It is quite obvious that not only good people die young because for this to be accurate, all young people must be good and living longer implies a person is bad. The song "Only The Good Die Young" by Billy Joel is often misinterpreted as saying only good people die young and has since become an anthem for those who do. To me, the song means that people die in a sense where they no longer believe in their own opinions but, instead, what people tell them to believe. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The song is not so much about physical death, but about the death of individuality and innocence. Religion is usually not linked to individualism because people who follow a certain religion often have the same beliefs. The song has a strong presence of religious belief and, in this case, Catholicism. Catholicism is strongly based on the Bible and its “error-free” word (“Fundamental Beliefs of Catholicism”). In the song, Billy says, “Well, they showed you a statue/told you to pray/built you a temple and locked you up” (Billy Joel). Joel refers to the statue of Jesus Christ that resides in Catholic churches (“Catholic Answers”). There is also a line that states: "But Virginia they didn't give you enough information" (Billy Joel). Young people are given information about what to believe and while this is happening, they are protected by the very people who tell them these things. She feels that Virginia doesn't know how to have fun because she is held back by the church and her beliefs because she doesn't know the whole story of why she is accepting religion. The song could also be interpreted as peer pressure, meaning he is attempting to convince Virginia to have sexual intercourse with him. Catholic belief regarding sexual relations should only be between a married man and woman (Ortiz). A line in the song says, “They say there's a heaven for those who wait / Some say it's better but I say it's not” (Billy Joel). Virginia is described as a very conservative Catholic girl, so he is trying to convince her that breaking the rules won't be a big deal for him. He wants Virginia to experience his way of life and ignore everything she was taught as a Catholic girl. Individuality and innocence are taken away from young people because they try to please their elders and follow what they tell them is right. Whether or not a person has their own opinions, trying to change them to your advantage won't always go the way you want.