Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site sunybcs.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!princeton!rocksvax!sunybcs!kumard From: kumard@sunybcs.UUCP (Deepak Kumar) Newsgroups: net.music Subject: American Pie (Old Responses) Message-ID: <1790@sunybcs.UUCP> Date: Mon, 10-Jun-85 18:17:11 EDT Article-I.D.: sunybcs.1790 Posted: Mon Jun 10 18:17:11 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 11-Jun-85 07:44:25 EDT Distribution: net Organization: SUNY/Buffalo Computer Science Lines: 135 I knew it would come to use someday. These are the responses I got from Joey Doernberg, who had them compiled from various replies six months ago. --------------------------------------- I once thought that "And as I watched them on the stage, my hands were clenched in fists of rage, no angel born in hell, could break that satan's spell" referred to Hell's Angels riding in on motorcycles and busting up a concert. However, my wife saw Don McLean on a talk show once, and they asked him about the meaning of the lyrics, and he said they were meaningless. People come up with amazing, unintended interpretations. I recall the Chicago song "sitting crosslegged on the floor, twenty five or six to four" was often interpreted as a ratio for mixing drugs. Chicago says it is a reference to the time of day. ____________________________________________________________________ I thought the song was about the transition from the time of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper (marked by their death) through the Beattles, the Rolling Stones, and electronic rock. That time coincided with the end of "innocence" in America, and whether they are causally related or merely coincidental, they are referenced throughout the song. ________________________________________________________________________ I've heard fairly complete interpretations of it in the distant past. I can recall a few bits and pieces: Of course, the "day the music died" refers not only to Buddy Holly, but the Big Bopper and a couple of others (lesser known, and I forget who they were) who all died in the same plane crash. "jester" -> Bob Dylan; the "jester on the sidelines in a cast" refers to Dylan's serious motorcycle accident. "...while Sergeants played a marching tune..." -> Beatles, as in "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. "Lennon read a book on Marx..." obvious reference to a phase of John Lennon's life. I seem to remember that the "King" was Presley, but there are some pieces of the lyrics going thru my head that don't make sense. _____________________________________________________________________ Your's is an interesting question. The prologue and possibly the epilogue are definitely references to the death of Buddy Holly. As for the verses in the song, I've always considered them Don's synopsis and observations of popular music and society up to that time. He references certain songs popular in the fifties: "Did you write the book of love?" Popular song: "Who wrote the book of love?" "... cause the Bible tells me so" Popular song: "Because the Bible tells me so" and certain songs in the sixties: "The birds flew off with a fallout shelter- eight miles high and fallin' faaaaaaaaast" Popular song: "Eight Miles High" by the Byrds I think you get the idea. He also makes references to school dances ("I know that you're in love with him cause I saw you dancin' in the gym. You both kicked off you're shoes...."), the Beatles and Charles Manson in the same line ("Helter Skelter in the summer swelter..."), etc. There are many more examples I could list but I think you get the picture. Of course, we could be blowing this all out of proportion, and Don McClean might have been getting a big chuckle out of all of this for some time now. Who really knows? I once thought that "And as I watched them on the stage, my hands were clenched in fists of rage, no angel born in hell, could break that satan's spell" referred to Hell's Angels riding in on motorcycles and busting up a concert. However, my wife saw Don McLean on a talk show once, and they asked him about the meaning of the lyrics, and he said they were meaningless. People come up with amazing, unintended interpretations. I recall the Chicago song "sitting crosslegged on the floor, twenty five or six to four" was often interpreted as a ratio for mixing drugs. Chicago says it is a reference to the time of day. ___________________________________________________________________ I thought the song was about the transition from the time of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper (marked by their death) through the Beattles, the Rolling Stones, and electronic rock. That time coincided with the end of "innocence" in America, and whether they are causally related or merely coincidental, they are referenced throughout the song. ___________________________________________________________________ I've heard fairly complete interpretations of it in the distant past. I can recall a few bits and pieces: Of course, the "day the music died" refers not only to Buddy Holly, but the Big Bopper and a couple of others (lesser known, and I forget who they were) who all died in the same plane crash. "jester" -> Bob Dylan; the "jester on the sidelines in a cast" refers to Dylan's serious motorcycle accident. "...while Sergeants played a marching tune..." -> Beatles, as in "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. "Lennon read a book on Marx..." obvious reference to a phase of John Lennon's life. I seem to remember that the "King" was Presley, but there are some pieces of the lyrics going thru my head that don't make sense. -- -------------- UUCP : {cmc12,hao,harpo}!seismo!rochester!rocksvax!sunybcs!kumard ...{allegra,decvax,watmath}!sunybcs!kumard CSNET : kumard@buffalo ARPA : kumard%buffalo@csnet-relay BITNET : kumard@sunybcs --------------