Billy Joel's 'Allentown'

Allentown by Billy Joel is a great example of a protest song. In choosing an example, I wanted to steer clear of anti-war songs, as these seem to be everywhere these days. I stumbled upon this song during my research, and its message of protesting against recession is something you don't hear every day so I found it interesting. In this song, Billy Joel reveals the concerns of small town factory workers in Pennsylvania (specifically Allentown and Bethlehem) as they lose their jobs. Bethlehem Steel was in decline and about to close down, and the resulting job loss was devastating in these small towns. The laid off workers felt cheated, like they had followed the promise that "if we worked hard, if we behaved," that they would be secure and well-off. Instead, these blue collar workers feel their American dream slipping away.

Joel witnessed first-hand this economic crisis, while he was performing at Lehigh Valley's many music venues. This track was placed first on The Nylon Curtain, which was the seventh best selling album of the year in 1982. Also, the song reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982, so it obviously appealed to fans and made an impact on people. However, a certain "call to action" is not made in this song, so while it may have been popular, I'm not sure that it inspired much social change. While the lyrics and song are not uplifting, the music does have a good beat that could get stuck in your head.

I agree with many of the comments made in class about the effectiveness of a protest song. Songs may help to finalize someone's opinion, but I don't think many people would be completely swayed one way or another solely because of a song. As The Australian article that we read argues, it is not enough to simply write the protest song and expect it to make a difference. The song must have a hook and draw listeners in, but many of the current protest songs are "bad music" and so may not be as effective.