Wisdom comes in all forms, shapes, and sizes and more often than not, can be found in the least likely of places. In the 1970s, when Billy Joel began his solo music career, the executives at Columbia Records, along with most of the American public, never guessed that this son of poor, Jewish immigrants from the Bronx would become one of the greatest recording artists of all time. The statistics speak for themselves:

6 Grammy Awards
23 Grammy Award Nominations
150 million records sold worldwide
33 Top 40 hits in the United States
3 hall of fame memberships (including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

Billy Joel's father was an accomplished classical pianist and – like father, like son – at his mother's request, he reluctantly began rigorous piano lessons at an early age. His dad left home when Joel was only eight years old and he didn't see his old man again until tracking him down in his early twenties. Where did he find him? You guessed it. Vienna.

In a New York Times interview, Joel admitted that "Vienna" was his own personal favorite of all his compositions. The song was inspired by his trip to locate his long-lost father. While he strolled around the brick and cobblestone streets, he spotted a 90-year-old woman sweeping up. He asked his father why she was working so hard. The response he got will be quite familiar to most of the world, but will appear rather foreign to Americans.

His father told him that the elderly in Europe and the other older parts of the world are valued and cared for. They feel a part of the community, like they still belong, as opposed to Americans, who put their senior citizens out to pasture. "We put them in rest homes, we kick them under the rug and make believe they don't exist," Joel quoted his father in the 2008 interview.

The song is sung from the point of view of a parent or grandparent to their child (probably someone in his or her twenties), making reference after reference to rushing around from one task or one day to the next: Where's the fire, what's the hurry about? You'd better cool it off before you burn it out. Essentially, Joel's saying Rome wasn't built in a day...

Neither was Vienna.

The capital city of Austria became a lyrical metaphor for living a long and fulfilling life, even unto old age. Joel has said that he hoped he could be useful in his golden years without worrying about getting old and being forgotten. The "City of Music" doesn't have to worry about being forgotten either. In 2001, the city center itself was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Joel wasn't the only composer to visit Vienna. You may have heard of the other, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was here where the most famous composer in history wrote most of his best-known works including symphonies, concertos, operas, and his Requiem. Many of his operas were performed in Vienna, appropriately enough, since the city's traditions involve fine arts, theatre, and culture. Specifically, the Burgtheater – or Imperial Court Theatre – is considered one of the best places to take in an opera. In addition to the theatres, Vienna is home to no less than 20 museums, including the Hofburg, MUMOK, the Sigmund Freud Museum, and even the Vienna Clock Museum.

Was it fate that Joel chose such a cultured city to become an allegory in one of his most eloquent musical compositions, or just plain old-fashioned coincidence? I guess we'll never know. But I, for one, am comforted by Joel's voice and lyrics. The piano made him famous. The poignant observations and life lessons found in the wisdom of his songwriting has made him a legend. "Vienna" is, in a word, a masterpiece. If you have yet to hear it, give it a listen. Because, like Billy says, "Vienna waits for you..."

Justin Novelli
October 29, 2016 Vienna Songfacts
Browse all Songplaces

Comments: 1

• Prolifepat from TexasNovello Dude, you nailed it. Thanks for explaining a song I wanted to understand.

see more comments