We Didn't Start The Fire Music Video Analysis

We Didn't Start The Fire - 1989

The video starts with a newly married couple entering their kitchen with the typical 'groom-carrying-bride' image. The artist, Billy Joel is sitting in the kitchen and will proceed to, going unnoticed for the rest of the video. The video starts with this image because a recent marriage is a symbol of a new life. The beginning of everything; the beginning of a family. At this point is when the fire starts.
In the next scene, the couple are seen but have changed fairly since the first scene. The surroundings haven't changed but the woman is now pregnant and the man is waiting on her. This is to display the change in women's rights and maternity rights of during the 1900s. Joel is still sitting in the kitchen in the background. There are several shots of plenty of things that signify the era. This is mise-en-scene. Such as the shots of the radio and the calendar.  Also, newspaper and magazine articles give hints to what era each shot is in. Different foods or fashion become available as the years progress in the video.
The next significant scene is of Joel sitting and singing directly to the camera with historical images behind him. The image behind him is on fire, which emphasises the metaphor of all historical events being fires. The iconic images vary from the horrific events in Vietnam to the latest car of the era.
Throughout different scenes, the decoration of the kitchen changes. The fashion the people are wearing changes. This is because the family are going through the years, conforming to different trends as the years go by.