In Praise Of... Billy Joel's "Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Down On Broadway)"

God, this one never stops sending chills down my spine. Fucking great story song of New York's own personal apocalypse in the age of "FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD" and everything else. All of Billy's best tricks are employed to top effect - check out the way he snarls:

They burned the churches up in Harlem
Like in that Spanish Civil War
The flames were everywhere
But no one really cared
It always burned up there before...

The vocal maneuvers are familiar from, I dunno, "Big Shot" or whatever but there's so much more at stake here - it's the perfect marriage of a melodramatic performer (with a band at the top of their game) and a melodramatic song.

Plus the brilliant move of including a defiant, fist-shaking Brooklyn concert in the narrative - I can just imagine how great it would have been to play this at an actual concert in Brooklyn - everyone in the audience would feel like witnesses to an incredible, special, end-of-the-world moment.

They said that Queens could stay
They blew the Bronx away
And sank Manhattan out at sea...

Barnstorming live version from Songs in the Attic here (no video though):

I love this song and I don't care who knows it!

Good song. Wanted to say that the Songs in Attic version was the one to keep but you beat me to it. That's a good album too.

Billy Joel was, is and e'er shall be an asshole.

BJ up to and including The Stranger is fan-tastic...liking Billy Joel seems hipster-proof too which doesn't hurt

Happy new year! I have two friends who've moved to Miami in the last six months and to this ilxor's New York state of mind, they seem the closest to the apocalypse of all of us. Song still rules though.

They said that Queens could stay
They blew the Bronx away

Listen to how he changes that line at around 2:35 here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3vM0KxQ2Io

And my word, I just realized it's 2017 now. Hitting 1984 and 2001 was one thing, but 2017 always seemed so far away.

Least I got 2049 to look forward to.

Thanks for reminding me to put on Songs In The Attic!