Reviews for Only The Good Die Young Lyrics

"I mean, have you ever known anybody who saved himself or herself for marriage and lived to regret it? Think about it."

Um, I saved myself for marriage and i lived to regret it. So there u go, now you know someone, and can never use this line again. I'm pretty sure if my ex husband and i had slept together before marraige we could have avoided a lot of the chemistry problems that we never even knew we had before marriage. I also think i wasted the beauty of my youth saving myself. Couldve been living my life instead of "saving" myself for my ex husband.

My mother lived in Hicksville her whole life, we still do, and she was best friends with the Catholic girl's sister that this song is about, and she told me the real story. THE GIRL'S NAME REALLY WAS VIRGINIA. So shut your mouth because you don't know what you're talking about. It wasn't some 'coincidence'. Get over yourself. So he wanted the have sex with a girl. Get over it. What makes any of you so high and mighty as to judge him? He wrote a song about a girl named Virginia, a song which probably has made more money than any of you ever will. If you don't like it, good for you. Stop using this song as an attempt to shove your beliefs down other peoples' throats because you're wasting your time.

This song is not about him trying to rape a 12 year old. This song is about when he was around 16 him trying to get Virginia to have sex with him. Its about Catholicism holding her back from it. Personally pre-marital sex is fine in my religion.

Don't make such a big deal of it it's a song and personally I don't listen to the words just the tune I think that you all beloved that singers are just trying to stop religion but there not this song is 30+ years old if you don't like it don't listen to it if you wanted to protest 30 years ago would be a better time

People its too late to fight about this song it was made a long time ago. There is absolutely nothing you can do about it! If you dont like it go listen to/look up a different song.(not being pushy or mean.. just saying) I can see how people could get offended.. But there is probably more people who like it.. Just let people listen to what they want. Plus this song isn't near as bad as some of the new stuff.

...the song is meant to be "pro-lust" as opposed to "anti-catholic." It's a guy trying to convince a catholic girl to sleep with him and the guy is talking about her religion and trying to convince her that she might as well enjoy life rather than be a perfect little catholic girl. If you're letting yourself get butthurt over this then you're overly defensive over your religion. If your comfortable with your religion someones opinion of it shouldn't matter to you at all. Stop complaining about the song and let people who enjoy it continue to enjoy it without you stating what you believe to be wrong about the song.

I love this song, its so upbeat and breaks from some of his other music. As a statement about how to live your life its fantastic aswell, as I don't believe for a second that it is advocating sex before marriage, but simply living life to the full, and why not ???
If you choose to live your life as a strict catholic then that is fine by me, but it should also be considered that Billy Joel can have whatever views he likes aswell, so please don't demonise this great great musician any further than you already have.
Also can I direct you to the song scenes from an italian restaurant if you would like to find a similarly fantastic song.

The narrator is not the author. What a character says in a song, book or movie is not neccesarily what the author believes. In fact this song contains hints that the narrator's life isn't something you'd want to have or get involved in "we might be laughing a bit too loud...". Perhaps those who protest so loud do so because they recognise how tempting sex is compared to the "joys" of believeing what you're told.

If this song belittled anything other than a Christian religion, it would be considered bigotry. But, since it persecutes the only thing that is left which is considered okay to slight, it is considered a great song. Why is this? If it were to talk about Judaism, Islam, or even atheism in a negative way, then there would be an outcry for the rights of those religions (or in the case of the latter the lack thereof) followers. If one wants to live in the way that Billy Joel is advocating here, that is fine with me. I even lapse from my faith and revert to what he preaches here sometimes( yes i am a Catholic and no i am not perfect). But, I do not understand why his slandering of Catholicism is okay. If the live and let live mindset of the song was to be kept, than indicting someone for their lifestyle and beliefs could not be done. The song tells one to live as they wish, but it also slanders Catholic teachings. Basically, do whatever you want, but don't follow Catholicism. How does this contradiction of the songs theme go unnoticed, and how does the persecution of the world's most populous religion get left alone?

"Just a great song | Reviewer: Anonymous | 2/8/10

This is a great song. Nothing more. I don't care about all this catholic " this song is horrible" bull shit! IT'S A SONG!!!!!!!!!! All it's sayin is that you can't take the time to allways be good. Also you gotta have some fun and exitement in you're life!"

I respect your right to have your opinion but personally I think of music as music nothing more, nothing less, don't take it personally.

I like most of Billy Joel's songs, but I don't see this as one of his better efforts. Although he has stated he is not against Catholics (of which I am one), he has admitted this song is "pro-lust", and I hardly think it's a coincidence that he named this girl Virginia. I also think it reflects a lot of prevailing beliefs and attitudes about sex in our society today. The mindset nowadays seems to be that:

1) Virginity, chastity and purity are something to be mocked, attacked and ridiculed. (Hollywood does it all the time. Witness "The 40-Year-Old Virgin"!)
2) Saving sex for marriage is outdated and puritanical.
3) If you believe that sex outside of marriage is wrong, you're weird. Worse than that, you're a prude!
4) Being a virgin is a disgrace and an embarassment. (Don't laugh! I've heard people on TV say "I'm tired of being a virgin!")
5) Unmarried sex is much more exciting and fulfilling than married sex. (Hollywood again: "I don't have sex. I'm married.")
6) If you haven't had sex (especially outside of marriage), you haven't lived. (Or as BJ says, you're just "hiding behind a stained glass curtain".)
7) All God wants to do is take away our freedom, take away our fun, and burden us with an endless laundry list of rules and restrictions. Or, more simply put, being good is boring! ("I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints. The sinners are much more fun.")
8) If it feels good, do it! (Instant gratification, baby!)

The overwhelming opinion today is that sex outside of marriage is perfectly normal. I don't believe it's NORMAL, I only believe it's THE NORM. There is a difference. A lot of you interpret the song as saying simply that we shouldn't be afraid to take chances, enjoy life and have fun. I don't disagree with that, and I think God wants that for us too. However, I don't buy the notion that living life to the fullest means taking unnecessary risks, or that following moral godly principles has to get in the way enjoying life. You don't need to drink to have a good time at a party, and you don't have to have sex outside of marriage to enjoy life either. I'd like to know what BJ would say if a guy like the one in this song had propositioned Alexa Ray! I'm not against sex, I just believe it has its proper time and place. I mean, have you ever known anybody who saved himself or herself for marriage and lived to regret it? Think about it.

Let's face it, none of us is good every moment of every day, and I don't profess to be any more sinless than anyone else. I also expect I'm going to get a lot of rotten tomatoes for everything I've written here. Go ahead and do your worst, I can take it. Personally, I hope Virginia was strong enough to resist giving in to all the undue pressure visited upon her by this rebellious seducer, and if anyone out there does agree with me, I'd like to get your feedback too. Thank you.

This song is of a virgin Catholic girl named Virginia and the songwriter knowing her catholic faith is all that is holding her back, he demeans her faith to break her resolve to refrain before marriage. Everything sacred of the Catholic faith is belittled to weaken her. He is even dangerous. The suggestion to Virginia after he locks her in his car, only the good die young, if you deny me to remain "good" you may become one of them. Do it or else. Newly Confirmed are as young as 12 yrs. old. Virginia is a minor. The songwriter old, is attempting rape thru intimidation, the words are those of a pedophile and encourage pedophilia in general, especially targeting little catholic girls. Pre-abduction small talk. He seems especially skilled at the art of doing this. How many have girls have died young because a pedophile took the song literally? If one, it is accessory to a capital crime. Great tune, catchy enough to have a newly confirmed catholic girl have to listen to it in her head, its child abuse. He laughed about it over and over. Media now plays it routinely, also promoting anti-catholic propaganda, pedophilia attacks on catholics. Virginia's death is a loss unworthy concern to the general public, don't bother, she was only catholic right? With the Media attacking Catholics, why are they so ok with playing this song for 33 years? Because their real agenda is to weaken, even destroy the church. Who cares, their only Catholics. Such hypocracy in Media is intentional. Unfortunately, they have a representative, the Devil in the smoke of 911. God looks after his own. Jesus Rules now and Forever. How can you all rationalize this song?

Just recently a good friend of mine died due to a drug overdose. She was a great person who was always full of life and upbeat. This song can have a variety of meanings, it changes for each person and this is Abby's theme song. She lived live to it's fullest and I hope that I can do the same. While I'm a "good girl" I don't plan on not living my life to it's fullest. So Abby, I'm gonna do that for you.

Abby Hogan, February 11 1989-April 10 2010. An amazing person, talented dancer, and a lively spirit. We love and will always miss you, but Abby I'll always dance in your honor whether it's to hip hop or bagpipes; it'll be for you.

yo... it's just a catchy song about a girl that he wants to sleep with. I'm super Catholic, slightly offended by this song, but whatev its fun to dance to and ironic how true some of it is. We don't need to get all metaphorical about it.

Billy Joel is a self proclaimed atheist. So am I, so I won't go all "I'm catholic therefore this song sucks" on you, but he probably did have much more anti-religious intention than you people think he did.