Christmas in Fallujah: Billy Joel (2007)
Review of a Christmas Song
This Iraqi war protest song was written by Billy Joel and stars Cass Dillon as the lead vocalist. The music feels thrown together and acts solely as a vehicle for the lyrics that – though thought provoking – are not supportive but rather depressing and lack appropriate emotion - the hope this idea should present.
When Joel wrote it, he explained he had no intention of singing it. For its impact to make sense, it would have to come from a voice the listener believed was one of a young soldier...experiencing the war first hand and telling the story of his reality. At 58 years of age, Joel felt he was incapable of producing that voice; which is probably true... Enter the virtually unknown Cass Dillon.
A Christmas Song for U.S. Troops
The opening chords are cool...the progression feels very "Billy." No drums – just guitar and the young Cass sounding the part perfectly – as Joel intended. He serves up raspy, dehydrated (perhaps from dry, 114 degree sandy air?) sounding vocals that are exactly what the song needs to go over properly.
Then, at the 38 second mark (give or take a tick) the tune opens up with even more signature Billy Joel changes. They ring in after a short pause in the intro to present the chorus. It seems it’s really going to start cooking here – although he could’ve waited another round or two for the main hook.
After the first chorus, it starts tanking (no war pun intended) and simply repeats the same pattern – the only difference is now there are drums behind it all. Insert a few predictable breaks and you’ve got Christmas in Fallujah down pat. Sure there’s a bridge…right after the second chorus – but it’s sloppy, awkward and way too similar to the rest of the tune.
It’s all Downhill from There…
That’s the first 3 minutes…the rest of the song just repeats, it’s Christmas in Fallujah and, merry Christmas from Fallujah, with a few “hallelujahs” thrown in. It gets very old very fast, partly due to the repetition.
Additional words offer a bleak outlook:
And I just got your letter…and this is what I read…you said – I’m fading from your memory so I’m just as good as dead.
And...
It’s Christmas in Fallujah and we ain’t never coming home…
Where is the hope?
Knowing these brave men and women need as much Christmas cheer as they can get, Christmas in Fallujah tells them their loved ones are forgetting about them and even if they still have a whisper of a memory, the lyrics suggest it doesn’t matter anyway because they’re never going to see any of them again!
The song can be seen as a fabulous failure…but if you love Billy Joel, you may be able to overlook the flaws - troops dying with, no justice in the desert because there is no God in hell.
Far from a Christmas song with yuletide cheer, Christmas in Fallujah paints the grim picture of an impossible situation.
Billy Joel - perhaps realizing what he had written
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Cass Dillon - delivers Joel's Christmas cheer
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iTunes photo
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