Billy Joel mentions 59 public figures in “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” Among them are iconic politicians, actors, athletes and more.

The lyrics do not include the name of Jamal Bowman, who represents New York’s 16th congressional district, Bowman was only 13 when Joel recorded the song. His days as a public figure were still far ahead.

But had the song been written today, Bowman might have made the cut because of an incident of infamy over the weekend. As Congress rushed to vote on a spending bill to avert a government shutdown, he activated a fire alarm that caused an evacuation of the Cannon House Office Building.

Republicans charge that Bowman was trying to delay the vote. He claims he triggered the alarm by mistake. While the dust is settling, enjoy this week’s Sharp Notes Monday selection.

As part of our “Sharp Notes, Sharp Thoughts” music and social media project, we share a song every Monday to start your week.

View previous Sharp Notes Monday selections.

Visit our “Sharp Notes, Sharp Thoughts” music and social media page to learn more about the project and view videos of our presentations.

Categories: Jandoli Institute, Music and Social Justice, Sharp Notes Monday, Sharp Notes Sharp Thoughts

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