View source for We Didn't Start the Billy Joel Parodies

{{trope}}
[[Billy Joel]] wrote [http://www.teacheroz.com/fire.htm a song]; History is going strong. <br />It was [[The Eighties|Nineteen-eighty-nine]]; and the song was doing fine. <br />Many copies does it sell; stuff about the past they tell: <br />Politics and culture, too; movies, war and what have you.

Other people came along; they do really like the song, <br />Realize it was a hit; want to have a part in it. <br />History is first to go; from Nineteen hundred back to 0. <br />Other topics soon include; everything from nice to lewd.

We didn’t start the riffing <br />It was always with us <br />Since the song has hit us <br />We didn’t start the riffing <br />Oh no we didn’t coin it <br />But we just now join it

Every singer has a version; can you really blame the person? <br />The song’s a really catchy tune; and you, too, will sing it soon. <br />Cannot get it out your head; it will likely drive you mad, <br />Sing it ‘til you cough up phlegm; then go back and start again. 

You, too can make own lyrics soon; as long as you don’t touch the tune. <br />Do a [[List Song]] if you like; name all the pieces of your bike. <br />If story’s your imperative; you could write a narrative <br />Just be clever and enjoy; think of tropes you could employ. 

We didn’t start the riffing <br />It was always with us <br />Since the song has hit us <br />We didn’t start the riffing <br />Oh no we didn’t coin it <br />But we just now join it 

If you’re a really clever Hombre; you can even [[Genre Shift|change the genre]]: <br />[[Country Music]], [[Reggae]]-vibe; [[Heavy Metal]], [[Murder Ballad|suicide]], <br />[[New Wave]], [[Hip Hop]]; [[Electronic Music|Electronic]], [[Punk Rock]], <br />[[Soul]] and [[Ska]] you can do, but [[Suspiciously Similar Song|Jimmy Hart]] will do so, too 

Or just like a bunch of dopes; make a song that’s listing tropes: <br />[[Filk Song]], [[List Song]]; [[Stock Parodies]] will come along. <br />[[Piano Key Wave]], [[Piss-Take Rap]]; you can really list all crap <br />[["God Is Love" Songs]], [[Ear Worm]]; [[Power Ballad]], [[Seiza Squirm]] 

We didn’t start the riffing <br />It was always with us <br />Since the song has hit us <br />We didn’t start the riffing <br />Oh no we didn’t coin it <br />But we just now join it 

As I said, it’s often done; many versions under the sun. <br />We will list examples here; austerity you need not fear. <br />The list is not complete of course; and this is our driving force <br />To make you add to it ''tout de suite'' or you will be deep in [[Subverted Rhyme Every Occasion|shame]]

{{examples}}
== [[Advertising]] ==
* [http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=UumYV2jAAAw This] mid-1990s ad for ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' ("We Didn't Start the Series")
* The Coca-Cola [[FIFA World Cup Special]] ad "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4OXItHCgi0 Los Cocacoleros]".
* "[https://web.archive.org/web/20110804053823/http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8491437123987048866 See Those Bids Go Higher]", an ad for auction website Golden Palace.

== [[Fan Works]] ==
* It's not a ''parody'', strictly speaking, but an alternate version of "We Didn't Start The Fire" from an [[Alternate Universe]] appears in [http://www.accessdenied-rms.net/dw2-07.shtml chapter seven] of ''[[Drunkard's Walk|Drunkard's Walk II]]''.  It's mostly the same as the version we know, but there are a couple of changes reflecting that world's different history:
{{quote|''Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, metahumans, television,
''North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe...}}
* The ''[[Discworld]]'' version, [http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1255902/1/We_Didnt_Buy_The_Hardback "We Didn't Buy The Hardback"].

== [[Music]] ==
* German comedian Otto Waalkes did "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGnmuBOmL5I Wir haben Grund zum Feiern]" ("We have reason to celebrate") which lists off a bunch of alcoholic beverages.
* The [[Tom Green]] song [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0l09K0-4fs "Pet Names for Genitalia"] (see [[I Call Him "Mister Happy"]]).
* "[https://web.archive.org/web/20130214235345/http://rapidshare.com/files/303239378/We_Didn_t_Start_the_Blitzball.mp3 We Didn't Start the Blitzball]" ([http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?noseen=0&threadid=3201426&pagenumber=60#post368057069 lyrics]), about the [[Fictional Sport]] Blitzball from [[Final Fantasy X]].
* [http://davidwumusic.com/fringemunks/ Fringemunks] did "[https://web.archive.org/web/20120513224640/http://davidwumusic.com/fringemunks/Epis_1-19.mp3 Susan Pratt Started the Fire]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20130608015242/http://davidwumusic.com/fringemunks/lyrics_season1.html#1.19 lyrics]) about the episode "The Road Not Taken" of ''[[Fringe]]''.
* The ''[[Star Wars]]'' podcast ''ForceCast'' featured "We Didn't Start the ForceCast" on their [http://www.forcecast.net/story/forcecast/Weekly_ForceCast_October_29_2010_134680.asp October 29, 2010] cast at 1:51:40 ([http://www.forcecast.net/story/blog/Relive_Years_Of_ForceCast_Memories_With_A_New_Song_134660.asp lyrics]).
* "We Have a Strong Desire", by Shlock Rock. It covers the history of the Jews from the Bible until present day.
* Following the rescue of Todd Russell and Brant Webb from a collapsed mine in Beaconsfield, Tasmania, the radio team Hamish and Andy recorded a song to help them catch up: "We're filling in the miners. / They've been down there weeks, so they have missed heaps. / We're filling in the miners / So they're right across all essential goss." They concluded it by declaring that one thing hadn't changed: "Our songs are still half-assed."
* Comedian Russell Howard used this song to list things the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTu7GLfrmUI Daily Mail claims cause cancer]. The greatest similarity is in the chorus, however.
* Courtesy of WTAM 1100 (specifically ''The Mike Trivisonno Show''), there's [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTaoKzgrptk "We Live in Ohio"], a good-natured tribute to all things [[Cleveland Rocks|Cleveland]], as well as a gentle criticism of local politicians' tendency to focus on small or non-existent problems and ignore looming disaster:
{{quote|We live in Ohio,/And we goin' broke but we can't have smokin' here;
We live in Ohio,/And our mayor's ramblin'; we can't get gamblin' here. }}
* [http://www.spaff.com/poesy/dog.html We Set the Dog on Fire] by the guys at Spaff.com, enumerating dishes made from dog meat.
* [[w:Cayuga's Waiters|Cayuga's Waiters]], a now-defunct all-male collegiate ''a cappella'' ensemble at Cornell University, wrote and recorded [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7Rjk1WGHp8 "We Didn't Go to Harvard"] in the mid-1990s.  It puts the Cornell experience in lyrical form to Billy Joel's melody.
* Another not-a-parody:  In June 2023, [[Fall Out Boy]] released [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LkVKCWL0U4 a cover version adding lyrics to cover events from 1989 onward].

=== Music Videos ===
* One based on the Internet, [https://web.archive.org/web/20131215174107/http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1907543 "We Didn't Start the Flame War"]. Different than most in that instead of a list of people or events, it's a list of internet comments.
* ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'' did a [[Suspiciously Similar Song]] Version, "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0PJYqzht3s They'll Never Stop the Simpsons]", at the end of the 2002 "Gump Roast" episode (so far, [[Long Runner|they seem to be right]]).
* [[San Francisco]] ''a cappella'' group The Richter Scales did "Here Comes Another Bubble", winning the 2007 Webby Award and infamously getting its video taken down for briefly using a single copyrighted image. It was later rereleased as "[https://web.archive.org/web/20130723150119/http://blog.richterscales.com/2007/12/announcing-bubble-version-11.php version 1.1]".
* "We Love [[The Andy Griffith Show|Barney Fife]]," [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5KikCieJlw Gums 'n' Moses]
* [[JibJab]] did [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztj2qfui114 one of these] for their 2007 year in review.
* "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPcuwZlJShE Ryan Started the Fire]" of ''[[The Office]]''.
* [[Stupid Mario Brothers|Rich Alvarez]] has "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIPjuJm5m-w Games Are Our One Desire]"
* Comedian [[Bruce Fine]] did [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EZtGxc2FrA a parody summarizing events from 2009-2010].
* Amateur Transplants - "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bygOaphU4o Finals Countdown]", listing a bunch of medical conditions that medical students need to know for their final exam.
* "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqvEQKNjOCQ We Didn't Find Osama]", criticizing the Bush administration.
* [[YTMND]] has [http://wdstw.ytmnd.com/ "We Didn't Start This Website!"]
* cakke.com's "[https://cakke.wordpress.com/2007/10/21/the-internet-stars-are-viral/ The Internet Stars Are Viral]", a compilation of viral video stars.
* "[https://web.archive.org/web/20111127133440/http://rebelvirals.com/facebook_anthem.html Facebook Anthem]" aka "I'm Getting Bored of Facebook" about stupid Facebook games.
* Gorden & Phirm - "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRxreEIOqVw We Didn't Start the '80s]"
* Putnam Pig did the "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbt_PuVAVTU&feature=player_embedded Swine Flu Song]" (aka "Pigs Didn't Start the Swine Flu"), defending pigs against accusations of spreading the H1-N1 virus.
* "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRBaNc7scb4 Tom's Bushes are on Fire]", recounting the true story of a guy who got his bushes burnt down by a stray firework.
* LMcDuff08 did "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE-LDfroa1w Wall Street Meltdown]" based on various Wall Street disasters in 2007.
* "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEcr6y0cCOs We Didn't Start the Crisis]", about the subprime mortgage crisis.
* "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIqG8NN6sIU&feature=player_embedded We Didn't Start the Star Wars]".
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tULA1-ttEjA&feature=related An updated version of the song] recounting events from 1990 to 2008.
* "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TckylXIRAM We Didn't Start the Fire 2]", another updated version recounting events from roughly 2000 to 2010.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5cKJ8PgxLc Another updated version].
* "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UtL3maK8aU The Obama Song]" criticizing the first two months of [[Barack Obama]]'s presidency.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM38pPW2XO0 I Live in Singapura] is kinda funny, even if you don't know much about Singapore's history.
* Another [[Suspiciously Similar Song]] version: "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FZLEHKwjAQ We Didn't Start the Landfills]", a (cheesy and [[Anvilicious]]) performance at Reseda High School intended to encourage recycling.
* "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E8P_lMPL-A We Didn't Start the Let's Play]", from Slimkirby's [[Let's Play]] of "[[Yoshi's Island]]".
* "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4UEtHmUTF0 We Didn't Start the Abridged]", based on [[Naruto the Abridged Series]].
** There's also the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F7oIejPmTE "You'll Never Stop the Abridged"] [[Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged Series|Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series]] fan video.
* "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNrl1AK2OJw We Didn't Start the Weekend]", one bored college student's summary of his weekend activities.
* "[https://web.archive.org/web/20111024131050/http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1543337/i_love_new_york/ I Love New York]", a short one about stuff in New York State.
* "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fQmjTZhpLg Who's Gonna Watch the Watchmen?]", about ''[[Watchmen (comics)|Watchmen]]''.
* A ''[[Harry Potter (novel)|Harry Potter]]'' version, "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTYadVjuvlo We Didn't Start the Fandom]".
* "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHFIX-E5k7w The Wii Didn't Start the Fire]". Holding true to the history motif, it covers the history of video games, from the 1950s to the present.
** And it actually ''rhymes''.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131219021312/http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/208ed383f3/wedidn-tstartthefire-literalvideo-gnashe "We Didn't Start The Fire",] [[Literal Music Video|The Literal Version.]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121204153803/http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/blogs/entry/we-didnt-start-the-awesome-a-billy-joel-cover-by-nyun-jconrady-and-cferra We didn't start the awesome] dedicated to everyone at [[That Guy With The Glasses]].
* A unique one would be [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcI5rIOi1-k We Didn't Start the Fire - Dangerous Women] because it lists the most influential women in history.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFACtHNVan4 Everything Gives you Cancer] from [[Russell Howard's Good News]], essentially a [[Take That]] against the ''[[British Newspapers|Daily Mail]]''.

== [[Newspaper Comics]] ==
* An early ''[[Baby Blues]]'' [[Sunday Strip]] had "We Didn't Start Out Tired".

==  [[Puppet Shows]] ==
* [[The Funday Pawpet Show]]: Poink and KP do a version for the show's past events.

==  [[Web Original]] ==
* Gary Geniesse - "We Didn't Start the VAXing" [http://www.afn.org/~riffer/vax/ (scroll down on this page for lyrics)]{{Dead link}}, dedicated to a VAX server that was the center of much social interaction at the University of Florida in the 1980s.
* Editor James Broomhead at InternationalEd.org wrote "Motorsport In 2010 Review (Or We Didn’t Start the Car)" [http://www.internationaled.org/formula-1/motorsport-in-2010-review-or-we-didnt-start-the-car/ (lyrics)].
* Keydeck of Toytown Germany did one for the site's forums, "We Didn't Start the Forum" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20081123043004/http://www.toytowngermany.com/lofi/index.php/t83456.html lyrics]).
* Orderly Oasis LLC on [[Facebook]] did "[https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=227548680194 We Didn't Start the Pile]" about disorderly piles of papers.
* There's even a We Didn't Start TV Tropes written by alone-in-the-rain on deviantART. The text of they lyrics is available [http://alone-in-the-rain.deviantart.com/art/We-Didn-t-Start-TV-Tropes-143851638 here]{{Dead link}}, and a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzXKs_tcEbw karaoke version on YouTube] was made using an earlier version of the lyrics.
* [[Self-Demonstrating Article|You read this page, right?]]
** [[We Didn't Start the Fuhrer]]

----
{{quote|''Billy Joel, please do not sue us''
''It's a catchy song, that's why this list is long''
''Billy Joel, please do not sue us''
''Cause I'm not a singer, this is just [[The Stinger]]'' }}

{{reflist}}
[[Category:Stock Parodies]]
[[Category:Self-Demonstrating Article]]
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]