# Billy Joel's Prediction for NYC?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joels-prediction-for-nyc/81216>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [September 13, 2001, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joels-prediction-for-nyc/81216 "2001-09-13T00:56:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![David\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joels-prediction-for-nyc/81216/21 "2001-09-15T00:27:18Z")

</div>

I had the weirdest coincidence with that Billy Joel song.

I was playing a tape of it (a tape I’d made myself) while studying at college. During the song, near the end, I heard an air raid siren. At first it didn’t register, since that is part of the song, but then I realized that the siren didn’t sound during _this_ part of the song. I reached over to my tape player and accidentally hit “record” instead of “stop.” I had not broken off the little tabs and therefore accidentally caused a blip in the tape.

As it turned out, the sirens really WERE going off – it was a tornado warning.

Because of that blip in the tape, I will forever remember it. Even when I hear the song on CD now (that tape having been lost years ago), I somehow expect the blip to be there.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![wolfstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@wolfstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfstu)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joels-prediction-for-nyc/81216/22 "2001-09-15T00:38:16Z")

</div>

It occurred to me as I was watching the news coverage on Tuesday that I, and much of the world, was “in a New York State of mind”.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joels-prediction-for-nyc/81216/23 "2001-09-15T02:00:14Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by TheeGrumpy \*  
> \*\*Robyn,
> 
> Hence my 😉 . \*\*

My irony detection meter has been broken all week.

Robin

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TheeGrumpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheeGrumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheeGrumpy)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joels-prediction-for-nyc/81216/24 "2001-09-15T18:35:08Z")

</div>

Yeah. Mine was located next to my Surreality Indicator on the dashboard. And when that one overheated… ☹

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![frock75](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ad7895/32.png) [@frock75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frock75)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joels-prediction-for-nyc/81216/25 "2001-09-15T18:49:56Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Scarlett67 \*  
> \*\* I’m surprised it hasn’t come up on the BJ mailing list I subscribe to. \*\*

Hmmmm…this is just screaming out for a bad joke.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2001, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joels-prediction-for-nyc/81216/26 "2001-09-16T01:51:43Z")

</div>

Frock75 quoted:

> [@](#):
>
> > [@](#):
> >
> > Originally posted by Scarlett67:
> > 
> > I’m surprised it hasn’t come up on the BJ mailing list I subscribe to.
> 
> Hmmmm…this is just screaming out for a bad joke.

[blackadder]Baldrick, the Billy Joel mailing list _is_ a screaming bad joke.[/blackadder] 😉

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-joels-prediction-for-nyc/81216.md?page=1)