| The
Feeling for American Pie
In early February 1959, the following radio broadcast was announced to the
American public:
We interrupt this program for a special news
bulletin. Three young singers, who soared to the heights of show
business on the current rock and roll craze, were killed today in the
crash of a light plane in an Iowa snow flurry. The singers were
identified as: Richie Valens seventeen, Buddy Holly twenty-two, and J.P.
Richardson, known professionally as "The Big Bopper." The
three singers had appeared at The Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa last
night and, while on their way to Fargo, North Dakota, their small,
chartered plane crashed.1
Other words expressing the same tragedy would
reach the eyes of a fourteen year old paperboy named Don McLean.
"Rock's first tragedy"2
had claimed the life of McLean's first, and last, idol: Buddy Holly.
McLean was surely oblivious to the fact that twelve years later, as a
tribute to Holly, he would release one of America's most beloved and
mysterious anthems.
For twenty-five years, listeners have argued over the meaning behind
McLean's lyrics. Kulawiec has compiled a helpful listing of connotations.
Many of his interpretations agree with mine. McLean, however, has
consistently refused to discuss the meanings he had intended when writing American
Pie.
Most listeners agree that American Pie mourns the loss of music's
innocence and the loss of American folk music's influence. At the time of
introduction, listeners struggled to understand the meaning behind
McLean's phrases. Today, many symbols are more easily recognized.
American Pie opens
with a somber beat. The mood of the first verse resembles a lamentation.
The verse recalls McLean's attitude when he learned of Holly's death.
Though lacking the dominance of symbols evident in the following verses,
the first verse requires an understanding of the era it describes to be
fully appreciated. McLean recorded his tribute about ten years after
Holly's death. He recalls that, during Holly's era, music used to make him
smile, but apparently the more modern music of the sixties does not. He
states that he wanted to be a musician to "make those people
dance." In the fifties, rock music was played for dancing, but
dancing began to lose its importance in the late sixties. February made
McLean shiver, not because of a cool New York chill, but because of Buddy
Holly's death on the third. McLean remembers reading about the
"widowed bride" who miscarried shortly after the crash. He then
declares February 3, 1959, to be "the day the music died."
The chorus
is more intuitive in nature than the first verse. Miss American Pie can
represent the American folk music being overtaken by the British Invasion.
America had lost its slice of the musical pie to England. This
interpretation also explains the usage of a Chevrolet and rye in the
chorus. The "Chevy" has endured as a symbol of America. Rye, a
whiskey named for its main ingredient, is also an American invention. 3
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, a levee is "an
embankment raised to prevent a river from overflowing." 4
These levees are usually placed a distance from the river and would become
wet only in the event of a flood. According to McLean's surprise at the
levee being dry, it can be assumed that he expected such a flood. This
flood may represent the outpouring of American folk music. In this case,
McLean expresses his disappointment that the deluge of music America had
been producing was beginning to ebb. An alternative that was suggested to
me by Adam Khedouri alluded to a bar in Purchase, NY, called The Levee,
where McLean may have performed with the Sloop Singers. Therefore, McLean
saying that The Levee is dry has a different meaning as others drink to
the memory of the three singers, or in sorrow for their deaths. (I have
been unable to confirm the location or history of The Levee, however.) The
line immediately proceeding each chorus, "the day the music
died," seems to support either theory. McLean states the music has
died, not just Holly. The song that the "good old boys" are
singing is a reference to a Buddy Holly song. That'll Be the Day,
released in 1957, contained the phrase: "That'll be the day, the day
that I die." This pays homage to Holly, while revealing the sorrow
McLean felt for his loss.
After the first chorus, McLean changes his song's beat to mimic the style
of the fifties. This verse,
nostalgic in tone, alludes to songs and customs typical of the late
fifties. The verse opens with a reference to the 1958 Monotones' song, Book
of Love. McLean was raised in a Catholic home, whose Bible is commonly
referred to as the "Book of Love." This fact leads to McLean's
question of having faith in God. McLean's questions about believing in
rock and roll and music saving souls may be in response to the cult
religions that began to develop in the sixties. Evidence of McLean's
disapproval of America's declining morals can been seen later in the song.
McLean asking his audience to teach him to slow dance may indirectly
question whether the audience can remember how. Slow dancing, which had
been an expression of commitment in the 1950's began phasing out in the
1960's.5
This evidence of commitment is noticed by McLean when he remarks,
"You're in love with him / `Cause I saw you dancing in the gym."
He recalls the dancers kicking off their shoes in order to partake in a
sock hop. Rhythm and blues music, which McLean claims to "dig,"
was blended in America by African-American musicians.5
With its American roots, the rhythm and blues music is related to the folk
music McLean embraces. McLean then compares himself to a "broncin'
buck." A buck is defined to be a "robust or high-spirited young
man," but also means "to resist stubbornly and obstinately"
or "to strive determinedly."4
These seem to accurately describe McLean's attitude toward modern rock and
roll. The pink carnation may be a reference to a 1957 Marty Robbin's song
entitled A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation),5
which McLean has covered on For the Memories. The pickup truck
symbolizes the simply life common to a folk singer. McLean puns about
being out of luck (ie-not getting lucky with the girl dancer) but is most
likely referring to the disappearance of folk music after Holly.
McLean sets his third
verse in the sixties by discussing the "ten years we've been on
our own." The rolling stone in this verse most likely represents Bob
Dylan. McLean calls Bob Dylan a rolling stone because Dylan's first hit
was Like a Rolling Stone in 1965. Dylan was once a folk singer with
a sincere concern for American society. Suddenly, Dylan quit touring and
began writing his songs at home to collect royalties. This behavior,
unlike anything any singer had done before, is how Dylan gathered
"moss."5
Another reason for McLean to dislike Dylan was because Dylan introduced
the electric guitar to rock and roll. He was often "boo'd" from
the stage for being a traitor to the folk music his fans had come to hear.
McLean then characterizes Dylan as a jester. The King for whom he performs
is most likely Elvis Presley. The Queen could be the literal Queen of
England. Dylan, while shoddily dressed, had performed for the Queen. The
reference to James Dean's coat is likely to be a double symbol. One
meaning refers to Dylan's concert for the Queen. The other refers to the
red windbreaker, exactly like Dean's from Rebel Without a Cause,
worn by Dylan on his album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.5
Because of Dylan's roots in American folk music, McLean claims Dylan's
voice comes from you and me. Dylan steals Presley's crown as he begins to
replace the King as rock and roll's leader. The crown is thorny to
represent the price of such fame. The courtroom scene, set in a monarchy,
would try the King's men. In the sixties, the group called The Kingsmen
were investigated by the FBI for their song Louie, Louie. A Supreme
Court Case was apparently in the works, but was dropped. Were the lyrics
unfit for the public to hear? The FBI didn't give a verdict; they merely
said that since no one could understand them, it didn't really matter if
they were obscene or not. "While Lenin read a book on Marx" is
an audio pun. Since McLean's verse is set in the sixties, his subject is
not Vladimir Lenin who died in 1954, but John Lennon and his introduction
of politics into music. Because they are practicing while Lennon reads,
the quartet appears to represent the Weavers rather than the Beatles. This
is consistent with McLean's political slant because the Weavers were
blacklisted as communists during the McCarthy era.5
McLean's distress over Dylan and politics are replaced, in the forth
verse, by anxiety about the negative effects of modern music on
America. Charles Manson blamed Helter Skelter, released by the
Beatles in 1968, for influencing him in the Tate-LaBianca murders. The
summer of love, McLean's "summer swelter," and the music-based
murders would represent the negative influences of music. The reference to
the Byrd's song Eight Miles High hints at McLean's disapproval of
the relationship forming between rock music and drugs. The record
containing Eight Miles High was the first to be banned for
"drug-oriented lyrics."5
McLean's references to grass and sweet perfume also lean toward this
interpretation. McLean then introduces the players which may symbolize
American music players. McLean underlines their attempt, but does not seem
to allow the players to have achieved their pass. The jester then
resurfaces, but in a cast due to his motorcycle accident. Dylan sat
"on the sidelines" for nine months following the crash. The
sergeants most likely represent the Beatles; who released Sgt. Pepper's
Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967. Their music was considered by many to
be "undanceable." The Beatles continued to dominate music while
the American players tried unsuccessfully to regain a hold on the
industry.
McLean, in his fifth
verse, turns his focus on one heinous event which has blotted rock and
roll since 1968. The Rolling Stones gathered a massive audience in the
Altamont Speedway. The audience was "lost in space" from the
drugs they had taken. As Ethan Russell, photographer for the Rolling
Stones, stated, "The frightening thing at Altamont . . . was how much
of the audience wasn't high, they were gone."6
McLean characterizes the Rolling Stones as "Jack Flash" because
of their 1968 song "Jumpin' Jack Flash." McLean places Jack
Flash on a candlestick. This replacement of "the devil's only
friend" could imply that the Rolling Stones appear as friends of the
devil. This idea generated from the 1967 Rolling Stones album Their
Satanic Majesties Request and the 1968 song Sympathy for the Devil.
For the remainder of the verse, McLean characterizes Jagger as Satan. The
Rolling Stones, for their Altamont concert, had employed Hell's Angels,
McLean's "angel[s] born in hell," as bodyguards. During the
concert, the Hell's Angels stabbed and killed Meredith Hunter. This
murder, though vicious, did not stop the concert. In fact, Jagger took
advantage of the opportunity to pose.5
The sixth
verse reverts to the slow beat of the first verse. McLean closes with
the most heinous side of rock music to date: death of musicians due to
overdose. McLean asks Janis Joplin, who sang the blues, "for some
happy news, but she just smile[s] and turns away;" dying of an
overdose of heroin. McLean then goes to the record store, but the stores
no longer allow customers to preview records before buying them. Of
course, the owner telling McLean that the music doesn't play, could be
referring to the dead musicians who obviously couldn't play anymore songs.
The streets are full of flower children screaming in outrage against the
Vietnam War. These believers in free love could be crying over the murder
of the Kent State protestors. The poets, or American musicians, were
dreaming of songs to sing, but said not a word. They were forced to wait
until the British Invasion had passed. McLean recalls the church bells
being broken. This may be another reference to dead musicians, or to
America rejecting God. He goes on to say the Holy Trinity left for the
coast. This phrase, perhaps, holds dual meaning. To continue the earlier
thought, this may be a reference to the cult religions of California.
Also, the Trinity may represent Richardson, whose son was born not long
after his death, Valens, who was the child of the tour, and Holly, who was
now only Holly's Ghost, as "the three men [McLean] admire[s]
most." In this case, McLean states simply that they are dead. With
their departure, McLean reverts to the chorus
and ends his tribute.
FOOTNOTES
1
"Day the Music Died, The." Buddy Holly Tribute: n. pag.
Online. Internet. 4 April 1997. Available:
http://www.hotshotdigital.com/WellAlwaysRemember/Buddy.Images/buddy.ra.
2 Harrington, Richard. "The Day the Music
Survived: 30 Years Later, Homage to Holly."
The Washington Post 3 Feb. 1989: B1+.
3 Epicurious Dictionary. "Rye
Whiskey." DICTIONARY: rye whiskey (1997): n. pag. Online.
Internet.
11 April 1997. Available: http://epicurious.com/db/dictionary/terms/r/rye_whis.html
4 American Heritage Dictionary, The. 2nd
ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1985.
5 Kulawiec, Rich. "American Pie
Interpretations." (1995): n. pag. Online. Internet. 4 April 1997.
Available: http://urbanlegends.com/songs/american_pie_interpretations.html
6 Russel, Ethan A. "Altamont--the Rolling
Stones' 1969 US Tour." Ethan Russell--The Rolling Stones
at Altamont (1996): n. pag. Online. Internet. 14 April 1997.
Available: http://www.ethanrussell.com/altamont.htm
|
|
BEAUTIFUL
STRANGER
Madonna:
Haven't
we met? You're some kind of beautiful stranger.
You
could be good for me, I have a taste for danger.
If
I'm smart then I'll run away, But I'm not so I guess I'll stay.
Heaven
forbid. I'll take my chance on a beautiful stranger.
I
looked into your eyes, and my world came tumbling down.
You're
the devil in disguise, that's why I'm singing this song...
To
know you is to love you.
You're
everywhere I go.
And
everybody knows...
To
love you is to be part of you.
I've
paid for you with tears,
And
swallowed all my pride...
Da-da-da-dum
da-dum da-dum da da da-da dum
Beautiful
stranger!
Da-da-da-dum
da-dum da-dum da da da-da dum
Beautiful
stranger!
If
I'm smart then I'll run away, But I'm not so I guess I'll stay.
Haven't
you heard? I fell in love with a beautiful stranger.
I
looked into your face; my heart was dancing all over the place.
I'd
like to change my point of view, if I could just forget about you.
Bridge
I
looked into your eyes, and my world came tumbling down.
You're
the devil in disguise, that's why I'm singing this song to you.
I've
paid for you with tears, and swallowed all my pride.
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