One Final Serenade: Songs of Billy Joel
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This is the second official music video to "No Man's Land," a live performance from 1994. The original official music video featured scenes of redevelopment in suburban America and can be seen here (be very patient). © 1994 Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Watch more videos on BillyJoel.com, Sony MyPlay or Vevo YouTube channel.
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 Download "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 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. If John Mellencamp was the rock/pop herald for rural America, and Bruce Springsteen was the chronicler of urban America (though he was not from New York city), Billy has frequently been recognized as giving voice to the rest of America, in the no man's land of the suburbs ("Captain Jack," "The Great Suburban Showdown," "Allentown"), if not urban New York too, as in "New York State of Mind," "Movin' Out," and "Rosalinda's Eyes."
Billy discusses "No Man's Land" on SiriusXM.
"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video for the song which featured scenes of redevelopment in suburban America, but that video is hard to find, and has been replaced by a live performance video.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. |
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 
Watering the garden in No Man's Land. Source unknown (Publicity photo).
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Videos
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Early version (audio) of "No Man's Land" from the Shelter Island Sessions. Thank you to Tony Walker for posting.
"No Man's Land" live from The River of Dreams tour in Germany (1993)
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Live performance of "No Man's Land" and interview on the premier of The Late Show with David Letterman (1993).
Billy explains the inspiration behind "No Man's Land" on VH-1's Storytellers in or about 1997.
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