• HOME
  • ALL SONGS
    • TOP TWENTY-FIVE
  • ALL ALBUMS
  • DISCOGRAPHY
    • DISCOGRAPHY (Detailed)
  • * * * * * * * * * *
  • STUDIO ALBUMS
    • Cold Spring Harbor (1971) >
      • Album Page - Cold Spring Harbor
      • She's Got A Way
      • You Can Make Me Free
      • Everybody Loves You Now
      • Why Judy Why
      • Falling Of The Rain
      • Turn Around
      • You Look So Good To Me
      • Tomorrow Is Today
      • Nocturne
      • Got To Begin Again
    • Piano Man (1973) >
      • Album Page - Piano Man
      • Travelin' Prayer
      • Piano Man >
        • Piano Man - Videos Page
      • Ain't No Crime
      • You're My Home
      • The Ballad of Billy The Kid
      • Worse Comes To Worst
      • Stop In Nevada
      • If I Only Had The Words (To Tell You)
      • Somewhere Along The Line
      • Captain Jack
    • Streetlife Serenade (1974) >
      • Album Page - Streetlife Serenade
      • Streetlife Serenader
      • Los Angelenos
      • The Great Suburban Showdown
      • Root Beer Rag
      • Roberta
      • The Entertainer
      • Last of the Big Time Spenders
      • Weekend Song
      • Souvenir
      • The Mexican Connection
    • Turnstiles (1976) >
      • Album Page - Turnstiles
      • Say Goodbye to Hollywood
      • Summer, Highland Falls >
        • Summer, Highland Falls - Videos Page
      • All You Wanna Do Is Dance
      • New York State of Mind >
        • New York State of Mind - Videos Page
      • James
      • Prelude/Angry Young Man
      • I've Loved These Days
      • Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) >
        • Miami 2017 - Videos Page
    • The Stranger (1977) >
      • Album Page - The Stranger
      • Movin' Out
      • The Stranger
      • Just The Way You Are
      • Scenes From An Italian Restaurant >
        • Scenes From An Italian Restaurant - Videos Page
      • Vienna >
        • Vienna - Videos Page
      • Only The Good Die Young
      • She's Always A Woman
      • Get It Right The First Time
      • Everybody Has A Dream
    • 52nd Street (1978) >
      • Album Page - 52nd Street
      • Big Shot
      • Honesty
      • My Life
      • Zanzibar
      • Stiletto
      • Rosalinda's Eyes
      • Half A Mile Away
      • Until The Night
      • 52nd Street
    • Glass Houses (1980) >
      • Album Page - Glass Houses
      • You May Be Right
      • Sometimes A Fantasy
      • Don't Ask Me Why
      • It's Still Rock and Roll To Me
      • All For Leyna
      • I Don't Want To Be Alone (Anymore)
      • Sleeping With The Television On
      • C'etait Toi (You Were The One)
      • Close to the Borderline
      • Through the Long Night
    • The Nylon Curtain (1982) >
      • Album Page - The Nylon Curtain
      • Allentown
      • Laura
      • Pressure
      • Goodnight Saigon
      • She's Right On Time
      • A Room of Our Own
      • Surprises
      • Scandinavian Skies
      • Where's The Orchestra
    • An Innocent Man (1983) >
      • Album Page - An Innocent Man
      • Easy Money
      • An Innocent Man
      • The Longest Time >
        • The Longest Time - Videos
      • This Night
      • Tell Her About It >
        • Making of Tell Her About It Video
      • Uptown Girl
      • Careless Talk
      • Christie Lee
      • Leave A Tender Moment Alone >
        • Leave A Tender Moment Alone - Videos
      • Keeping The Faith
    • The Bridge (1986) >
      • Album Page - The Bridge
      • Running On Ice
      • This Is The Time
      • A Matter of Trust
      • Modern Woman
      • Baby Grand
      • Temptation
      • Big Man On Mulberry Street
      • Code of Silence
      • Getting Closer
    • Storm Front (1989) >
      • Album Page - Storm Front
      • That's Not Her Style
      • We Didn't Start The Fire >
        • We Didn't Start The Fire - Videos Page
      • The Downeaster 'Alexa' >
        • The Downeaster 'Alexa' - Videos Page
      • I Go To Extremes
      • Shameless
      • Storm Front
      • Leningrad
      • State of Grace
      • When In Rome
      • And So It Goes
    • River of Dreams (1993) >
      • Album Page - River of Dreams
      • No Man's Land
      • The Great Wall of China
      • Blonde Over Blue
      • A Minor Variation
      • Shades of Grey
      • All About Soul
      • Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)
      • The River of Dreams
      • Two Thousand Years
      • Famous Last Words
    • Fantasies & Delusions (2001)
    • All My Life (2007) (single)
  • LIVE ALBUMS
    • Live on WMMR Sigma Sound Studios (1972) >
      • Falling Of The Rain (Live) (1972)
      • Travelin' Prayer (live) (1972)
      • The Ballad of Billy The Kid (live) (1972)
      • She's Got A Way (live) (1972)
      • Everybody Loves You Now (live) (1972)
      • Nocturne (live) (1972)
      • Turn Around (live) (1972)
      • Long, Long Time (live) (1972)
      • Captain Jack (live) (1972)
      • Josephine (live) (1972)
      • Rosalinda (live) (1972)
      • Tomorrow Is Today (live) (1972)
    • Live At The Great American Music Hall (1975)
    • Live At Carnegie Hall (1977)
    • Songs In The Attic (1981) >
      • Album Page - Songs In The Attic (1981)
      • Miami 2017 (live) (1981)
      • Summer, Highland Falls (live) (1981)
      • Streetlife Serenader (live) (1981)
      • Los Angelenos (live) (1981)
      • She's Got A Way (live) (1981)
      • Everybody Loves You Now (live) (1981)
      • Say Goodbye To Hollywood (live) (1981)
      • Captain Jack (live) (1981)
      • You're My Home (live) (1981)
      • The Ballad of Billy The Kid (live) (1981)
      • I've Loved These Days (live) (1981)
    • Live from Long Island (1982)
    • KOHUEPT (1987) >
      • Album Page - Kohuept (1987)
    • Live at Yankee Stadium (1990)
    • Live from The River of Dreams (1993-1994)
    • 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert (2000)
    • 12 Gardens Live (2006)
    • Live At Shea Stadium (2011)
    • A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia (2014) >
      • Album Page - A Matter of Trust (2014)
      • Prelude/Angry Young Man (Live-Russia)
      • Honesty (Live-Russia)
      • The Ballad of Billy The Kid (Live-Russia)
      • She's Always A Woman (Live-Russia)
      • Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (Live-Russia)
      • Goodnight Saigon (Live-Russia) - Billy Joel
      • Stiletto (Live-Russia)
      • Big Man On Mulberry Street (Live-Russia)
      • Baby Grand (Live-Russia)
      • What's Your Name (Live-Russia)
      • The Longest Time (Live-Russia)
      • An Innocent Man (Live-Russia)
      • Pressure (Live-Russia)
      • A Matter of Trust (Live-Russia)
      • It's Still Rock and Roll To Me (Live-Russia)
      • Sometimes A Fantasy (Live-Russia)
      • You May Be Right (Live-Russia)
      • Uptown Girl (Live-Russia)
      • Back In the USSR (Live-Russia)
      • The Times They Are A Changin' (Live-Russia)
      • New York State of Mind (Live-Russia)
    • Live in Miami (2017) (fictional)
    • Live Through The Years (2019)
  • COMPILATIONS & SPECIAL EDITIONS
    • Souvenir (1977)
    • Greatest Hits, I & II (1985) >
      • You're Only Human (Second Wind) - Billy Joel
      • The Night Is Still Young
    • Greatest Hits, III (1997) >
      • To Make You Feel My Love
      • Hey Girl
      • Light As The Breeze
    • The Complete Hits (1997)
    • The Essential Billy Joel (2001)
    • Movin' Out (2002)
    • My Lives (2005) >
      • My Journey's End
      • You've Got Me Hummin'
      • Only A Man
      • Oyster Bay
      • The Siegfried Line
      • New Mexico
      • Cross to Bear
      • Miami 2017 (demo version)
      • These Rhinestone Days
      • Only The Good Die Young (alternate version)
      • The End of the World
      • The Prime of Your Life
      • Elvis Presley Boulevard
      • Nobody Knows But Me
      • Christie Lee (demo)
      • I'll Cry Instead
      • House of Blue Light
      • Money or Love
      • The Times They Are A Changin'
      • Shout
      • All Shook Up
      • Heartbreak Hotel
      • When You Wish Upon A Star
      • In A Sentimental Mood
      • Motorcycle Song
      • You Picked A Real Bad Time
      • A Hard Day's Night
      • Why Should I Worry
      • Where Were You (On Our Wedding Day)?
      • Highway 61 Revisited
      • Don't Worry Baby
      • Elegy: The Great Peconic
      • So Long Reverend Ike
    • The Stranger - Legacy (2008)
    • The Hits (2010)
    • Piano Man - Legacy (2011)
    • The Complete Albums (2011)
    • She's Got A Way - Love Songs (2013)
    • Sadness or Euphoria (2017) (fictional)
  • * * * * * * * * * *
  • BIOGRAPHY
  • Timeline
  • NEWS (Official Site)
  • TOUR (Official Site)
  • TWITTER
  • YOUTUBE
  • * * * * * * * * * *
  • ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS
    • 2020's
    • 2010's
    • 2000's
    • 1990's
    • 1980's
    • 1970's
    • Rolling Stone Articles
  • BILLY JOEL BAND
  • BOOKS & SHEET MUSIC
    • Books
    • Sheet Music
  • LINKS & LISTS
  • PHOTOS
  • ROOT BEER RAG Past Issues
  • STREETLIFE SERENADE Past Issues
  • VIDEOS & CONCERTS
    • Concerts on Video/DVD
    • Concerts on YouTube
    • Documentaries et al.
    • Face to Face Tours
    • Havana Jam 1979
    • Music Videos
    • YouTube Channel - One Final Serenade
  • CONTACT US
    • TERMS OF USE & PRIVACY POLICY
  • * * * * * * * * * *
  • HOME
  • ALL SONGS
    • TOP TWENTY-FIVE
  • ALL ALBUMS
  • DISCOGRAPHY
    • DISCOGRAPHY (Detailed)
  • * * * * * * * * * *
  • STUDIO ALBUMS
    • Cold Spring Harbor (1971) >
      • Album Page - Cold Spring Harbor
      • She's Got A Way
      • You Can Make Me Free
      • Everybody Loves You Now
      • Why Judy Why
      • Falling Of The Rain
      • Turn Around
      • You Look So Good To Me
      • Tomorrow Is Today
      • Nocturne
      • Got To Begin Again
    • Piano Man (1973) >
      • Album Page - Piano Man
      • Travelin' Prayer
      • Piano Man >
        • Piano Man - Videos Page
      • Ain't No Crime
      • You're My Home
      • The Ballad of Billy The Kid
      • Worse Comes To Worst
      • Stop In Nevada
      • If I Only Had The Words (To Tell You)
      • Somewhere Along The Line
      • Captain Jack
    • Streetlife Serenade (1974) >
      • Album Page - Streetlife Serenade
      • Streetlife Serenader
      • Los Angelenos
      • The Great Suburban Showdown
      • Root Beer Rag
      • Roberta
      • The Entertainer
      • Last of the Big Time Spenders
      • Weekend Song
      • Souvenir
      • The Mexican Connection
    • Turnstiles (1976) >
      • Album Page - Turnstiles
      • Say Goodbye to Hollywood
      • Summer, Highland Falls >
        • Summer, Highland Falls - Videos Page
      • All You Wanna Do Is Dance
      • New York State of Mind >
        • New York State of Mind - Videos Page
      • James
      • Prelude/Angry Young Man
      • I've Loved These Days
      • Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) >
        • Miami 2017 - Videos Page
    • The Stranger (1977) >
      • Album Page - The Stranger
      • Movin' Out
      • The Stranger
      • Just The Way You Are
      • Scenes From An Italian Restaurant >
        • Scenes From An Italian Restaurant - Videos Page
      • Vienna >
        • Vienna - Videos Page
      • Only The Good Die Young
      • She's Always A Woman
      • Get It Right The First Time
      • Everybody Has A Dream
    • 52nd Street (1978) >
      • Album Page - 52nd Street
      • Big Shot
      • Honesty
      • My Life
      • Zanzibar
      • Stiletto
      • Rosalinda's Eyes
      • Half A Mile Away
      • Until The Night
      • 52nd Street
    • Glass Houses (1980) >
      • Album Page - Glass Houses
      • You May Be Right
      • Sometimes A Fantasy
      • Don't Ask Me Why
      • It's Still Rock and Roll To Me
      • All For Leyna
      • I Don't Want To Be Alone (Anymore)
      • Sleeping With The Television On
      • C'etait Toi (You Were The One)
      • Close to the Borderline
      • Through the Long Night
    • The Nylon Curtain (1982) >
      • Album Page - The Nylon Curtain
      • Allentown
      • Laura
      • Pressure
      • Goodnight Saigon
      • She's Right On Time
      • A Room of Our Own
      • Surprises
      • Scandinavian Skies
      • Where's The Orchestra
    • An Innocent Man (1983) >
      • Album Page - An Innocent Man
      • Easy Money
      • An Innocent Man
      • The Longest Time >
        • The Longest Time - Videos
      • This Night
      • Tell Her About It >
        • Making of Tell Her About It Video
      • Uptown Girl
      • Careless Talk
      • Christie Lee
      • Leave A Tender Moment Alone >
        • Leave A Tender Moment Alone - Videos
      • Keeping The Faith
    • The Bridge (1986) >
      • Album Page - The Bridge
      • Running On Ice
      • This Is The Time
      • A Matter of Trust
      • Modern Woman
      • Baby Grand
      • Temptation
      • Big Man On Mulberry Street
      • Code of Silence
      • Getting Closer
    • Storm Front (1989) >
      • Album Page - Storm Front
      • That's Not Her Style
      • We Didn't Start The Fire >
        • We Didn't Start The Fire - Videos Page
      • The Downeaster 'Alexa' >
        • The Downeaster 'Alexa' - Videos Page
      • I Go To Extremes
      • Shameless
      • Storm Front
      • Leningrad
      • State of Grace
      • When In Rome
      • And So It Goes
    • River of Dreams (1993) >
      • Album Page - River of Dreams
      • No Man's Land
      • The Great Wall of China
      • Blonde Over Blue
      • A Minor Variation
      • Shades of Grey
      • All About Soul
      • Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)
      • The River of Dreams
      • Two Thousand Years
      • Famous Last Words
    • Fantasies & Delusions (2001)
    • All My Life (2007) (single)
  • LIVE ALBUMS
    • Live on WMMR Sigma Sound Studios (1972) >
      • Falling Of The Rain (Live) (1972)
      • Travelin' Prayer (live) (1972)
      • The Ballad of Billy The Kid (live) (1972)
      • She's Got A Way (live) (1972)
      • Everybody Loves You Now (live) (1972)
      • Nocturne (live) (1972)
      • Turn Around (live) (1972)
      • Long, Long Time (live) (1972)
      • Captain Jack (live) (1972)
      • Josephine (live) (1972)
      • Rosalinda (live) (1972)
      • Tomorrow Is Today (live) (1972)
    • Live At The Great American Music Hall (1975)
    • Live At Carnegie Hall (1977)
    • Songs In The Attic (1981) >
      • Album Page - Songs In The Attic (1981)
      • Miami 2017 (live) (1981)
      • Summer, Highland Falls (live) (1981)
      • Streetlife Serenader (live) (1981)
      • Los Angelenos (live) (1981)
      • She's Got A Way (live) (1981)
      • Everybody Loves You Now (live) (1981)
      • Say Goodbye To Hollywood (live) (1981)
      • Captain Jack (live) (1981)
      • You're My Home (live) (1981)
      • The Ballad of Billy The Kid (live) (1981)
      • I've Loved These Days (live) (1981)
    • Live from Long Island (1982)
    • KOHUEPT (1987) >
      • Album Page - Kohuept (1987)
    • Live at Yankee Stadium (1990)
    • Live from The River of Dreams (1993-1994)
    • 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert (2000)
    • 12 Gardens Live (2006)
    • Live At Shea Stadium (2011)
    • A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia (2014) >
      • Album Page - A Matter of Trust (2014)
      • Prelude/Angry Young Man (Live-Russia)
      • Honesty (Live-Russia)
      • The Ballad of Billy The Kid (Live-Russia)
      • She's Always A Woman (Live-Russia)
      • Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (Live-Russia)
      • Goodnight Saigon (Live-Russia) - Billy Joel
      • Stiletto (Live-Russia)
      • Big Man On Mulberry Street (Live-Russia)
      • Baby Grand (Live-Russia)
      • What's Your Name (Live-Russia)
      • The Longest Time (Live-Russia)
      • An Innocent Man (Live-Russia)
      • Pressure (Live-Russia)
      • A Matter of Trust (Live-Russia)
      • It's Still Rock and Roll To Me (Live-Russia)
      • Sometimes A Fantasy (Live-Russia)
      • You May Be Right (Live-Russia)
      • Uptown Girl (Live-Russia)
      • Back In the USSR (Live-Russia)
      • The Times They Are A Changin' (Live-Russia)
      • New York State of Mind (Live-Russia)
    • Live in Miami (2017) (fictional)
    • Live Through The Years (2019)
  • COMPILATIONS & SPECIAL EDITIONS
    • Souvenir (1977)
    • Greatest Hits, I & II (1985) >
      • You're Only Human (Second Wind) - Billy Joel
      • The Night Is Still Young
    • Greatest Hits, III (1997) >
      • To Make You Feel My Love
      • Hey Girl
      • Light As The Breeze
    • The Complete Hits (1997)
    • The Essential Billy Joel (2001)
    • Movin' Out (2002)
    • My Lives (2005) >
      • My Journey's End
      • You've Got Me Hummin'
      • Only A Man
      • Oyster Bay
      • The Siegfried Line
      • New Mexico
      • Cross to Bear
      • Miami 2017 (demo version)
      • These Rhinestone Days
      • Only The Good Die Young (alternate version)
      • The End of the World
      • The Prime of Your Life
      • Elvis Presley Boulevard
      • Nobody Knows But Me
      • Christie Lee (demo)
      • I'll Cry Instead
      • House of Blue Light
      • Money or Love
      • The Times They Are A Changin'
      • Shout
      • All Shook Up
      • Heartbreak Hotel
      • When You Wish Upon A Star
      • In A Sentimental Mood
      • Motorcycle Song
      • You Picked A Real Bad Time
      • A Hard Day's Night
      • Why Should I Worry
      • Where Were You (On Our Wedding Day)?
      • Highway 61 Revisited
      • Don't Worry Baby
      • Elegy: The Great Peconic
      • So Long Reverend Ike
    • The Stranger - Legacy (2008)
    • The Hits (2010)
    • Piano Man - Legacy (2011)
    • The Complete Albums (2011)
    • She's Got A Way - Love Songs (2013)
    • Sadness or Euphoria (2017) (fictional)
  • * * * * * * * * * *
  • BIOGRAPHY
  • Timeline
  • NEWS (Official Site)
  • TOUR (Official Site)
  • TWITTER
  • YOUTUBE
  • * * * * * * * * * *
  • ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS
    • 2020's
    • 2010's
    • 2000's
    • 1990's
    • 1980's
    • 1970's
    • Rolling Stone Articles
  • BILLY JOEL BAND
  • BOOKS & SHEET MUSIC
    • Books
    • Sheet Music
  • LINKS & LISTS
  • PHOTOS
  • ROOT BEER RAG Past Issues
  • STREETLIFE SERENADE Past Issues
  • VIDEOS & CONCERTS
    • Concerts on Video/DVD
    • Concerts on YouTube
    • Documentaries et al.
    • Face to Face Tours
    • Havana Jam 1979
    • Music Videos
    • YouTube Channel - One Final Serenade
  • CONTACT US
    • TERMS OF USE & PRIVACY POLICY
  • * * * * * * * * * *
Allentown 
The Nylon Curtain (1982)
        >>
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        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, chromium steel

       "Allentown," the opening song to 1982's The Nylon Curtain, signals that this will be a different kind of album for Billy.  The song starts with the sound of a factory whistle and chugs along like a factory assembly line.  It features an acoustic guitar, and in the music video Billy is seen playing a guitar like a modern Woody Guthrie or other folk singer.  It is an apt portrait as "Allentown" explores the disillusionment of the country during the late 70s and early 80s when the steady factory jobs of the 1950-1970s began to disappear and America lost its status as the world's leading manufacturer.        

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"They threw an American flag in our face . . . " Three Flags by Jasper Johns (1958)

     The price that we each paid on an individual level came in the form of a lost sense, or at a least a diminished sense, of our hopes and dreams.  "Something happened on the way to that place" as the graduation diplomas simply hung on the wall and "never really helped us at all."  Life was not a 1950's television sitcom like "Leave It To Beaver" or the "Donna Reed Show, rather, it was struggle, conflict, and hardship.  As Billy writes "but something happened on the way to that place, they threw an American flag in our face."  The nylon curtain of America in the 1970s and early 1980s obscured or veiled our vision of the America we thought we would inherit.
Words and Music by Billy Joel
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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 at 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, 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, oh oh oh.

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.

Billy on "Allentown" from a 1985 radio interview.
Billy discusses "Allentown" on SiriusXM in 2016.
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Columbia Records Publicity Photo (1982)

       The song conveys a weariness brought about by hours of mind-numbing, back-breaking work with no American dream in sight.  It is reminiscent of the books of Studs Terkel, like Working, which chronicle the struggles and dashed dreams of the American working class, and not unlike many of the poems of Philip Levine that focus on the human struggle of factory workers and laborers in industrial American such as You Can Have It.  The song's focus on workers in Pennsylvania steel mills also reminds me of Michael Cimino's 1978 movie, The Deer Hunter, particularly the first half of the movie albeit it was set in the late 1960s and early 1970s. 
​
​     Despite its sobering message, "Allentown" was a popular hit, reaching #17 on the US Billboard charts in 1982.  People were undoubtedly feeling what Billy was saying in the song, bemoaning the loss of the American dream, or at least the realization that dream was just that, a dream.  Billy was a true chronicler of the times.   
     "Allentown" remains one of Billy's most poignant and socially conscious songs, along with "Goodnight Saigon" and "The Downeaster Alexa." The song also is an interesting complement to his later "Leningrad" which traces the arc of life for people growing up in the Soviet Union during the same period.
*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          ​
     Read this article for background on the song and Billy's early following in the Lehigh Valley area thanks to a few DJs and promoters there.  Billy originally wrote the song in the 1970s and called it Levittown, based on where he grew up, but couldn't find the right lyrics for it ("well we're living here in Levittown, and the dirt on the ground is brown").  When the economy went South in the early 1980s and steel factories started closing down, he changed it to "Allentown" after Allentown, Pennsylvania, and found meaningful lyrics. Although the steel mills were primarily in Bethlehem, rather than Allentown, the latter rhymed better. Here is another good article about the song  from 1992 by Geoff Gehman in The Morning Call, looking back ten years after the song was released.  And here is Billy talking about the song at a Q&A in 2016 (YouTube video).

     Forty years after "Allentown" was release, residents of the Lehigh Valley recall and react to the song in this article.  The reaction is mostly positive, though some thought the song put Allentown in a negative light.
​
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The song evokes images of an industrialized factory such as depicted in Diego Rivera's "Detroit Industry" mural.  In real life, this mural is gigantic and impressive.  Click on the image for a larger version.  Read about it here.

Videos

The music video to "Allentown" was directed by Russell Mulcahy who also directed "Pressure."  © 1982 Sony BMG Music Entertainment. 
A live version of "Allentown" from 1982's Live From Long Island.
Billy Joel; explains how he came up with Allentown.

Comments
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PicturePublicity photo (1981)
All music and lyrics by Billy Joel, except as noted. Lyrics to Billy Joel songs are © Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC.  This is an unofficial fan site providing information and commentary on Billy Joel's music. This site has no advertisements, makes no money, and does not collect any personal information.  It is not affiliated, endorsed, or sponsored by Billy Joel, UMPG, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Sony Music, Columbia Records, Maritime Music, or any Billy Joel organization.  Billy Joel's official site is at BillyJoel.com.

  One Final Serenade: The Songs of Billy Joel (Billy Joel Fan Site)
  • HOME
  • ALL SONGS
    • TOP TWENTY-FIVE
  • ALL ALBUMS
  • DISCOGRAPHY
    • DISCOGRAPHY (Detailed)
  • * * * * * * * * * *
  • STUDIO ALBUMS
    • Cold Spring Harbor (1971) >
      • Album Page - Cold Spring Harbor
      • She's Got A Way
      • You Can Make Me Free
      • Everybody Loves You Now
      • Why Judy Why
      • Falling Of The Rain
      • Turn Around
      • You Look So Good To Me
      • Tomorrow Is Today
      • Nocturne
      • Got To Begin Again
    • Piano Man (1973) >
      • Album Page - Piano Man
      • Travelin' Prayer
      • Piano Man >
        • Piano Man - Videos Page
      • Ain't No Crime
      • You're My Home
      • The Ballad of Billy The Kid
      • Worse Comes To Worst
      • Stop In Nevada
      • If I Only Had The Words (To Tell You)
      • Somewhere Along The Line
      • Captain Jack
    • Streetlife Serenade (1974) >
      • Album Page - Streetlife Serenade
      • Streetlife Serenader
      • Los Angelenos
      • The Great Suburban Showdown
      • Root Beer Rag
      • Roberta
      • The Entertainer
      • Last of the Big Time Spenders
      • Weekend Song
      • Souvenir
      • The Mexican Connection
    • Turnstiles (1976) >
      • Album Page - Turnstiles
      • Say Goodbye to Hollywood
      • Summer, Highland Falls >
        • Summer, Highland Falls - Videos Page
      • All You Wanna Do Is Dance
      • New York State of Mind >
        • New York State of Mind - Videos Page
      • James
      • Prelude/Angry Young Man
      • I've Loved These Days
      • Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) >
        • Miami 2017 - Videos Page
    • The Stranger (1977) >
      • Album Page - The Stranger
      • Movin' Out
      • The Stranger
      • Just The Way You Are
      • Scenes From An Italian Restaurant >
        • Scenes From An Italian Restaurant - Videos Page
      • Vienna >
        • Vienna - Videos Page
      • Only The Good Die Young
      • She's Always A Woman
      • Get It Right The First Time
      • Everybody Has A Dream
    • 52nd Street (1978) >
      • Album Page - 52nd Street
      • Big Shot
      • Honesty
      • My Life
      • Zanzibar
      • Stiletto
      • Rosalinda's Eyes
      • Half A Mile Away
      • Until The Night
      • 52nd Street
    • Glass Houses (1980) >
      • Album Page - Glass Houses
      • You May Be Right
      • Sometimes A Fantasy
      • Don't Ask Me Why
      • It's Still Rock and Roll To Me
      • All For Leyna
      • I Don't Want To Be Alone (Anymore)
      • Sleeping With The Television On
      • C'etait Toi (You Were The One)
      • Close to the Borderline
      • Through the Long Night
    • The Nylon Curtain (1982) >
      • Album Page - The Nylon Curtain
      • Allentown
      • Laura
      • Pressure
      • Goodnight Saigon
      • She's Right On Time
      • A Room of Our Own
      • Surprises
      • Scandinavian Skies
      • Where's The Orchestra
    • An Innocent Man (1983) >
      • Album Page - An Innocent Man
      • Easy Money
      • An Innocent Man
      • The Longest Time >
        • The Longest Time - Videos
      • This Night
      • Tell Her About It >
        • Making of Tell Her About It Video
      • Uptown Girl
      • Careless Talk
      • Christie Lee
      • Leave A Tender Moment Alone >
        • Leave A Tender Moment Alone - Videos
      • Keeping The Faith
    • The Bridge (1986) >
      • Album Page - The Bridge
      • Running On Ice
      • This Is The Time
      • A Matter of Trust
      • Modern Woman
      • Baby Grand
      • Temptation
      • Big Man On Mulberry Street
      • Code of Silence
      • Getting Closer
    • Storm Front (1989) >
      • Album Page - Storm Front
      • That's Not Her Style
      • We Didn't Start The Fire >
        • We Didn't Start The Fire - Videos Page
      • The Downeaster 'Alexa' >
        • The Downeaster 'Alexa' - Videos Page
      • I Go To Extremes
      • Shameless
      • Storm Front
      • Leningrad
      • State of Grace
      • When In Rome
      • And So It Goes
    • River of Dreams (1993) >
      • Album Page - River of Dreams
      • No Man's Land
      • The Great Wall of China
      • Blonde Over Blue
      • A Minor Variation
      • Shades of Grey
      • All About Soul
      • Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)
      • The River of Dreams
      • Two Thousand Years
      • Famous Last Words
    • Fantasies & Delusions (2001)
    • All My Life (2007) (single)
  • LIVE ALBUMS
    • Live on WMMR Sigma Sound Studios (1972) >
      • Falling Of The Rain (Live) (1972)
      • Travelin' Prayer (live) (1972)
      • The Ballad of Billy The Kid (live) (1972)
      • She's Got A Way (live) (1972)
      • Everybody Loves You Now (live) (1972)
      • Nocturne (live) (1972)
      • Turn Around (live) (1972)
      • Long, Long Time (live) (1972)
      • Captain Jack (live) (1972)
      • Josephine (live) (1972)
      • Rosalinda (live) (1972)
      • Tomorrow Is Today (live) (1972)
    • Live At The Great American Music Hall (1975)
    • Live At Carnegie Hall (1977)
    • Songs In The Attic (1981) >
      • Album Page - Songs In The Attic (1981)
      • Miami 2017 (live) (1981)
      • Summer, Highland Falls (live) (1981)
      • Streetlife Serenader (live) (1981)
      • Los Angelenos (live) (1981)
      • She's Got A Way (live) (1981)
      • Everybody Loves You Now (live) (1981)
      • Say Goodbye To Hollywood (live) (1981)
      • Captain Jack (live) (1981)
      • You're My Home (live) (1981)
      • The Ballad of Billy The Kid (live) (1981)
      • I've Loved These Days (live) (1981)
    • Live from Long Island (1982)
    • KOHUEPT (1987) >
      • Album Page - Kohuept (1987)
    • Live at Yankee Stadium (1990)
    • Live from The River of Dreams (1993-1994)
    • 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert (2000)
    • 12 Gardens Live (2006)
    • Live At Shea Stadium (2011)
    • A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia (2014) >
      • Album Page - A Matter of Trust (2014)
      • Prelude/Angry Young Man (Live-Russia)
      • Honesty (Live-Russia)
      • The Ballad of Billy The Kid (Live-Russia)
      • She's Always A Woman (Live-Russia)
      • Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (Live-Russia)
      • Goodnight Saigon (Live-Russia) - Billy Joel
      • Stiletto (Live-Russia)
      • Big Man On Mulberry Street (Live-Russia)
      • Baby Grand (Live-Russia)
      • What's Your Name (Live-Russia)
      • The Longest Time (Live-Russia)
      • An Innocent Man (Live-Russia)
      • Pressure (Live-Russia)
      • A Matter of Trust (Live-Russia)
      • It's Still Rock and Roll To Me (Live-Russia)
      • Sometimes A Fantasy (Live-Russia)
      • You May Be Right (Live-Russia)
      • Uptown Girl (Live-Russia)
      • Back In the USSR (Live-Russia)
      • The Times They Are A Changin' (Live-Russia)
      • New York State of Mind (Live-Russia)
    • Live in Miami (2017) (fictional)
    • Live Through The Years (2019)
  • COMPILATIONS & SPECIAL EDITIONS
    • Souvenir (1977)
    • Greatest Hits, I & II (1985) >
      • You're Only Human (Second Wind) - Billy Joel
      • The Night Is Still Young
    • Greatest Hits, III (1997) >
      • To Make You Feel My Love
      • Hey Girl
      • Light As The Breeze
    • The Complete Hits (1997)
    • The Essential Billy Joel (2001)
    • Movin' Out (2002)
    • My Lives (2005) >
      • My Journey's End
      • You've Got Me Hummin'
      • Only A Man
      • Oyster Bay
      • The Siegfried Line
      • New Mexico
      • Cross to Bear
      • Miami 2017 (demo version)
      • These Rhinestone Days
      • Only The Good Die Young (alternate version)
      • The End of the World
      • The Prime of Your Life
      • Elvis Presley Boulevard
      • Nobody Knows But Me
      • Christie Lee (demo)
      • I'll Cry Instead
      • House of Blue Light
      • Money or Love
      • The Times They Are A Changin'
      • Shout
      • All Shook Up
      • Heartbreak Hotel
      • When You Wish Upon A Star
      • In A Sentimental Mood
      • Motorcycle Song
      • You Picked A Real Bad Time
      • A Hard Day's Night
      • Why Should I Worry
      • Where Were You (On Our Wedding Day)?
      • Highway 61 Revisited
      • Don't Worry Baby
      • Elegy: The Great Peconic
      • So Long Reverend Ike
    • The Stranger - Legacy (2008)
    • The Hits (2010)
    • Piano Man - Legacy (2011)
    • The Complete Albums (2011)
    • She's Got A Way - Love Songs (2013)
    • Sadness or Euphoria (2017) (fictional)
  • * * * * * * * * * *
  • BIOGRAPHY
  • Timeline
  • NEWS (Official Site)
  • TOUR (Official Site)
  • TWITTER
  • YOUTUBE
  • * * * * * * * * * *
  • ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS
    • 2020's
    • 2010's
    • 2000's
    • 1990's
    • 1980's
    • 1970's
    • Rolling Stone Articles
  • BILLY JOEL BAND
  • BOOKS & SHEET MUSIC
    • Books
    • Sheet Music
  • LINKS & LISTS
  • PHOTOS
  • ROOT BEER RAG Past Issues
  • STREETLIFE SERENADE Past Issues
  • VIDEOS & CONCERTS
    • Concerts on Video/DVD
    • Concerts on YouTube
    • Documentaries et al.
    • Face to Face Tours
    • Havana Jam 1979
    • Music Videos
    • YouTube Channel - One Final Serenade
  • CONTACT US
    • TERMS OF USE & PRIVACY POLICY
  • * * * * * * * * * *
  • HOME
  • ALL SONGS
    • TOP TWENTY-FIVE
  • ALL ALBUMS
  • DISCOGRAPHY
    • DISCOGRAPHY (Detailed)
  • * * * * * * * * * *
  • STUDIO ALBUMS
    • Cold Spring Harbor (1971) >
      • Album Page - Cold Spring Harbor
      • She's Got A Way
      • You Can Make Me Free
      • Everybody Loves You Now
      • Why Judy Why
      • Falling Of The Rain
      • Turn Around
      • You Look So Good To Me
      • Tomorrow Is Today
      • Nocturne
      • Got To Begin Again
    • Piano Man (1973) >
      • Album Page - Piano Man
      • Travelin' Prayer
      • Piano Man >
        • Piano Man - Videos Page
      • Ain't No Crime
      • You're My Home
      • The Ballad of Billy The Kid
      • Worse Comes To Worst
      • Stop In Nevada
      • If I Only Had The Words (To Tell You)
      • Somewhere Along The Line
      • Captain Jack
    • Streetlife Serenade (1974) >
      • Album Page - Streetlife Serenade
      • Streetlife Serenader
      • Los Angelenos
      • The Great Suburban Showdown
      • Root Beer Rag
      • Roberta
      • The Entertainer
      • Last of the Big Time Spenders
      • Weekend Song
      • Souvenir
      • The Mexican Connection
    • Turnstiles (1976) >
      • Album Page - Turnstiles
      • Say Goodbye to Hollywood
      • Summer, Highland Falls >
        • Summer, Highland Falls - Videos Page
      • All You Wanna Do Is Dance
      • New York State of Mind >
        • New York State of Mind - Videos Page
      • James
      • Prelude/Angry Young Man
      • I've Loved These Days
      • Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) >
        • Miami 2017 - Videos Page
    • The Stranger (1977) >
      • Album Page - The Stranger
      • Movin' Out
      • The Stranger
      • Just The Way You Are
      • Scenes From An Italian Restaurant >
        • Scenes From An Italian Restaurant - Videos Page
      • Vienna >
        • Vienna - Videos Page
      • Only The Good Die Young
      • She's Always A Woman
      • Get It Right The First Time
      • Everybody Has A Dream
    • 52nd Street (1978) >
      • Album Page - 52nd Street
      • Big Shot
      • Honesty
      • My Life
      • Zanzibar
      • Stiletto
      • Rosalinda's Eyes
      • Half A Mile Away
      • Until The Night
      • 52nd Street
    • Glass Houses (1980) >
      • Album Page - Glass Houses
      • You May Be Right
      • Sometimes A Fantasy
      • Don't Ask Me Why
      • It's Still Rock and Roll To Me
      • All For Leyna
      • I Don't Want To Be Alone (Anymore)
      • Sleeping With The Television On
      • C'etait Toi (You Were The One)
      • Close to the Borderline
      • Through the Long Night
    • The Nylon Curtain (1982) >
      • Album Page - The Nylon Curtain
      • Allentown
      • Laura
      • Pressure
      • Goodnight Saigon
      • She's Right On Time
      • A Room of Our Own
      • Surprises
      • Scandinavian Skies
      • Where's The Orchestra
    • An Innocent Man (1983) >
      • Album Page - An Innocent Man
      • Easy Money
      • An Innocent Man
      • The Longest Time >
        • The Longest Time - Videos
      • This Night
      • Tell Her About It >
        • Making of Tell Her About It Video
      • Uptown Girl
      • Careless Talk
      • Christie Lee
      • Leave A Tender Moment Alone >
        • Leave A Tender Moment Alone - Videos
      • Keeping The Faith
    • The Bridge (1986) >
      • Album Page - The Bridge
      • Running On Ice
      • This Is The Time
      • A Matter of Trust
      • Modern Woman
      • Baby Grand
      • Temptation
      • Big Man On Mulberry Street
      • Code of Silence
      • Getting Closer
    • Storm Front (1989) >
      • Album Page - Storm Front
      • That's Not Her Style
      • We Didn't Start The Fire >
        • We Didn't Start The Fire - Videos Page
      • The Downeaster 'Alexa' >
        • The Downeaster 'Alexa' - Videos Page
      • I Go To Extremes
      • Shameless
      • Storm Front
      • Leningrad
      • State of Grace
      • When In Rome
      • And So It Goes
    • River of Dreams (1993) >
      • Album Page - River of Dreams
      • No Man's Land
      • The Great Wall of China
      • Blonde Over Blue
      • A Minor Variation
      • Shades of Grey
      • All About Soul
      • Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)
      • The River of Dreams
      • Two Thousand Years
      • Famous Last Words
    • Fantasies & Delusions (2001)
    • All My Life (2007) (single)
  • LIVE ALBUMS
    • Live on WMMR Sigma Sound Studios (1972) >
      • Falling Of The Rain (Live) (1972)
      • Travelin' Prayer (live) (1972)
      • The Ballad of Billy The Kid (live) (1972)
      • She's Got A Way (live) (1972)
      • Everybody Loves You Now (live) (1972)
      • Nocturne (live) (1972)
      • Turn Around (live) (1972)
      • Long, Long Time (live) (1972)
      • Captain Jack (live) (1972)
      • Josephine (live) (1972)
      • Rosalinda (live) (1972)
      • Tomorrow Is Today (live) (1972)
    • Live At The Great American Music Hall (1975)
    • Live At Carnegie Hall (1977)
    • Songs In The Attic (1981) >
      • Album Page - Songs In The Attic (1981)
      • Miami 2017 (live) (1981)
      • Summer, Highland Falls (live) (1981)
      • Streetlife Serenader (live) (1981)
      • Los Angelenos (live) (1981)
      • She's Got A Way (live) (1981)
      • Everybody Loves You Now (live) (1981)
      • Say Goodbye To Hollywood (live) (1981)
      • Captain Jack (live) (1981)
      • You're My Home (live) (1981)
      • The Ballad of Billy The Kid (live) (1981)
      • I've Loved These Days (live) (1981)
    • Live from Long Island (1982)
    • KOHUEPT (1987) >
      • Album Page - Kohuept (1987)
    • Live at Yankee Stadium (1990)
    • Live from The River of Dreams (1993-1994)
    • 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert (2000)
    • 12 Gardens Live (2006)
    • Live At Shea Stadium (2011)
    • A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia (2014) >
      • Album Page - A Matter of Trust (2014)
      • Prelude/Angry Young Man (Live-Russia)
      • Honesty (Live-Russia)
      • The Ballad of Billy The Kid (Live-Russia)
      • She's Always A Woman (Live-Russia)
      • Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (Live-Russia)
      • Goodnight Saigon (Live-Russia) - Billy Joel
      • Stiletto (Live-Russia)
      • Big Man On Mulberry Street (Live-Russia)
      • Baby Grand (Live-Russia)
      • What's Your Name (Live-Russia)
      • The Longest Time (Live-Russia)
      • An Innocent Man (Live-Russia)
      • Pressure (Live-Russia)
      • A Matter of Trust (Live-Russia)
      • It's Still Rock and Roll To Me (Live-Russia)
      • Sometimes A Fantasy (Live-Russia)
      • You May Be Right (Live-Russia)
      • Uptown Girl (Live-Russia)
      • Back In the USSR (Live-Russia)
      • The Times They Are A Changin' (Live-Russia)
      • New York State of Mind (Live-Russia)
    • Live in Miami (2017) (fictional)
    • Live Through The Years (2019)
  • COMPILATIONS & SPECIAL EDITIONS
    • Souvenir (1977)
    • Greatest Hits, I & II (1985) >
      • You're Only Human (Second Wind) - Billy Joel
      • The Night Is Still Young
    • Greatest Hits, III (1997) >
      • To Make You Feel My Love
      • Hey Girl
      • Light As The Breeze
    • The Complete Hits (1997)
    • The Essential Billy Joel (2001)
    • Movin' Out (2002)
    • My Lives (2005) >
      • My Journey's End
      • You've Got Me Hummin'
      • Only A Man
      • Oyster Bay
      • The Siegfried Line
      • New Mexico
      • Cross to Bear
      • Miami 2017 (demo version)
      • These Rhinestone Days
      • Only The Good Die Young (alternate version)
      • The End of the World
      • The Prime of Your Life
      • Elvis Presley Boulevard
      • Nobody Knows But Me
      • Christie Lee (demo)
      • I'll Cry Instead
      • House of Blue Light
      • Money or Love
      • The Times They Are A Changin'
      • Shout
      • All Shook Up
      • Heartbreak Hotel
      • When You Wish Upon A Star
      • In A Sentimental Mood
      • Motorcycle Song
      • You Picked A Real Bad Time
      • A Hard Day's Night
      • Why Should I Worry
      • Where Were You (On Our Wedding Day)?
      • Highway 61 Revisited
      • Don't Worry Baby
      • Elegy: The Great Peconic
      • So Long Reverend Ike
    • The Stranger - Legacy (2008)
    • The Hits (2010)
    • Piano Man - Legacy (2011)
    • The Complete Albums (2011)
    • She's Got A Way - Love Songs (2013)
    • Sadness or Euphoria (2017) (fictional)
  • * * * * * * * * * *
  • BIOGRAPHY
  • Timeline
  • NEWS (Official Site)
  • TOUR (Official Site)
  • TWITTER
  • YOUTUBE
  • * * * * * * * * * *
  • ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS
    • 2020's
    • 2010's
    • 2000's
    • 1990's
    • 1980's
    • 1970's
    • Rolling Stone Articles
  • BILLY JOEL BAND
  • BOOKS & SHEET MUSIC
    • Books
    • Sheet Music
  • LINKS & LISTS
  • PHOTOS
  • ROOT BEER RAG Past Issues
  • STREETLIFE SERENADE Past Issues
  • VIDEOS & CONCERTS
    • Concerts on Video/DVD
    • Concerts on YouTube
    • Documentaries et al.
    • Face to Face Tours
    • Havana Jam 1979
    • Music Videos
    • YouTube Channel - One Final Serenade
  • CONTACT US
    • TERMS OF USE & PRIVACY POLICY
  • * * * * * * * * * *