Jay Smolens

English 1030-41

25 August 2015

 

Brief Analysis of Billy Joel’s Only the Good Die Young

            Billy Joel is a master of rhetoric. This is shown clearly in his song Only the Good Die Young. The main premise of the song is Billy Joel trying to convince a well-behaved Catholic girl to have premarital sex with him. Rather than try and persuade Virginia, the girl, by praising sex, Billy Joel belittle the Catholic Church instead, making Virginia doubt if the Church’s stance on some things is really the correct stance, if there even is a correct stance. (This is an aspect of moral relativism, which my project will be making an argument on, but for now I am simply analyzing the rhetoric of the song).

            In the opening verse, Billy Joel makes himself a victim when he says “don’t let me wait.” Immediately after that he criticizes the Church and plants that seed of doubt. When he sings, “you Catholic girls start much too late,” he puts the blame on Virginia and her Catholic beliefs. Then he says the Catholic Church told her this and that, but she was never told the cost of living such a way. This puts doubt in her mind about what is the right moral standpoint. After placing doubt in her mind, Billy Joel provides her with something else she can believe by saying “Only the good die young.”

            In the next verse, Billy Joel provides his opposition’s argument against himself. He then plays it off by saying, “that never hurt no one,” insinuating that there is nothing wrong with his lifestyle seeing how it has never caused harm. (Unlike poor Virginia who is being kept from experiencing some of the more exciting parts of life in Billy Joel’s eyes). Then he sends Virginia an invitation to his lifestyle. At this point in the song, Billy Joel has basically made Virginia’s side seem boring, dull, and possibly not even correct. He has also shown her another way of living in such a light that it could appeal to Virginia as exciting and new. He then extends and invitation to share in this lifestyle. From this point in the song on, Billy Joel’s rhetoric consists of comparing his lifestyle to Virginia’s current one, constantly upholding his own while belittling hers.