American Pie

A long long time ago
I can still remember how
That music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they’d be happy for a while
But February made me shiver
With every paper I’d deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn’t take one more step
I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
Something touched me deep inside
The day the music died
In the February of 1959, three rock and roll legends (Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens) died in a plane crash. Twelve years later, Don McLean would respond to the heart-breaking and monumental day in history with his song American Pie and refer to it as “the day the music died.” McLean has been interviewed countless times about the song and it’s meaning, but he never wanted to give one. It wasn’t until April of 2015 that he finally gave a purpose. “Basically in American Pie things are heading in the wrong direction. … It [life] is becoming less idyllic. I don’t know whether you consider that wrong or right but it is a morality song in a sense.”
Now, for ten years we’ve been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rolling stone
But, that’s not how it used to be
When the jester sang for the king and queen
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
And a voice that came from you and me
Oh and while the king was looking down
The jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned
And while Lennon read a book on Marx
The quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died
We were singin’
McLean referenced to many more legends in the song, “The jester” is thought to be Bob Dylan. “the king” and “queen” assumed to be Peter Seger and Joan Baez. They were all big names in the folk music industry in the early 60s. The other “King” is Elvis Presley. He was drafted during this time, and while he was at war, Dylan “stole his crown” when he started changing genres a little. (The courtroom line is about the Kennedy assassination and Lee Harvey Oswald being killed, and therefore, never convicted.) James Dean is a given, as is John  Lennon and the Beatles becoming political. I feel he is trying to say that before the accident, rock and roll was booming, but after, everyone lost their sound, even the biggest and greatest. “The moss grows fat on the rolling stone.” says to me that there wasn’t much to sing along to anymore. “We sang dirges in the dark” is referencing the death of John and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, which all happened in the 60s.
Helter skelter in a summer swelter
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
It landed foul on the grass
The players tried for a forward pass
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast
Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance
‘Cause the players tried to take the field
The marching band refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?
We started singin’
Charles Manson killed a bunch of people in the summer of 68′ because he thought the Beatles song “Helter Skelter” was angels telling him to kill people. A group called The Bryds got really popular, then busted for illegal substances and sent to rehab. The “players” are protesters, and the song begins to discuss the movement against the government and Vietnam. The Beatles changed the standard of music around this time, and it became something to listen to, instead of dance. “Do you recall what was revealed?” The generation failed. The government was beyond fixing. McLean wasn’t a fan of the 60s.
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
And singin’ this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die
Okay so American Pie is an almost 9 minute song. There are 3 other verses that I don’t have the word count to go over, but McLean goes on to talk about Woodstock, the moon landing, and then the second Woodstock that ended with Hell’s Angels beating and killing people while under the influence. That ended the 60s, and McLean seems to think of it as all a waste. He then talks about the death of Janis Joplin, the Kent State murders, and the Death of God in our nation.
This song is a history lesson, and that is why I appreciate it so much. It’s so very dark, and you couldn’t tell much if you just listened unconsciously. It doesn’t have much of a sad tune, which I really enjoy. I really appreciate McLean for vocalizing how he felt and teaching people so much with just a single song. Honestly the whole song is left to interpretation, he never gave an actual meaning, but based on what I know and other opinions, this is what I think.
http://www.whrc-wi.org/americanpie.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Pie_(song)