On the plane we were mainly sounds and lights
In the veins, we could play the blues all night "Scandinavian Skies" may be Billy Joel's most ambitious and surreal song. It is a moody, ethereal work, sort of a combination of The Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "Norwegian Wood." Billy confirmed in Fred Schruers' Billy Joel biography (2014) that the song was written about or after an acid or heroin trip on an international flight from Norway which scared him.
As one reviewer stated: "One of the standout tracks is Scandinavian Skies, a six-minute epic of dislocation. Using airport sound effects, backward strings, and a very Lennon-inspired vocal, Joel crafts a compelling, elliptical track. Critics praised the song while admitting to being baffled by its meaning. At the time, Joel was content to let listeners wonder, saying only that it was “a drug and decadence song [about] the nightmare of my generation’s drug experiences.” Later, he confessed that the lyrics drew on his one experience with heroin. The result is a distinctive standout in the Joel catalog." See Music & Meaning: The RBJS Jukebox (a great blog, no longer active). The rolling snare drums throughout much of song lend it a march-like quality; this is a not just a trip, it's a voyage. "Scandinavian Skies" is one of the songs that makes The Nylon Curtain such an interesting listen. Put on your headphones and listen to the entire album. |
The sins of Amsterdam were still a recent surprise
And we were flying over Scandinavian Skies We climbed towards the sun, we turned and cursed as one We pulled the shades and closed our eyes, eyes The Stockholm city lights were slowly starting to rise And we were strapped against those Scandinavian skies The landing gear came down and touched the Swedish ground And we were all so paralyzed On the plane we were mainly sound and lights In the veins, we could play the blues all night The tour of Germany was bleeding into our eyes And we were sailing over Scandinavian skies We had the Midas touch until we met the Dutch And they exhausted our supplies Who's to pay for this international flight? Who could stay? We were only there for the night We watched the power fall inside the Olso hall While all the cold Norwegians cried Who could say, what was left and where was right? By the way, I could play the blues all night 
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I imagine that the Norwegian skyline that Billy saw on his trip looked something like the one depicted in Edvard Munch's famous painting "The Scream" (above right). And if he was on acid, he may have felt like the figure in the painting too.
Videos
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Fan video of "Scandinavian Skies." Great image, using a photo of Billy from his days with The Hassles in the late Sixties. © 1982 Sony Music Entertainment.
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This is a great live version of "Scandinavian Skies" from the 1982 concert video, Live from Long Island. Russell Javors and David Brown put their guitars down and take up the snare drums.
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