American Pie

"American Pie" is a folk rock song by singer-songwriter Don McLean. Recorded and released on the American Pie album in 1971, the single was a number-one U.S. hit for four weeks in 1972. A re-release in 1991 did not chart in the U.S., but reached number 12 in the UK. The song is an abstract story surrounding "The Day the Music Died" -- the 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper (Giles Perry Richardson, Jr.). The importance of "American Pie" to America's musical and cultural heritage was recognized by the Songs of the Century education project which listed the song as the number five song of the twentieth century. Some Top 40 stations initially played only side two of the single, but the song's popularity eventually forced stations to play the entire piece. Background and interpretation: The song's lyrics are the subject of much curiosity. Although McLean dedicated the American Pie album to Buddy Holly, none of the musicians in the plane crash are identified by name in the song itself. When asked what "American Pie" meant, McLean replied, "It means I never have to work again". Later, he more seriously stated "You will find many interpretations of my lyrics but none of them by me... sorry to leave you all on your own like this but long ago I realized that songwriters should make their statements and move on, maintaining a dignified silence."[2] McLean has generally avoided responding to direct questions about the song lyrics ("They’re beyond analysis. They’re poetry.") except to acknowledge that he did first learn about Buddy Holly's death while folding newspapers for his paper route on the morning of February 3, 1959 (the line "February made me shiver/with every paper I'd deliver"). He also stated in an editorial published on the 50th anniversary of the crash in 2009 that writing the first verse of the song exorcised his long-running grief over Holly's death. As an example of complexities in interpretation, some have thought that the line "When Lenin read a book on Marx " refers to Das Kapital, (written by Karl Marx) which Lenin read and then contributed to the communist Marxist theory. However, this interpretation is doubtful, since the song is about the evolution of Rock 'n' Roll. The line is followed by the reference to the "quartet" (The Beatles) practising in the park, so it's far more likely that this is a pun on John Lennon's name and his fascination with Marxist thinking. Many others have similarly interpreted the line as a reference to Lennon, this time with Groucho Marx, who were photographically paired together on the 1969 Firesign Theater album (cover), How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere at All which was issued two years earlier than the "Pie". Many have have attempted to provide a definitive interpretation; at the time of the song's original release in late 1971, many American AM & FM rock radio stations released printed interpretations and some devoted entire shows discussing and debating the song's lyrics, resulting in both controversy and intense listener interest in the song. Some examples are the real-world identities of the "Jester", "King and Queen", "Satan", "Girl Who Sang the Blues" and other characters referenced in the verses. Speculation ranges from Bob Dylan, Elvis, Janis Joplin, and Mick Jagger. What can be said with some confidence, even if we cannot provide a definitive interpretation of every detail, is that the song chronicles what McLean considered to be the death of American music over a 10 year period from the death of Buddy Holly to the infamous 1969 Rolling Stones concert where the Hells Angels stabbed an 18 year-old man Meredith Hunter to death. This would explain the satanic imagery and the references to Rolling Stones lyrics near the end of the song. If this is true, then the song laments the 10 year death of the innocence of American rock n' roll, beginning with the death of Buddy Holly and ending with the death of Meredith Hunter.

[Verse 1] 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 But something touched me deep inside The day the music died [Chorus] So bye-bye, Miss American Pie Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey 'n rye Singin', "This’ll be the day that I die" "This’ll be the day that I die." [Verse 2] Did you write the book of love And do you have faith in God above If the Bible tells you so? Now do you believe in rock 'n roll Can music save your mortal soul And can you teach me how to dance real slow? Well, I know that you're in love with him 'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym You both kicked off your shoes Man, I dig those rhythm and blues I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck With a pink carnation and a pickup truck But I knew I was out of luck The day the music died [Chorus] I started singing [Chorus] Bye-bye, Miss American Pie" Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry Them good old boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye Singin', "This’ll be the day that I die" "This’ll be the day that I die." [Verse 3] Now for ten years we've been on our own And moss grows fat on a rollin' 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 [Chorus] We were singing [Chorus] Bye-bye, Miss American Pie" Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry Them good old boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye Singin', "This'll be the day that I die" "This'll be the day that I die." [Verse 4] 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 the 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? [Chorus] We started singin' Bye-bye, Miss American Pie" Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry Them good old boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye Singin', "This'll be the day that I die" "This'll be the day that I die." [Verse 5] Oh, and there we were all in one place A generation lost in space With no time left to start again So come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick! Jack Flash sat on a candlestick, 'cause Fire is the devil’s only friend Oh, and as I watched him on the stage My hands were clenched in fists of rage No angel born in hell Could break that Satan's spell And as the flames climbed high into the night To light the sacrificial rite I saw Satan laughing with delight The day the music died [Chorus] We were singing, "bye-bye" Miss American Pie Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry Them good old boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye Singing, "This'll be the day that I die" "This'll be the day that I die..." [Breakdown] I met a girl who sang the blues And I asked her for some happy news But she just smiled and turned away I went down to the sacred store Where I'd heard the music years before But the man there said the music wouldn't play And in the streets, the children screamed The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed But not a word was spoken The church bells all were broken And the three men I admire most The father, son, and the holy ghost They caught the last train for the coast The day the music died [Deleted Verse] And there I stood alone and afraid I dropped to my knees and there I prayed And I promised him everything I could give If only he would make the music live And he promised it would live once more But this time one would equal four And in five years four had come to mourn And the music was reborn [Chorus] And they were singing "bye-bye Miss American Pie" Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry And them good old boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye Singing, "This'll be the day that I die" "This’ll be the day that I die" They were singing "bye-bye Miss American Pie" Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry Them good old boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye Singing, "This'll be the day that I die..."