For decades, fans have wondered if Billy Joel would release an updated version of “We Didn’t Start the Fire” with lyrics about more recent events. But Fall Out Boy just beat the “Piano Man” to the punch.
Fall Out Boy released a cover of “We Didn’t Start the Fire” Wednesday, featuring verses about a wide range of newsworthy items from 1989-2023, including “Harry Potter,” Meghan Markle, Balloon Boy, Y2K, “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Stranger Things” and Kanye West’s feud with Taylor Swift. There are also references to more serious moments in history, including the L.A. riots, 9/11, George Floyd, and school shootings at Sandy Hook and Columbine — to varying levels of success.
“Oklahoma City bomb/Kurt Cobain/Pokémon,” lead singer Patrick Stump sings.
Entertainment Weekly notes that the original version of the song covered major events between 1949, the year Billy Joel was born, and 1989. It was one of the biggest hits of Joel’s career and a fun challenge for karaoke fans.
Fall Out Boy, whose members include Pete Wetnz, Andy Hurley and Joe Trohman, has covered other classic hits before, including Michael Jackson’s “Beat It,” The Police’s “Roxanne” and Disney’s “I Wan’na Be like You (The Monkey Song)” from “The Jungle Book.” But this is their first time changing the lyrics, a move sure to divide fans.
“I thought about this song a lot when I was younger. All these important people and events- some that disappeared into the sands of time- others that changed the world forever. So much has happened in the span of the last 34 years- we felt like a little system update might be fun. Hope you like our take on it,” Wentz wrote on Twitter.
Fall Out Boy, better known for pop-punk songs like “Sugar We’re Going Down,” “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race,” “Centuries,” and “Thnks fr th Mmrs,” is currently touring in support of its new album “So Much (for) Stardust.” The band will perform at Darien Lake Amphitheater near Buffalo on Aug. 4 with special guests Bring Me the Horizon, Royal & the Serpent, and Games We Play.
Tickets are on sale through Live Nation, as well as VividSeats, StubHub, Megaseats, and TicketNetwork.
