It’s the end of the world as we know (and I feel fine)
March 15, 2009
SORRY FOR THE UNCREATIVE POST TITLING THERE–it’s a shameless hits-baiter.
I’ll simply say this:
Why was America denied a pop/rock music grudge feud between R.E.M. and Billy Joel upon the release of “We Didn’t Start the Fire”?
R.E.M. totally scooped him on the style and content (although a little wikipediaing reveals a 1974 song called “Life is a Rock [But the Radio Rolled Me]), so I think there should’ve been at least a small war of words.
I used to know every word to both of the songs (although what used to come out of my mouth didn’t really count as “words” during the R.E.M. song). I’m going to officially decide that “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) is the better song, although I haven’t heard “We Didn’t Start the Fire” in years.
Bonus fact: Storm Front was the first album I ever bought.
gergathon
March 15, 2009 at 6:29 pm
There have been ‘list’ songs since the 1800’s. Start listening to Gilbert & Sullivan and then tell us who “scooped” who. And “We Didn’t Start The Fire’ is lyrically and musically nothing at all like ‘It’s The End Of The World As We Know It’. The only similarity is that they are both ‘list’ songs. And as far as what’s the better song – that’s up to the individual listener – isn’t it? Or are you the almighty arbiter of what’s good or not?
March 15, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Terry-
This was a pretty rapid post, just a thought I had that I thought was funny and decided to share. Clearly there are other (prior) examples to this type of song, however I wouldn’t have thought it amusing if the songs hadn’t been released so close to one another–r.e.m.’s in 1987 and Joel’s in 1989.
As for me being the arbiter of what’s good or what’s not? Well, that’s a hairy issue to which I could devote an entire post or even a constantly-updated blog. Right now, my answer is: yes: if one is not the almighty arbiter of goodness, one has not the most basic tools for taste, and flaps in the wind, at the mercy of the Tastemakers. For this song specifically, I will say that I phrased it in a way that most likely meant “officially” *for me*, hence the reference to a past in which I loved them both. At the very least, I’ll support that by saying that lyrically, r.e.m.’s song is more challenging.
Thanks for the Gilbert and Sullivan tip. Been considering dipping my eyes and ears into their pool lately, especially having read a 1983 Rolling Stone feature on Kevin Kline.
March 16, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Gergathon – Okay – I understand now what you were getting at. My point was not just that there are plenty of other ‘list’ songs in the history of popular music, but that all music is subjective and that there is no empirical standard of what is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ or ‘better’ or ‘worse’ or ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. Our individual opinions are both definitive and meaningless. I also happen to know that Billy Joel never even heard R.E.M.’s song – despite its hit record status. Joel doesn’t even listen to pop music radio. He only listens to classical music – just a little inside info that might clarify some mistaken assumptions.