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From: rose@sdcsvax.UUCP (Daniel Rose)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: Lyrics to American Pie
Message-ID: <912@sdcsvax.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 5-Jun-85 15:06:59 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdcsvax.912
Posted: Wed Jun  5 15:06:59 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 8-Jun-85 05:39:11 EDT
References: <2441@wateng.UUCP>
Reply-To: rose@sdcsvax.UUCP (Daniel rose)
Distribution: net
Organization: EECS Dept. U.C. San Diego
Lines: 35
Summary: 

In article <2441@wateng.UUCP> ajvernon@wateng.UUCP (Andrew J. Vernon) writes:
>
>	Awhile back I was discussing Don MacLean's music with a friend. Of 
>course the subject of the meaning of the lyrics to American Pie was brought 
>up. I had been told that the whole song had no meaning -- it was just simply
>meant to be nonsensical (supposedly, when asked about the meaning of the
>lyrics, this is what Maclean originally said). However at a later date,
>Maclean admitted that the song was actually a statement and all the lyrics
>did indeed have meaning (the entire song is allegorical).
>	I was wondering if anyone knows the meaning of all the lyrics.
> . . .
>	To start things off, here are a few of the lyrics I do know about:
>
>"the day the music died" - Buddy Holly's death
>"the quartet practised in the park" - the Beatles
>"eight miles high and falling fast" - refers to the demise of the Birds(?)
>				      after the release of their song (can't
>				      remember which) that was purported to
>				      be about drugs.
>"the jester" - Bob Dylan (later, when he's "on the sidelines with a cast" 
>	      refers to Dylan after his motorcycle accident)
>"Satan" - refers to Mick Jagger (also a reference to the Rolling Stones
>         "hiring" of the Hell's Angels to crash a concert (?) )
>

I've heard about all these references to; one account was that the
whole song was about the Altamont Stones' concert where the Hell's
Angels killed two (?) fans:  "No angel born in hell / could break
that satan's spell."  But the real story seems to be that the whole
song is about Buddy Holly's death, and commenting on the rest of
the music scene.  After all, the entire album was dedicated to
Buddy Holly.

Dan Rose
... sdcsvax!rose