1989Released
3:43

Did You Know?

Interesting facts and trivia about The Downeaster 'Alexa'. By Songfacts®.

This song is about the fishermen in Oyster Bay, Long Island, which is near Joel's home. Written from the perspective of a struggling fisherman, the song is accurate in its description of the various places the vessel would travel. The song brought a lot of attention to the challenges these fishermen faced and the hard work they put into their jobs.

Joel owned a boat at the time called "The Alexa." It was named after his daughter, Alexa Ray. Like her father, Alexa is also a musician.

Boating is one of Joel's favorite hobbies. He often makes nautical references in his songs, and his personal management company is called Maritime Music.

Top Listeners

Song Analysis

Key, BPM (tempo) and time signature of The Downeaster 'Alexa'.
AKey
MinorMode
4/4Time Signature
90BPM

Album

The album The Downeaster 'Alexa' is released on.

Released By

The record label that has released The Downeaster 'Alexa'.
Columbia
(P) 1989 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment

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