![]() ![]() We put them in rest homes, we kinda kick them under the rug and make believe they don’t exist. He also said: "We treat old people in this country pretty badly. I kind of used 'Vienna' as a metaphor, there is a reason for being old, a purpose". Speaking more broadly about the song's message, he said in a 2008 interview that it conveys "you don't have to squeeze your whole life into your 20s and 30s trying to make it, trying to achieve that American dream, getting in the rat race and killing yourself. ![]() Joel has stated that Vienna is a metaphor for old age, but also may have been subconsciously about his father. Lyrically, Joel was inspired by visiting the city of Vienna and his father, who left the family when Joel was a child. Gb is the tritone substitution of the V chord for F, and F to Bb forms another authentic cadence. The end of the chorus cadences back to the tonic of Bb with the chords C, Gb, F, Bb. The chorus begins with an Eb chord, the IV chord in Bb, which is a half step up from D, giving a rising feeling going from the verse to the chorus. A change to the vi chord doesn't always indicate a change in key, but each verse ends with a V-i authentic cadence in Gm, indicating that a key change has taken place. However, when the verse starts the first chord is a Gm, which is the relative minor chord of Bb. The song begins with a piano melody in the right hand and chords in the left, ultimately cadencing to the tonic chord of Bb. As of 2022, it is one of Joel's most-streamed songs on Spotify. The overall message reminds me of John Lennon's "Instant Karma" - "we all shine on/like the moon and the stars and the sun." Basically, everything is going to be alright.Vienna is a song from Billy Joel's 1977 album The Stranger, released as the B-side to his " Just the Way You Are" single.ĭespite its initial release as a B-side, the song's popularity has grown considerably in the decades after its release. It isn't going to pass him by because "Vienna waits for you". Vienna symbolizes some kind of future happiness. ![]() He's encouraging him to keep looking forward to the future ("dream on/But don't imagine they'll all come true") without committing himself to it yet ("you can't be everything you want to be before your time"). ![]() He's telling the kid to calm down because there is plenty of time to get life in order. Maybe he's a college student who is freaking out about having to go into the real world soon ("if you're so smart tell me why are you still so afraid?"). The narrator is just telling this "crazy child" to enjoy life more. Anyway, to me, this song is pretty self-explanatory. I searched all over the Internet last year until I found it, and then I bought The Stranger album. I heard it for the first time on a rerun of Taxi when I was probably 10 years old. I can't believe nobody has posted on this one yet. Why don't you realize Vienna waits for you? It's alright, you can afford to lose a day or two, ooh You've got your passion, you've got your prideīut don't you know that only fools are satisfied?ĭream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true, oohĪnd take the phone off the hook and disappear for awhile You know, you can't always see when you're right, you're right You're so ahead of yourself that you forgot what you need You can't be everything you wanna be before your timeĪlthough it's so romantic on the borderline When will you realize Vienna waits for you? You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through, ooh That you can get what you want or you can just get old You'd better cool it off before you burn it out Where's the fire, what's the hurry about? But then if you're so smart, well, tell me ![]()
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