The one song Billy Joel called a “Promethean moment”
Few songs contain the weight or wonder required to justify a comparison to Greek mythology, but ‘Vienna’ by Billy Joel just might be one of them. The track has gathered more and more pace over the decades and despite first being heralded as a great pop song, is now routinely noted as one of Billy Joel’s finest efforts.
The ballad was first released over four decades ago, in 1977, but Joel’s piano flourishes and musings on ageing and ambition are still just as magical and affecting as they were upon the song’s initial release. It is a poetically poignant piece of work and often works well to confirm just how particular Joel’s ear for a track was.
Though gorgeous keys and an accordion solo bolster them, Joel’s lyrics are why ‘Vienna’ has proven to be so enduring. They chart the pressures of success, particularly in relation to ageing, with soothing ease. “Slow down, you’re doing fine,” Joel promises, and, against all odds, it’s difficult not to believe him.
The track was sparked after Joel saw an elderly cleaning the streets of the titular city while visiting his father. Rather than agree, his father apparently noted that the work offered the woman something more in life, “No, it isn’t,” he said when Joel claimed it was a shame she was still working. “She’s being useful and she’s doing a service that benefits everyone. She’s not just sitting at home wasting away, and she’s got dignity.”
Powerful phrasing proves Joel’s lyrical prowess, as he casually throws out home truths with unparalleled poeticism. “You know that when the truth is told, that you can get what you want or you can just get old,” he shrugs, but it cuts like a knife. Other lines are intricately ordered, such as the gorgeous and sobering, “You got your passion, you got your pride, but don’t you know that only fools are satisfied?”
The whole song is filled to the brim with Joel’s songwriting talents. The lyrics are so considered and perfectly placed that it seems like it could have taken years to concoct and curate. Really, it took Joel no time at all. As he recalled during an appearance on Howard Stern, it was written quickly and unexpectedly.
“I don’t remember where it came from or why it came out the way it did,” Joel recalled, “but it was kind of a Promethean moment. It just kind of sprang out of my head, and there it was”. It’s an unbelievably impressive song to have written so quickly, with so little thought, when its lyrics seem to contain so much contemplation.
Though he may not have entirely conceived of the song’s meaning when he first penned it, as it simply sprung out of him, Joel is certain of its message now. “It was an observation that you have your whole life to live,” he explained, “Slow down, you’re going to be fine. No matter what you do, be good at it, and whenever you get there, you get there.” There’s no other song that conveys that message quite as succinctly.
It’s a dependable track to turn to when those feelings of failure and time running out begin to overwhelm you, a voice and a piano to guide you through and slow you down. ‘Vienna’ may have come to Joel quickly, in a Promethean moment, but its legacy has not reflected that thoughtless inception. One of his best songs, it has stood the test of time and will continue to do so, telling a tale with endless resonance.
Revisit ‘Vienna’ by Billy Joel below.
