So I went to my daughter's year-end performance this past weekend, where she has a couple of song and dance numbers with her "company."
Now this company has older girls in High School and they each had a career ending solo dance at this gig. For one of these the girl chose Billy Joel's Vienna for which to dance. (never end a sentence with a preposition).
TBH I don't think I'd heard the song before. I like Billy Joel and have learned a few tunes over the years, but as a guitar player and mainly a blues and rock player, the material never hit as hard as a Clapton or SRV solo.
Well, gulp, Vienna hit me like a ton of bricks. The metaphor is pretty obvious in the lyrics. And here I am, 15 years into my mid-life crisis, holding back tears in this theatre as this girl dances her heart out.
Well I could beat myself up about this (per the usual) and lament my hyper-emotionality and uber-sensitivity.
But I'm not going to do that.
I'm going to search youtube for "vienna billy joel cover" and realize Vienna has hit so many people in the heart.
Then Ima slow down and disappear for a while.
I've been to Munich, maybe Vienna waits for me.
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? 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, hey
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 a while
It's all right, 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 could 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?
