In 1982, Billy Joel addressed the job losses in the steel industry with his hit “Allentown.”
The lyrics say, “We’re living here in Allentown, and they’re closing all the factories down.” He chronicles the desperation by highlighting that “our fathers fought the second World War,” “the promises our teachers gave; if we worked hard, if we behaved. So the graduations hang on the wall, but they never helped us at all.”