Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start The Fire” gets an update from Fall Out Boy

Billy Joel’s hit song “We Didn’t Start The Fire” has been updated by rockers Fall Out Boy. While Billy’s song covered current events from 1949 to 1989, the new take recounts the years 1989 to 2023.

For example, where Billy’s hit gave shoutouts to Buddy Holly, Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley, Fall Out Boy name drops Kurt Cobain, Pokémon and “Tom DeLonge and aliens,” referring to the Blink 182 frontman. The new song also references a number of political figures and world events, including 9/11, Columbine and our former president, with the line, “[Donald] Trump gets impeached twice.”

Interestingly, both versions mention Egypt’s Suez Canal: Joel sang, “Trouble in the Suez,” in reference to the 1956 Suez Crisis, while Fall Out Boy’s rendition goes “Ever Given Suez,” referring to the ship that infamously got stuck in the canal in 2021.

“So much has happened in the span of the last 34 years — we felt like a little system update might be fun,” Fall Out Boy says of the cover. “Hope you like our take on it.”

Joel’s “We Didn’t Start The Fire” appeared on his 11th studio album, Storm Front. The track became the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s third #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned him a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year.

You can listen to Fall Out Boy’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” now via digital outlets and follow along with its lyric video streaming now on YouTube.