Give us this day our daily discount outlet merchandise
Raise up a multiplex and we will make a sacrifice
The opening track of River of Dreams, "No Man's Land," is a sobering and polemic rocker. Billy speaks of the incoming gentrification of "no man's land," some moribund suburban area, in near apocalyptic terms. The big event in this place is getting closed circuit television or a sports franchise.
Billy is the Old Testament prophet railing against our dollar-driven, plastic society and corruptness. At the time Billy wrote the song in the early 1990's, the country was going through a major recession. The song is sort of a 1990's version of Billy's hit song "Allentown" from 1982 as it deals with similar themes of economic displacement. Rather than "living here in Allentown" there is "cable now in Zombietown." It is also reminiscent of Billy's 1973 song "Captain Jack" as it touches upon the "boredom and vacant stares" of kids in suburban no man's lands. Billy on "No Man's Land" from SiriusXM.
If John Mellencamp was the rock/pop herald for rural America, Bruce Springsteen was the rock chronicler of urban America (though he was not from New York city), Jackson Browne the sound of California, and Tom Petty the South's singer-songwriter, then Billy was undoubtedly the voice for the rest of America and of course the bard of Long Island. He wrote about the no man's land of the suburbs ("Captain Jack," "The Great Suburban Showdown," "Allentown") that most others ignored. And he also wrote about urban New York too as in "New York State of Mind," "Movin' Out," and the gorgeous "Rosalinda's Eyes." He was a voice of his generation, the baby boomers.
|
Words and Music by Billy Joel
I've seen those big machines come rolling through the quiet pines
Blue suits and bankers with their Volvos and their Ballantines Give us this day our daily discount outlet merchandise Raise up a multiplex and we will make a sacrifice Now we're gonna get the big business Now we're gonna get the real thing Everybody's all excited about it Who remembers when it all began Out here in no man's land Before they passed the master plan Out here in no man's land Low supply and high demand Here in no man's land There ain't much work out here in our consumer power base No major industry, just miles and miles of parking space This morning's paper says our neighbor's in a cocaine bust Lots more to read about Lolita and suburban lust Now we're gonna get the whole story Now we're gonna be in prime time Everybody's all excited about it Who remembers when it all began Out here in no man's land We've just begun to understand Out here in no man's land Low supply and high demand Here in no man's land I see these children with their boredom and their vacant stares God help us all if we're to blame for their unanswered prayers They roll the sidewalks up at night, this place goes underground Thanks to the condo kings there's cable now in Zombietown Now we're gonna get the closed circuit Now we're gonna get the Top 40 Now we're gonna get the sports franchise Now we're gonna get the major attractions Who remembers when it all began Out here in no man's land Before the whole world was in our hands Out here in no man's land Before the banners and the marching bands Out here in no man's land Low supply and high demand Here in no man's land 
|
"No Man's Land" was released as the third single from River of Dreams and peaked at #50 on the charts. As noted above, there was a music video for the song which featured scenes of redevelopment in suburban America, but that video is hard to find, and has been replaced by a live performance video.
Billy was the first musical guest on David Letterman's The Late Show and performed the song on the show and gave a brief interview, see video, below right. A live version of the song was also re-released as the B-Side to the single.
Videos
This is the second official music video to "No Man's Land," a live performance from 1994. The original official video featured scenes of redevelopment in suburban America and was formerly available here, and a brief preview was here, but neither seems to work now. It is also on the video for Greatest Hits, Vol. III. © 1994 Sony BMG Music Entertainment.
|
Early version (audio) of "No Man's Land" from the Shelter Island Sessions. Thank you to Tony Walker for posting.
Live performance in Boston, from 1993.
Billy discusses growing up in 1950s-1960s suburban America in this 1993 interview.
|
Live performance of "No Man's Land" and interview on the premier of The Late Show with David Letterman (1993).
"No Man's Land" live from The River of Dreams tour in Germany (1993)
Billy discusses and then plays "No Man's Land" on VH-1's Storytellers in or about 1997.
|
Publicity 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.