Billy Joel has responded to Fall Out Boy’s updated cover of his 1989 hit “We Didn’t Start The Fire”.

Last month, Fall Out Boy shared an updated version of the song, complete with 90 references from 1989 to 2023. The original featured 118 references to significant political, cultural, scientific, and sporting events from 1948 (the year Joel was born) to 1989. 

Now, Joel has responded to the track. Speaking with BBC Radio 2, he said, “Everybody’s been wanting to know when there’s going to be an updated version of it, because my song started in ’49 and ended in ’89 – it was a 40-year span.”

He continued, “Everybody said, ‘Well, aren’t you going to do a part two?’ I said, ‘Nah, I’ve already done part one.’ So, Fall Out Boy, go ahead. Great, take it away.”

At the time of the release, Fall Out Boy released a statement saying, “I thought about this song a lot when I was younger. All these important people and events – some that disappeared into the sands of time – others that changed the world forever. So much has happened in the span of the last 34 years – we felt like a little system update might be fun. Hope you like our take on it.”

Stream Fall Out Boy’s version of “We Didn’t Start The Fire” below.