Jonathan says:

I know I will be changing the channel if I hear it.

yak says:

No more dollars for Billy from me.

Clueless ‘tard.

KatD says:

I also attended the Sprint Center concert. Because I am not and have never been against the war, I grew very tense when he said the next song would be about Iraq. My uneasiness continued through the intro. However I soon saw that, much like Goodnight Saigon, Christmas in Fallujah conveyed the realities and complex perceptions of war in a mature manner. Billy Joel does an excellent job of writing lyrics with such imagery and emotion that they resonate without the limitation of political agenda.

Mike says:

It was a great song making us think about and thankful for the troops who are in a very difficult fight. They need to know we care and the fight is not in vain.
I hope this is played for congress.

smokyMTNsporty - PGR says:

Life must be really sad for a Godless, Countryless, HONORLESS man like Mr. Joel, and anyone willing to sing such a song.
John D.
“smokyMTNsporty” of the Patriot Guard Riders

Ruth Etters says:

Terribly interesting coincidence. Jefferson Pepper wrote a song called “Christmas in Fallujah� three years ago. Like Joel’s song, it’s also an anti-war ballad from the perspective of the soldier.

But don’t believe me, check it out for yourself:
http://www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.asp?epk_id=41253

Ken Reighard says:

My first awareness of the song was from a story aired on the CBS Evening News on December 20, 2007. Katie Couric interviewed Billy Joel, and coming out of that I was of the opinion that the song was rather neutral in its stance on the war (at least it wasn’t openly, “in-your-face” anti-war.) I sensed, between the lines, a subtle indictment of our news media for allowing the war (and our soldiers fighting in it) to slip from the minds of the people.

However, the brief clips of the song played in the CBS News story did not reveal all of the lyrics. After reviewing the lyrics in their entirety, I find that, on the whole, the song takes an anti-war sentiment. Phrases such as “the Crusaders,” “armies of the empire,” and “legionnaires of Rome” do not create a positive impression of the USA or its military. The line “a sea of oil in the sand” is nothing more than another big gulp out of the Liberal Left’s Kool-Aid tank.

As for the indictment of our news media: In the song, the line “I’m fading from your memory/ so I’m just as good as dead” begs the question of *why* our brave soldiers are fading from our national memory. Since the troop surge took full effect, there has been progressively less news about the war reported in the mainstream media. It may be argued that the Presidential campaign has been taking an increasing share of coverage, since it began earlier than usual (some states even moved their primary elections earlier.) However, the troop surge has been highly effective in that the rate of terrorist violence in Baghdad, Fallujah, and other cities has been cut to one-third or less of what it was prior to the surge. Normally, this is *great* news. However, for all of the John Murthas and leftist news editors out there, it is not news at all. Good news is not news; how sad! A year or two ago, the TV news reminded us nightly about how many more American soldiers were killed that day (this constant drumbeat of bad news tends to create anti-war feelings among the people;) but now that the rates of mayhem, violence, and death have dropped dramatically, there is nothing in Iraq worthy of a report. Apparently, all of the Democrat editors would rather have us just forget about our troops than say anything that would make Murtha and the Democrats seem foolish, or make President Bush look good.

Normally, I am one to give a person the benefit of my doubt; I would rather look at all of the evidence carefully before pronouncing judgement. “Christmas in Fallujah” has definite anti-war sentiments, but I am not certain if that is because Billy Joel is a hard-line left-winger, or simply because he has been influenced by the same leftist, “mainstream” media that has befuddled many of us.

Sincerely,
Kenneth Reighard

e.leonard says:

sounds depressing to me so i felt it was anti soldier and war…it would be very discouraging for a soldier in iraq to hear it…..

Mike says:

I served two tours in Iraq at Camp Fallujah, for a total of 20 months. As an American, Billy Joel has the right to write whatever lyrics he wants to about the war. To my knowledge, he was never in Fallujah to play for the troops as other artists, such as Aaron Tippin. I saw the video which supposedly has “soldiers” saying “ooh rah” on stage. Firstly, there is 90% Marines at Camp Fallujah, not soldiers, and those on stage were not military. I can assure you that those serving in Iraq understand we are not “Crusaders” fighting the “infidel”. Most of our time was spent trying to provide security and rebuild schools, water purification facilities, hospitals, etc. The Iraqi people are turning a corner and realizing we aren’t the enemy, but religious extremists (most of whom are from other countries) are. I have always loved Billy Joel’s music, I admit the song captures alot of the feelings of lonliness and isolation you feel while there…I just feel that writing about Iraq without being there is like two blindmen in a room feeling opposite ends of an elephant and rendering their opinion on what kind of animal it is.