Billy Joel US history and social problems through music

Billy Joel US history and social problems through music

Dai FUJII (Japan) kelalda@yahoo.co.jp 2009 Institute for Training and Development, Amherst, MA Summer Institute for the Study of the United States for Secondary School Teachers and Teacher Trainers

Contents

Introduction Why Billy Joel? Billy Joel: Biography and Discography Lesson Plan Sample Lesson Conclusion References

Introduction

When I was fifteen years old, my English teacher introduced her favorite song to us. The song was Billy Joel’s ‘The Stranger’. Since then, I have been into the piano man’s masterpieces. My passion for his music eventually let me to form a band and performed his songs when I was nineteen. Sometimes, not always, the music has an immense power to change the course of your future.

Why Billy Joel

Brief History of Protest songs Pete Seeger, Woody Gathrie Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Marvin Gay, John Lennon Bruce Springsteen, Public Enemy, REM, U2 Rage against the Machine, Eminem

Billy Joel

Biography: William Martin Joel

Born in 1949 in Hicksville, New York His father was an engineer at General Electric Started piano lessons when he was just 4 His father, Howard, left the family when Billy was only 7 Had to work nights to support his mother Dropped out from High School due to many absences

The Power of Music

His first two bands were unsuccessful Suffered a mental breakdown at 21 Met Elizabeth, who became his wife Hit his first Top 40 with ‘Piano Man’ in 1973 Released Grammy awarded ‘The Stranger’ in 1977

‘He is simply a sharp observer who writes perceptive songs with soaring melodies about ordinary people and basic values.’ (Tony Schwartz in Newsweek)

Voices of our Generation

Cold Spring Harbor, 1972 Piano Man, 1973 Streetlife Serenade, 1974 Turnstiles, 1976 The Stranger, 1977 52nd Street, 1978 Glass Houses, 1980 The Nylon Curtain, 1982 An Innocent Man, 1983 Greatest Hits Volume I & II, 1985 The Bridge, 1986 Storm Front, 1989

Cold War

Vietnam War

Oil Crisis

Women’s Lib

Watergate

Jimmy Who?

Neo-conservatism

Soviet Intervention in Afghanistan

Reaganomics

SDI

Perestroika, Glasnost

Black Monday

The Fall of Berlin wall

The End of Cold War

The lesson plan

Subject: English Class: 3rd Graders of JHS (14-15 years old) or 3rd Graders of SHS (17-18 years old) Topic: Billy Joel - US history and social problems through music - Time Allocation (6-8 periods) Introduction (Listening/Note-taking) (1) Understanding lyrics (Reading Comprehension, Listening) (1) Research Project (Task-based) (3-5) Discussion/Feedback (Speaking/Summarization) (1)

The objectives

Through the study of this topic, students will Learn a brief sense of history and social problems of the U.S.A. such as Cold War, Vietnam War, labor problems, and teenage suicide prevention, etc. Listen to songs and understand the lyrics. Make their own research about the songs introduced related to the U.S. history and social problems. Discuss differences of social problems in the U.S.A. and Japan.

Sample Lesson: Billy Joel

What Titles Tell You

Only the Good Die Young Allentown Goodnight Saigon Uptown Girl Only Human (Second Wind) Leningrad

Cold War

Social Class

Teenage Suicide

Unemployment

Vietnam War

Religious Conservatism

The Cold War

Why is it called the ‘Cold’ War? During the Cold War, what did the Soviet Union want to do? What did the United States do against the spread of communism? Now let us listen to ‘Leningrad’. As listening, why don’t you try to answer questions on your worksheet!

Leningrad

Viktor was sent to some Red Army town Served out his time, became a circus clown The greatest happiness he'd ever found Was making Russian children glad And children lived in Leningrad But children lived in Levittown And hid in the shelters underground Until the Soviets turned their ships around And tore the Cuban missiles down And in that bright October sun We knew our childhood days were done And I watched my friends go off to war What do they keep on fighting for?

Viktor was born in the spring of '44 And never saw his father anymore A child of sacrifice, a child of war Another son who never had a father after Leningrad Went off to school and learned to serve the state Followed the rules and drank his vodka straight The only way to live was drown the hate A Russian life was very sad And such was life in Leningrad I was born in '49 A cold war kid in McCarthy time Stop 'em at the 38th Parallel Blast those yellow reds to hell And cold war kids were hard to kill Under their desk in an air raid drill Haven't they heard we won the war What do they keep on fighting for?

And so my child, when I came to this place To meet him eye to eye and face to face He made my daughter laugh, then we embraced We never knew what friends we had Until we came to Leningrad

Discography and US History

Cold Spring Harbor, 1972 Piano Man, 1973 Streetlife Serenade, 1974 Turnstiles, 1976 The Stranger, 1977 52nd Street, 1978 Glass Houses, 1980 The Nylon Curtain, 1982 An Innocent Man, 1983 Greatest Hits Volume I & II, 1985 The Bridge, 1986 Storm Front, 1989

Cold War

Vietnam War

Oil Crisis

Women’s Lib

Watergate

Jimmy Who?

Neo-conservatism

Soviet Intervention in Afghanistan

Reaganomics

SDI

Perestroika, Glasnost

Black Monday

The Fall of Berlin wall

The End of Cold War

Research Project

Procedure: 1. Pick up one song you would like to research. Then make groups. 2. Examine the lyrics with his biography and find some keywords from them. Then look up the keywords on the Internet. 3. Analyze the lyrics and make 3-5 questions about the lyrics. A research worksheet (not shown here, sorry!) should be provided to help Ss’ research. 3-5 lesson hours are expected to complete the project. 4. Make a presentation with Power Point. 5. Give your presentation to others and others give some feedback.

Conclusion

Songs may increase students’ motivation to learn and open a different way to learn more about the topic. The lyrics, if carefully examined, tell us a lot of information as not only the songwriter intends but the listener interprets. Knowing the background of songwriting may be helpful to understand why the songwriter wrote the song and expand your knowledge.

We never knew what friends we had until we came to… Amherst

Thank you for your Attention

References

Billy Joel Official Website, http://billyjoel.com (July10,2009) Gale Research. (1994). “Billy Joel.” Newsmakers 1994, Issue 4. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale, 2009. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC Document Number: H10000050447 Gale, T. (2004). Contemporary Authors Online. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale, 2009. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC Document Number: K1608004365 Gale, T. (2005). “Billy Joel.” Contemporary Musicians, Volume 52. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale, 2009. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC Document Number: K1618000257 SARUYA, K. (1998). Kono Issatsu de America no Rekishi ga Wakaru. Tokyo: Mikasa-Shobo.????????1???????????????????? Verdaman, Jr. J, M. and MURATA, K. (2005). What Young Americans Know about History. Tokyo: Japan Book.???????M??????????????????????????????Japan Book