Billy Joel: how did he get away with these lyrics

Joel came out with these lyrics while Feminism was plenty strong, yet as far as I know never caught much criticism. It struck me while listening that he really slams women here, and it would seem just makes up for it by saying he likes women anyway...



...She can ruin your faith with her casual lies
...she'll take what you give her as long it's free, Yeah, She steals like a thief

etc., we're all familiar with these I think. Maybe another reason it works is that it strikes a cord with us guys and women can't deny a lot of this?

( From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/b/billy-joel-lyrics/she_s-always-a-woman-to-me-lyrics.html )

She's Always A Woman To Me lyrics


She can kill with a smile, she can wound with her eyes
She can ruin your faith with her casual lies
And she only reveals what she wants you to see
She hides like a child, but she's always a woman to me


She can lead you to love, she can take you or leave you
She can ask for the truth, but she'll never believe
And she'll take what you give her as long it's free
Yeah, She steals like a thief, but she's always a woman to me

CHORUS
Ohhh... she takes care of herself
She can wait if she wants, she's ahead of her time
Ohhh... and she never gives out
And she never gives in, she just changes her mind


And she'll promise you more than the garden of Eden
Then she'll carelessly cut you and laugh while you're bleeding
But she'll bring out the best and the worst you can be
Blame it all on yourself 'cause she's always a woman to me

CHORUS


She's frequently kind and she's suddenly cruel
She can do as she pleases, she's nobody's fool
And she can't be convicted, she's earned her degree
And the most she will do is throw shadows at you,
But she's always a woman to me

CHORUS

Never figured out what is meant by "throw shadows".

I doubt feminists would complain about lyrics that recognize such power in females.

Yes he seems to take a powerless stance in the song which feminists would enjoy.

I generally thought that "Always a Woman" was much less offensive toward women than "Only the Good Die Young", which offends the church as a sideline.

The sense of the lyrics isn't too different from "Bette Davis' Eyes" by Kim Carnes, or "Killer Queen" by Queen.

The song was written about his wife not about women in general so nothing to be offended about really.

Quote: Doc

I generally thought that "Always a Woman" was much less offensive toward women than "Only the Good Die Young", which offends the church as a sideline.

As a Billy Joel fan and someone who was raised in an ultra-religious household (not religious myself anymore, so much, but still have respect for Christian values and teachings), I've always found that particular song much less offensive if you consider it less of an anti-Catholic diatribe and more of a frustrated rant of a guy who just wants to get in a girl's pants.

I think that is a beautiful song. One of the best love songs of its time, in my opinion. It is about accepting someone for who they are, the good and bad, and embracing all of it, even the bad parts. The perfect compliment to Only the Good Die Young, which was also a great song, but which treated the subject as a conquest to get her in bed.

I don't see how even the most diehard feminist could find fault in that song. Feminist doctrine is not my strong suit, but I don't think the movement ever claimed women were all the same and without fault. If anything, I think they might identify with the strength and self-reliance of the subject of the song.

Quote: OneAngryDwarf

... less offensive if you consider it less of an anti-Catholic diatribe and more of a frustrated rant of a guy who just wants to get in a girl's pants.

Agreed. That's what I intended when I suggested "Only the Good Die Young" might be the more offensive song to women, with offending the church just being a sideline issue there. Perhaps I wasn't clear.

I considered "Always a Woman" a love song and "Only the Good Die Young" an extremely crude attempt at seduction.