The Downeaster "Alexa" (3:42)
70,945 plays (19,780 listeners)
“The Downeaster ‘Alexa’” is a song originally released in 1989 on Billy Joel’s eleventh studio album Storm Front. The album itself went to number one while “The Downeaster ‘Alexa’” placed at #57 in the Billboard Hot 100. The song was included on Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits Vol. 3 album in 1997.
The song is sung in the persona of an impoverished fisherman in the Outer Lands and the surrounding waters who, like many of his fellow men, is finding it increasingly hard to make ends meet and keep ownership of his boat. [1] The fisherman sings about the depletion of the fish stocks (“I know there’s fish out there, but where God only knows”) and the environmental regulations (“Since they told me I can’t sell no stripers”) which make it hard for men like him him to survive, especially with the conversion of his home island into an expensive summer colony for the affluent (“There ain’t no island left for islanders like me”). The lyrics reference Block Island Sound, Montauk, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket, amongst other locations.
Alexa, the name of the fishing boat in the song, is the name of Billy Joel’s daughter, Alexa Ray Joel. Joel does in fact own a downeaster lobster/swordfish hybrid boat by the name “Alexa”, built on a Maine lobster boat hull. [2] The “Alexa”, along with Joel’s other boats, call Sag Harbor, Long Island, home.
The song is sung in the persona of an impoverished fisherman in the Outer Lands and the surrounding waters who, like many of his fellow men, is finding it increasingly hard to make ends meet and keep ownership of his boat. [1] The fisherman sings about the depletion of the fish stocks (“I know there’s fish out there, but where God only knows”) and the environmental regulations (“Since they told me I can’t sell no stripers”) which make it hard for men like him him to survive, especially with the conversion of his home island into an expensive summer colony for the affluent (“There ain’t no island left for islanders like me”). The lyrics reference Block Island Sound, Montauk, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket, amongst other locations.
Alexa, the name of the fishing boat in the song, is the name of Billy Joel’s daughter, Alexa Ray Joel. Joel does in fact own a downeaster lobster/swordfish hybrid boat by the name “Alexa”, built on a Maine lobster boat hull. [2] The “Alexa”, along with Joel’s other boats, call Sag Harbor, Long Island, home.
Video
Added by peteg856
Billy Joel Live Albany NY
The Downeaster "Alexa"
Share Video
See 6 more
The Downeaster "Alexa"
Related Tracks
-
Shameless
Billy Joel -
I Go to Extremes
Billy Joel -
Solsbury Hill
Peter Gabriel -
Hurts So Good
John Mellencamp -
Dancing in the Dark
Bruce Springsteen -
Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting
Elton John
Albums featuring this track
-
The Ultimate Collection (disc 2)
Billy Joel Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search
-
Greatest Hits, Volume III: 1986-1997
Billy Joel Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search
-
The Essential Billy Joel (disc 2)
Billy Joel Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search
-
Storm Front
Billy Joel Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital $9.99
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search
Shouts
-
tsuyacrow wrote:
awesome.
-
foxmusicbox wrote:
go, Billy!
-
BackRoots wrote:
My favorite song of his. Powerful.
-
Fasstili wrote:
Just GREAT
-
yosempai wrote:
You haven't lived until you have listened to this song standing on the bow of a boat :)
-
dunzi55 wrote:
.........best amazing killersong from B.J.........yeah yeah.
-
BSFan57 wrote:
Awesome... Particullarly for a Nova Scotian at heart...
-
wilte01 wrote:
An absolute best from a master songwriter
-
Franky___Turton wrote:
One of my fave tunes from his "Best Of". Particularly like the guitar effects.
-
Sriajuda wrote:
I know no other song that expresses the love, the incredible longing for the sea herself, to sail her on a capable boat, better than this one. Some men are born to go to sea - a shame that in modern times this is a destiny often unfulfilled.
-
Canoecat wrote:
It was, and is, a sign of the times...a perceptive and passionate capture of the dilemma faced by many a maritimer.....beautiful and haunting song..:)
-
Calaire wrote:
I totally agree with electrablue... except for the part with Cape Cod. ;o) It's not just that you can smell the sea in his song, you can also feel the fears he has and you can see this song in so many completely different parts of life... it's amazing.
-
faustus_soul wrote:
oh my god... yay for this randomly coming on my radio station. <3
-
TissueGoddess wrote:
This is my favorite Billy Joel song. It was the most powerful song I've ever heard live.
-
electrablue wrote:
This is my favorite song. It's on repeat every time I visit Cape Cod or happen to come across a beach or lighthouse. It's such a great mood piece, and it's all true.
Billy Joel
The Downeaster "Alexa"
full track
Listeners
-
Erodrigufer
Top Listener
-
Elenenedh
Top Listener
-
Maliboy21
Top Listener
-
stella_maris_
Top Listener
-
sumi37
Top Listener
-
flipmo89
Top Listener
Recent Activity
-
dillonbarnett98, adinaniculescu, gust334 and 2 other people loved Billy Joel – The Downeaster "Alexa". yesterday morning
-
nickycoward added The Downeaster "Alexa" to nickycoward’s library. Saturday evening
-
nickycoward added The Downeaster "Alexa" to the playlist Billy Joel - Stormfront. Saturday evening
-
nettz tagged The Downeaster "Alexa" with ‘classic rock’. Saturday afternoon
-
nettz, Hooterpincher, mitch2360 and 5 other people loved Billy Joel – The Downeaster "Alexa". Saturday afternoon
-
surfinggal tagged The Downeaster "Alexa" with ‘billy joel’. 12 days ago
-
surfinggal added The Downeaster "Alexa" to surfinggal’s library. 12 days ago
-
zerand added The Downeaster "Alexa" to zerand’s library. 12 days ago
-
zerand added The Downeaster "Alexa" to the playlist drei. 12 days ago
-
bob64turbo shared The Downeaster "Alexa" with surfinggal. 12 days ago
Related Journals
-
back :D
by welkinhawk |
27 Apr 2007 | 2 comments
