Billy Joel Changed His Songwriting Style for ‘We Didn’t Start The Fire’: ‘It’s the Worst Musical Thing I’ve Ever Written’

Billy Joel is one of the most celebrated singer-songwriters of all time, with millions around the world singing his songs. One of his hits, “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” is a fan-favorite. But the artist is vocal about the fact that he doesn’t like the track. Joel even calls it “the worst thing” he’s ever written.”

‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ came from a conversation between Billy Joel and John Lennon’s son Sean

“We Didn’t Start the Fire” is a single off Joel’s 1989 album Storm Front. The song is a fast-paced, wordy tune that lists off historical events, figures, and objects (118 total) that took place between 1949 (the year Joel was born) and 1989. “We Didn’t Start the Fire” went No. 1 and was nominated for a Grammy for Record of the Year. 

Joel has talked about the inspiration behind “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” pointing to a conversation he had with Sean Lennon, Beatles frontman John Lennon’s son. The pair met at a recording studio. And the then-21 year-old Lennon spoke about how it was currently a terrible time to be young, adding that Joel, who grew up in the ’50s, didn’t understand. According to Joel, Lennon told him, “Everyone knows that nothing happened in the ’50s [per TheThings].”

The “Piano Man” singer, who thought of becoming a teacher before he launched his music career, took Lennon’s statement as a challenge. He used the lyrics to educate Lennon and other young people about the events of the last 40 years. 

Billy Joel doesn’t ‘hate’ ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ but calls it ‘the worst musical thing I’ve ever written’

“We Didn’t Start the Fire” became an enduring hit song But Joel has been open about his dislike of the song; specifically, the way he ended up writing it. During an appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Joel revealed how the song differs from the many others in his catalog.

Joel shared that when he writes songs, he “hear[s] the music first,” then writes lyrics that fit the melody. When it came time to write “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Joel started with the lyrics and wrote the music after. 

“I don’t hate the song,” Joel explained. “I think it’s probably the worst musical thing I’ve ever written.” He demonstrated the repetitive, uncomplicated melody on a nearby piano, fake-snoring as he played. 

He reiterated that he doesn’t hate “We Didn’t Start the Fire;” he just doesn’t “think it’s very good musically. I don’t think it’s much of a melody.” That opinion doesn’t stop Joel from performing it live at his concerts. But even he admitted he finds it difficult to remember all the lyrics. 

The legacy of ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire,’ from classroom use to popular parodies

Despite the simple melody that bothers Joel, “We Didn’t Start the Fire” was, and remains, one of his biggest hits. The song is used in classrooms as a teaching tool and has spawned dozens of parodies.

Some of the most popular include “They’ll Never Stop the Simpsons” from a 2002 episode of The Simpsons and a Marvel-centric version performed on The Tonight Show by Jimmy Fallon and many of the actors from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.