You're Only Human (Second Wind)
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"You're Only Human (Second Wind)" is a hit song written in 1985 and performed by Billy Joel for the express purpose of teenage suicide prevention.
Billy was asked if he could write a song about suicide in the hopes of promoting its prevention in teenagers. He agreed, but was concerned about his original draft which took a downbeat tone he thought would in fact encourage kids to end it all. In response, Joel created a new song with a bouncy joyous beat and lyrics that stress personal forgiveness and optimism about life.
The song appeared in Billy Joel's Greatest Hits in 1985 and became a top ten hit. It was digitally recorded.
During the song, Joel audibly laughs after briefly hesitating during one of the verses. He decided to keep the mistake in the recorded version as it seemed to illustrate his point in the song about personal fallibility.
