Top 10 Music References in Billy Joel's Song We Didn't Start the Fire

Lyrics to this song are very unusual because they mention so many things.

This list is a sequel to my lists:
Top 10 Famous People Mentioned in Billy Joel's song We Didn't Start The Fire (he mentioned over 30 famous people)
Top 10 Places Mentioned in Billy Joel's song We Didn't Start The Fire
The Top Ten
1 Rock Around the Clock - Bill Haley & the Comets

Billy Joel mentions the title of this song in the lyrics

2 Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century. His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, led him to both great success and initial controversy. ...read more.
3 Rock and Roll Rock music is a music genre that was created in the 1940s. The genre was popular during the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s. Rock bands generally consists of a guitar player, a drummer, bass player and singer. There are many rock subgenres - such as heavy metal, alternative, hard rock, grunge, and more. Notable rock bands and music artists include The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Queen, Van Halen, Foo Fighters,... read more

"Rock and Roller Cola wars"

4 Sergei Prokofiev

A Russian classical composer

5 Heavy Metal Heavy Metal music is a sub-genre of rock music that originated in the late 1960s-70s, featuring more distorted and heavier instrumental work and darker lyrical themes. Heavy Metal broke into mainstream success with bands such as Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Metallica.

Other notable Heavy Metal bands include Judas Priest, Anthrax, Testament, System of a Down, Megadeth, Slayer, Pantera, Avenged... read more

Yep, zxm is right. The full line in question is "heavy metal suicide", which is worth mentioning (after all, these are examples of the moral pandemonium on music that eventually lead to the PMRC and increased musical censorship).

By Judas Priest and Ozzy Osbourne. Got themselves sued.

6 Buddy Holly Buddy Holly, born Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959) was an American musician and singer-songwriter who was a central figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was a rising star when a tragic plane crash struck him down at age 22. ...read more.
7 Arturo Toscanini
8 British Beatlemania
9 Bob Dylan Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, author, and artist who has been an influential figure in popular music and culture for more than five decades.
10 Woodstock

Woodstock Festival or simply Woodstock, was a music festival in the United States

The Contenders
11 Punk Rock Punk rock is a subgenre of rock music. It usually has rebellious lyrics and down stroked power chords played on guitars. Bad Religion, Sex Pistols, and Green Day (actually pop-punk, which is still punk in a way) are a few punk rock bands. The subgenre influenced thrash metal because of it's down stroked guitar playing and other factors.
12 U2

In that song, they meant the event when the USSR shot down that plane, not the band.

13 Chubby Checker
14 Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson Baker; June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962) was an American actress, singer and model. Decades after her unexpected death, she has remained one of Hollywood's greatest sex symbols with her eye-catching style, champagne blond hair, and breathless manner of speaking. She continues to be considered a major popular culture icon. ...read more.
15 The King and I

Musical by composer Richard Rodgers and dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II.

16 The Beatles The Beatles were an English pop rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The members consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They were soon known as the foremost and most influential act of rock era. Rooted in skiffle, beat, and 1950s rock and roll, the Beatles later ...read more.
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