In a July 2008 New York Times article, Joel cited this as one of his two favorite songs, along with "Summer, Highland Falls".
"Why did I pick Vienna to use as a metaphor for the rest of your life? My father lives in Vienna now. I had to track him down. I didn't see him from the time I was 8 'till I was about 23-24 years old. He lives in Vienna, Austria which I thought was rather bizarre because he left Germany in the first place because of this guy named Hitler and he ends up going to the same place that Hitler hung out all those years! Vienna, for a long time was the crossroads. During the Cold War, between the Eastern Bloc, the Warsaw Pact nations and the NATO countries was the city of Vienna... Vienna was always the crossroads - between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire. So the metaphor of Vienna has the meaning of a crossroad. It's a place of inter...course, of exchange - it's the place where cultures co-mingle. You get great beer in Vienna but you also get brandy from Armenia. It was a place where cultures co-mingled.
So I go to visit my father in Vienna, I'm walking around this town and I see this old lady. She must have been about 90 years old and she is sweeping the street. I say to my father "What's this nice old lady doing sweeping the street?" He says "She's got a job, she feels useful, she's happy, she's making the street clean, she's not put out to pasture". We treat old people in this country pretty badly. We put them in rest homes, we kinda kick them under the rug and make believe they don't exist. They [the people in Vienna] don't feel like that. In a lot of these older places in the world, they value their older people and their older people feel they can still be a part of the community and I thought 'This is a terrific idea - that old people are useful -and that means I don't have to worry so much about getting old because I can still have a use in this world in my old age. I thought "Vienna waits for you..."
There is also a lot of inside stuff on the song. The beginning and the end is very Kurt Weill. That kind of sick, middle-European, kinky decadent thing.. cabaret kinda.... there's a lot of crazy stuff going on. We are seeing the result of it in this ethnic warfare in the Balkans which is a tragedy. This century started out with this Assassination of the Archduke in Sarajevo and that begat World War I which begat the Russian Revolution, then you had the Depression then that begat World War II and then that begat the Cold War and all that's over but they're still blowing each other to smithereens in Sarajevo. So this whole thing is going on in middle Europe - it's Kurt Weill. And some composers, Dvořák, Smetana - they captured it."
-- Billy Joel, An Evening of Questions & Answers and Perhaps a Few Songs
Vienna
Billy Joel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're so ambitious for a juvenile
But then if you're so smart, well, tell me
Why are you still so afraid? Mm
Where's the fire, what's the hurry about?
You'd better cool it off before you burn it out
You've got so much to do
And only so many hours in a day
But you know that when the truth is told
That you can get what you want or you can just get old
You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through, ooh
When will you realize Vienna waits for you?
Slow down, you're doin' fine
You can't be everything you wanna be before your time
Although it's so romantic on the borderline
Tonight, tonight
Too bad, but it's the life you lead
You're so ahead of yourself that you forgot what you need
Though you can see when you're wrong
You know, you can't always see when you're right, you're right
You've got your passion, you've got your pride
But don't you know that only fools are satisfied?
Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true, ooh
When will you realize Vienna waits for you?
Slow down, you crazy child
And take the phone off the hook and disappear for awhile
It's alright, you can afford to lose a day or two, ooh
When will you realize Vienna waits for you?
And you know that when the truth is told
That you can get what you want or you can just get old
You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through, ooh
Why don't you realize Vienna waits for you?
When will you realize Vienna waits for you?
The song "Vienna" by Billy Joel is essentially a message to young individuals who are too busy chasing after their dreams and aspirations to take a moment to enjoy life. The song starts with "Slow down, you crazy child," and goes on to question why the person in question is so afraid despite being so ambitious. The song is reflective and acknowledges the pressure put on young adults to accomplish everything they want within limited time. The song suggests that Vienna is symbolic of a beautiful and peaceful city that is a metaphor for the wonderful things in life that are waiting for us to appreciate and enjoy.
The song then goes on to encourage the singer to take a step back to avoid burning out too soon. Billy Joel tells the listener that getting what they desire in life may not be possible, and some of the things they dream about may not turn into reality. He advises that people should keep dreaming and moving forward, but they should also take time to slow down and appreciate the journey, lest they overlook the small beautiful things waiting to be discovered along the way.
In conclusion, "Vienna" is about enjoying the journey and taking a moment to appreciate the beauty around us, even as we chase after our dreams. It is a reminder to slow down and not let stress and ambition consume us entirely.
Line by Line Meaning
Slow down, you crazy child
Take a break, you enthusiastic and impulsive younger-self
You're so ambitious for a juvenile
You have an immense desire to do great things, given your age
But then if you're so smart, well, tell me
Why are you still so afraid? Mm
Despite your intelligence, why do you still harbor fear?
Where's the fire, what's the hurry about?
You'd better cool it off before you burn it out
Why the haste? You should slow down before you lose momentum
You've got so much to do
And only so many hours in a day
You have a lot to accomplish, but time is limited
But you know that when the truth is told
That you can get what you want or you can just get old
You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through, ooh
When will you realize Vienna waits for you?
The truth is that you either achieve your goals or grow old and die, so don't overwork yourself. Explore Vienna before it's too late
Slow down, you're doin' fine
You can't be everything you wanna be before your time
You're making good progress, but you must remember that it takes time to achieve all your goals
Although it's so romantic on the borderline
Tonight, tonight
Even though taking risks can seem romantic, it is no solution for present restlessness
Too bad, but it's the life you lead
You're so ahead of yourself that you forgot what you need
It's a pity that you've forgotten what you truly require while looking out for future matters
Though you can see when you're wrong
You know, you can't always see when you're right, you're right
You are sensitive to being incorrect, but sometimes you don’t recognize when you're doing well
You've got your passion, you've got your pride
But don't you know that only fools are satisfied?
You have your desires, but remember that contentment is not for the wise
Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true, ooh
When will you realize Vienna waits for you?
Chase your dreams, but be prepared that all of them may not come true. Don't lose an opportunity to discover Vienna waiting for you
Slow down, you crazy child
And take the phone off the hook and disappear for awhile
It's alright, you can afford to lose a day or two, ooh
When will you realize Vienna waits for you?
Relax and take a break to escape from worries for a few days, because it's okay to lose some time. Recognize and explore the beauty of Vienna
And you know that when the truth is told
That you can get what you want or you can just get old
You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through, ooh
Why don't you realize Vienna waits for you?
Regardless of whether you achieve your desires or age, life always runs short. It is time to see Vienna is waiting for you
When will you realize Vienna waits for you?
Vienna offers itself to you, and it's about time you seize the opportunity.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Billy Joel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@johnalexander2690
Vienna
Billy Joel
Slow down, you crazy child
You're so ambitious for a juvenile
But then if you're so smart
Tell me why are you still so afraid?
Where's the fire?
What's the hurry about?
You better cool it off before you burn it out
You got so much to do and only so many hours in a day
Ayy
But you know that when the truth is told
That you can get what you want or you can just get old
You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through
When will you realize
Vienna waits for you?
Slow down, you're doing fine
You can't be everything you wanna be before your time
Although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight
Tonight
Too bad, but it's the life you lead
You're so ahead of yourself that you forgot what you need
Though you can see when you're wrong
You know, you can't always see when you're right
You're right
You've got your passion, you've got your pride
But don't you know that only fools are satisfied?
Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true
When will you realize
Vienna waits for you?
Slow down, you crazy child
And take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while
It's all right, you can afford to lose a day or two
When will you realize
Vienna waits for you?
You know that when the truth is told
That you can get what you want or you can just get old
You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through
Why don't you realize
Vienna waits for you?
When will you realize
Vienna waits for you?
@atikahdwifaulina5650
Slow down, you crazy child
You're so ambitious for a juvenile
But then if you're so smart, then tell me
Why are you still so afraid?
Where's the fire, what's the hurry about?
You'd better cool it off before you burn it out
You've got so much to do
And only so many hours in a day
But you know that when the truth is told
That you can get what you want or you get old
You're gonna kick off before you even
Get halfway through
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you
Slow down, you're doing fine
You can't be everything you want to be
Before your time
Although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight
Tonight,
Too bad but it's the life you lead
You're so ahead of yourself that you forgot what you need
Though you can see when you're wrong, you know
You can't always see when you're right. you're right
You've got your passion, you've got your pride
But don't you know that only fools are satisfied?
Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?
Slow down, you crazy child
And take the phone off the hook and disappear for awhile
It's all right, you can afford to lose a day or two
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?
And you know that when the truth is told
That you can get what you want or you can just get old
You're gonna kick off before you even get half through
Why don't you realize, Vienna waits for you
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?
@hattieshon4159
This song hits the kids who try’s so hard to be everything everyone wants them to be but never enough for themselves. Alone, tired, and disappointed
@hoagiefh
it isn’t possible to describe it better than you did sir
@RafaelXd23
I’m broken.... don’t know if I can do this anymore
@marcelloz1230
@@RafaelXd23 when will you realize Vienna waits for you? When you’re young you always think every smallest mistake is the end of the world when in reality you have time and everything will set into place when it’s time to.
@memeologyman9576
Oh that's me, except I'm not alone
@coralroberts7795
It’s true I’m the kid
@nicnacsocials
This song really says “slow down” for all of us crazy ambitious children who always pressure ourselves to achieve one goal after another.
@augustinehernandez5397
We gotta smell the roses.
@WillsDad2012
I agree
@mallbratgirl_3005
yes it literally says that