We are seeing the result of it in this ethnic warfare in the Balkans which is a tragedy. That kind of sick, middle-European, kinky decadent thing. The beginning and the end is very Kurt Weill. I thought “Vienna waits for you…There is also a lot of inside stuff on the song.
In a lot of these older places in the world, they value their older people and their older people feel they can still be a part of the community and I thought ‘This is a terrific idea – that old people are useful -and that means I don’t have to worry so much about getting old because I can still have a use in this world in my old age. We put them in rest homes, we kinda kick them under the rug and make believe they don’t exist. We treat old people in this country pretty badly. I say to my father “What’s this nice old lady doing sweeping the street?” He says “She’s got a job, she feels useful, she’s happy, she’s making the street clean, she’s not put out to pasture”. She must have been about 90 years old and she is sweeping the street. So I go to visit my father in Vienna, I’m walking around this town and I see this old lady. It was a place where cultures co-mingled. You get great beer in Vienna but you also get brandy from Armenia.
It’s a place of inter…course, of exchange – it’s the place where cultures co-mingle. So the metaphor of Vienna has the meaning of a crossroad.
During the Cold War, between the Eastern Bloc, the Warsaw Pact nations and the NATO countries was the city of Vienna… Vienna was always the crossroads – between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire. He lives in Vienna, Austria which I thought was rather bizarre because he left Germany in the first place because of this guy named Hitler and he ends up going to the same place that Hitler hung out all those years! Vienna, for a long time was the crossroads. I didn’t see him from the time I was 8 ‘till I was about 23-24 years old. “Why did I pick Vienna to use as a metaphor for the rest of your life? My father lives in Vienna now. In an July 2008 New York Times article, Joel spoke about the track and how it was one of his two favourite songs (as well as “Summer, Highland Falls”): “Vienna” is a soft rock track about not being too quick to grow up and to enjoy your life while you can. The track was written by Joel and produced by Phil Ramone. Slow down, you crazy child and take the phone off the hook and disappear for awhile it's all right, you can afford to lose a day or two When will you realize.Vienna waits for you? And you know that when the truth is told that you can get what you want or you can just get old You're gonna kick off before you even get half through Why don't you realize.“Vienna” is the fifth track from American composer, singer and songwriter Billy Joel and his fifth studio album “The Stranger”, which was released in 1977. You've got your passion, you've got your pride but don't you know that only fools are satisfied? Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?
Too bad but it's the life you lead you're so ahead of yourself that you forgot what you need Though you can see when you're wrong, you know You can't always see when you're right. Slow down, you're doing fine You can't be everything you want to be Before your time Although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight Tonight. That you can get what you want or you get old You're gonna kick off before you even Get halfway through When will you realize, Vienna waits for you? Where's the fire, what's the hurry about? You'd better cool it off before you burn it out You've got so much to do and Only so many hours in a dayīut you know that when the truth is told. Slow down, you crazy child you're so ambitious for a juvenile But then if you're so smart, tell me Why are you still so afraid?
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