Billy Joel - Allentown (Official Video)

In 1982, Billy Joel released an album titled The Nylon Curtain, which became a Billboard Top 10 album and was one of the first to be recorded, mixed, and mastered digitally. Watch the official music video for 'Allentown'.
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Chorus:
And we're living here in Allentown
But the restlessness was handed down
And it's getting very hard to stay
Billy Joel's official KZbin channel features music videos, live performances, interviews, TV appearances and more. Best known for his first hit song, 'Piano Man', in 1973, Billy has written and recorded thirty- three Top 40 hits in the UnitedStates. He is a six-time Grammy Award winner, a 23-time Grammy nominee and one of the world's best-selling artists of all time, having sold over 150 million records worldwide. Billy Joel is the sixth-best-selling recording artist and the third-best-selling solo artist in the United States.
#BillyJoel #Allentown #OfficialVideo

[@georgfriedrichhandel4390]

This was Billy Joel's dedication to the unemployed steelworker. When this song was released, the US economy was still in the throes of a major recession and many steel mills closed down. It's still relevant today.

[@georgfriedrichhandel4390]

Absolutely true. That giant sucking sound Perot warned us about turned out to be true.

[@MamaToFive]

I wish someone would write a song about this COVID thing and how people lost their jobs and how families are suffering because of the actions of not only of our President but of Congress and The House... They can't act together and real people and families are really suffering, and they simply don't seem to have one good godDAMN about us in Washington.

[@jml-rj5re]

Here we are again.

[@brkrsk]

Seems like he needs to write another one ASAP.

[@georgfriedrichhandel4390]

@@MamaToFive Harry S (Hairy Ass) Truman once said, "You can get a lot done in (Washington) if you don't care who gets the credit." And that is our biggest problem. Since both parties want to win, they refuse to support the other party's agenda. That's why the Covid response has been very slow and anemic.

[@markastoforoff7838]

One of Billy Joel's greatest songs. I don't consider Billy Joel to be a rock star, I consider him to be a poet and a storyteller who sets his visions in a musical landscape.

[@kubikiribasara3499]

I LOVE your comment!! you are absolutely right, his songs are more poems with a message or a story. I never thought of that but you are right.

[@chrisyanover1777]

You are absolutely right and this song is amazing! However the video to this song seem like it should be for Lady Gaga and not Billy Joel!

[@MoultrieGeek]

Well said.

[@timjenvandy9797]

More a musician and writer. Vienna is one of my favorites too.

[@bigtony2499]

Joel could arguably tell a story as well as Springsteen in song. He’s fantastic. Agreed 100%

[@cathyruddell-orendach4297]

As a girl born and raised in Allentown, I grew up on Billy Joel. He was a pretty big influence for me with heavy play on our stereo. He performed quite a few shows in the area when he started out so many weren’t surprised when he wrote this song. But ironically, it was my least favorite. When I was younger, I was almost embarrassed when people mentioned, “oh yeah, Billy Joel wrote a song about your town.” I’ve always had a sense of being hometown proud but it didn’t feel so great having a song broadcast how we fell under the economic hardship of the time. When I look back now, I’m grateful Billy wrote this song. It needed to be said!! Now, I look back and realize we’re strong stock that survived through a difficult period in our city’s history. I’m proud to say I’m from Allentown and come from a place where the strong survive! It’s amazing to read so many comments about how loved this song became and from so many, so far away. Thank you Billy Joel. Thank you for your talent, the truth, for being real! ♥️ ~ Allentown Girl

[@Great_Sandwich]

A severely underrated comment. Nice.

[@abelpunk21]

What a great comment, it teaches me many different realities in this world, especially what happened in Allentown in the past, best regards from Peru, South America.

[@kenmurray1600]

well done . allentown girl. never give up . a scot.

[@craig5pts]

I'm retired from aerospace. I watched as we went from metals manufactured in this country to having to buy from Russia, China and anywhere else we could find it. Sad to say the least.

[@travelerwanted8383]

As someone stuck in Reading (ya know where the railroad used to be) I have to admit I'd rather live up there. Such a quirky awesome town

[@chrisgrasso1847]

My favorite Billy Joel song ever. The death of the American dream has laid it's ruins from the boomers to gen z. All the promises, all the propaganda of school, company men, hard work, a better life it's all a bunch of lies that we've been brainwashed on for generations. Politics and our government uses a false sense of patriotism to keep us distracted from these blurred lines with all the in fighting and arguing. It does not matter what side you are on, its two sides of the same coin. It's getting harder every year. I work 4 different jobs to keep a roof over my head and my wife works too... all this extra effort and no days off, no enjoyment, this wasn't the American dream which was promised to us. I feel for the younger generations and I often wonder why people still want to try a better life here.

[@RickPayneInc]

same in the UK

[@riggs20]

Damn, hang in there buddy. It’s not all bad. If you’ve got a spouse you love, you’re already ahead of the game. ❤

[@donnacacciola1704]

And also Goodbye Saigon--the war in VNam, meanwhile back home shutting down our factories--off to China...no jobs for the returning vets. The ones who survived, the ones who did not have missing legs,. Thank you for your post. I remember it all. Allentown near where I grew up.

[@wasatchrangerailway6921]

Yes, we did produce the world's finest steel---AND WE WILL AGAIN!!! it was necessary that we go through a rough stretch as a nation so that people do not forget what an unmitigated disaster this Administration has been!!! We will again enjoy prosperity---LIKE WE HAVE NEVER HAD BEFORE---I PROMISE!!! Keep yer chin up---things are about to get a lot better!!!

[@lordsnivyofnottingham2948]

I grew-up in the Lehigh Valley in the '90s. The death of Bethlehem Steel was more than economic, it was a blow to our pride as Pennsylvanians. Our state produced the finest steel in the world, and we lost it.

[@CrossOfBayonne]

It is a shame but after World War II as this song mentions things really went down hill pretty bad because of the changing economic situation due to recessions during the post war years e.g 1950s and 60s.

[@cindythecatwoman1601]

This song really hits home 🏡. I was living in Pittsburgh PA and, my Dad lost his job because the steel mills shutdown. We had to move in 1982 because of it. This is one of my favorite songs that Billy Joel wrote.

[@gamermaykittygames1055]

yes very similar experience love this song expresses my heartbreak 💔 of leaving home

[@jeffreyallen9048]

My dad blew his head off

[@MrGenXer]

I was born in Pittsburgh. We left in 1974 for Georgia, where I grew up. I still love Pittsburgh, it's in my heart. Thanks for sharing.

[@dentalnovember]

@Jeffrey Allen That is a tragedy. Keep your head on tight.

[@cindythecatwoman1601]

@@MrGenXer We had to move to Syracuse NY. My Dad got a job there.

[@satyricon451]

As a kid I only paid attention to the melody. Listening to it now makes me weep for my fellow Americans feeling betrayed and trapped in all the Allentowns across America.

[@cheerfulsatanist]

I live in Allentown have my entire life, well there is an aspect of betrayal here, there's also a pretty hefty warning. For as much as we embrace capitalism we're incredibly short sighted in terms of what the overall results of that mindset would be. From a purely technical standpoint just looking at it completely logical no emotion completely cold, what those companies did made sense for their bottom line in many ways it's still does. The only real argument you could put against it would be that there's overwhelming evidence that staying local and paying your employees better in treating them better overall can improve the way your business functions and whatever product you provide or service to consumers commercial or wholesale retail whatever. But even when you take that into consideration they're seeing a bottom line that makes more sense by instead doing whatever they have to to cut costs which means very badly hurting all the local people that were there in the beginning. The problem now is a deep-seated fear of changing what a lot of the core jobs that Americans do to improve their station in life. when my dad came home from Vietnam it was already very different from when his father came home,it was for easier to find a job that required you to do manual labor that would pay you a living wage, that does not exist in large numbers anymore and where it does they tend to be niche industries and or industries that carry a high degree of danger. but I can't tell you how many people in this state are fighting because they want things like colbak even though it's an almost entirely pointless venture even if we did foreign countries are still going to offer cheaper and once again capitalism rears its head because at the end of the day large companies are going to want to get that cold in a cheaper price to sell it to Americans because that helps their bottom line. And that's not even considering the god-awful environmental issues that it faces for the love of Christ we have a town in Pennsylvania that's been on fire for 50 plus years because of incredibly irresponsible coal mining, if you haven't heard of it look it up it's called Centralia virtually no one is there anymore the Commonwealth owns almost every piece of land aside from a few diehards but there's areas all over the town that are completely off limits because sinkholes can form and smoke from the burning fire still poor as a great and cracks or fishers are formed in the streets for 50 freaking years. Cole and steal my name may have helped build Pennsylvania and other states and cities in the rust belt, but it also hurt them and ways that many did not see until later the number of cancer deaths for one. a lot of the families in the town's worst affected by this have no chance if they're not more willing to jump onto whatever the newer industry is going to be and the worst part about that is even the ones who are willing to jump on board there's a very good chance that many of these small isolated communities especially when you get up in the Appalachian mountains aren't being given the opportunity because companies aren't going there. So yes it is depressing and yes there was a degree of betrayal but when one of the biggest aspects of our society is profit we can't act surprised when that overall goal ends up hurting a whole lot of people. the whole point was to have an American dream a society where anyone who tried and put their mind to it could get somewhere with a whole lot of gumption and a little bit of luck what we didn't take into account was that instead of monopolies which were illegal we'd have oligarchies instead and now that we have them capitalism and shores that we really can't get rid of them at least not without very much change the way our country and are thinking runs. That said for as much as Allentown in Pennsylvania often get made fun of I love our dirty weird angry and according to many lists most depressing city in the country, which is probably because of the fact that it's always gray because it's Pennsylvania and that's just how Pennsylvania rolls. Were divisive grumpy and gray and that's how we like it.

[@Gogglesofkrome]

@@cheerfulsatanist Capitalism is a tool; like a hammer, it can be used for or against you. Besides, it wouldn't have mattered how much or little capitalism they embraced at allentown; as soon as that coal mine ran dry, they were doomed. Nothing short of a discovery of a new source of coal within that mine would have changed anything; besides, globalism and 'green regulations' are doing far more damage to our economy and allentowns across the US than capitalism ever could. Imagine sitting on several dozen decades worth of labor to extract coal, but the government has decided that you shouldn't work because the global thermostat would go up by a degree over the span of 200 years as a result of it. That's their excuse anyway, but when has the government ever been proactive about anything? If anything it sounds like corruption.

[@edwil111]

@@cheerfulsatanist Textile and shoe factories in New England. Same thing.

[@keithmccormack6248]

@@cheerfulsatanist I’d say it’s predatory capitalism combined with the globalist oligarchy.

[@cheerfulsatanist]

@@keithmccormack6248 oligarchy fun side effect number 18 in our country never saw coming apparently

[@Chris_Neil]

My old man worked in Bethlehem for years ! I’m a Pennsylvania native and I have a keystone tattoo ! Respect to all the comments section here thanks y’all ! God bless ! ♥️🫶🏼

[@at0micwerew0lf]

The Keystone was one of my 1st tattoos! Good things. I love Pa...it's been cheated but the people here are strong. They wouldn't surprise me if they survived a nuke.

[@suzybearheart530]

My husband is a PA man with a keystone tattoo too! ❤

[@jakeg3126]

I’m listening, from here in Allentown.

[@greglivo]

God Bless all of you Pennsylvanians from this Midwesterner.

[@Joe-wy2bn]

I've got a well drilling rig here on the other side of the country that was made in the 30s that says Bethlehem Steel on it. Had to buy 90 year old equipment because the US doesn't make things anymore.

[@Great_Sandwich]

_Well I'm living here in Allentown._ _And it's hard to keep a good man down._ _But I won't be getting up today._ Ugh... The most painful line in the song. It speaks of a man finally resigning himself to utter defeat. Heartbreaking.

[@AlTheRelic]

I'm a New Yorker that purchased a home on Oct 2003 in Allentown when nobody believed in this city. Though our steel glory days are behind us, Allentown is making a comeback.

[@sen8596]

You bet it is

[@lusich94]

Que así sea…por amor misericordioso de Dios y la grandeza de sus buenos pobladores en el nombre de Jesús !!! 🤗❤️🙏🏻

[@sabrinapittsley2304]

That’s great to hear 😊❤

[@urosario1181]

Unfortunately a lot of New Yorkers are gentrifying the area and raising the houses market prices in the area, making it difficult for people who were born and raised in Allentown to live or buy a home.

[@Mattenz1776]

cap bro homelessness and crime keep going up

[@delflittle1]

I haven't heard or thought this song in years but DAMN, its now my favorite "oldie". I still know every word and background noise, love it!

[@pon2oon]

My favorite Billy Joel song!

[@joelhoulette3508]

In 84 I drove from Ohio to manhatten to try out for a band. On the way there I drove thru Allentown. As I was driving thru this song came on the radio. That's something I'll never forget.

[@Issaaay260]

Oh I just love it when things like that happen..

[@AIvey]

I hate when a song get in to your head as this one has 2024........lol

[@bogey2230]

"Every child had a pretty good shot To get at least as far as their old man got' powerful, true and gone...........

[@dm19382]

So true.

[@raymondkuiper1428]

I think you guys are all full of shit. Then are more opportunities right now than there ever was. You can fucking start your own webshop out of nothing these days.

[@tommyboat64]

Bill Clinton 93-99 promised ..."we will retrain you !"

[@dgrundman7499]

bogey2230+ Good, you know that part, cuz I can't figure out the following lyric, even with headphones, whats he saying in the last line of this bridge: 'But something happened on the way to the place, they ? ? ? something something ribbon back in our face'? Something about the Union it sounds like is the best i could decipher?

[@jrowley4889]

They Threw an American Flag in our face. Basically, don't complain about what Corporate America does. the boss knows best

[@calicomist9213]

Prayers for Pennsylvania. Good people live there. I live two hours away from Bethel Park. Life has to get better so that everyone believes they have more choices than violence.

[@georgeloveless4176]

I grew up in Levittown PA. My father and grandfather were both steelworkers at the US Steel plant in Fairless Hills PA which of course shut down in the 80's. With its closing, it devastated the towns around it and crushed thousands of families as well. It messed my plans up as well because it was gonna be my future. Great wages, great benefits, a retirement pension and a strong union. My family had a great life because of my dads job at the "mill" as we called it, and then one day it was gone. We survived and made do, but things were never the same when the the mill closed down.

[@marccortes2612]

His original song was Levittown. He changed it to Allen

[@TheCynicalTuber]

@@marccortes2612 "Billy Joel grew up on Long Island and originally wrote the song as "Levittown (Levittown, NY), " which was near Joel's hometown of Hicksville, New York. In an interview with James Lipton on "Inside the Actors Studio," Joel compared Allentown's troubles in the late 1970s and early 1980s with what he saw growing up in Hicksville."

[@englanda2]

I used to live in Levittown. I now live in Langhorne to this day. Great community and very sad as well when steel mill shut down.

[@paulbourgeois4491]

Retired Industrial Union Blacksmith here. Much respect to the Greatest Generation.

[@at0micwerew0lf]

🍺⚡🍺 we'll not see men like that in our lifetime again, mate. Always makes me think of my Papa, with his 3rd grade education and his hands that doubled as shovels...and how he built 2 houses and and strong foundation for our family that was there even for my own kids and grandkids. The truly are the Greatest Gen.

[@1978usmarine]

"Every child had a pretty good shot To get at least as far as their old man got But something happened On the way to that place They threw an American flag in our face" - it's been almost 40 years since release and those lyrics are still painfully true today.

[@starquant]

and what happened if that child was a female.... how far could they get?.

[@christianlewis6789]

@@starquant I would say, in some ways, it holds no boundaries for one sex or the other...

[@starquant]

@@christianlewis6789 So I guess women getting pushed into gender based jobs and receiving low wages has not been an issue for you?. Do you live in a cave per chance?.

[@christianlewis6789]

@@starquant true, women weren't treated right then, and the issue still lingers in places today. But does that change the fact that blind patriotism does not guarantee an escape from the plight of the common worker?

[@starquant]

@@christianlewis6789 Still lingers?... In a survey commissioned by fair work Australia and conducted by La Trobe university in 2019, found that 80% of women were in low paid, minimum wage jobs and of that figure 90% could not find full time employment. Which in turn forced women into relationships based solely on financial security. Now granted, these are Australian figures (cause that's where I happen to live), but it's fairly indicative of most first world nations. So you have a small group of women.. around 20% who do earn good wages and could afford to live on their own terms. Many women are also "blue collar" workers and they don't get close to the same take home pay as their male counterparts. One profession, which is very gender based highlight the fact, that even after a woman completed a three year apprenticeship, the best she was ever going to paid was in fact minimum wage. The profession of course is hairdressing. So, then if we look at women trying to get into the building industry, as carpenters, painters, tilers, electricians, plumbers, where typically the wages are two to three times higher, you see women in the trade schools...but get harassed, belittled and sometimes assaulted to the point that when it comes to graduation, nearly all of them are gone. I did meet a female sparky working the checkout in my local supermarket and she said her work colleagues actively encouraged others to physically touch her and call her names. That's not really "getting ahead" in my book. Patriotism does "imply" a quality of life and it would appear that one half of the community has never had that luxury.

[@Darasilverdragon]

"And our graduations hang on the wall... but they never really helped us at all" I like how this song can invoke bitter painful tears in both the middle aged ex coal miner, AND the collegiate youth of the modern day. Truly a universal message.

[@Rockhound1943]

well said.

[@reedbell9987]

It’s my favorite Billy Joel song too.

[@ebenezergatsby5848]

If you feel that way, then you did it wrong.

[@Sforeczka]

Yeah, I have a doctoral degree, and earning it was the worst mistake of my life. I wish I had become a forester, not an anthropologist.

[@starquant]

No graduation ever helped a single female, so what's your point?

[@darcyplett168]

If you really watch the video and listen to the song ...it's actually a sad story about a real town ...

[@jackdeyoung2576]

I’m from Pittsburgh my Grandma worked in the steel mills during WWII while my Grandpa was fighting. My Uncles worked in the coal mines and mills also. In the 80’s and 90’s I saw my town falling apart. What was once a coal and steel boom town was crippled by outsourcing. So we didn’t make steel anymore, but the people never gave up. We reinvented ourselves and now Pittsburgh is the 2014 most livable city in the country. We have jobs, we have great schools, and our way of life is better than ever. We will never forget our roots. Strong as steel and moving forward.

[@kroidenfravest9931]

Take pride in your neighborhood, friend. :)

[@bcboy0300041]

I live in Philly. it was nice in the 50's, now it's shit.

[@raymoles]

I used to live in Philly,too. You are so right, the city has turned to shit. I'm glad I moved in 2001.

[@matthewwicinski4968]

Well said sir. Worked from Weirton WV through Ohio and PA, out to Indiana then Tennessee. Anybody thats worked steel knows how hard it can be. All you haters: F#$ K YOURSELVES......... Proud Veteran and Steelworker.

[@catalinasimmons6314]

Jack DeYoung there are tons of problems there you are glossing over. Great if your a highly educated professional. Otherwise,same old ghettos,drugs,gangs. . I know because I grew up in 80's there. Gladly left to be educated in Philadelphia area. Loved it stayed for ten years then headed south to warmth. SW FL.

[@windowsill9724]

Being from the town that this song is actually about ,Bethlehem, and slowly watching the old steel plant slowly crumble to the ground and the hearing this song is truly a cathartic experience.

[@infjintegrityvsnarcissism7295]

Same in Coatesville with the old Lukens Mill

[@greglivo]

This was a staple on Mtv when I was a young teen. It was just another song/video to me at the time. Nowadays as a middle aged man it brings me to tears every time I hear it. I have worked as an engineer in manufacturing for almost 30 years and have watched as one factory after another closes and takes hundreds of jobs with it. More than just Bethlehem Steel, this song is about the death of the American Dream and how it has become an empty promise to an entire generation.

[@sirmontyrock]

This song came out in 1982; I remember that year well. Sky-high unemployment, factory closures. It was not a good time to be a young adult just starting out, as I was.

[@paulbourgeois4491]

I graduated from high school in June of 1982 and I can remember having a helpless feeling in the pit of my stomach when I thought about my future employment. There were layoffs and shutdowns every where in Milwaukee that year, and I admit I didn't understand all of it. I retired in '17 after 30 years as an industrial Union Blacksmith, and I am forever grateful for my Union pension!

[@DoyleHargraves]

My wife is from Allentown. Her grandpaw was a union boss at Bethlehem Steel. This song is still true.

[@FromtheHerts81]

This song may be about Pennsylvania's industrial decline, but being from England, I know that a lot of Welsh, Scottish and northern English men will feel the pain this song invokes. Within living memory Britain had a lot of happy, stable industrial communities. Cardiff was the world's leading coal trading port. Sheffield was booming thanks to its steel industry. Bradford had warehouses twice as tall as houses packed to the rafters with raw wool. Birmingham had car plants that England itself owned. Now, cheap foreign markets, competition from oil and synthetic fibres and a whole host of other factors has killed all that. Some towns have never really recovered from the slump. A lot of people blame Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet for forcing many of these industries to close down; some people even held parties in the streets when she died! But it's a mirror of what has happened in Pennsylvania too, and Billy Joel's song seems to bridge the Atlantic in that way.

[@EmeraldEagle1]

FromtheHerts81 Heard this song by chance on the radio the other day and my first thought was, Oh my God, that is Brexit in a nutshell

[@Aasn9]

FromtheHerts81 “Good and bad coin cannot circulate together...and because of this unexampled state of badness all the fine gold was conveyed out of your realm.” Thomas Gresham, Letter to Queen Elizabeth, 1558.

[@joeburge7026]

It can apply to anywhere and that's the power of this wonderful song. I'm from billingham UK. Heck it could be about British steel or ici workers before them

[@danielf6335]

The Clash sing a bit about the industrial decline in England including Triump Motorcycles in This is England--great song!

[@christophercotton9048]

That's probably why they wanted to leave the EU.

[@spclanghorne4494]

You’ll be happy to hear that Allentown and the majority of the Lehigh Valley has gotten much better over the past decade. Allentown has completely revitalized their downtown area. Many people from Philly and New York are finding the area as a cheaper but nice alternative to city life. It’s gotten enough people for the census to have recently declared the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton area as its own Metropolitan area.

[@alabhaois]

Great to hear!! Thank you!! 👍

[@lanielorah6455]

Are you Shure.

[@phlydude]

Medical industry has taken off in the area - plus revitalization of the downtown Bethlehem area fueled by the Sands casino has turned Bethlehem a place to visit other than just at the Christmas holidays - no longer just a pass-through town on I-78 or the PA Turnpike NE extension

[@CrossOfBayonne]

I visited Allentown a week ago and things are really looking up since a lot of economic development had been going on since the past 20 years or so

[@petitepersianperspective3468]

That brings me out of my tears. Thank you!

[@toddspeelman6567]

The Allentown song hits hard with me. The layoffs in 1982 were nationwide. For those of us where college wasn’t an option, the military was the only option. It was life changing and this song reminds me of it every time I hear it.

[@jeffarmstrong3339]

Thank you for your service!

[@TheIggypop1]

I have family there in Lancaster and reading And it hit hard

[@pittsburghcityofchampions1979]

Thank You Sir for your Service

[@CrossOfBayonne]

Pretty much, Even during Vietnam there was the draft in place though unlike WW1 and WW2 it was extremely unpopular

[@christopherrodriguez8424]

Allentown:Mr.Joel at his very best.

[@bengolfs1]

This song is as relevant today as when it was written 40+ years ago...

[@chrisnavarre7119]

Grew up in Allentown. Bravo.

[@ilonatorraca685]

My uncle and aunt met at the USO.

[@HandsomeJimK]

What alot of people don't seem to remember is that Billy Joel was huge in the Lehigh Valley for years. When this guy was making his bones playing Symphony Hall and the Roxy in Northampton...he became intimate with alot of locals who were all manufacturing, textile or steel workers. He's always related to the working class man and it resonates in this song. "Allentown" sounds like a better song title but if you get straight to the point...he's really singing about Bethlehem

[@FlyersHockeyPride]

That I didn't know but it's good to know it! Didn't know that stuff but it's all good stuff! And getting intimate with locals down there like you say certainly helps, no doubt! And yeah, I remember Billy actually said that he was singing about Bethlehem, but he went with Allentown instead and we're none too upset that he did either! :-)

[@donvreeland8844]

I lived through 1982. Near Economic collapse. I was 19 and Mom bitched about get a job. Hunting was a waste of time. Then I was given a chance. Diagnosed disabled. Agency tested me and gave me the keys to any career. OSU College of Engineering for 4 years to exhaustion academically in a fight that I couldn't win. My IQ 121 I WAS MENTALLY retarded. Sporatic employment 24 - 54; it's out the door. Instead, my life didn't start the next phase. So, I'm 25 - 27 y. o. ( 1:25 to 2:35) ' The promises teachers' gave. If we worked hard, if we behaved' Didn't get as far as the old man got. ( 2:45 to 3:00)

[@Mrandmrsmayer]

Think For Yourself did this really happen? I'm pretty sure the earth set and clones probably restated when I was apparently "born" in 1983. I doubt Billy really did a thing. He's just a simulation, or a clone.

[@travelingwithrick]

Yes. I lived in and grew up in Allentown.

[@mattsmocs3281]

Think For Yourself Allentown worked for the name but you can still see that it is Bethlehem Steel. Which is still standing but the sands casino Safety officer will not allow the restoration crews to keep repairing the facility but instead have been doing more damage to the already closed production plant

[@LordCalidor]

So here we are, 40 years later, living in another part of the world. And yet, in 2022, this song still hits home.

[@harryknutts8428]

i think america is allentown in 2022 , its not like it was , theres ways to get by if u work hard but the 40 hour work is not enough anymore , im a trucker and i do ok moneywise but im on the road 24/7 5 days on 2 off , as a trucker i see what its like out there i work the midwest or rust belt as its known and almost evrywhere i go it looks like this song everywhere is a shadow of the glory of what america once was , i started my trucking career in bethlaham pennysylvania

[@ericpschoon3922]

@@harryknutts8428 24/7 5 days on 2 off

[@harryknutts8428]

@@ericpschoon3922 what’s up buddy I’m sitting in the truck getting ready for about a 3 AM start tomorrow.

[@nerysghemor5781]

Yeah. Thanks Brandon for throwing the American flag in our face and telling us everything under “Bidenomics” is just fine. And now those graduations on the wall are worse than useless for many students: they’re a horrible burden of debt and those kids that haven’t fallen to woke indoctrination are regretting not entering the trades now. It’s really fucked up that as a 2005/2006 grad from undergrad and and an MBA, I was literally in the last year or so to have a positive return on investment in our degrees and NOT be carrying a horrible debt burden. What I see with my younger coworkers is horrible.

[@infjintegrityvsnarcissism7295]

@@harryknutts8428NAFTA

[@BlizzardSeeker]

Billy Joel nails it. When you are out of work you can get so discouraged you don't even want to get out of bed.

[@godbluffvdgg]

As a philly native, this song hits home...Billy is an international treasure.

[@infjintegrityvsnarcissism7295]

Yeah I am from Coatesville a depressed former steel town so this hits home

[@godbluffvdgg]

@@infjintegrityvsnarcissism7295 Well Yo, neighbor! When steel was king PA was JUMPING...It's fun to read our history...So many of the little towns were old school America....Good health to you and yours.

[@infjintegrityvsnarcissism7295]

​@@godbluffvdggYeah then NAFTA happened and "the union people drove away" Best of luck to you too

[@godbluffvdgg]

@@infjintegrityvsnarcissism7295 Nafta was more of a nail in a coffin...The destruction of our manufacturing base by the largest U.S companies, e.g- G.M , GE, FoMoCo, et al. Starting in the 40's, is what killed this country and the Steel Industry.

[@infjintegrityvsnarcissism7295]

@@godbluffvdggTrue, and Reagan on no president enforced anti trust laws either

[@phillyeaglesphan]

Billy Joel really knows how to capture the plight of the American blue collar working man, doesn’t he?

[@decacards5250]

He grew up in a working class family.

[@erikhoihjelle5235]

He carries the American songbook.

[@rickhibdon11]

He's the modern day Woody Guthrie. And VERY under rated

[@burningchrome70]

Bare chest guys with Flaming buttons?

[@danitempest]

@TCL Jean Shepherd died a multi-millionaire. That doesn't mean he didn't live the experience and stories to tell about them. In fact, he made his millions by telling them. Maybe you could try it? Who knows what could happen!

[@exidy-yt]

It's funny how this song used to grip me by the tear ducts as a little kid when I had absolutely no idea where Allentown PA was, or what the song could possibly be about. Billy Joel has had a knack of singing extremely catchy songs touching extremely sensitive issues for a whole goddamn long time now. Much respect.

[@garym444]

I felt the same way and I grew up in Grande Prairie Alberta Canada

[@exidy-yt]

@@garym444 Vancouver, B.C. here. Must be a Canadian thing, eh?

[@MackethB1017]

Well technically he’s talking about the Steel plant in Bethlehem but Living here in Bethlehem didn’t have the same ring to it.

[@user-cg6hi1ky4b]

Me too! Actually I am originally from Japan and even didn't understand the lyrics until today, but this was my top Billy Joel song and it really touched me, even without knowing the lyrics!! I just checked the lyrics today and I even more deeply appreciate this song. I loved your comment about how this is an "extremely catchy song touching extremely sensitive issues". Billy Joel does so with such compassion. Love this song!

[@exidy-yt]

@@user-cg6hi1ky4b Thank you!

[@cowgirl92457]

I grew up in Allentown pa. The place or city he is singing about. That's my home town.

[@johnhouston5412]

Pa. born and raised! 77 year old Vietnam vet and this is my favorite Billy Joel song.

[@CrossOfBayonne]

Upmost respect to your service, Army or Marine Corps

[@CrossOfBayonne]

@johnhouston5412 Nice dude, Your a hero and God bless all our veterans who fought and served including Vietnam

[@evagabor5]

I love this song so much!

[@danielthatcher5345]

I grew up there, so glad I left.

[@paulhanley5306]

Headed to work in Bethlehem on hospital contract for 6 months played this on loop to get my head right when it gets tough. Respect.

[@danielmarr290]

Congratulations Allentown on getting 10 million views! This incredible song absolutely deserves to hit this milestone, and I honestly would say it deserves to have this milestone a lot sooner. This is definitely one of my favorite Billy Joel songs, which is saying quite a bit!

[@stuglife5514]

Im a bethlehem native, born here a before the mill shut down. this song means more too me then i can even explain

[@Rayyman]

Actually my fave Billy Joel song. It's attached to the time I heard it and it stuck with me. It's so sincere. You just want to sing it with people everywhere

[@user-yx8sd6vu7c]

this song is so true

[@FelixMargiotta]

Thank you for good music god bless you for an eternity

[@christianna49]

I’d pay to see billy sing this at the great Allentown fair. That’d literally be a dream come true

[@harryknutts8428]

the thing about life is at some point most of your life is in the past and the future is less about dreams and more about trying to find peace and joy in the day u have today

[@jacktheripoff1888]

And we're still looking at Allentown, and in '23 it's even more down. Almost longing back for Reagan's years, there were less crimes, there were less fears. Though you can't say they were best of times, but compared to now it's paridise. You got people sleeping on their feet, all high on fent, filling the streets. And were still looking at Allentown. And it's anarchy that now takes the day. And it's getiing very hard to stay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay.

[@boardmanfan]

I'm old enough to remember the Carter years as well as the Reagan years when unemployment was high and so were interest rates. Reagan cleaned up the fiasco of the Carter administration.

[@walterpewen7903]

Probably one of the most important songs for those of us whose parents were in WWII. Never forgotten.

[@pantheon1164]

I'm only 46 and this makes me cry every time I hear it.

[@Ryan-gw1ob]

Very underrated song .. What a wonderful Songwriter Billy Joel is !!

[@HoneyDrops2023]

Song still makes me want to cry when I hear but--just a mastery of lyric, melody and prose.

[@artistwithouttalent]

It's both a tribute to Billy Joel's wisdom and a deeply scathing and depressing indictment of society how relevant this song still is, 40 years on.

[@davestruxstop]

all artists have talent. even if it is just the bravery to call oneself an artist. keep on doing it

[@johnj9130]

This is the best billy Joel song by far, very underrated Born and raised in PA. Thanks for keeping us in mind, Billy!

[@willjenkins3529]

Please keep your head up. God bless you and your family.

[@peacefrog0521]

Also born & raised in PA, this song resonated deeply with us in the Pittsburgh area. Even though my family wasn’t affected so much by the decline of the steel industry on the 80’s, you still could see and feel it’s effects on the area and its people.

[@pythondalova]

This song doesn’t just touch small town folk. This song reminds me of my childhood and how I saw my family get up and go to work every day. As a child I always wondered does it ever end? Or are we all just hamsters on a spinning wheel. We lived and were raised to love with honor.

[@sustainfem]

My favorite. Such a beautiful song about such a tragic decline. His voice is so melodically perfect.

[@Lat265]

Same here in UK, nuclear war?

[@kathrynhettinger1321]

Born and raised in PA. Thanks for keeping us in mind, Billy!

[@WWNerfman]

It funny the song is actually about Bethlehem, Pa and the steel company

[@twoxohxseven]

The song was originally meant to be named _'Bethleham'_, but there were concerns amongst the producers that people would assume the song had religious overtones, and so it was renamed to _'Allentown'_, a town outside of Bethleham that people would come from to work in the steel mills and other industrial production plants.

[@WWNerfman]

Streetlife Serenader bethlehem you mean Bethleham is non existent

[@WWNerfman]

Streetlife Serenader Bethlehem is next to allentown and i pretty sure its because bethlehem doesn't rhyme with the song

[@twoxohxseven]

WillXplode Sorry, I let autofill finish the word for me without making sure it was spelled correctly, lol. And I'm sure they changed the lyrics to fit better with Allentown...I'm just telling you what I read in an article/interview about the song.

[@dunmorul]

50+ year old dude here. I got this album on vinyl as a gift when it was released. I live about 10-15 miles outside of Allentown, PA the majority of my life (spent some of my post-college years in Philly suburbs, my other home-from-home that I admit I miss). Anyhoo... I have "Glass Houses" on 8-track, and probably a handful of you reading this even know what that means. My current job has me driving all over Allentown and Bethlehem. I love it and the people here. And listening to this song always makes me happy and thinking about my youth and my carefree attitude as a kid getting into music. Billy Joel turned me onto KISS which in high school years turned me onto Iron Maiden (my favorite band of all time) which then turned me onto Metallica, Slayer, etc., which somehow turned me into Nirvana (ugh) and then electronica and somehow, whatever, turned me onto Bob Dylan (???), reggae, and ... well, you get the point. I guess I love almost all music, play guitar, bass, keyboards, banjo, etc... because I fell in love with Billy Joel's music to begin with.

[@BillODriscoll-jo2ve]

This is such a fantastic and descriptive song from Billy Joel This song was released back in late '82 November 1982 There was a huge recession in the 1980s throughout the world 🌎 This song describes it perfectly Factory closures and mass unemployment

[@TerryFoster-cr2cp]

Billy is a American treasure....he has been my favorite artist since 1975ish. . when I was 8 ... Glass Houses , 52nd street ... Then .. tell her about it comes out and you realize that this dude has ... STAYING POWER into the 90s he was the shit when it comes to music.....who else has sold out Madison square garden 100 times?..?... when he is gone we will lose our greatest American singer/ song writer.. of our times.....

[@dmmjsm]

"and it's hard to keep a good man down, but I won't be getting up today..." every time I hear this, tears threaten.

[@couchwarrior2449]

No point in getting up when you're out of work. Getting out of bed just gets harder and harder to do.

[@bullneck]

It's ok, the line "Well, we're waiting here in Allentown / for the Pennsylvania we never found" is pretty devastating also -- the whole song is eviscerating

[@BettinaBalser]

Me too.

[@BudIce05]

Bethlehem Steel provided the steel that built the Empire State Building, Golden Gate Bridge, WTC I and II, George Washington Bridge, Madison Square Garden, Hoover Dam and so many other great structures in this Great Country. Most of the original Mill is still standing as a casino is now attached to it. The Lehigh Valley area is now growing with many large distribution centers as it is tied to many of the major highways for logistics However the memories of the old manufacturing mill providing steel and goods to our military and private industry will always be remembered and this classic by Billy tells the whole story of what a great time and generations of our American Economic History

[@danielcropp8553]

Thank you for sharing that bit of history!

[@Bol3D_Comics]

Bold family history. When steel was real,

[@jonahfalcon1970]

Billy Joel wanted to call the song "Bethlehem", but really couldn't use it in lyrics. "Allentown" sounded better.

[@TheFreedirt29]

I don't think they got any contracts for the WTC

[@idontneednostinkingchannel6848]

GOOD "high quality American steel" - not the rusty junk from China!

[@Just-Mike53]

Most memorable artist from the 80's

[@gregoryf9299]

For me, this is Billy Joel’s best song. Melody, lyrics, message - it all works amazingly.

[@jamestierney2531]

Billy Joel is an American treasure. It’s great that he was honored at the Kennedy Center. He is not only a gifted performer but his songwriting ranks up there with classic American songwriters like Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein, and George and Ira Gershwin. May he have good things and continue to provide us with excellent music as the spirit moves him. Rock on, Billy!

[@EugeneAxe]

Most upbeat song about income disparity and unemployment I’ve ever heard

[@user-mb1sy9uz6z]

Happy 4th America!! Enjoy Americans!!❤❤

[@derekmyers3258]

Tears flow with this song. This is my childhood.

[@freedom4mealways]

Hard to believe this song and video appeared on the charts 4 decades ago. This Joel Classic is timeless.

[@videodoe]

Billy Joel is one of the best songwriters of our time. He knows how to tell such vivid stories with his words… always. And this song is so beautiful and wrenchingly sad synonymously. And huge props to this video’s brilliant director Russell Mulcahy who gave it such a cinematic feel. Like he did for so many of Duran Duran’s videos back in the ‘80s.

[@alexbojsza734]

This is a real American song this is what America is all about even today in 2020 still can relate the song to today's problems

[@GilbertLA63]

This is such an iconic song. He knew the plight of those in Allentown. Right now, the country is one big Allentown.

[@joshuaecht]

In light of the Coronavirus and the job unemployment issues, it fits even now. The unemployment is as high as it was in '81-82.

[@01greekman]

Why do people have to put negative comments,is your life so shit. Billy is a legend. End of the story. Enjoy life

[@TeamAemrica]

2023, i just moved to Bethlehem from California a year ago. just discovered this son and man, I respect this places history even more now.

[@robertchutonogbanua2564]

Billy Joel is one of the greatest songwriters of all-time. His songs almost always tell a complex story that we can relate to and are not just about the common themes of love and break-ups, although Billy does have his share of those as well. "Downeaster Alexa" is another song that comes to mind with a powerful story.

[@ginad480]

Out of all of Billy’s songs this song has one of my favorite openings.

[@michaelbeahn5977]

I was born on Allentown. Grandfather worked his whole life at Bethlehem Steel. He took (slightly) early retirement right around when this song came out. A little before that we moved from there. Allentown was dying, and was pretty dead for a while...but it’s been on the bounce back for a decade or two now.

[@philkleinman7002]

Saw him last night in Denver, incredible show! He played for 2.5 hrs, including Allentown.

[@feltdizzy]

if you are from PA this hits different.

[@boardmanfan]

Same if you're from Youngstown, Ohio. The steel mills closed September 19, 1977 US Steel.

[@dirtdawg5385]

Sadly, The steel mill this song is written about, is now a casino. I remember as a kid going through Bethlehem as the shift changed for the mill and watching hundreds of men crossing the road to go to work.

[@deezee6732]

+dirtdawg5385 Me too dawg....sad it's no more.

[@MrMustacrackish]

lehigh heavy forge is still trucking. it's in bethlehem steel buildings but it's down to a skeleton crew and they don't make the ingots in house anymore.

[@chriscrepon1283]

+dirtdawg5385 You talking about the Foxwoods over there? I'm from Watertown and Waterbury CT but my best friend in my teenage and early 20s (not long ago) lived in Wilkes-Barre. Kingston, specifically. I like it better there than here, actually, but it does have this kind creepy vibe to it, like economically the place doesn'tknow what ti's doing. But same goes for Waterbury.

[@XSLEGACYRECORDS]

You're talking about the Sands casino! I live next to it!!!!

[@JL35mmfilm]

He's talking about Bethlehem steel

[@notshabbyenuff]

This is a cool ass song. One of my fav Billy Joel hits!

[@dmcloren]

+Maurice Russell Me too !!!

[@PorknBeanJuice]

mine too...if we work hard, if we behave

[@dmcloren]

PorknBeanJuice , 'cause Santa Claus is comin' to town.

[@sambeebe6763]

yeah!

[@lunymoony4062]

Great lyrics from the piano man

[@darrenbond4280]

The Vocal Melody in this song is exceptional

[@Jimmy-ku9dq]

My great grandfather worked at Bethlehem Steel his whole life. This is such a wonderful homage to PA steelworkers!

[@mathieutyler00]

This is a song.. it's not real. You shouldn't make up stories and lie on KZbin for likes, it's not healthy.

[@Jimmy-ku9dq]

@@mathieutyler00 I love you so much

[@luke7522]

@@mathieutyler00 It is real. Yes it is a song but it is based off real steel mills in Pennsylvania.

[@luke7522]

@@mathieutyler00 And allentown is a real city that was once one of the largest steel cities in America

[@lesschoenberger3070]

@@luke7522 It was Bethlehem that was the steel city here in Eastern PA., Allentown just sounded better singing it Joel said.

[@machatero1]

Allentown holds a magical place in my heart. The memories of going to Trexler Middle School and William Allen High are amazing! Playing in the streets of Allentown as a kid in the 80's was a glorious time in my life. This song always makes my eyes glaze over with tears of fond remembrance. Peace!

[@dpspike9368]

A repeating theme throughout the history of modern America. But that doesn't make it any easier for the people going through it.

[@user-gi3fk3rn9n]

We are living this time frame again!

[@hunterh8054]

This song is my favorite part of living in Allentown.

[@erintraynor1168]

This song breaks my heart.

[@pmcollectorboy2929]

This isn't just a song about a mining town. This is about a cry for help. It even takes a shot at the education system. A lot of songs back then seemed to be like this.

[@orest_4thhorseman]

Im from Allentown Pennsylvania, and was just a boy when this song was popular. Whenever i travel and people ask where im from they recite the chorus to me lol

[@jakethelastninja]

I live in Northeast Philly, I past Allentown all the time when I go up the mountains, I can't pass Allentown without thinking of this song.

[@GiordanDiodato]

this song isn't about Allentown, it's about Bethlehem.

[@jacobstopper3804]

@@GiordanDiodato Then why is he having Allentown as the name of the song?

[@danielf6335]

@@jacobstopper3804 Bethlehem and Allentown (and Easton) are the biggest cities in the area about an hour North of Philly called "The Lehigh Valley" . Bethlehem Steel was the huge steel plant that employed lots of people from the area. Billy Joel originally had Bethlehem instead of Allentown but he changed it either due to record label pressure or because he thought people would confuse it with the city in Palestine. Also it's more difficult to rhyme with.

[@CrossOfBayonne]

It also back in the day was a huge railroad hub.

[@CrossOfBayonne]

@@danielf6335 Israel actually

[@babyzorilla]

Billy Joel had so many great songs

[@maddocmonkey]

HECK YES!

[@GrowingForever]

I grew up in Allentown, It was the "all American city" in the early 1970's. Most of my friends had fathers who worked at Bethlehem steel, Mack trucks, etc. My mom worked at Hess's. How times have changed.

[@barbbullock5167]

I used to be a press operator and have always loved the sounds of the presses in this song, siss, boom bang!

[@cth6659]

This is Billy Joel's best song. Ever.

[@vincecampbell1388]

born and raised in Pittsburgh. came from 2 generations of Steele workers.thanks for keeping are history alive