Allentown (song)
Encyclopedia
"Allentown" is a song by American singer Billy Joel
, which first appeared on Joel's The Nylon Curtain
(1982) album, accompanied by a conceptual music video
. It later appeared on Joel's Greatest Hits: Volume II (1985), 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert
(2000), The Essential Billy Joel
(2001), and "12 Gardens Live
" (2006) albums. "Allentown" is the lead track on The Nylon Curtain, which was the seventh best-selling album of the year in 1982. The song reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100
. The video, directed by Russell Mulcahy
, was also in heavy rotation on MTV
during 1982 and 1983. The original airing of the song featured rear male nudity in the opening of the song as steelworkers showered in their locker-room; the scene was edited from subsequent airings on MTV.
Upon its release, and especially in subsequent years, "Allentown" has emerged as an anthem of blue collar
America, representing both the aspirations and frustrations of America's working class in the late 20th century.
and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
's residents in the wake of Bethlehem Steel
's decline and eventual closure. Joel witnessed this first-hand while performing at the Lehigh Valley
's numerous music venues and colleges at the start of his career in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The introductory rhythm of the song is reminiscent of the sound of a rolling mill converting steel ingots into I-beam
s or other shapes. Such a sound was commonly heard throughout South Bethlehem when the Bethlehem Steel plant was in operation from 1857 through 1995.
", after the Long Island
town right next to Hicksville, the town in which Joel had grown up. He had originally written a chord progression and lyrics for the song, but struggled for a topic for the song. Joel remembered reading about the decline of the steel industry in the Lehigh Valley, which included the small cities of both Bethlehem and Allentown, where he got the inspiration for "Allentown." While the steel industry was based in Bethlehem with none of it in Allentown, Joel named the song "Allentown" because nothing rhymes with Bethlehem. The original idea for "Levittown" was in the 1970s, but "Allentown" was not written until 1982.
A year after the song was released, the mayor of Allentown sent a letter to Joel about giving some of his royalties to the town. Mayor Joseph Daddona, who sent the letter, said it would help for scholarships for future musicians in Joel's footsteps. On January 20, 1983, the letter was mailed to Joel with an article next day, quoting Daddona as saying the following:
in neighboring Bethlehem, People
magazine reported that Joel was greeted enthusiastically with a five minute standing ovation as he closed his third encore with "Allentown." At the end of the song and extended ovation, Joel was greeted with even more sustained applause when, in an apparent defense of the song's meaning, he pointedly told the Allentown crowd, as is his wont at the end of every one of his concerts: "Don't take any shit from anybody."
) sings a parody of "Allentown" based on the misfortunes of him and his friends. Despite the film's setting in Bangkok
, the song is a reference to character Alan (Zach Galifianakis
)'s inability to think of anyone but himself and how their characters always fall victim to Alan's well-meaning but destructive machinations; they are all essentially living in Alantown, the result of Alan's actions.
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
, which first appeared on Joel's The Nylon Curtain
The Nylon Curtain
The Nylon Curtain is the eighth studio album by Billy Joel. It was released by Columbia Records on September 23, 1982 and produced by Phil Ramone....
(1982) album, accompanied by a conceptual music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
. It later appeared on Joel's Greatest Hits: Volume II (1985), 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert
2000 Years: The Millennium Concert
2000 Years: The Millennium Concert is a two-disc set and the third live album by Billy Joel, released in 2000.The album was recorded on New Year's Eve 1999 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, during Joel's The Night of Two Thousand Years Tour...
(2000), The Essential Billy Joel
The Essential Billy Joel
The Essential Billy Joel is a Sony music compilation of songs by American singer/songwriter Billy Joel. It was released on October 2, 2001, and has been certified Double Platinum by the RIAA...
(2001), and "12 Gardens Live
12 Gardens Live
12 Gardens Live is a Sony music compilation of songs performed by American singer/songwriter Billy Joel during a record run of twelve sold-out concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York City in early 2006...
" (2006) albums. "Allentown" is the lead track on The Nylon Curtain, which was the seventh best-selling album of the year in 1982. The song reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The video, directed by Russell Mulcahy
Russell Mulcahy
Russell Mulcahy is an Australian film director. His work is easily recognized by his use of fast cuts, tracking shots and use of glowing lights.- Music videos :...
, was also in heavy rotation on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
during 1982 and 1983. The original airing of the song featured rear male nudity in the opening of the song as steelworkers showered in their locker-room; the scene was edited from subsequent airings on MTV.
Upon its release, and especially in subsequent years, "Allentown" has emerged as an anthem of blue collar
Blue-collar worker
A blue-collar worker is a member of the working class who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled, manufacturing, mining, construction, mechanical, maintenance, technical installation and many other types of physical work...
America, representing both the aspirations and frustrations of America's working class in the late 20th century.
Theme
The song's theme is of the resolve of those coping with the demise of the American manufacturing industry in the latter part of the 20th century. More specifically, it depicts the depressed, blue-collar livelihood of AllentownAllentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
's residents in the wake of Bethlehem Steel
Bethlehem Steel
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation , based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel. After a decline in the U.S...
's decline and eventual closure. Joel witnessed this first-hand while performing at the Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
's numerous music venues and colleges at the start of his career in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The introductory rhythm of the song is reminiscent of the sound of a rolling mill converting steel ingots into I-beam
I-beam
-beams, also known as H-beams, W-beams , rolled steel joist , or double-T are beams with an - or H-shaped cross-section. The horizontal elements of the "" are flanges, while the vertical element is the web...
s or other shapes. Such a sound was commonly heard throughout South Bethlehem when the Bethlehem Steel plant was in operation from 1857 through 1995.
History
When Joel first started writing the song, it was originally named "LevittownLevittown, New York
Levittown is a hamlet in the Town of Hempstead located on Long Island in Nassau County, New York. Levittown is midway between the villages of Hempstead and Farmingdale. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a total population of 51,881....
", after the Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
town right next to Hicksville, the town in which Joel had grown up. He had originally written a chord progression and lyrics for the song, but struggled for a topic for the song. Joel remembered reading about the decline of the steel industry in the Lehigh Valley, which included the small cities of both Bethlehem and Allentown, where he got the inspiration for "Allentown." While the steel industry was based in Bethlehem with none of it in Allentown, Joel named the song "Allentown" because nothing rhymes with Bethlehem. The original idea for "Levittown" was in the 1970s, but "Allentown" was not written until 1982.
A year after the song was released, the mayor of Allentown sent a letter to Joel about giving some of his royalties to the town. Mayor Joseph Daddona, who sent the letter, said it would help for scholarships for future musicians in Joel's footsteps. On January 20, 1983, the letter was mailed to Joel with an article next day, quoting Daddona as saying the following:
Not only would this fund be a great way to share a tiny part of your good fortune to others in Allentown, it would also help keep alive the 'Allentown' song and the Billy Joel legend (which you've already become here).
- Joseph Daddona, January 21, 1983
Reaction to song in Allentown
The song was met with mixed responses in Allentown. Some criticized the song as degrading and stereotyping by an artist who had never lived in the region (Joel is from Long Island, New York). But when Joel returned to the area following the album's release and the song's rise to global popularity, he was awarded the key to the city by Allentown's mayor, who praised it as "a gritty song about a gritty city." Before a sold-out crowd at Stabler ArenaStabler Arena
Stabler Arena is Lehigh University's 6,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, located on its Goodman Campus in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, in the United States...
in neighboring Bethlehem, People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine reported that Joel was greeted enthusiastically with a five minute standing ovation as he closed his third encore with "Allentown." At the end of the song and extended ovation, Joel was greeted with even more sustained applause when, in an apparent defense of the song's meaning, he pointedly told the Allentown crowd, as is his wont at the end of every one of his concerts: "Don't take any shit from anybody."
"Where's the Orchestra?"
The song is bookended on the album The Nylon Curtain with the song "Where's the Orchestra?", which ends with a brief instrumental version of "Allentown."In popular culture
In the 2011 film The Hangover: Part II, Stu (Ed HelmsEd Helms
Edward Paul "Ed" Helms is an American actor and comedian known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, as Andy Bernard on the US version of the sitcom/mockumentary The Office and for his role as Dr. Stu Price in The Hangover films.- Early life :Helms was born and raised...
) sings a parody of "Allentown" based on the misfortunes of him and his friends. Despite the film's setting in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, the song is a reference to character Alan (Zach Galifianakis
Zach Galifianakis
Zachary Knight "Zach" Galifianakis is an American stand-up comedian and actor known for his numerous film and television appearances including his own Comedy Central Presents special...
)'s inability to think of anyone but himself and how their characters always fall victim to Alan's well-meaning but destructive machinations; they are all essentially living in Alantown, the result of Alan's actions.
Chart positions
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 49 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
21 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 37 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
17 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
19 |
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock Tracks Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue... |
28 |