Its been more than a month now since I blogged. A lot has happened in the meantime, as it always does! Apart from work, and other things keeping me busy, another was trying to find the interpretation for some of the songs that we keep listening to so many times. I find it interesting to find out the reasons why a song was sung, especially some which are so darn mysterious! And I always wanted to do this especially for "American Pie" by Don Mclean.
I scrounged the internet, listened to Don Mclean songs and read about him as much as I could. But be warned, while the interpretations here are just that, Interpretations, and they may not be perfect, I think you can take it in your stride as such things should be taken.
"American Pie" is a really old song (1971), and yet always foot-tapping and refreshing. Its partly due to the mysterious nature and references in the song itself which manages to keep its curiosity alive! Obfuscation? Maybe. But today is no better day to get obfuscated. Figure it out here (original): American Pie
Apparently the reference in the first stanza, "February made me shiver", refers to rockabilly singer Buddy Holly who dies in a plane crash of 1959. This is confirmed by Don Mclean himself. It seems as though he was an inspiration to Don Mclean as a kid (he would have been 14 at the time); for right in the beginning he sings that "I knew if I had my chance/ That I could make those people dance/ And maybe they'll be happy for a while.../". And that was also the day the music died...a day that he dies.
"Do you believe in rock and roll/ Can music save you mortal soul/ And can you teach me how to dance real slow../" are some of the lines from the second stanza. Rock and roll and all the artists of the time seem to be the one big influence on him and representing the glorious time that America seemed to enjoy in the 50's (apparently also the period after the second world war, a victorious period for the Allied forces and the US, filled with happiness and affluence). There is mention of a jester (apparently referring to Bob Dylan who wrote and sang against the political system), a King and Queen, which is subject to many interpretations. There is mention, "Lenin read a book on Marx/ A quartet practised in the park/ And we sang derges (a lament for the dead) in the dark.../". Again, no firm explanation exists for this except that maybe it refers to the low periods that were to follow the 50's.
In the third stanza, it seems as though the 60s were the low points of life, as it brings on feelings different from the glorious period of the 50s. It was also the period which was politically charged (Martin Luther King's, "I have a Dream" speech was given in this period), and the Vietnam war had started during that period too. And interestingly, for music, it was Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones who was seen as a rebel of a system which did not seem to be in control. "I saw Satan laughing with delight/ The day the music died.../".
The fourth stanza says, "I met a girl who sang the blues/ And I asked her for some happy news/ But she just smiled and turned away..." Reference to Janis Joplin? My favourite lines come here, "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...". Why?
Oh and the classic lines, "The three men I admire most/ The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost/ They caught the last train for the coast/ The day the music died...". Do the three men refer to Holly, Bopper, Ritchie Valens (who died in the plane crash)? Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, Holly? J.F Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, ML King? The literal holy trio? This is a big mystery. And why does he refer to them?
There are more questions than answers in this song and so much more that is a subject of interpretation. Don Mclean was asked for an explanation and here is what he had to say: "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."
While my nature is not to thread-bare a song, but rather listen to it for its own musical sake, this one really got me head over heels in trying to get to grips with it. If you want to look at other interpretations and explanations, here is a great exchange for it.
In the end I would only quote a comment which was left on Youtube, "Let it mean whatever you want it to man! Its music, not legislation. Just love it!"
Amen.
