“We Didn’t Start the Fire” – A Cultural Studies Approach to Billy Joel

Billy Joel can be considered one of the most successful singers/songwriters in pop history. From the early 1970s up until the end of the 20th century he had a considerable impact on popular culture. In this for a pop musician incredibly long period of time he seemed to have always pushed the right buttons since none of his records failed success. We will look at Billy Joel's life and his times to find out which 'cultural buttons' he might have pushed that caused his lasting popularity. Questions that will be raised are: Does the work of this (mostly) mainstream artist reflect the mainstream of American culture? In what way does his biography – which prominently includes, for instance, New York, the Yankees, and suburbia – play a role?

This course is particularly recommended for students of the Angewandte Studiengänge.