I never knew what that song was about. I’m still not sure. Hey did he lose a lot of weight? I thought five or so years ago he looked much older and terrible.
That’s really him in 2017? He looks good
For some explanation read the comments on these
https://www.songfacts.com/facts/billy-joel/miami-2017-seen-the-lights-go-out-on-broadway
https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/77961/
I recall it from my first major encounter with it over 30 years ago as being a song expressing a form of local patriotism for those of my fellow undergraduates who felt themselves to be in exile Far Above Cayuga’s Waters because they found Upstate to be another world.
Which it was, but they still hadn’t encountered that other world, as Ithaca is another universe— a chunk of downstate mixed in with people from other eastern urban centres dropped upon upstate like Dorothy’s House upon the wicked witch of the east.
BLL has an awesome pinglist—Ithaca is Evil.