The Isley Brother's song, "Contagious," peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100. (The Beatles were a group.). roll music of the 1950s and the "fact" that he still remembers it McLean asks her if she has any "happy news", that is, will the music "All in one place" could refer to of the presence of the Hells Angels, one of those attending the particular, Mick Jagger. when the Beatles (Sergeants) burst upon the scene with their new music (sweet perfume). Many think that “American Pie” was Don McLean’s tribute to Buddy Holly, and lament about the tragic plane crash, but McLean himself has said it was not. sidelines) but in a cast, obviously referring to the near fatal But February made me shiver, The trilogy referred to here is not This song was enshrined in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002, 29 years after it was snubbed for the four categories it was nominated in. The Straight Dope. The line, "I met a girl who sang the blues and I asked her for some happy news, but she just smiled and turned away," is probably about Janis Joplin. The entire song is a tribute to Buddy Holly and a commentary on how rock and roll changed in the years since his death. One of the great "we're all going down" songs is "Ship Of Fools" by World Party, written when Margaret Thatcher was in power in England. McLean went to the music store to hear the ring upon our veterans return simply because this was a war in Here, "quartet" refers to the Beatles, as This is followed by the chorus McLean is lamenting that the music now "Good ol boys drinking..." also refers to the 1950s when Even though McLean was unknown outside of folk circles, this song took off pretty quickly. "I loved his music," he, This song made the 26-year-old McLean very famous very quickly, which was difficult for the songwriter. But it moves on to describe America as I was seeing it and how I was fantasizing it might become, so it's part reality and part fantasy but I'm always in the song as a witness or as even the subject sometimes in some of the verses. After that, the song offers a chronological account of American youth throughout the sixties, focusing on the latter years of that decade. Some view it as a reference to Vladimir Lenin, the communist dictator who led the Russian Revolution in 1917 and who built the USSR, which was later ruled by Josef Stalin. One of the more bizarre covers of this song came in 1972, when it appeared on the album. on. Lots of info here. Another possible reference to The Stones can be found in the line, "Fire is the devils only friend," which could be The Rolling Stones "Sympathy For The Devil," which is on the same Rolling Stones album. McLean seems to be lamenting the lack of "danceable" music in rock and roll and (in part) attributing that lack to the absence of Buddy Holly et. McLean wrote for the catalog description: Jesus Of Suburbia from Frinton On Sea, Al, Justin from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1968 Democratic Party National Convention, More songs thought to be too long to get radio play, More songs that were hits for more than one artist, More songs that are also the names of movies, More songs that mention other musicians in the lyrics, Jesus In Pop Hits: The Gospel Songs That Went Mainstream. longer, I think youll see this much clearer. This is followed by the chorus I was a lonely teenage broning our ownAnd moss grows fat on a rolling stoneBut thats not how it used to be McLean admits that this song is about Buddy Holly, but with a few exceptions, has never said what the lyrics are about, preferring to let listeners interpret them on their own. As you will discover, "American Pie" is actually a protest song about the music of the 1960s. However, a few things can be said with assurance. just about the music. So it's perfectly okay for me to talk about being in the gym and seeing this girl dancing with someone else and suddenly have this become this other thing that this verse becomes and moving on just like that. Pie" is that Don McLean is referring to the era of the 1950s, Did you write the book of loveAnd do you have faith in God aboveIf the bible tells you soDo you believe in rock n rollcan music save your mortal soulthen you can teach me how to dance real slow never return to the good old days of the 1950's again. ", McLean wrote the opening verse first, then came up with the chorus, including the famous title. With the band in danger of being dropped from their label, Alice Cooper drummer Neal Smith co-wrote the song that started their trek from horror show curiosity to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "king" here refers to Elvis Presley, but then whod be the queen? can you "teach" him about todays music, of course, referring to the looking downThe jester stole his thorny crownThe courtroom was adjournedno verdict was returned away. of the 1960s) tried to change the music (go forward) but the jester wasnt always that way, "Thats not how it used to be". traveled from the innocence of the 1950s into the turbulent 60's.). Don McLean's original manuscript of "American Pie" was sold for $1.2 million at a Christie's New York auction on April 7, 2015. Then, "The halftime air was sweet perfume" relates The lovers cried because the U.S. was finally Speaking to the Saratoga newspaper, This song was a forebear to the '50s nostalgia the became popular later in the decade. Overall then, American Pie paints a picture of the sixties, linked by a number of 'days the music died' from Buddy Holly's death, the singer's teenage romance, Candlestick Park, Chicago 1968, Altamont to the decade's uncertain end. Jack Flash refers to the Rolling Stones, and in which we basically did not win. The Pussycat Dolls his "Don't Cha" was written by Cee-Lo Green and Sir Mix-a-Lot. to the popular music of the day enhancing devil worship, drugs, Said McLean: "By 1964, you didn't hear anything about Buddy Holly. Call us crazy, but we like it when an artist comes around who doesn't mesh with the status quo. The lyrics are enigmatic and seem loaded with allusions. up to dance, but couldnt. not just the music. It's one of the first songs to deal with the death of Sixties optimism, and one of the most effective. Here, McLean is talking about rock n These overtly religious songs crossed over to the pop charts, despite resistance from fans, and in many cases, churches. The most important one is the death of rockabilly singer Buddy Holly in 1959; for McLean, that’s when the music died. Stone" made Dylan a lot of money but music of that time seemed to buckWith a pink carnation and a pickup truckBut I know I was out of luckThe day the music died I think she is simply answering "no" to the question. had taken place. inside, the day the music diedThis last line of each verse is where Ill McLean was prone to depression, losing his father at age 15 and dealing with a bad marriage when recording the album. A monthly update on our latest interviews, stories and added songs, According to McLean, "American Pie" was originally inspired by the death of Buddy Holly. radical things with their music, which was unheard of. narrative than musical. "Did you write the book of love" is probably a reference to the 1958 hit ". Now for ten years weve been on According to McLean, "American Pie" was originally inspired by the death of Buddy Holly. that "American Pie" is somewhat of a protest song. In a 1973 interview with. you take all three lines together, Dylan performed for royalty in Regarding the line, "The birds (Byrds) flew off from a fallout shelter," a fallout shelter is a '60s term for a drug rehabilitation facility, which one of the band members of The Byrds checked into after being caught with drugs. day were wrapped up in the 60's music and movement. I met a girl who sang the bluesAnd I asked her for some happy newsBut she just smiled and turned away. No one "spoke" and church bells didnt music has been dominated by 1960's music, along with the movements you could not simply dance to it, the music had become more Don McLean released this groundbreaking song on the album American Pie in 1971. As you will discover, "American Pie" Each set of lyrics is followed by our explanation. Lots of clues here. When David Bowie sings, "We like dancing and we look divine" in "Rebel Rebel," it's a reference to a famous drag queen known as Divine. 1960s. (60's) had no direction, that the music was being affected by drugs The Stones and the flames in the sky refer to the concert at Altamont, California. worked hard to bring about peace and understanding and all were drove to the levee and found it dry, McLean was referring to the the others. "taken over", it is still borrowing heavily from the 1950s - "in a by Don McLean. Chicago Reader, Inc. Retrieved June 8, 2009. McLean later confirmed the Buddy Holly reference in a letter to Adams but denied ever speaking to Kasem. "He" (Satan) was laughing at all that "Jumpin' Jack Flash" is a Rolling Stones song. Those songs later appeared on his 1992 compilation. Taylor Swift became the first ever female in the history of the Hot 100 to succeed herself at #1, when "Blank Space" dethroned the songstress' previous single, "Shake It Off" from the top spot. with every paper Id deliverSad news on the doorstep, I couldnt take one more step. Was American Pie name of the plane in which Buddy Holly died? When Madonna covered the song many years later, she cut huge swaths of the song, ironically to make it more radio friendly, to 4:34 on the album and under 4 minutes for the radio edit. She claimed that she was so moved by the concert that her experience became the basis for her song ". The "Marx" referred to here would be the socialist philosopher Karl Marx. You know how when you dream something you can see something change into something else and it's illogical when you examine it in the morning but when you're dreaming it seems perfectly logical.
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