7/26/2023 0 Comments Vienna billy joel movieIt especially gained popularity after the song’s usage in the 2004 movie 13 Going on 30.īilly Joel admitted that “Vienna” is one of his favorite songs. Nevertheless, the song grew out to be one of Billy Joel’s most popular. “Vienna” was never released as an A-side single and never reached the charts. The song eventually appears as the opener of side two of The Stranger. Billy heard their song Give It All Away and decided to use it for Vienna’s intro. The inspiration for the music came from a band called Topper. The Song’s LegacyĪlthough the idea of “Vienna” was born in 1972, Billy Joel did not release the song until 1977. “I kind of used ‘Vienna’ as a metaphor, there is a reason for being old, a purpose.”īilly later admitted the song was also subconsciously written about the troubled relationship, and absence, of his father. You have a whole life to live,” Joel said in an interview with the Republican. “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 advises them to slow down and relax, for they’ve got enough time to fulfill their ambitions and dreams. By Rob Mieremet / Anefo – CC0 The Meaning of Viennaīilly Joel’s “Vienna” is a song about young ambitious people who are in an extreme hurry to achieve their dreams. It’s okay, you can afford to lose a day or two. Joel realized he could slow down if he needed to. Especially his outlook on the fast-paced life he lived as a musician. The conversation brought a different perspective to Billy Joel’s outlook on life. “I said, ‘Dad it’s kind of sad that that poor old woman has to do that kind of work.’ He said, ‘No, she has a job, she feels useful, she has a place in our society.’ I realized they don’t throw old people away like we tend to do here in the States.” “I remember seeing an old lady sweeping the street”, Billy Joel said in an interview with the Republican. One day, during a walk with his father, Billy’s inspiration behind the song “Vienna” originated. He even discovered he had a half-brother called Alexander.īut wonderful things happened in Vienna, too. The reunion was initially disappointing, for Billy surprisingly discovered his father had started a new family. And to Billy’s surprise, not in Germany, but in Vienna, Austria.īilly quickly traveled to Vienna, where he was reunited with his father for the first time in 15 years. Eventually, Dutch record distributor Phonogram found Howard Joel. He shared it with European record subsidiaries who proceeded to search for Billy’s father. Billy had no idea where his father settled down.įortunately, Billy remembered which company his father worked for in America. When Billy started a European tour in 1972, he decided it was the perfect moment to visit his father. And since Howard Joel was born in Germany, Billy assumed he had gone there, too.īilly never heard from his father again, and therefore, decided to take matters into his own hands. He only knew that his father went to Europe. Billy hardly knew his father, for Howard Joel left the family when Billy was just a little boy. The inspiration behind “Vienna” lies with Billy Joel’s father Howard Joel.
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