Some of you may have had this assignment in school: explain the historical events alluded to by Billy or update the song with events from post-1989. I personally did the latter with three friends, and it's still one of my favorite assignments. I wonder where it went... Anyway, the point I'm making here is that this song is a paragon for allusions. Billy Joel managed to turn over 100 popular culture references into one of the catchiest and hardest to sing songs of all time. He referenced historical, literary, and political events between the year of his birth, 1949, and this song's release, turning them into an intricate rhyme scheme where each verse contends with ABCB DEFE, but where A, C, D, and F all have internal rhymes, and you have to repeat that structure FOR EACH VERSE. And don't forget the refrain. 

 

Like... geez that's intense just to write out (and to try to recreate). Yet this is an exemplary song for detailing oral history through pure allusions. None of these events are explained in song; they're connected by chronological order and the sense that these are part of what makes the world burn. However, it's up to the listener (or history teachers) to try to understand and explain what is so important about each reference, and why it would be on this list in place of something else. 

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Can you think of any songs that do something similar? Even if they aren't this intense, can you think of a few who allude to people, places, or events to get their point across? What about videos or games?

 

Or, what events or popular culture touchstones would you update this song with? Vine? Twitter? Game of Thrones? Undertale? Game/Film Theory? Who/What is most important for you to pass on to future generations in a catchy pop song?

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