We Didn't Start the Fandom

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Filksong
Song Title: We Didn't Start the Fandom
Composer: Billy Joel
Lyrics: Disco Bat Productions (Moey & Arabella?)
Melody: "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel
Date: 30 July 2006
Subject: Harry Potter fandom
Other:
External Links: watch on youtube (video is private as of 2020)
lyrics at SQodcast[1]

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"We Didn't Start the Fandom" is a Harry Potter filk that parodies Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire". It details much of the history and wank of the Harry Potter fandom up through 2006 (pre-Deathly Hallows).

A video with the audio and lyrics was posted to YouTube by Zsenya, who summarized it as: "A concise and unbiased history of the Harry Potter fandom, based on Billy Joel's 'We Didn't Start the Fire.' Note, I am not the author - just the messenger..."

An MP3 of the filk was posted as a "special edition" of the Sugar Quill podcast SQodcast on July 13, 2007.

Introduction

The beginning of the video on YouTube reads:

We Didn't Start the Fire
Original lyrics and music by Billy Joel
And the music is still, in fact, by Billy Joel
But the rest is now a Harry Potter Fan Filk
Written by fans who have enjoyed the whole damn ride...
...even though our fandom is insane.

Lyrics & References

Harry Potter 1 through 4
Start a fandom shipping war
Netiquette, Extricate
HP4GU
Canon-thumping, three-year wait
Ginny bashing, Ron hate
Semi-colon[2]
Uberfiction [3]
Grave sex, P.O.U.
We didn't start the fandom
Oh, it started burning
With the pages turning
Maury is a love child
Plagiarism, exile
H/H, twincest
Fanfiction dot net
Beta readers, Sycophants
Draco wearing leather pants
87[4], slash fic
Jumping on the Good Ship
We didn't start the fandom
Oh it started burning
With the pages turning
We didn't start the fandom
No, we didn't light it
'Cause we didn't write it
Sugar Quill and R/H
Orange Crush, One True Way
AtE, D/G
and the Werewolf Registry
Fiction Alley, TiP
Paradise, Legalese
Crack heads, Hate threads
Tower of the Queens
Summit minutes, Draco/Ron,
Harry Potter Movie 1
LiveJournal, Friends lock
Ginny Weasley stealing socks
Homage, litmus tests
Porn Cease and Desists
Mary-Sues, flame reviews
Weasley adoration
We didn't start the fandom
Oh it started burning
With the pages turning
We didn't start the fandom
No, we didn't light it
'Cause we didn't write it
ROX, SUX, Schnoogle, Squee
Nimbus 2003
Fandom Wank, Fanfic bans
And here comes Fermato Jam[5]
Switchblade Kittens, Get a Clue
Harry Potter Movie 2
Fandom Bitches, Loving Dan
Stalking of the Big Name Fans
Free Dobby, TLC
Pumpkin Pie, Book Release
Goodbye Sirius
Order of the Phoenix
JKR's website
Fan Awards, Fandom fights
Old school, April fools
Changing all the forum rules
msscribe, no GT[5]
Harry Potter Movie 3
Witching Hour, Salem
Podcasts causing mayhem
How long do we have to wait?
J.K. Rowling sets a date
Spoilers, blogging
All anticipation
Midnight, Half-Blood Prince
Oh my God an H/G kiss!
Dumbledore blown away
What else do I have to say?
We didn't start the fandom
Oh it started burning
With the pages turning
We didn't start the fandom
No, we didn't light it
'Cause we didn't write it
Interview[6], Memerson[7]
Fandom Wank is back again[8]
War's on, Won-Won
LaptopGate (big con?)
Threats to boycott next time
Shipping terror online
Anvils and Delusional[6]
Harry Potter Movie 4
Charlotte Lennox, history[5]
Seven is a mystery
Draco's sad
Voldie's mad
Is Snape good or bad?
What is up with Harry's eyes?[9]
Who will live and who will die?
Horcruxes and wizard wars
We can't take it any more!
We didn't start the fandom
Oh it started burning
With the pages turning
And when we are gone
It'll still burn on
And on, and on
And on, and on
And on, and on
And on, and on...

References

  1. ^ [1], Archived version
  2. ^ During the R/Hr versus H/Hr ship wars, there was an extensive debate over the quote, "It's very good already," said Ron, in a strangled sort of voice. Fleur smiled at him; Hermione scowled, and whether the semi-colon indicated that Hermione's scowling was related to Fleur smiling at Ron (which would suggest jealousy and thus R/Hr).
  3. ^ The Sugar Quill's Glossary provides the following definitions for the term 'Uberfic':
    1. Controversial phrase for a very, very large and /or popular story
    2. Word used to describe the fic After the End by Zsenya and Arabella.
  4. ^ The meaning behind "87" is apparently some Sugar Quill epic mystery. The mods were privy to the secret meaning while the rest of SQ tried to guess. The term was borrowed to created the SQ 87 "submarine" (in keeping with the fandom's nautical 'ship terms), who's "crew" is "devoted to protecting all things Quill," including The Good Ship R/H. One of the theories proposed is that it stands for H/G because 'H' is the 8th letter of the alphabet and 'G' is the 7th. Though this is sometimes the accepted answer, it has not been confirmed, and some argue that "87" is supposed to be something related to R/Hr, not H/G. Others report that it has to do with the controversy around Trouble in Paradise, particularly Chapter 9, which Ebony reported was 87 pages long (e.g. this reposting of unknown origin [WebCite] and this thread at fail-fandomanon).
  5. ^ a b c See also: The MsScribe Story: An Unauthorized Fandom Biography
  6. ^ a b On July 16, 2005, the day Half-Blood Prince was released, Emerson Spartz of MuggleNet and Melissa Anelli of The Leaky Cauldron interviewed Rowling about the new book and many of fandom's most popular mysteries. In the interview, Rowling confirmed Ron/Hermione and Harry/Ginny to be canon, and much wank resulted; many Harry/Hermione shippers were particularly upset that Emerson called them "delusional" and that Rowling implied that they missed "anvil-sized hints." (Emerson Spartz and Melissa Anelli. MuggleNet and The Leaky Cauldron interview Joanne Kathleen Rowling. 16 July 2005. Accessed 1 March 2011.)
  7. ^ www.leakymug.com April Fools Day
  8. ^ Fandom Wank was deleted from LiveJournal; it moved to JournalFen
  9. ^ Rowling gave an interview in 1999 stating that the fact that Harry has his mother's eyes was "very important in a future book." Because no particular importance had been revealed in the first six books, there was still speculation on the matter. (Loer, Stephanie. "All about Harry Potter from quidditch to the future of the Sorting Hat," The Boston Globe. 18 October 1999. Via Accio Quote!, accessed 1 March 2011.)