Music Blog

Storm Front

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Today in Jim Adams’ post entitled ‘The Seven Seas’,
he has asked us to write about a song that features nautical
terms, words connected with ships, sailing or navigation.
Written for Song Lyric Sunday, this is my choice.

In 1989, Billy Joel released his album Storm Front which hit #1 on the Billboard 200 charts, went quadruple platinum and was nominated for five Grammy Awards. The album’s cover (photo shown above) depicts the maritime storm warning flag indicating wind forces 10–12 (48-64 knots or 55-73 mph), the highest intensity on the Beaufort scale.

My song choice for this week is “The Downeaster ‘Alexa’”, a track from Storm Front about the hard lives of Long Island fisherman. The song is sung in the voice of an impoverished fisherman off Long Island and the surrounding waters who, like many of his fellow fishermen, is finding it increasingly hard to make ends meet and keep ownership of his boat, a type of power fishing vessel known as a downeaster. The song was named for Billy Joel’s boat, which in turn was named after his daughter, Alexa Ray Joel.

In “The Downeaster Alexa'”, Billy Joel sings of my beloved Montauk where we vacationed for 34 consecutive summers until Covid hit. Sadly, for various reasons, we have not returned since then. The references in the song to actual places, nautical and otherwise, such as Block Island Sound, Gardiner’s Bay, and Islanders juxtaposed against more mythical or religious lines (“giants out there in the canyon,” “where God only knows,” and “I am trawling Atlantis”) help convey a sense of a life rooted in gritty realism but controlled by larger forces.

Much of the fishermen’s fate is beyond their control, but they keep working hard because there are “bills to pay” and “children who need clothes”. And the last line “there ain’t no island left for Islanders like me” is particularly poignant and hits you like a sudden wave.

Musically, the rhythm of the song mimics a boat lurching in the sea against the waves. The use of the accordion and fiddle, instruments often associated with folk music (or ‘common music’) ground it in a reality befitting the subject matter. The fiddle solo in particular (played by violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman) also helps give the song a sense of urgency and the frenetic pace at which the work is done.   

“The Downeaster ‘Alexa’” is a perfect example of lyrics, music, and production all working together to complement each other and advance the theme of the song. It is one of Billy Joel’s most sublime and yet underappreciated songs. It is quintessentially “Billy Joel” and may be the best song he wrote in his latter period (1986-1993).

 This is “The Downeaster ‘Alexa’” by Billy Joel

LYRICS

Well I’m on the Downeaster Alexa
And I’m cruising through Block Island Sound
I have charted a course to the vineyard
But tonight I am Nantucket bound
We took on diesel back in Montauk yesterday
Left this morning from the bell in Gardiner’s Bay
Like all the locals here I’ve had to sell my home
Too proud to leave I worked my fingers to the bone

So I could own my Downeaster Alexa
And I go where the ocean is deep
There are giants out there in the canyons
And a good captain can’t fall asleep
I got bills to pay and children who need clothes
I know there’s fish out there but where God only knows
They say these waters aren’t what they used to be
But I got people back on land who count on me

So if you see my Downeaster Alexa
And if you work with the rod and the reel
Tell my wife I am trolling Atlantis
And I still have my hands on the wheel

Yay-o
Yay-o
Yay-o
Yay-yay-o

Now I drive my Downeaster Alexa
More and more miles from shore every year
Since they tell me I can’t sell no stripers
And there’s no luck in sword fishing here
I was a bay man like my father was before
Can’t make a living as a bay man anymore
There ain’t much future for a man who works the sea
But there ain’t no island left for islanders like me

Yay-yay-yay-o
Yay-yay-yay-o
Yay-yay-yay-o
Yay-yay-yay-o

Written by: Billy Joel
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

“The Downeaster ‘Alexa‘” is at its core a folk song about the plight of Long Island fishermen in the 1980s and 1990s. In the tradition of American folk singers like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan, Billy Joel crafted a powerful song about the working man, here, the Long Island fishermen who were seeing their way of life disappear due to regulations and the declining number of fish, as well as to gentrification of the island. As a native Long Islander and lover of the water, it was a cause very personal to Billy Joel. He has  been a steadfast supporter and advocate of the Bay Men of Long Island. Here is a video of him supporting the group. 

The Seven Seas

Big thanks to Jim Adams for hosting another great Song Lyric Sunday this week. Be sure to follow the link and check out Jim’s site.

Thanks for stopping by. See you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2024

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancy ~ The Sicilian Storyteller, Nancy (The Sicilian Storyteller), The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk, and The Rhythm Section and are not for use by anyone without permission. NAR©2017-present.

37 thoughts on “Storm Front”

  1. Pingback: The Downeaster ‘Alexa’ – Billy Joel | Observation Blogger

  5. I can’t recall hearing this song before, but it’s amazing. The filmography of the video really brings it home. The additional interview was a treat. He really talks like that? 😄

    Here in the Midwest, the small farmers can relate to the struggle. I know a couple of independent dairy farmers (100 head) who lived that hard life; I cried when they had to sell their herd. Multigenerational farm, in a community that takes care of one another, but they just couldn’t afford & not drown in never-ending debt.

    Thank you for this gift, Nancy!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. You honor me by calling this a gift, Liz; I’m humbled by your generous comments! ☺️

      If you watched The Perfect Storm, you saw how dangerous the life of a commercial fisherman can be. My husband grew up on City Island, NY and spent many summers working for one of the marinas. His love of the water and all things nautical is what led us to the quiet little fishing village of Montauk where we vacationed for many years. Seeing Billy Joel working on his boat, coming in from a day on the water or enjoying a cold beer in a watering hole on the docks was commonplace for us.

      I’m so glad you watched the video about the Bay Men. Yes, he really does talk like that! The fisherman are really going through a rough time and it’s heartbreaking, much like your farmer friends. The waters are depleted. There was a time when my husband would go fishing and catch 20 fish; now he’s lucky to catch 2, which he throws back into the sea. It’s truly just a sport for him and no fish lose their lives.

      It was a real pleasure writing about “The Downeaster ‘Alexa'” and sharing the video with you. I’m so gratified knowing you enjoyed it. Thanks, Liz! 😊

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    2. Hey, Christine. I’ve been having a problem leaving comments on other blogger’s posts. I tried leaving a comment on your SLS post but it didn’t go through. This is really getting to be a drag.

      For your post about Brandy I said the song was Yacht Rock at it’s finest and that I always liked it. I also suggested you try to find the documentary about Clive Davis as well as the one about Yacht Rock; they are both excellent and worth watching. In closing I thanked you for adding Beyond the Sea by Bobby Darin, my paisano from the Bronx! In his short life, he was a giant of a performer, a multi-talented artist and a real gentleman.

      I just checked your post again and my comment is not there. These WordPress problems are truly frustrating. Sorry.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Oh what a shame Nancy. Sometimes that happens if you’re not logged in. I don’t have any restrictions that I am aware of. I wonder what I should do?
        Thank you for your nice comments. Yes it’s an old favor of mine and it was the first one I thought of when it talked about the sea. As for the Bobby Darin one, well that is just such a special song. I am happy you like it too. ☺️🩷

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

        1. Thanks so much, Christine! I don’t know what either of us can do. I already logged out and logged back in. I don’t have any restrictions either …. that I’m aware of. Isn’t it funny that we have to add the caveat “that I’m aware off”? We should be totally aware of what’s going on with our accounts; sadly, WordPress makes that impossible for us. Thanks for being so understanding. It’s out of my hands and a complete drag.

          I really enjoyed your post today and adding Beyond the Sea was a very nice touch. Great choices!

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      2. Oh Nancy, yes J did see that Clive Davis special on Prime or Netflix. It was fascinating. There is also a wonder one on Quincy Jones if you have the time to watch it. Like Clive he had an early oddball discovery. Clive signed Janis Joplin and made her famous. She was so different than the others he was signing. Quincy Jones signed Lesley Gore and did the same for her. Again very different than other Quincy discoveries. It’s like they each should have signed the other! 😂

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

        1. Those stories about Clive Davis and Quincy Jones are fascinating! My husband is great about finding all these shows and recording them for us to watch whenever the mood strikes. I’ll have to tell him about the Quincy Jones special. The one about Clive Davis was superb; what a charmed life he led …. well, for the most part! Even through adversity he came back bigger and better. Thanks for the great comments! 😊

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  12. A wonderful song and a great video for it. I think this is my favourite of his albums, all of which I have. The song Leningrad is heartbreaking.

    Great choice for today, Nancy 👍

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you, Clive. As I mentioned on your excellent post, I thought briefly of going with Southern Cross by CS&N but my heart was with my fellow New Yorker who will always be The Boss to me. And you’re right, this is his greatest album from this period of his prolific songwriting career.

      I’m glad you enjoyed my choice. 😊

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

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