Allentown (song)
- This article is about the song by Billy Joel. For the city in Pennsylvania, United States, see Allentown. For the borough in New Jersey, United States, see Allentown, New Jersey.
| "Allentown" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Allentown" is a Billy Joel song, which first appeared on Joel's The Nylon Curtain (1982) album, accompanied by a conceptual music video. It later appeared on Joel's Greatest Hits: Volume II (1985), 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert (2000), The Essential Billy Joel (2001), and "12 Gardens Live" (2006) albums. "Allentown" is the lead track on The Nylon Curtain, which was the seventh best-selling album of the year in 1982. The song reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100,[1] making it one of the most-played radio songs of 1982. The video was also in heavy rotation on MTV during 1982 and 1983. The original airing of the song featured rear male nudity in the opening of the song as steelworkers showered; the scene was edited from subsequent airings on MTV.
Theme
The song's theme is of the resolve of those coping with the demise of the American manufacturing industry in the latter part of the 20th century. More specifically, it depicts the depressed, blue-collar livelihood of Allentown and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania's residents in the wake of Bethlehem Steel's decline and eventual closure.[1] Joel witnessed this first-hand while performing at the Lehigh Valley's numerous music venues at the start of his career in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The introductory rhythm of the song is reminiscent of the sound of a rolling mill converting steel ingots into I-beams or other shapes. Such a sound was commonly heard throughout South Bethlehem when the Bethlehem Steel plant was in operation from 1857 through 2003.
History
When Joel first started writing the song, it was originally named "Levittown", after the Long Island town in which Joel had grown up. He had originally written a chord and lyrics for the song, but struggled for a topic for the song. Joel remembered reading about the decline of the steel industry in the Lehigh Valley, which included the towns of Bethlehem and Allentown, where he got the inspiration for "Allentown". The original idea for Levittown was in the 1970s, but Allentown was not written until 1982.[2]
A year after the song was released, the mayor of Allentown sent a letter to Joel about giving some of his royalites to the town. Mayor Joseph Daddona, who sent the letter, said it would help for scholarships for future musicians in Joel's footsteps.[3] On January 20, 1983, the letter was mailed to Joel with an article next day, quoting Dandonna as saying the following:
Not only would this fund be a great way to share a tiny part of your good fortune to others in Allentown, it would also help keep alive the 'Allentown' song and the Billy Joel legend (which you've already become here).
- Joseph Dandonna, January 21, 1983 [3]
When Joel revisited Allentown on the 25th anniversary of the song on November 30, 2007, the musician had a conversation with a local newspaper, The Morning Call. In the interview he explained where his inspiration came from and how the song came along.[2]
Reaction to song in Allentown
The song was met with mixed responses in Allentown. Some criticized the song as degrading and stereotyping by an artist who had never lived in the region (Joel is from Long Island, New York). But when Joel returned to the area following the album's release and the song's rise to global popularity, he was awarded the key to the city by Allentown's mayor, who praised it as "a gritty song about a gritty city." Before a sold-out crowd at Stabler Arena in neighboring Bethlehem, People magazine reported that Joel was greeted enthusiastically with a five minute standing ovation as he closed his third encore with "Allentown." At the end of the song and extended ovation, Joel was greeted with even more sustained applause when, in an apparent defense of the song's meaning, he pointedly told the Allentown crowd: "Don't take any shit from anybody."[4]
"Where's the Orchestra?"
The song is bookended on the album The Nylon Curtain with the song "Where's the Orchestra?", which ends with a brief instrumental version of "Allentown".
Chart positions
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 17 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 19 |
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 28 |
References
- ^ a b Dean, Maury (2003). Rock N' Roll Gold Rush. Algora. p. 289. ISBN 0-87586-207-1.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b Len Righi (November 30, 2007). "Billy Joel revisits Allentown". The Morning Call. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b Associated Press (January 21, 1983). "Allentown mayor asks Joel for song royalties". Daily Collegian.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Neuhaus, Cable. "He Sang of Their Troubles, but Grateful Citizens Say Thank You Anyway to Billy Joel". People Magazine (Vol. 19, No.1). Retrieved 2008-06-08.
External links
- "Allentown" music video at AOL.com.
- Billy Joel performs "Allentown" in Live from Leningrad, 1987, Saint Petersburg, Russia.
- "Billy Joel Revisits Allentown," Houston Chronicle, November 30, 2007.
