recap Of YouTube's Greatest Hits |url = http://uproxx.com/webculture/2013/05/we-didnt-start-the-viral-is-a-musical-recap-of-youtubes-greatest-hits/ |website = Uproxx.com|access-date = June 12, 2014 |date = May 24, 2013 }}</ref>

In June 2013, Pop band [[Milo Greene]] performed a version of the song for ''[[The A.V. Club]]''{{'s}} A.V. Undercover series.<ref name="undercover">{{cite web |title = Milo Greene covers Billy Joel |website = [[The A.V. Club]] |url = http://www.avclub.com/articles/milo-greene-covers-billy-joel,93875/ |access-date = May 25, 2013 |archive-date = March 8, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210308120700/https://www.avclub.com/articles/milo-greene-covers-billy-joel,93875/ |url-status = dead }}</ref>

In 2019, talk show host [[Jimmy Fallon]] performed a version of the song for ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon|The Tonight Show]]'', which highlights characters and moments in the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]] since ''[[Iron Man (2008 film)|Iron Man]]'', leading to ''[[Avengers: Endgame]]'', with backup by cast members [[Robert Downey Jr.]], [[Chris Hemsworth]], [[Chris Evans (actor)|Chris Evans]], [[Jeremy Renner]], [[Don Cheadle]], [[Mark Ruffalo]], [[Paul Rudd]], [[Danai Gurira]], [[Karen Gillan]] and [[Brie Larson]].<ref name="Fallon">{{Cite episode |title=Avengers: Endgame Cast Sings "We Didn't Start the Fire" |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-onk-Qm7ATw |series=The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon |network=NBC |language=en |date=April 22, 2019 |access-date=January 19, 2023 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

On June 28, 2023, [[Fall Out Boy]] released [[We Didn't Start the Fire (Fall Out Boy song)|their own version]] of the song with updated lyrics that references events that happened from 1989 to 2023. Unlike Joel's original, Fall Out Boy's version did not list events in chronological order. On September 12, 2023, the band performed it at the [[2023 MTV Video Music Awards]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Greene |first=Andy |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/fall-out-boys-we-didnt-start-the-fire-cover-1234779903/ |title=Hear Fall Out Boy's Updated Take on 'We Didn't Start The Fire' That Covers 1989 to 2023 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=June 28, 2023 |access-date=June 28, 2023 }}</ref> The song was widely panned by fans and critics,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Del Rosario |first1=Alexandra |title=Fall Out Boy updated Billy Joel's 'We Didn't Start the Fire.' Fans say it's 'unhinged' |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2023-06-29/fall-out-boy-we-didnt-start-the-fire-billy-joel-slammed-cover |website=Los Angeles Times |date=June 29, 2023 |access-date=November 30, 2023}}</ref> especially for its lack of chronological sequencing present in Joel's original and its omission of some events and people, particularly the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. Fall Out Boy [[bassist]] and lead songwriter, [[Pete Wentz]], said in an interview regarding the exclusion: “It’s like, that’s all anybody talked… You know what I mean? I don’t know. It felt like there was a couple of things that felt like a little on the nose. And then there were a couple of things where it was like … Bush V. Gore, we needed the rhyme.”<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rettig |first1=James |title=Pete Wentz Explains Why Fall Out Boy's Updated "We Didn't Start The Fire" Isn't Chronological And Doesn't Mention COVID |url=http://www.stereogum.com/2228720/pete-wentz-fall-out-boy-we-didnt-start-the-fire-explanation/news/ |website=Stereogum |date=June 28, 2023 |access-date=November 30, 2023}}</ref>

== Personnel ==
*[[Billy Joel]] – vocals, [[clavinet]], percussion
*[[Liberty DeVitto]] – drums, percussion
*David Brown – lead guitar
*[[Joey Hunting]] – rhythm guitar
*[[Crystal Taliefero]] – backing vocals, percussion
*Schuyler Deale – bass guitar
*John Mahoney – keyboards
*Sammy Merendino – electronic percussion
*Kevin Jones – keyboard programming
*Doug Kleeger – sounds effects and arrangements

== Charts ==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

=== Weekly charts ===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Weekly chart performance for "We Didn't Start the Fire"
!scope="col"|Chart (1989–1990)
!scope="col"|Peak<br />position
|-
{{single chart|Australia|2|artist=Billy Joel|song=We Didn't Start The Fire|rowheader=true|access-date=January 6, 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|Austria|7|artist=Billy Joel|song=We Didn't Start The Fire|rowheader=true|access-date=January 6, 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|Flanders|6|artist=Billy Joel|song=We Didn't Start The Fire|rowheader=true|access-date=January 6, 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|Canadatopsingles|2|chartid=6660|rowheader=true|access-date=January 6, 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|Canadaadultcontemporary|9|chartid=6685|rowheader=true|access-date=January 6, 2021}}
|-
!scope="row"|Europe ([[European Hot 100 Singles]])<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1989/M&M-1989-11-25.pdf|title=Eurochart – Hot 100 Singles|publisher=World Radio History|journal=[[Music and Media]]|date=November 25, 1989|page=V|access-date=January 6, 2021}}</ref>
|21
|-
{{single chart|Ireland2|3|artist=Billy Joel|rowheader=true|access-date=January 6, 2021}}
|-
!scope="row"|Japan ([[Oricon]])<ref name="Oricon">{{cite book|title=Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005|publisher=Oricon Entertainment|location=Roppongi, Tokyo|year=2006|isbn=4-87131-077-9}}</ref>
|11
|-
{{single chart|Dutch40|11|artist=Billy Joel|song=We Didn't Start The Fire|rowheader=true|access-date=January 6, 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|Dutch100|11|artist=Billy Joel|song=We Didn't Start The Fire|rowheader=true|access-date=January 6, 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|New Zealand|5|artist=Billy Joel|song=We Didn't Start The Fire|rowheader=true|access-date=January 6, 2021}}
|-
!scope="row"|Switzerland Airplay ([[GfK|Schweizer Hitparade]])<ref name="MM-1989-11-11">{{cite journal|url=http://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1989/M&M-1989-11-11.pdf|title=Playlist Report|publisher=worldradiohistory.com|journal=[[Music and Media]]|date=November 11, 1989|page=II|access-date=January 6, 2021}}</ref>
|3
|-
{{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|7|artist=Billy Joel|song=We Didn't Start The Fire|artistid=16696|rowheader=true|access-date=January 6, 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboardhot100|1|artist=Billy Joel|rowheader=true|access-date=January 6, 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboardadultcontemporary|5|artist=Billy Joel|rowheader=true|access-date=January 6, 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboardmainstreamrock|6|artist=Billy Joel|rowheader=true|access-date=January 6, 2021}}
|-
{{single chart|West Germany|4|artist=Billy Joel|song=We Didn't Start The Fire|songid=11806|rowheader=true|access-date=January 6, 2021}}
|}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!scope="col"|Chart (2019–2023)
!scope="col"|Peak<br />position
|-
!scope="row"|US [[Billboard (magazine)|Rock Digital Song Sales]] ([[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']])<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/billy-joel/chart-history/rkt/|title=Billy Joel Chart History (Rock Digital Song Sales)|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=January 6, 2021}}</ref>
|17
|-
!scope="row"|US [[Billboard (magazine)|Rock Streaming Songs]] ([[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']])<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/billy-joel/chart-history/ros/|title=Billy Joel Chart History (Rock Streaming Songs)|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=January 6, 2021}}</ref>
|18
|}
{{col-2}}

=== Year-end charts ===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+1989 year-end chart performance for "We Didn't Start the Fire"
!scope="col"|Chart (1989)
!scope="col"|Position
|-
!scope="row"|Australia (ARIA)<ref name="ausye">{{cite web|url=https://www.aria.com.au/charts/1989/singles-chart|title=1989 ARIA Singles Chart|publisher=[[Australian Recording Industry Association|ARIA]]|access-date=October 4, 2019}}</ref>
|37
|-
!scope="row"|Belgium (Ultratop)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/annual.asp?year=1989|title=Jaaroverzichten 1989: Singles|language=nl|publisher=Ultratop|access-date=August 4, 2020}}</ref>
|65
|-
{{single chart|Canadatopsingles|77|chartid=6684|rowheader=true|access-date=February 20, 2025|refname=CA_YE89}}
|-
!scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC)<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Year End Singles|magazine=[[Record Mirror]]|page=44|date=January 27, 1990}}</ref>
|53
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+1990 year-end chart performance for "We Didn't Start the Fire"
!Chart (1990)
!Position
|-
{{single chart|Canadatopsingles|50|chartid=9139|rowheader=true|access-date=February 20, 2025|refname=CA_YE90}}
|-
!scope="row"|Germany (Media Control)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/single-jahr/for-date-1990|title=Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 1990|publisher=[[GfK Entertainment]]|language=de|access-date=March 18, 2021}}</ref>
|31
|-
!scope="row"|US [[Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1990|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]<ref>{{cite magazine |title=1990 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles |magazine=Billboard |volume=102 |issue=51 |page=YE-14 |date=December 22, 1990}}</ref>
|35
|}
{{col-end}}

== Certifications ==
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for "We Didn't Start the Fire"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=1989|certyear=1990|access-date=July 18, 2021}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=single|artist=Billy Joel|title=We Didn't Start the Fire|award=Gold|relyear=1989|certyear=1990|access-date=October 4, 2019}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|type=single|artist=Billy Joel|title=We Didn't Start the Fire|award=Gold|relyear=1989|certyear=2024|access-date=June 10, 2024|id=13981}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|type=single|artist=Billy Joel|title=We Didn't Start the Fire|award=Gold|relyear=1989|certyear=2024|access-date=November 29, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|type=single|artist=Billy Joel|title=We Didn't Start the Fire|award=Platinum|number=3|relyear=1983|access-date=December 17, 2024|certyear=2024|source=radioscope}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Billy Joel|title=We Didn't Start the Fire|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1989|certyear=2024|access-date=September 20, 2024|id=14235-1999-1}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=single|number=3|artist=Billy Joel|title=We Didn't Start the Fire|award=Platinum|relyear=1989|certyear=2021|access-date=November 19, 2021}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|streaming=true}}

== Release history ==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+Release dates and formats for "We Didn't Start the Fire"
!scope="col"|Region
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Format(s)
!scope="col"|Label(s)
!scope="col"|{{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
!scope="row" rowspan="2"|United Kingdom
|September 18, 1989
|{{hlist|7-inch vinyl|12-inch vinyl|CD}}
|rowspan="2"|[[CBS Records International|CBS]]
|<ref>{{cite magazine|title=New Singles|magazine=[[Music Week]]|page=36|date=September 16, 1989}}</ref>
|-
|September 25, 1989
|Cassette
|<ref>{{cite magazine|title=New Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=44|date=September 23, 1989}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|Japan
|November 9, 1989
|Mini-CD
|[[CBS/Sony]]
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/134163/products/90087/1/|title=ビリー・ジョエル {{!}} ハートにファイヤー|trans-title=Billy Joel {{!}} Fire in the Heart|publisher=[[Oricon]]|language=ja|access-date=May 1, 2025}}</ref>
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== In popular culture ==
In 2021, a weekly podcast began, hosted by [[Katie Puckrik]] and [[Tom Fordyce]], entitled ''[[We Didn't Start the Fire (podcast)|We Didn't Start the Fire]]''. Each week they examine a subject mentioned in the Billy Joel song, in lyric order, and discuss its importance and cultural significance with an expert guest.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/aug/01/indie-podcast-gems-you-might-have-missed|title=Raves, musicals and a time-travelling diner: 20 must-listen indie podcast gems|website=[[TheGuardian.com]]|date=August 2021}}</ref>

In ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode "[[Gump Roast]]", a parody of the song "They'll Never Stop the Simpsons" is played at the end of the episode, recounting past plots and possible ideas for future plots.

The song features prominently, along with a number of other Billy Joel songs, in the streaming series ''[[The Boys (TV series)|The Boys]]'' from [[Amazon Prime]] in which the character [[Hughie Campbell]], played by [[Jack Quaid]], has a preoccupation with the American singer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsday.com/amp/entertainment/music/billy-joel/billy-joel-we-didnt-start-the-fire-podcast-1.50131901|title = Joel's 'We Didn't Start the Fire' inspires projects|first=Frank|last=Lawrence|date=January 27, 2021}}</ref>

In the ''[[Veep]]'' series finale "Veep", the song plays as [[Selina Meyer]] and Jonah Ryan are announced as their party's presidential and vice-presidential candidates for the 2020 election. This is a recall back to the episode "Mother", during which Meyer said that Billy Joel would perform at her inauguration after vote recounting in Nevada following an Electoral College tie diminished her chances of winning.

== Events and people outlined ==
The following events and individual's names, with Joel's lyric for each appearing in '''bold''', are listed in the order that they appear in the song, which is almost entirely chronological.<ref name="LyricsatBJ">{{cite web |last = Joel |first = Billy |author-link = Billy Joel |title = Lyrics: We Didn't Start the Fire |work = Billy Joel |url = http://www.billyjoel.com/music/storm-front/we-didnt-start-fire |access-date = August 24, 2009 }}</ref> The lyrics for each item are minimal, and the items are punctuated by the [[refrain|chorus]] and other lyrical elements.  The following list includes longer, more descriptive names for clarity. Events and names from a variety of contexts – such as popular entertainment, foreign affairs, and sports – are intermingled, giving an impression of the culture of the time as a whole. There are 118 items listed in the song.
<!--Please do not edit the following list to bring it more in line with Joel's lyrics, which violate his copyright.-->

=== 1940s ===

==== 1948 ====
*'''[[Harry Truman]]''' wins the [[1948 United States presidential election]] following a partial term after the death of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]].
*'''[[Doris Day]]''' debuts in film in ''[[Romance on the High Seas]]'', featuring the popular song "[[It's Magic]]".

==== 1949 ====
*'''[[Proclamation of the People's Republic of China|Red China]]''' is established by [[Chinese Communist Party|The Communist Party of China]] which wins the [[Chinese Civil War]].
*'''[[Johnnie Ray]]''', a [[rock and roll]] progenitor, signs his first recording contract with [[Okeh Records]].
* '''''[[South Pacific (musical)|South Pacific]]''''', the award-winning musical, opens on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]].
*'''[[Walter Winchell]],''' an influential radio and newspaper journalist, begins to denounce Communism as the main threat facing America.
*'''[[Joe DiMaggio]]''' signs a record-breaking $100,000 contract with the [[New York Yankees]].

=== 1950s ===

==== 1950 ====
*'''[[Joe McCarthy]]''', a [[U.S. Senator]], gains national attention and begins his [[McCarthyism|anti-Communism crusade]] with his [[Lincoln Day]] speech.
*'''[[Richard Nixon]]''' is first [[1950 United States Senate elections|elected]] to the [[United States Senate]].
*'''[[Studebaker]]''', a popular automobile company, begins its financial downfall.
*'''[[Television]]''' becomes widespread throughout Europe and North America.
*'''[[North Korea]]''' invades '''[[South Korea]]''', beginning the [[Korean War]].
*'''[[Marilyn Monroe]]''' appears in five films, including ''[[The Asphalt Jungle]]'' and ''[[All About Eve]].''

==== 1951 ====
* The '''[[Julius and Ethel Rosenberg|Rosenbergs]]''', married couple Ethel and Julius, are convicted of espionage.
*'''[[Thermonuclear weapon|H-Bomb]]''' development begins in the United States.
* [[Sugar Ray Robinson|'''Sugar Ray''' Robinson]], a champion boxer, defeats [[Jake LaMotta]] in the "[[Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Jake LaMotta#Title fight|St. Valentine's Day Massacre]]".
*'''[[Panmunjom]]''', a border village in Korea, is the location of truce talks between the parties of the [[Korean War]].
* [[Marlon Brando|Marlon '''Brando''']] is nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] for his role in ''[[A Streetcar Named Desire (1951 film)|A Streetcar Named Desire]]''.
* '''''[[The King and I]]''''', the musical by [[Rodgers and Hammerstein]], opens on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]].
* '''''[[The Catcher in the Rye]]''''', a controversial novel by [[J. D. Salinger]], is published.

==== 1952 ====
* [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|Dwight D. '''Eisenhower''']] is the landslide winner of the [[1952 United States presidential election]].
*'''[[Polio vaccine|Vaccine]]''' for [[polio]] is successfully developed by [[Jonas Salk]].
*The [[Proclamation of accession of Elizabeth II|'''new Queen''' of '''England''']]: Princess Elizabeth succeeds to the throne as Queen [[Elizabeth II]] and is [[Coronation of Elizabeth II|crowned]] the following year.
* [[Rocky Marciano|Rocky '''Marciano''']] defeats [[Jersey Joe Walcott]], becoming the world [[heavyweight boxing champion]].
*'''[[Liberace]]''' first broadcasts ''The Liberace Show''.
*[[George Santayana|George '''Santayana''']], philosopher, essayist, poet and novelist, dies.

==== 1953 ====
*'''[[Joseph Stalin]]''', leader of the [[Soviet Union]], dies.
* [[Georgy Malenkov|Georgy '''Malenkov''']] succeeds Stalin for six months. 
* [[Gamal Abdel Nasser|Gamal Abdel '''Nasser''']] acts as the true power behind the new Egyptian nation as [[Muhammad Naguib]]'s minister of the interior.
* [[Sergei Prokofiev|Sergei '''Prokofiev''']], a popular Russian composer, dies.
* [[Winthrop Rockefeller|Winthrop '''Rockefeller''']] had a highly publicized divorce in 1953, but [[Nelson Rockefeller]] and [[John D. Rockefeller III]] also made headlines that year. Billy Joel himself has stated<ref>{{cite web |url=https://play.acast.com/s/we-did-not-start-the-fire/billyjoel |title=Billy Joel |date=14 October 2021}} Time: 18:50 of podcast.</ref> that Nelson Rockefeller was meant, in particular for his fame as governor of New York state. However, Nelson was governor from 1959 to 1973, whereas all other items in this verse happened in 1953.
* [[Roy Campanella|Roy '''Campanella''']], a baseball catcher for the [[History of the Brooklyn Dodgers|Brooklyn Dodgers]], receives the [[National League (baseball)|National League]]'s [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award|Most Valuable Player]] award for the second time.
*'''[[Eastern Bloc|Communist Bloc]]''': The [[East German uprising of 1953]] is crushed by the [[Volkspolizei]] and the [[Group of Soviet Forces in Germany]].

==== 1954 ====
*'''[[Roy Cohn]]''' resigns as [[Joseph McCarthy]]'s chief counsel and enters [[Roy Cohn#Later career and disbarment|private practice]].
*'''[[Juan Perón]]''' is at the height of his power as [[President of Argentina]] before a [[Revolución Libertadora|coup the following year]].
* [[Arturo Toscanini|Arturo '''Toscanini''']] is at the height of his fame as a conductor, performing regularly with the [[NBC Symphony Orchestra]] on U.S. national radio.
*'''[[Dacron]]''' is an early artificial fiber made from the same plastic as [[polyester]].
*'''[[Battle of Dien Bien Phu|Dien Bien Phu falls]]''' to [[Việt Minh]] forces, leading to the creation of [[North Vietnam]] and [[South Vietnam]] as separate states.
* '''"[[Rock Around the Clock]]"''' is a hit single released by [[Bill Haley & His Comets]].

==== 1955 ====
* [[Albert Einstein|Albert '''Einstein''']] dies at the age of 76.
*'''[[James Dean]]''' achieves success with ''[[East of Eden (film)|East of Eden]]'' and ''[[Rebel Without a Cause]]'', but [[Death of James Dean|dies]] in a car accident at the age of 24.
*'''[[1955 Brooklyn Dodgers season|Brooklyn's got a winning team]]''': The [[History of the Brooklyn Dodgers|Brooklyn Dodgers]] win their first and only [[1955 World Series|World Series]] before [[History of the Brooklyn Dodgers#Move to California|their move to Los Angeles]].
* '''''[[Davy Crockett (miniseries)|Davy Crockett]]''''', a [[Disney]] television [[miniseries]] about the legendary frontiersman [[Davy Crockett]], was a huge hit and inspired a short-lived "[[coonskin cap]]" craze.
*'''[[Peter Pan]]''', recently featured in a [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Disney]] [[Peter Pan (1953 film)|animated feature]], is also the subject of a [[Peter Pan (1954 musical)|stage musical]] starring [[Mary Martin]], broadcast on [[NBC]] live and in color.
*'''[[Elvis Presley]]''' signs with [[RCA Records]], going on to earn a reputation as the "King of Rock and Roll".
*'''[[Disneyland]]''' opens as [[Walt Disney]]'s first theme park.

==== 1956 ====
* [[Brigitte Bardot|Brigitte '''Bardot''']] stars in ''[[And God Created Woman (1956 film)|And God Created Woman]]'', the film that establishes her international reputation as a French "sex kitten".
*'''[[Budapest]]''', is the site of the [[1956 Hungarian Revolution|Hungarian Revolution]].
*'''[[Alabama]]''' is the site of the [[Montgomery bus boycott]], one of the pivotal events in the [[civil rights movement]].
* [[Nikita Khrushchev|Nikita '''Khrushchev''']] makes his famous [[On the Personality Cult and its Consequences|Secret Speech]] denouncing Stalin's "[[cult of personality]]".
* [[Grace Kelly|'''Princess Grace''' Kelly]] appears in her last film ''[[High Society (1956 film)|High Society]]'' and marries [[Rainier III, Prince of Monaco|Prince Rainier III of Monaco]].
* '''''[[Peyton Place (novel)|Peyton Place]]''''', the best-selling socially scandalous novel by [[Grace Metalious]], is published.
*The [[Suez Crisis|'''Suez''' Crisis]] intensifies with more '''trouble''' as [[Egypt]] nationalizes the [[Suez Canal]].

==== 1957 ====
*'''[[Little Rock]]''', [[Arkansas]], is the site of a standoff between [[Governor of Arkansas|Governor]] [[Orval Faubus]] and President Eisenhower over the [[Little Rock Nine]] attending a previously whites-only high school.
* [[Boris Pasternak|Boris '''Pasternak''']], the Russian author, publishes his novel ''[[Doctor Zhivago (novel)|Doctor Zhivago]]''.
*'''[[Mickey Mantle]]''' is in the middle of his career as a famous [[New York Yankees]] outfielder and American League [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] for the sixth year in a row.
* [[Jack Kerouac|Jack '''Kerouac''']] publishes his novel ''[[On the Road]]'', a defining work of the [[Beat Generation]].
*'''[[Sputnik 1|Sputnik]]''' becomes the first [[artificial satellite]], launched by the Soviet Union, marking the start of the [[space race]].
*'''[[Zhou Enlai]]''', [[Premier of the People's Republic of China]], survives an [[Kashmir Princess|assassination attempt]].
* ''[[The Bridge on the River Kwai|The '''Bridge on the River Kwai''']]'' is released, and receives seven [[Academy Awards]], including Best Picture.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1958 |title = The 30th Academy Awards – 1958 |work = oscars.org |access-date = March 6, 2017 }}</ref>

==== 1958 ====
*'''[[Lebanon]]''' is engulfed in a [[1958 Lebanon crisis|political and religious crisis]] that eventually involves U.S. intervention.
*'''[[Charles de Gaulle]]''' is [[1958 French presidential election|elected]] first president of the [[French Fifth Republic]] following the [[May 1958 crisis in France|Algerian Crisis]].
* '''[[California]] [[baseball]]''' begins as the [[History of the Brooklyn Dodgers|Brooklyn Dodgers]] and [[History of the New York Giants (baseball)|New York Giants]] move, respectively, to [[Los Angeles Dodgers|Los Angeles]] and [[San Francisco Giants|San Francisco]].
* '''Starkweather homicide''': [[Charles Starkweather]] killed eleven people, mostly in [[Lincoln, Nebraska]].
* [[Thalidomide scandal|'''Thalidomide''' babies]]: Many pregnant women taking the drug [[Thalidomide]] had '''children''' born with congenital [[birth defects]].

==== 1959 ====
*'''[[Buddy Holly]]''' dies in [[The Day the Music Died|a plane crash]] with [[Ritchie Valens]] and [[The Big Bopper]]. Joel prefaces the lyric with a Holly signature [[vocal hiccup]]: "Uh-huh, uh-huh."
* '''''[[Ben-Hur (1959 film)|Ben-Hur]]''''', starring [[Charlton Heston]], wins eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
*'''[[Monkeys and apes in space|Space Monkey]]''': A rhesus macaque and a squirrel monkey become the first two animals to be launched by [[NASA]] into space and survive.
*'''[[American Mafia|Mafia]]''' leaders are convicted in the [[Apalachin meeting]] trial, confirming it as a nationwide conspiracy.
*'''[[Hula hoop]]s''' sales reach 100 million as the latest toy fad.
* [[Fidel Castro|Fidel '''Castro''']] comes to power after a [[Cuban Revolution|revolution]] in Cuba.
*'''[[Edsel]] is a no-go''': Production of this much-advertised car marque ends after only three years due to poor sales.

=== 1960s ===

==== 1960 ====
*A '''[[Lockheed U-2|U-2]]''' spy plane flown by American [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] pilot [[Francis Gary Powers]] was shot down over the Soviet Union, causing the [[1960 U-2 incident|U-2 Crisis of 1960]]. It does not refer to the band [[U2]] which were formed in 1976.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-01-08-vw-298-story.html |title=Hit Confuses Younger Fans: Joel |work=Los Angeles Times |date=Jan 8, 1990}}</ref>
*'''[[Syngman Rhee]]''' is rescued by the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] after being forced to resign as leader of [[South Korea]].
*'''[[Payola]]''', illegal payments for radio broadcasting of songs, are publicized by [[Dick Clark]]'s testimony before Congress and [[Alan Freed]]'s public disgrace.
* [[John F. Kennedy|John F. '''Kennedy''']], a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, beats Vice President [[Richard Nixon]] in the [[1960 United States presidential election|1960 U.S. presidential election]].
*'''[[Chubby Checker]]''' popularizes the dance [[Twist (dance)|The Twist]] with his cover of the [[The Twist (song)|song of the same name]].
*'''''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]''''', an [[Alfred Hitchcock]] thriller, becomes a landmark in graphic violence and cinema [[sensationalism]]. The screeching violins heard at this point in the song are a trademark of the film's soundtrack.
*'''[[Congo Crisis|Belgians in the Congo]]''': The [[Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville)]] was declared independent of Belgium.

==== 1961 ====
* [[Ernest Hemingway|Ernest '''Hemingway''']] dies by suicide after a long battle with depression.
* [[Adolf Eichmann|Adolf '''Eichmann''']], a "most wanted" Nazi [[war crimes|war criminal]], is [[Eichmann trial|convicted]] in Israel for [[crimes against humanity]] during World War II.
* '''''[[Stranger in a Strange Land]]''''', written by [[Robert A. Heinlein]], is a breakthrough best-seller with themes of sexual freedom and liberation.
* [[Bob Dylan|Bob '''Dylan''']] (then known as Robert Zimmerman) is signed to [[Columbia Records]] after a ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' review by critic [[Robert Shelton (critic)|Robert Shelton]].
* '''[[Berlin]]'''{{'}}s [[Division of Germany|separation]] into [[West Berlin]] and [[East Berlin]] is cemented when the [[Berlin Wall]] is erected.
* The '''[[Bay of Pigs Invasion]]''', an attempt by United States-trained [[Cuban exile]]s to invade [[Cuba]] and overthrow [[Fidel Castro]], fails.

==== 1962 ====
*'''''[[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia]]''''', an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]-winning film starring [[Peter O'Toole]], premiered.
* '''British [[Beatlemania]]''' starts as [[The Beatles]] become one of the world's most popular rock bands.
* '''[[Ole Miss riot of 1962|Ole Miss]]''': Southern [[segregationist]]s [[Ole Miss riot of 1962|rioted]] over the enrollment of black student [[James Meredith]] at the [[University of Mississippi]].
*'''[[John Glenn]]''' flew the first American-crewed orbital mission termed "[[Mercury Atlas 6|Friendship 7]]".
* [[Sonny Liston|Sonny '''Liston''']] knocks out and '''beats''' the rarely defeated [[Floyd Patterson|Floyd '''Patterson''']] in the first round of the world [[heavyweight]] boxing championship.

==== 1963 ====
*[[Pope Paul VI|'''Pope Paul''' VI]] becomes [[pope]] when Cardinal Giovanni Montini [[1963 papal conclave|is elected]] to the title.
*'''[[Malcolm X]]''' incites controversy, including his statement that "the chickens have come home to roost" about John F. Kennedy's assassination.
*[[Profumo affair|'''British politician sex''' scandal]]: British Secretary of State for War [[John Profumo]] has a scandalous sexual relationship with showgirl [[Christine Keeler]].
*US President [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|'''JFK''' is assassinated]] in [[Dallas]], [[Texas]].

==== 1965 ====
*'''[[Birth control]]''': ''[[Griswold v. Connecticut]]'' challenges a Connecticut law prohibiting contraceptives.
*'''[[Ho Chi Minh]]''': In opposition to [[North Vietnam]]ese president Ho Chi Minh, the [[Operation Rolling Thunder|United States deploys troops]] in [[South Vietnam]].

==== 1968 ====
*'''Richard Nixon back again''': After losing to Kennedy in 1960, former Vice President Nixon is [[1968 United States presidential election|elected president in 1968]].

==== 1969 ====
* '''[[Apollo program|Moonshot]]''': [[Apollo 11]] involves the first human landing on the Moon.
*'''[[Woodstock]]''' music festival attracts 400,000, as a touchstone of the [[counterculture of the 1960s]].

=== 1970s ===

==== 1972–1975 ====
*'''[[Watergate scandal|Watergate]]''': The Republican burglary of the [[Democratic National Committee]]'s headquarters at the [[Watergate complex|Watergate office complex]] leads to the resignation of President Nixon.
*'''[[Punk rock]]''' is birthed with the formation of bands such as [[The Ramones]] and the [[Sex Pistols]].

==== 1976–1977 ====
*[[Menachem Begin|Menachem '''Begin''']] becomes [[Prime Minister of Israel]] and negotiates the [[Camp David Accords]] with [[Egypt]]'s president.
*[[Ronald Reagan|Ronald '''Reagan''']], former governor of California, begins his US presidential campaign [[1976 United States presidential election|in 1976]], and is [[1980 United States presidential election|elected in 1980]].
*'''[[Palestine (region)|Palestine]]''': The ongoing [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]] escalates as Israelis establish [[Israeli settlement|settlements]] in the [[West Bank]].
*'''Terrorists on airliners''': Numerous [[aircraft hijacking]]s take place, including an Air France flight diverted to Uganda, where the plane was stormed in [[Operation Entebbe]].

==== 1979 ====
*The '''[[Ayatollah]]''' restored to leadership '''in [[Iran]]''': The [[Iranian Revolution]] replaces secular [[List of monarchs of Persia|Shah]] [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]] with Islamic rule by Ayatollahs led by former exile [[Ruhollah Khomeini]].
*[[Soviet–Afghan War|'''Russians in'''vade '''Afghanistan''']]: The Soviet Union deploys its army into [[Afghanistan]], beginning a decade-long war.

=== 1980s ===

==== 1981–1982 ====
*'''''[[Wheel of Fortune (American game show)|Wheel of Fortune]]''''', an American television game show, debuted in 1975, hires [[Pat Sajak]] and [[Vanna White]] before becoming widely popular in syndication.

==== 1983 ====
*'''[[Sally Ride]]''' becomes the first American woman in space by flying aboard [[Space Shuttle Challenger|''Challenger'']] on the [[STS-7]] shuttle mission.
*'''[[Heavy metal music|Heavy metal]] suicide''': Heavy metal songs such as "[[Suicide Solution]]" and "[[Better By You, Better Than Me]]" are blamed by the families of fans who committed suicide.
*'''[[Trade deficit|Foreign debts]]''': Persistent trade and [[budget deficit]]s lead to numerous countries defaulting on their debts.
*'''[[Homelessness in the United States|Homeless]] vets''': Veterans of the [[Vietnam War]], including many disabled in the service, are becoming homeless and impoverished.
*'''[[HIV/AIDS|AIDS]]''': The immunodeficiency disease caused by [[HIV]] emerges as a pandemic.

==== 1984 ====
*[[Crack cocaine|'''Crack''' cocaine]] became a widely used form of the drug in impoverished [[inner cities]].
*'''[[Bernhard Goetz|Bernie Goetz]]''' shoots four young black men who were trying to mug him on a New York City subway train, and is acquitted of charges.

==== 1988 ====
*'''[[Syringe tide|Hypodermic needles found on the shore]]''': [[Biomedical waste|Medical waste]] was found washed up on the beaches of [[Long Island]], [[New Jersey]], and [[Connecticut]] after being illegally dumped at sea.

==== 1989 ====
* '''China under [[martial law]]''': China declares martial law, resulting in the use of military forces against protesting students to end the [[1989 Tiananmen Square protests|Tiananmen protests]].
* The '''[[cola wars]]''' sponsored by famous '''rock and rollers''': Soft drink giants [[The Coca-Cola Company|Coke]] and [[PepsiCo|Pepsi]] each run marketing campaigns using [[rock & roll]] and popular music stars, including [[Michael Jackson]] and [[Whitney Houston]].

== See also ==
* [[List of references in We Didn't Start the Fire|List of references in "We Didn't Start the Fire"]]
* "[[We Didn't Start the Fire (Fall Out Boy song)|We Didn't Start the Fire]]", updated version by [[Fall Out Boy]]
* "[[Do You Remember These]]", a song covering the 1950s
* "[[Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)]]"
* "[[Pencil Thin Mustache]]"
* "[[19 Somethin']]", a song covering the 1970s and 1980s
* "[[25 Years of Rock]]" — A BBC radio series looking at each year from 1955 to 1979 that charted news stories, social and political events with a rock soundtrack.
** [[The Rock 'n' Roll Years]]" — a BBC television series based on ''25 Years of Rock'' but with a timespan from 1956 to 1989.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book |last=Bordowitz |first=Hank |title=Billy Joel: The Life & Times of an Angry Young Man |publisher=[[Billboard Books]] |year=2006 |pages=272 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kgY9C3bfshMC&q=fire |isbn=978-0-8230-8248-3}}

== External links ==
* {{YouTube|id = eFTLKWw542g |title="We Didn't Start the Fire" Music Video}} / [[Billy Joel|BillyJoelVEVO]] channel
* [https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2019-09-26/billy-joel-we-didnt-start-the-fire-30th-anniversary " All 59 people name-dropped in Billy Joel's 'We Didn't Start the Fire': Where are they now?"] from ''[[The Los Angeles Times]]'', September 26, 2019
* [https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/billy-joel-we-didnt-start-the-fire-every-event-referenced-history-jfk-bob-dylan/ List of events mentioned in the song]

{{Billy Joel}}
{{Authority control}}

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