‘No one understands a woman in her 20s like Billy Joel’:

‘No one understands a woman in her 20s like Billy Joel’: gen z finds solace in anti-hustle anthem Vienna

The nearly 50-year-old song has been adopted by the under-30s to describe their particular feelings of ennui

What does Billy Joel know about being a teenage girl? Enough, it turns out, to have written one of gen Z’s favorite anti-hustle anthems: Vienna, a nearly 50-year-old song that’s been adopted by the under-30s to describe their particular feelings of ennui.

On TikTok, young women craft their identities around the song. One content creator said she booked a trip to the Austrian capitol because of it; others tattoo the lyrics on their body. “I want to name my child Vienna but everyone says it reminds them of sausage,” reads one comment on a clip where a young woman lip-syncs the tune.