Tag Archives: history

Don McLean – American Pie (Lyric Video)

Inspiration Behind American Pie:

Don McLean was a 13-year-old paper boy in New Rochelle, New York when he peaked at the headlines on the front page. The day that music died was breaking news of the death of Buddy Holly following an airplane crash. At this moment in 1959, Holly was McLean’s favorite musician. This tragic event inspired Don to write American Pie to honor Buddy Holly’s death and impact on music.

Biblical Application:

For the Lord will not cast off forever! ³² But though He causes grief, yet will He be moved to compassion according to the multitude of His loving-kindness and tender mercy. ³³ For He does not willingly and from His heart afflict or grieve the children of men, Lamentations 3:31-33.

Exegesis of 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

Buddy Holly inspired Don McLean to become a musician, wanting to make people dance.

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

As a former newspaper boy, it was dark until you were nearly down your route so as the sun began to rise, Don caught a glimpse of the front page in February of 1959. Don was in shock, pausing to read a portion of this story about Buddy’s widowed bride.

So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
And them good ol’ boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die”

This chorus serves as a tribute to Holly.

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?

Buddy’s death caused Don to begin to contemplate the meaning of life, exploring questions he never thought of before.

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 bronckin’ buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died

Don recalls a girl who was also a fan of Holly with an image of a high school dance or prom. Yet the loss of Buddy Holly’s music was still fresh in Don’s mind.

I started singin’, “Bye, bye, Miss American Pie”
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good ol’ boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die”

These memories gave birth to the chorus above.

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

Don reflects upon the musicians that influenced his life.

Oh, and while the king was looking down
The jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned
And while Lenin read a book on Marx
A quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died

This stanza reads like a poem mixing history with musicians and their impact on American culture.

We were singin’, “Bye, bye, Miss American Pie”
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good ol’ boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die”

The lyrics to American Pie highlight events and musicians which led Don to write this song.

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

Don points to a specific summer with images of the Cold War. Then fast forwarding to a sporting event with a key player forced to watch from the sidelines, out with an injury.

Now, the halftime 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?

Seems like Don is referring to a Superbowl halftime show or a college bowl game with marching bands. Don’s mind is all over the place, returning to Buddy Holly’s death at the prime of his life.

We started singin’, “Bye, bye, Miss American Pie”
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good ol’ boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die”

Don reflects upon his pastimes and how people spent their time drinking.

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

Don mixes childhood nursery rhymes to explain a time when he felt his generation was lost.

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 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

Don blames Satan, aka the Devil for Buddy Holly’s death.

He was singin’, “Bye, bye, Miss American Pie”
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good ol’ boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die”

Reading the lyrics closely, writing American Pie seemed to have served as a healing process for Don, reflecting upon the death of his musical hero.

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

Everyone who Don knew was in shock of Buddy’s death. Don tried to find a place, possibly a local hang out with a jukebox so he could listen to Buddy Holly’s music,

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

People gathered to mourn and remember Buddy Holly’s life and death.

And they were singin’, “Bye, bye, Miss American Pie”
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
And them good ol’ boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die”

This day in February of 1959 has stuck with Don.

They were singin’, “Bye, bye, Miss American Pie”
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good ol’ boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, “This’ll be the day that I die”

This tribute to Buddy Holly has left a lasting impact on history and music.

Final Thoughts:

The death of Buddy Holly for Don is like the death of Jerome Brown, a member of the Philadelphia Eagles for me. I was at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia to hear Reggie White speak at a Billy Graham rally. Reggie had just received news of Brown’s death from a car accident before going on stage. Like Holly, Brown was in the prime of his life, on track to become one of most dominant defensive tackles in NFL history. Coping with the loss of any hero takes time. May today’s blog help you find closure and healing from the loss of loved ones in your own life.

by Jay Mankus