in the song "we didnt start the fire" by billy joel, what does it mean when he says " payola and kennedy"?

Question

i am doing a project on the song "we didnt start the fire" by billy joel and i need to know what this one part of the song means. "payola and Kennedy" can anyone out there tell me what that means.

Answer 1

The Payola Scandal is usually thought of as the event which started legendary DJ and rock promoter Alan Freed on his long, tragic downslide. Fact is, the 1959 Congressional Hearings had even more far-reaching effects, changing the way record companies and radio stations did business with each other (but not, it should be noted, stopping the practice of payola, which continues in various forms to the present day).



The scandal touched recording artists like Bobby Darin and Les Paul, other DJs, most notably Dick Clark and Arnie "Woo Woo" Ginsburg, and the presidents of several of the country's larger radio stations. Over time, many have claimed the investigation came about in order to assuage the public's fears about rock and roll and its failed legitimacy as a musical form. Whatever you think after reviewing the evidence, remember that while Alan Freed is gone, most of the people affected by the scandal survived and even grew in stature. Much like the music itself.



(I found this)

But I Remember, Alan Freed Invented the term "Rock and Roll!!!

and he took the fall for EVERY body!!

(yes, even Dick Clark)!!!!

Answer 2

"We Didn't Start the Fire" is a song by Billy Joel that chronicles 120 well-known events, people, things, and places widely noted during his lifetime, from March 1949 to 1989, when the song was released on his album Storm Front. Joel explained that he wrote this song due to his interest in history; he commented that he would have wanted to be a history teacher had he not become a rock and roll singer. Unlike most of Joel's songs, the lyrics were written before the melody, owing to the somewhat unusual style of the song. Nevertheless, the song was a huge commercial success and provided Billy Joel with his third, and final, Billboard #1 hit."

Answer 3

He's listing things that happened in the 50s and 60s. Payola was a scandal in the music industry where radio stations were receiving money to play certain records more than others (thereby making them more popular, since chart position was based on a combination of sales AND radio play). Kennedy was a popular political figure in the late 50s/early 60s.