Billy Joel - We Didn't Start The Fire

a425couple

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Mar 13, 2013, 1:18:42 PM3/13/13

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So, we got back from a 3 week road trip & getting
back to normal routines. Yesterday that included
our Spin (exercise on stationary bikes) Class.

I heard a new (to me) song playing and like normal,
I could not understand any of the words, asked wife
what it was. At home I plugged title into youtube & got:
Billy Joel - We Didn't Start The Fire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFTLKWw542g

Not unusual for me, I still did not understand most.
Then I went to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m50p-XScreM
We Didn't Start the Fire w/ Lyrics
Ohhhh.
Interesting, that of the 50 to 100 iconic events
Billy Joel picked, one was a book by Heinlein.

a425couple

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Mar 13, 2013, 1:56:00 PM3/13/13

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"a425couple" <a425c...@hotmail.com> wrote in message ...
> --- At home I plugged title into youtube & got:

> Billy Joel - We Didn't Start The Fire
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFTLKWw542g

> --- Interesting, that of the 50 to 100 iconic events

> Billy Joel picked, one was a book by Heinlein.

So meanwhile, Blackburn & Snow-Stranger In A Strange Land
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ecer64rlLec

Couple versions from "The Byrds" out there,,,
for me, one seems only instruments, the other keeps
defaulting to a stop.

But here is another:
"Stranger In The Strange Land" - Leon Russell (Live 1972)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESVMmyRdjlA

or perhaps:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjy7RAu8TJ4

Zeb Carter

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Mar 13, 2013, 9:09:07 PM3/13/13

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Here's a much better rendition of the song - http://yeli.us/Flash/Fire.html

Zeb Carter

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Mar 13, 2013, 9:14:05 PM3/13/13

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On another note regarding this song, I saw this song being used in an
world history class at a local middle school. The students had to watch
the song with images (probably the same http://yeli.us/Flash/Fire.html I
posted already) and fill in the information about the events. And who
says roll & roll is evil????

lal_truckee

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Mar 13, 2013, 10:33:43 PM3/13/13

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On 3/13/13 6:14 PM, Zeb Carter wrote:

> used in an world history class at a local middle school

Innovative - and could provide a years worth of curricula easily.
I wonder what parts of the video various peculiar parents would find
violated their children.

tian

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Mar 14, 2013, 3:12:39 AM3/14/13

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Grrr... I'm so wishing I had the bandwidth to enjoy those links!
Being on dialup on a computer with no sound output I'm not going there.

--
Tian
http://tian.greens.org
New change: Added pictures from East Bay Bike Party's green ride!
There is a one world pin on a Kentucky quarter in my home now.

Chris Zakes

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Mar 14, 2013, 8:37:59 AM3/14/13

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Amusingly, I once saw a Youtube video of that song using a *different*
"Stranger in a Strange Land" book.
The book:
http://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Strange-Land-Leonora-Scholte/dp/0921100019
The video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR-A4QFHZBA at about 2:42.

-Chris Zakes
Texas
--

You can find complaints as far back as Socrates about how things aren't like they
were in "the good old days" and how the world is going to Hell in a handbasket.
Either Hell is a lot farther away than we thought, or that handbasket is moving
*really* slowly.

a425couple

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Mar 14, 2013, 10:22:50 AM3/14/13

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"tian" <tnha...@aceweb.com.nospam> wrote in message...

> On 03/13/2013 10:56 AM, a425couple wrote:
>> "a425couple" <a425c...@hotmail.com> wrote in message ...
>>> --- At home I plugged title into youtube & got:
>>> Billy Joel - We Didn't Start The Fire
>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFTLKWw542g
>>> --- Interesting, that of the 50 to 100 iconic events Billy Joel
>>> picked, one was a book by Heinlein.
>>
>> So meanwhile, Blackburn & Snow-Stranger In A Strange Land
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ecer64rlLec
>>
>> Couple versions from "The Byrds" out there,,, for me, one seems only
>> instruments, the other keeps defaulting to a stop.
>>
>> But here is another:
>> "Stranger In The Strange Land" - Leon Russell (Live 1972)
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESVMmyRdjlA
>>
>> or perhaps:
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjy7RAu8TJ4
>
> Grrr... I'm so wishing I had the bandwidth to enjoy those links!
> Being on dialup on a computer with no sound output I'm not going there.

I understand, and my best wishes to you.
My intention is to offer some things, that some can enjoy.
I am sorry if I am tempting you, with things you can not
now get and enjoy.

In theory, I have plenty of bandwidth.
My frequent issue is probably computer capacity,
or just this old things foibles & hick-ups.
Very frequently the "youtubes" etc. freeze up & stop.

Kevin D. Marsh

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Mar 23, 2013, 10:57:12 AM3/23/13

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"Chris Zakes" wrote in message
news:5lf3k8h3j7oevuhun...@4ax.com...

Having been raised in the Bible belt, Heinlein was well acquainted with
Biblical phrases and often used them in his writing. So are many other
people. Thus, not every use of the phrase is a reference to Heinlein, though
Billy Joel's song certainly was.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+2:22&version=KJV

Kevin Marsh

tian

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Mar 24, 2013, 4:36:38 AM3/24/13

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On 03/23/2013 07:57 AM, Kevin D. Marsh wrote:
>
> Amusingly, I once saw a Youtube video of that song using a *different*
> "Stranger in a Strange Land" book.
> The book:
> http://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Strange-Land-Leonora-Scholte/dp/0921100019
> The video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR-A4QFHZBA at about 2:42.
>

I was surprised to find out that other SIASL exists! Betcha there are others
out there they could have used! I wonder if there's a hitch hiker effect
that guarantees a few sales for anything with that title...

I still think Billy Joel was referring to the Heinlein version of SIASL.

--
Tian
http://tian.greens.org
New change: Added pictures from my garden using my new old camera!
There is a one world pin on a Indiana quarter in my home now.

Bill Leary

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Mar 24, 2013, 11:47:11 AM3/24/13

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"tian" wrote in message news:kimdf...@enews6.newsguy.com...

> On 03/23/2013 07:57 AM, Kevin D. Marsh wrote:
>> Amusingly, I once saw a Youtube video of that song using a *different*
>> "Stranger in a Strange Land" book.
>> The book:
>> http://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Strange-Land-Leonora-Scholte/dp/0921100019
>> The video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR-A4QFHZBA at about 2:42.
>>
> I was surprised to find out that other SIASL exists! Betcha there are
> others
> out there they could have used! I wonder if there's a hitch hiker effect
> that guarantees a few sales for anything with that title...
>
> I still think Billy Joel was referring to the Heinlein version of SIASL.

In the context of the song, it has to be Heinlein's.

Heinlein's was published in 1961 and was controversial. A notable event.
The reference in the song is in the verse with other 1961 events.

The Scholite one had it's second printing in 1946. It may have been a fine
book, but it seems unlikely it was a notable event in the life of Billy
Joel, who was born in 1949.

- Bill

tian

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Mar 25, 2013, 1:35:49 AM3/25/13

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I think the people using the older book were just being funny. Either that
or ignorant of the right answer. Can't see the video, I'm on dialup.

--
Tian
http://tian.greens.org
New change: Added pictures from my garden using my new old camera!

There is a one world pin on a Mississippi quarter in my home now.

Bill Leary

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Mar 25, 2013, 5:14:23 PM3/25/13

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"tian" wrote in message news:kion8...@enews4.newsguy.com...

> On 03/24/2013 08:47 AM, Bill Leary wrote:
>> "tian" wrote in message news:kimdf...@enews6.newsguy.com...
>>> On 03/23/2013 07:57 AM, Kevin D. Marsh wrote:
>>>> Amusingly, I once saw a Youtube video of that song using a *different*
>>>> "Stranger in a Strange Land" book.
>>>> The book:
>>>> http://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Strange-Land-Leonora-Scholte/dp/0921100019
>>>>
>>>> The video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR-A4QFHZBA at about 2:42.
>>>>
>>> I was surprised to find out that other SIASL exists! Betcha there are
>>> others
>>> out there they could have used! I wonder if there's a hitch hiker effect
>>> that guarantees a few sales for anything with that title...
>>>
>>> I still think Billy Joel was referring to the Heinlein version of SIASL.
>>
>> In the context of the song, it has to be Heinlein's.
>>
>> Heinlein's was published in 1961 and was controversial. A notable event.
>> The reference in the song is in the verse with other 1961 events.
>>
>> The Scholite one had it's second printing in 1946. It may have been a
>> fine book, but it seems unlikely it was a notable event in the life of
>> Billy Joel, who was born in 1949.
>>
> I think the people using the older book were just being funny. Either that
> or ignorant of the right answer. Can't see the video, I'm on dialup.

I think you are correct, but I thought some historical data wouldn't hurt.

- Bill

Kevin D. Marsh

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Apr 5, 2013, 7:23:05 PM4/5/13

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"tian" wrote in message news:kimdf...@enews6.newsguy.com...

I think Joel definitely was referencing Heinlein, as the book was a part of
the 60's cultural awareness.

Rhino

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Aug 22, 2013, 6:48:25 PM8/22/13

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Stranger in A Strange Land got a fair bit of attention in its day, even
by people outside of the SF community. The Wikipedia article makes that
pretty clear:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stranger_in_a_strange_land#Literary_significance_and_criticism

and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stranger_in_a_strange_land#In_popular_culture

--
Rhino