Soft Rock
“Slow down you crazy child”
How the song “Vienna” came from Billy Joel’s hardships.
We all know that Billy Joel is a megastar, but some of his biggest hits came from dark places. In fact, he felt like a failed musician at times. In the early 70s, he was homeless, sleeping in laundromats, haunted by Vietnam and self-pity. After a failed suicide attempt, he checked himself into a mental hospital.
When Billy Joel wrote the song Vienna, he was 28 years old. This song is very interesting and means a lot to Joel because the lyric’s from this song is all of the advice his father gave him on his career.
“When will you realize Vienna waits for you?”
This hook explains to sit back and enjoy the ride. Your destination will be there when it's your time.
“Vienna” is a metaphor for old age, it’s not something to be afraid of, it’s something to embrace. “Vienna” is in the soft rock genre, written by himself to represent his life and of the pressure he put on himself. He understood that other people might be going through what he once did.
In this song, Vienna is about enjoying the ride before the destination. For Billy Joel, it’s about his music career and how much work he puts into it. The destination for him is all the people that listen to his songs and enjoy his work.
“Slow down, you’re doing fine
You can’t be everything you want to be before your time.”
With this line, Billy Joel is trying to spread the message that it’s ok to take a step back and take a breath, that it is ok to be wherever you’re at in life. He is telling his listeners to trust the process; the process got him where he is today. I can connect and relate to this line a lot and it helps keep me grounded. I also think most people could relate to this lyric, as humans tend to put a lot of pressure on themselves because we live in a toxic society that makes us feel like we have to be productive 24/7. This is also portrayed through the line, “Where’s the fire? What’s the hurry about? You better cool it off before you burn it out.” Everyone, yes, even famous and successful people can experience the feeling of being burnt out.
“You’re so ahead of yourself that you forgot what you need”
Vienna is known as “the city of music” located in Austria. This is because it is home too many famous musicians such as Beethoven and Mozart’s. Billy Joel is reminding himself that he belongs with those extremely successful artists and he will join them in fame one day, it just will take time like all good things.
This song and the message that Joel is trying to deliver has been so successful because of his use of various musical components and elements. Having the ability to understand and properly use musical elements can help listeners grasp the message of a song.
The tone and volume of the song, along with powerful and inspiring lyrics help illustrate the underlying message. The tone is soft and inspiring. The volume or dynamics are gentle and calm, making listener feel motivated yet relaxed at the same time. The duration, also known as how long or short a sound is held, and the tempo, which is the speed, also helps deliver the message. This is because when Joel holds onto notes softly and slowly it emphasizes the importance of the lyric. Lastly, I think the overall melody of this song helps contribute to the motivational and inspiring message Joel wanted to share.
I think it is important for famous people to be vulnerable like this. It shows the more general population that everyone struggles in life, everyone needs to slow down at times and take a step back and that anyone, no matter the circumstances can have poor mental health. It is important to take care of ourselves and we as people see their idols and famous people opening up about their struggles but also then trying to fix them, it motivates others to do so as well.
It’s crazy how when you really dig into the lyrics and the past of the song writer, it can completely change your perspective on the song and the artist. After doing research on Billy Joel and his music I have gained a whole new level of respect for him. Not just for what he has been through but for his strength to share it and his ability to make good out of a bad situation.
