Comments on: What do you think? “Christmas in Fallujah” – is it an antiwar song?

By: Bec

Bec — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 08:37:38 +0000

I saw Billy perform this song live a week & a half ago in Brisbane, Australia (my hometown), and it is incredibly moving. The intro he gave clearly stated that the song is to support the troops in the Middle East. Whether he is anti-war or not is not the issue in my opinion. MANY people – Americans, Australians and those from elsewhere around the world – are anti-war (or anti-continuation-of-the-war) but pro-troops. Going into Iraq to free the Iraqis from Saddam Hussein’s tyranny was a just and noble cause, but there HAS to come a time when the troops go home for good and let the Iraqi people fight for their OWN freedom. My sister’s husband is in the Australian Army, and the only reason he wasn’t sent to Iraq a month ago was because he doesn’t have his passport yet. Several of my sister’s friends husbands are now in the Middle East, and will miss Christmas with their families. As far as I’m concerned, the allied troops have been there more than long enough, and it’s about damned time they ALL got to go home. If the Iraqis want to keep the freedom we’ve helped them establish, THEY should fight for it.

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 20:02:55 +0000

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.

By: d.griffiths

d.griffiths — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 23:00:32 +0000

reading those negative commets pisses me off so bad, he is supporting the soldiers, some people that live in our country clearly dont deserve it

By: e.leonard

e.leonard — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 22:07:33 +0000

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…..

By: Donna Freibel

Donna Freibel — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 04:49:32 +0000

I have read many comments related to the song, soldiers, Billy Joel and Cass Dillon. In my opinion this is a wonderful song. Anyone with family that is miitary knows the hardship of military life and the impact that war has. As pro-war or anti-war I think it is wrong to say Joel is godless, honorless or to judge the lyrics of a song that tells of war. It is not all uplifting and support should not always be sugar coated.Sometimes telling the truth of your feeling is the hardest part. War is cold, destroys lives and affects generations but remains nessecary in the world in which we live. As an American I support the war, our loyal soldiers, and the right to freedom of speech and exspression that they protect everyday with their lives. Many inlisted military were interviewed regaurding this song and supported it, so why should we as a nation feel it is our duty to go against these men for a song. When the people it is regaurding have no issue with it.

By: Ken Reighard

Ken Reighard — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 02:26:54 +0000

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

By: Mark K

Mark K — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 22:30:56 +0000

There is little doubt what this song is trying to say… it’s anti-war in Iraq as it gets. Some folks will never get it, they think we went into Iraq over oil… they just can’t see the snakes in the true mother den of terrorism. No matter how many terror training camps, mobile chemical labs, paper trails of promotions of terror we uncover in Iraq… there are those who will down play Iraq and Saddams role in the Jihad against the free world. Billy Joel, you once were thought of as being a good artist by myself… now I see you as a mis-guided leftist who has no clue.!!

MusicmanM58

By: It’s Christmas In Fallujah All Over Again | slackercountry.com

It’s Christmas In Fallujah All Over Again | slackercountry.com — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 19:38:59 +0000

[...] By now, you may have seen Billy Joel’s new song, Christmas In Fallujah, on the internets. There’s been a lot of commenting on blogs both pro and con. Much is being made of the fact that he enlisted a young singer, Cass Dillon, to do the song since Cass is the same age as a typical soldier serving in Iraq. [...]

By: wilson

wilson — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 00:03:54 +0000

Thankyou Mr. Joel for helping us remember every day that there are men and women who have chosen to fight for our freedom.
My prayers are with them and I wish them all a PEACEFUL Christmas, if only for one day, until they can, once again be home with their families. Because that is what they have given up so that you all can be with yours.
OO-RA

By: Ruth Etters

Ruth Etters — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 23:54:23 +0000

Terribly interesting coincidence. Jefferson Pepper wrote a song called â€œChristmas in Fallujahâ€? three years ago. Like Joelâ€™s song, itâ€™s also an anti-war ballad from the perspective of the soldier.

But donâ€™t believe me, check it out for yourself:
http://www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.asp?epk_id=41253