“We Didn’t Start the Fire” was written by Billy Joel for his 1989 album Storm Front. Joel has said the idea came after a conversation with a young person who claimed nothing important had happened in his lifetime, he answered by naming the headlines. Released as a single in September 1989, it became his third No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it spent two weeks at the top in December. It also reached No. 7 in the UK and No. 2 in Australia and Canada. The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year, and Storm Front became Joel’s third album to reach No. 1 in the United States. The track has since become a staple of classroom history lessons and has inspired countless parodies and updates.