Billy Joel US history and social problems through music

1. Billy JoelUS 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

2. Contents • Introduction • Why Billy Joel? • Billy Joel: Biography and Discography • Lesson Plan • Sample Lesson • Conclusion • References

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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)

7. Voices of our Generation Cold War Vietnam War • 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 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

8. 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)

9. 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.

10. Sample Lesson: Billy Joel

11. What Titles Tell You Cold War • Only the Good Die Young • Allentown • Goodnight Saigon • Uptown Girl • Only Human (Second Wind) • Leningrad Religious Conservatism Social Class Teenage Suicide Unemployment Vietnam War

12. 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!

13. Leningrad Viktor was sent to some Red Army townServed out his time, became a circus clownThe greatest happiness he'd ever foundWas making Russian children gladAnd children lived in LeningradBut children lived in LevittownAnd hid in the shelters undergroundUntil the Soviets turned their ships aroundAnd tore the Cuban missiles downAnd in that bright October sunWe knew our childhood days were doneAnd I watched my friends go off to warWhat do they keep on fighting for? Viktor was born in the spring of '44And never saw his father anymoreA child of sacrifice, a child of warAnother son who never had a father after LeningradWent off to school and learned to serve the stateFollowed the rules and drank his vodka straightThe only way to live was drown the hateA Russian life was very sadAnd such was life in LeningradI was born in '49A cold war kid in McCarthy timeStop 'em at the 38th ParallelBlast those yellow reds to hellAnd cold war kids were hard to killUnder their desk in an air raid drillHaven't they heard we won the warWhat do they keep on fighting for? And so my child, when I came to this placeTo meet him eye to eye and face to faceHe made my daughter laugh, then we embracedWe never knew what friends we hadUntil we came to Leningrad

14. Discography and US History Cold War Vietnam War • 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 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

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. Thank you for your Attention We never knew what friends we had until we came to… Amherst!

18. 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.猿谷要　「この1冊でアメリカの歴史がわかる！」　三笠書房 • Verdaman, Jr. J, M. and MURATA, K. (2005). What Young Americans Know about History. Tokyo: Japan Book.ジェームス・M・バーダマン，村田薫　「アメリカの小学生が学ぶ歴史教科書」　Japan Book