Every child had a pretty good shot To get at least as far as their old man got But something happened on the way to that place They threw an American flag in our face That's some amazing writing there...

30 years later and those lyrics are still as relevant as ever

Thank you Billy Joel for this song , no one could have done it better , it's a masterpiece !

Grew up in Cleveland & Toledo. Watched my Dad, Uncles & Couisins get laid off as Ford, Chevy & GM closed down factory after factory. Billy Joel took the whole era & explained it with a handful of words. He could have called it Cleveland, Detroit or Toledo as well as Allentown. We all got whipped by NAFTA in the end.

Sublime but effortless chord progression. Magnificent melody and superb lyrics. Perhaps his best composition…

"But the restlessness was handed down" That's a genius-level lyric, right there.

Always loved Allentown. Important track to me in the early '80s while seeing the decline of the steel industry in Sheffield, England mirrored by the closures in Pennsylvannia. The closures totally knackered the local economy and some might say took the heart from the great city up to the present day. Billy Joel has been criticised for being lightweight but he and Bruce Springsteen struck a chord with those of usin England left behind by the synth escapism of the British scene in the early '80s. This is Billy Joel's most mature album in my opinion.

Great song coming from a Bronx born Long Island kid

40 years later and those lyrics are absolutely relevant facts!

Not a big fan of Billy Joel, but this is one of his best - "Well our fathers fought the Second World War Spent their weekends on the Jersey Shore Met our mothers in the USO Asked them to dance Danced with them slow..." Beautiful!

Definitely one of the greatest American songs ever composed and performed

can you imagine listening to this in Detroit 1982? it was brutal, de-industrialization. I was 18 there were no jobs, no work.... I Love this song

What a perfect song! Lyrics, music and performance by Billy...just perfect!😊

Sitting here in floods of tears. Think this song just brings out the broken dreams and lies….

My favorite Billy Joel song. What an amazing melody-line.

Well we're living here in Allentown And they're closing all the factories down Out in Bethlehem they're killing time Filling out forms Standing in line Well our fathers fought the Second World War Spent their weekends on the Jersey Shore Met our mothers in the USO Asked them to dance Danced with them slow And we're living here in Allentown But the restlessness was handed down And it's getting very hard to stay Well we're waiting here in Allentown For the Pennsylvania we never found For the promises our teachers gave If we worked hard If we behaved So the graduations hang on the wall But they never really helped us at all No they never taught us what was real Iron and coke And chromium steel And we're waiting here in Allentown But they've taken all the coal from the ground And the union people crawled away Every child had a pretty good shot To get at least as far as their old man got But something happened on the way to that place They threw an American flag in our face Well I'm living here in Allentown And it's hard to keep a good man down But I won't be getting up today And it's getting very hard to stay And we're living here in Allentown

The 'Nylon Curtain' was the last eight-track I ever bought. Since then I've owned the cassette and CD.

My favorite Billy Joel song. BAR NONE.

This song always makes me think of my hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was a big steel manufacturing town in Appalachia much like Allentown, Pennsylvania. Then by the 1980's, all of the factories closed down as everything moved overseas. Chattanooga was a manufacturing town. When my father grew up there, he just assumed that he would get a job in a factory there out of high school just like my grandfather did. But that didn't happen. Partly why my dad got into computer school and took a programming job in Memphis and Atlanta and led to my adventures growing up with him even living and working in New York and Puerto Rico. Hell, my dad is even named "Allen," which I think is why this song resonated more with us, plus him being a Billy Joel music fan. We had his greatest hits album on CD when I was a kid in Memphis and this song always made us think of what Chattanooga was and for better or worse became. Honestly, it wasn't one of the better places to be when I was born there in the 1980's. It was a crime ridden city with high unemployment. It's sort of a miracle that it has in recent years become the playground of the Southeast. Lots of people in Atlanta like to go there for the weekend and even retire there. Not going to knock it, as it has its mountain scenery, enough to be nicknamed "The Scenic City." That's not to mention the college town it is with UTC (University of Tennessee at Chattanooga). Lots of times, my dad laments the gentrification that has happened in Chattanooga, but in some odd way, also appreciates it. That being said, at least Chattanooga hasn't become like many so-called Rust Belt cities.

One of the best memories I have with this album was sitting on a school travel bus from Chicago back to Farmington Hills with a bunch of tired, sleeping preteens, while it’s raining and while jamming to this album on a 2008 discman at full volume after listening to Janet Jackson’s Design Of A Decade, Suzanne Vega’s Retrospective, and The Essential Journey (Which I bought on the trip), and after muckbanging an Arby’s combo meal which was the only good thing I ate on that entire trip, and getting back to the school an hour late at a final arrival time of 12:03am. Those were the best 4 months of my life and the end of my true childhood.

One of the best albums ever made.

As a former on air radio Disc jockey here? I can say ? Hands down Joel has certainly given all of us some really great timeless pieces of tunes to enjoy . I personally? Like seeing the younger people who comment on how their parents got them into these great songs and still? They enjoy them. The Se7enties was a great decade for the music industry in my view. We had so many great song writers and they for the most part ? Incorporated story telling . Mr. Billy Joel is a great example of just ? That? Salute to Billy Joel and his band for 30 plus years of being? A real entertainer. Grazie mille. From one Native New Yorker to another. By the way? The radio stations I worked on the air all in the S.W. region ? KMGA. KAMX .KHTZ .KQEO and ARROW102.5 .those are just a few . Again ? Thanks Billy Joel. Lots of great memories.

I grew up in North Carolina and these lyrics ring true with the 90s textile, furniture and tobacco industries here as much as the steel industry up north in the 70s and 80s. Blue collar through and through.

Proud to be born in Allentown Pennsylvania!!

I loved this song when I was in my early 20s back in 1982 and still love it at 63 in 2024. Great song.

Today, Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton are largely recovered, with new development springing up all over. Not as well off as we once were, but a recovery has been made. Our hearts go out to all of the towns and cities who weren’t so lucky.

Wonderful song with meaningful lyrics. Mr. Billy Joel is a damn good artist.

The most relevant American song you will ever hear!

Billy Joel-who I saw live in concert four times-1982, 1987, 1990, 1993-celebrates his 71'st birthday on Saturday, May 9'th, 2020.

This is a pure, plain, and unadulterated song for all ears to hear, minds to reach, and hearts to touch.

One of the great tracks from a great artist

One of his best

Probably one of his five best songs, always makes me think of hunting deers...

I live in Belgium. It took me weeks to remember..I found this awesome album in my mom's audio tapes collection in the '90. At that time I was like 10, just enjoyed the music... Now I can speak and understand english, I find it twice awesome. Thanks for the share.

March 15, 2022 … this song hits harder now than it did when I was 14 & it was omnipresent on WLS - Chicago … I grew-up in a small-town in the sub-suburbs that died after this song faded from the charts. I had to leave that town & my family to do something with myself & I resent it.

His voice is so soothing to the soul.....bloody love this man!!

every year my family and i go to wildwood, new jersey. we live in the binghamton new york area and on the way there, i always play this song when we’re passing allentown. it’s become one of my favorite traditions

The Nylon Curtain wasn't Billy's best-selling album, but a lot of fans consider it his greatest work... I'd be honored if some Billy Joel fans would take a listen to my acoustic piano & vocal YT performances of ALLENTOWN and VIENNA in tribute to one of the greatest American songwriter-vocalist-musicians of all time. Live acoustic with no autotune or digital editing. Thanks and stay safe.

My very first cassette as a kid. Think I was 8 or 9. Loved this album.

One of my all-time favorites!

joels songs from my early years are even more relevant now. he is timeless!

My favourite Billy Joel album remember him doing a track by track interview with Roger Scott on our local FM radio station Capital, never heard anything like it since God bless Billy,. Roger will never be forgotten deeply missed RIP

I had this album growing up. I love the chord changes in this song- follows the emotion of the lyrics so well!

Outstanding song by Billy!!!...Has a special meaning to me: Our ship cook would always play it during breakfast during my first time at sea, back in 2010...

he sounds just as good live

He's like musical Hemingway, surreal even.

Just ordered the vinyl of this album on Amazon and I’m super pumped to hear the rest of it 🤘🏻

Currently living in one of the many Allentown bretheren around America and by god is it hard to stay.

What a song! Love this one.

This song by Billy Joel Allentown speaks the truth

I LOVE THIS SONG A LOT~

Saw him 3x over the years...never disappointed. Amazing.

Great harmony, great beat, and you can dance to it. One of my Billy Joel favorites (and there's too many of them to count)

The Lehigh Valley is my neck of the woods. Bethlehem Steel was our pride and joy; our steel built the world (fuck Pittsburgh). The loss was more than just jobs; we lost our pride, which is why it is so sad, for me.

Powerful lyrics that clearly resonate with everyone here, but are you aware of what inspired Joel to write the song? Allentown was Billyl's way of recognizing his many fans in that City who, with the help of the local rock station (WZZO) successfully circulated a petition asking the artist perform at its Fairgrounds stadium. Up to that point, the closest he'd ever gotten to the 'Lehigh Valley' was New York and Philly.

Good to be in Allentown.

4O YEARS AGO TODAY 1 THIS WEEK May 22, 1982, -2022.

When this song is no longer relevant then society will truly no longer be sick

Favorite Billy song

The 9ths!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My dad is a steel mill worker we have lived in Pennsylvania our whole life’s dad is lucky to have a job in the steel mills (he works at uss steel Clariton works been there most my life)

One of Billy's last good, *good* songs - and what a song it is. God bless this man!

Hangover, and we living here in Allentown

one of my favorites by him. :)

2024年5月、日本からビリージョエルのアレンタウンが聴きたくてここにきました。 メロディーがとても好きです。 しかし、歌詞の意味を知って聞くと、当時現役ブルーカラーの方々の苦しい人生を感じ、とても辛く思います。 当時を支えた従業員の全員に賞賛を。 解雇されたその後の人生が報われたことを祈ります。 どうか皆さんが働いてきた仕事に誇りを持てますように。 今働いている2024年現在の皆さん一人一人が自分の仕事に自信と誇りをを持てますように。 働いてきてよかったと報われますように。 これを歌にして世に訴えたビリー あなたの歌は今でも世界で聴かれています。ありがとう。

何回聴いてもいい曲だ～♪　昔を思い出す＾＾

one this themes on my tracklist....favorites!!!!!

I have seen the music video for this song on dvd, and I actually like this song.

1983 memories

Puedo repetirla muchas veces y no me canso de escucharla, me anima mucho♥️

Pretty sure Mr. William Joel is the coolest thing to ever happen in the pop music world. What a phenomenal career, but I always come back to Allentown.

I Love This One ♥️

Billy is the man!

There are two dislikes. Two too many.

love this song!

The law of diminishing returns does here !!!!!😄

Devastating pop song with rock lyrics...

thank you Billy

Never liked Billy too much but this song is a masterpiece! It could be our new national anthem??? This once great nation is dead and I mourn its loss.

The lyrics make this song.....

bravo Billy , j'étais en germany lorsque j'ai acheté "THE NYLON CURTAIN" c'est un SUPER ALBUM 23/05 2016 OF FRANCE

his best album.

Excelent song

awesome

So I'm writing a musical based on Billy Joel's Music, and this song is actually included, that's because the main character was born and lived his early years in Allentown , but when he becomes a young adult, but I'm curious if this should be the opening number or is "Prelude/Angry Young Man" a better show opener

This song was on my first audio cassette. Behind the iron courtain we only got mixtapes. 🙂

2:24 Love this.

Nice. I remember when the song was played in a Shining Time Station toy video.

I think he wanted to call this song Bethlehem due to the Bethlehem Steel getting ready to close, but Bethlehem wouldn’t fit with the melody. As a life long Lehigh Valley resident, I love that Billy Joel spent lots of time here and got to know the people.

tsch....ah.... hat Dampf das Ding - cool Billy !

niiiiiiiiiiiiiice

時々鳴る鉄パイプを叩いているような音が好きです。

"But I won't be getting up todaaay" -2020 In a nutshell.

Opening riff reminds me of the sun setting

Brilliant song. I totally get it.i have relatives who grew up with depending on the mines.its so awful. BUT, there will be new clean jobs!

When i was like 6 i would call this the 'train song' and it took me so long to find it 😭

Thanks for uploading this album. Lost the orgiinal CD thanks to my ex husband. (no comments). Best Billy's record ever!

Promises , Promises, was all most of us got. I started working in 1978 and the one company I worked for told me all the years I put in didn’t count towards my retirement because I was hired temporary / part time even though more times than not I’d put 40 plus hrs a week in, especially around the holidays. So I got Nothing ! And they wonder why people flip out?

It's back to Flagstaff Az home

This song is a testament to how messed up the US labor force is. Unions insisting on super-inflated salaries, big conglmerate companies taking advantage of ax oopholes to ship jobs to other countries, and the worker left in the plight of "Allentown." Lots of work to be done.