There are many songs that describe cities around the world. One of them is Vienna, written and performed by the popular American artist Billy Joel. This particular song is included on his album titled “The Stranger” released in 1977.
For those of you wondering why Billy Joel decided to make a song about the Austrian capital, there’s actually a story behind it. This American artist was inspired by his own father’s when he thought of writing a song about Vienna. The song later became one of his two favorites along with “Summer, Highland Falls”. A New York Times article from July 2008 revealed the details of how this song came to be.
Billy Joel related that he was drawn to Vienna as part of his journey to find his father, whom he had not seen from the time he was 8 years old until he was 23 or 24 years old. His father emigrated from Germany to stay away from Hitler and has lived in Vienna ever since.
It was while visiting his dad in Vienna that Billy Joel noticed how well the older people in the community were treated in Vienna, Austria. This gave him a better perspective on life, making him realize he was enjoying the moment.
The song is about a young man who sees life as an adventure and is in a rush through the world, but doesn’t take the time to enjoy life to the fullest. “Vienna” wants people to realize that there is time in life to achieve your goals and that life does not have to go at breakneck speed. everything even its “Vienna” will come in due time.
“When will you realize that Vienna awaits you?”
