Billy Joel’s “Vienna,” released in 1977 ,is a song that reminds listeners to slow down. Inspired to write this song after an emotional visit reconnecting with his estranged father, Joel spent time with his dad in Vienna where he lived after leaving the family.
The song “Vienna,” is a piece of music that hits me deeply, and well as so many others. Growing up with endless ambitions and dreams, its easy to feel like you’re never doing enough. Do you have something you want to accomplish? There is always the next thing to chase. It always feels like you’re falling behind no matter what. “Vienna” serves as a reminder to take a step back and relax.
“Slow down; your’e doing fine. You can’t be everything you want to be before your time,” Joel intones.
One of the many lyrics in “Vienna” that is engraved in my brain and no doubt many others, this lines says literally you can’t be everything you want to be before your time, meaning you can’t achieve everything you want to before the right moment. You need to take things day by day and calm down; things will happen when they are supposed to happen even if it’s not today.
“It’s all right you can afford to lose a day or two,” Joel admonishes
These lyrics go along with the theme of slowing down as you’re not losing time by calming down for a second. It’s 100% fine if you’re not constantly doing something every single day, you’re not wasting time doing.
“To me, ‘Vienna’ is a reminder that life isn’t a race. It’s an invitation to slow down, enjoy the journey, and stop feeling like everything needs to happen right away. This song represents the balance between ambition and patience. It teaches us that it’s okay to pause, breathe, and trust that everything comes in its own time. In other words, ‘La vida no es un destino, sino un camino’,”* explained math teacher Mrs. Rebeca Sordo.
“When will you realize that “Vienna” waits for you?” Joel wonders.
Vienna the city serves as a metaphor for being patient, and at peace. That you should trust your goals, pursue your dreams at a reasonable pace, stop chasing them, and allow for things to eventually materialize as they are meant to.
“I spent a day in Vienna before flying back to Miami after a month-long sojourn in Austria. Everywhere I walked, I kept hearing this song in my head, especially when I dug into a delicious, world-renowned Sacher Torte chocolate cake and Viennese coffee at the namesake hotel,” said Ms. Cristina Ramirez, Media Director.
“Vienna’s” lyrics overall really incapsulate having so many goals and dreams, but never wanting to calm down and take a break. It shows that, yes, you should follow your dreams, but don’t imagine they will all happen so fast, and that if they are not fully realized, that you’re a failure.
*Life is not a destination, but it is a journey.”
