European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 24, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Starting a fire in the classroom associated press Illy Joel s hit we did t Start the fire has crossed Over to the classroom where teachers soon will be using the pop Sta s rapid lire Rill on global history As a teaching tool a special Casselle version of the song including a 10 minute talk by Joel will be provided to 40,000 Junior and senior High school students throughout the United Stales according to the Singer s Label. Lbs records i think the letters i have gotten from teachers and students alike have been really encouraging.1 Joel says at the Slart of the tape he goes on to discuss his love of history and talks about his one time career Choice history teacher a Tot of people tend to think history is just this draw series of Boring names and Dales that you just have to connect to pass the test Joel continues really. History is a a veg thing we Are where we Are today and we Are who we Are today because of our history " the tapes will be sent out with the Jan 25 Issue of Junior Scholastic Magazine or Junior High school slide nos. And update Magazine Lor High schooners. Said Scholastic Public relations manager Stephanie Feuer teachers will receive a poster sized copy of the lyrics and a lesson plan we re trying to create a Bridge Between the classroom and whal s going on in the outside said Feuer we re bringing their world into the classroom Joel packs enough images Mlo the song to till a Lew volumes of the world Book he begins with Harry Truman touches on the korean War trouble in the Suez. Belgians in the Congo and the Juk assassination then wraps it up with a string of current events climaxing with Rock and roller cola wars " each year irom 1949 through 1963 gels a Verso. Usa today described it As musical Cliff notes " in an interview with rolling Stone. Joel said teachers have told him the song 10 the greatest teaching look to come Down the Pike since sesame Street which Means a lot Tome " a tilth Grade class Al the Banda elementary school in Menasha wis. Used the song lyrics last year to select topics for history reports their efforts persuaded Joel to Send Iho students a plaque certifying the record s Platinum status. Lbs said in a news release we did t Start the fire from Joel s storm front album has gone top five in Canada. Australia. Japan and Germany while Hilling the top 10 in England the Netherlands Norway and new zealand Joel s interests weren t strictly educational there is a record to be sold As Fluor noted and we did t Start the fire is the pianist s highest charting single since Uptown Gir hit no 3 in nov. I983. These kids Are part of the record buying Public and he has t had a no 1 record in six seven she said the record company wanted to do something a Little different we a record review Lou Gramm Long hard look from a murmur to a scream. Lou Gramm sings in All unfortunately there in t much to scream about on Long hard look. The second Solo Effort from foreigner s Lead Singer it s passable Rock n Roll bul that s about it most of this up testifies Only thai the artist is overqualified for the Job Gramm s powerful voice soars sighs and blasts what he Calls positive aggression " bul if his voice were lifted out of these songs they d Only be Good enough for a Tow Grade Beer commercial the rockers on Long hard look sound calculated to Appeal to teen a hat agers they re All swagger and in la no substance just like a High school Jock trying to impress the girls. Hang on my hip is the worst offender Complete with requisite Macho Man guitar Solo histrionics so Gramm tries hard to Rock hard sometimes it lakes More strength to be soft the ballads Shine brighter than the rockers just Between you and me is already a top 5 single and warmest rising Sun and True Blue love also have potential on Long hard look. Gramm is a Rock n Roll thoroughbred running on a dog track it is hoped that his next Effort. Whether Solo or with foreigner will match Industrial strength material with his powerful voice apace Frehley trouble Walkin it s fast it s loud it s Ace Frehley that s about All anyone needs to know about trouble Walkin. The sex Kisser Sla Lesl album Here s heavy Metal Lor the kids Many of whom weren t even alive when Frehley and kiss were Al their Glam Metal Peak for those who missed kiss platform Boot kicking Days. Trouble Walkin features contributions irom sex kiss men Peler Cess and Paul Stanley Cess lends backing vocals and percussion while Stanley is co writer of hide your heart it s been 10 years since Frehley and Cess last worked together trouble Walkin might be hard Rock but it s Tam 3 compared to bands such As guns n roses Metallica or Iron Maiden there in t any Devil worshipping hype gruesome cover Art. Racist homophobic lyrics or caterwauling vocals a la Axl Rose of the gunners. Frehley ust wants to Rock this As he sings in shot full of Rock he does it Best on a cover of Elo s Doya he s got a couple of boys with guns songs 2 Young 2 die includes a cliched line about " ripping Down society s Walls that la probably Appeal to alienated teens but he changes his tune with remember me a softer Bluesy track. T l o the song has Frehley joining rocks social consciousness erasure wild British Leen dance throbs erasure made in big in America with such electro dance hits As a Little respect n St Anci cn3ins Ollove. The group s two n a i members looked Good and the music was Little More than another copy of the syrupy synth piddle is of Duran Duran and Dereche Mode erasure music Man Vince Clarke was a Mode founder but apparently it was plenty for their fans on wild erasure downplays the Giddy dance pop directions of their previous work and Heads off in a More introspective vein pulling Down the Tempo and waxing a bit More melancholy for All the grand intentions of the More serious slant the arrangements Are simplistic and indulgent. Add some truly retarded lyrics and what we get is Plain wrap pop with fancy packaging la times Here Are the lyrics to Billy Joel s we did t Start the fire copyright 1989 Joel songs Smi. The years appear p1 a """outf1 to does hot sing the years. 1949 Harry Truman. Doris Day red China Johnnie Ray. South Pacific. Waller Winthal. Joe Omaggio 0950 Joe Mccarthy. Richard Nixon. Studebaker television. North Korea. South Korea Martyn Monroe. 1951 Rosenbergs. A bomb. Sugar Ray Panmunjom. Brando the King and i and the Catcher in the Rye 1952 Eisenhower vaccine. England s got a new Queen. Marciano. Liberace Santayana goodbye chorus we did t Start the fire it was always burning since the world s been turning we did t Start the fire no we did t Light h bul we tried to Light it 1953 Joseph Stalin. Malenkos. Nasser and Prokofiev Rockefeller Campanella. Communist Block 1954 Roy Cohn Juan reran Toscanini Dacron. Teri Bien Phu late. Rock around the clock 1955 Einstein. James Dean. Brooklyn s got a winning Crockett Peler pan Elvis Presley Disneyland 1956 Bardot. Budapest. Alabama. Khrushchev Princess Grace. Peyton place trouble in the Suez. Chorus 1957 tulle Rock Pasternak Mickey Mantle. Kerouac sputnik Chou in Lai. Bridge on the River kwai i95b Lebanon. Charges Degaulle California " baseball. Starkweather homicide children of thalidomide 1959 buddy Holly. Ben Hur space Monkey. Mafia. Hula hoops Castro. Edsel is a no go 1960 u-2, syn Man Rhee payola and Kennedy Chubby checker. Psycho. Belgians in the Congo chorus 1961 Hemingway. Eichmann. Stranger in a strange land. Dylan Berlin. Bay of pigs invasion 1962 Lawrence of Arabia British beatlemania. Ole miss. John Glenn. Lisbon beats Patterson 1963 Pope Paul. Malcolm a British politician sex. Juk blown away what else do i have to say chorus 1964-89 birth control. To Chi Minn Richard Nixon s Back again Moo shot. Woodstock. Watergate Punk Rock begin Reagan. Palestine terror on the airline Aya Lottah s in Iran. Russians in Afghanistan wheel of Fortune. Sally ride heavy Metal suicide. Foreign debts homeless vets. Aids crack Berle Goelz hypodermic on the Shore. China s under martial Law Rock and roller cola wars. I can t Lake in anymore chorus we did t Start the lire it was always burning since the world s been turning on us we did t Start the lire but when we Are gone will it still Burn on. And on. And on 1989 readers poll the ballot below is Lor the filth annual stars and stapes readers poll let us know your favorite performers bands albums or cd and songs of 1989 whether it s country soul rap jazz or Rock n Roll just fill out the ballot Cut it out and mail it to. Readers poll. Stars and stripes. Apo 09211. Or to the German address readers poll. Stars and stripes Postrach 11 14 37. 6100 Darmstadt 11. West Germany entries must be postmarked no later than Jan n results will be announced in february Best Overall performer favorite song favorite band favorite hew act favorite male performer favorite comeback favorite female performer favorite concert favorite album or cd least favorite performer. Wednesday january 24, 1990 the stars and stripes Page 17
