American Pie: Wots The Story Behind This Great Song?

[solvitquick]

I've been a Don McClean fan forever and love "American Pie". But I still don't get the story. Is it about death of JFK, the Vietnam War, impending Nuclear War or all of these rolled up in one saga of bad news.
What caused "The Day The Day The Music Died" and when and how? Similarly why have the Father, Son and Holy Ghost caught the last train for the coast?
Thank you in advance AB wizards,
SIQ

[paddywak]

I've always been told the song was about the death of Buddy Holly, the day the music died.

[237SJ]

I thought it was about when Buddy Holly died? (the day the music died is a clue)

[factor-fiction]

I think we often read too much into lyrics though. I used to see lots of hidden meanings in lyrics but came to realise that the words are often chosen just to scan or rhyme

[Frank97]

That was what I thought as well and Wiki agrees.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Pie_(song)

[EDDIE51]

Yes as said, it is about the day Buddy Holly died.
He died in a plane crash on a trip he did not need to make, the story is that he had run out of underwear and decided to fly home to pick some more up.

[237SJ]

I heard that Buddy Holly had a choice of travelling by tour bus or plane and he decided to go by plane which was the death of him. Years ago (about 20+ years ago) I saw some photos of the aircraft that he died in and his body which was thrown from the plane. The photos were on plate glass negatives that had been in a photographer`s house and they had never been developed. When the photographer died, the photos were retrieved from his house and printed. Very sad.

[EDDIE51]

I think the 'father son and holy ghost were the 3 who died in the crash Buddy Holly, Ricky Valens and 'The Big Bopper' plus the pilot. The last train to the coast a euphemism for going to heaven. The pilot was not qualified to fly on instruments, it was night and in a snow storm but Holly swapped places with another band member so as to arrive at the next stop in time to buy new underwear before the show, ( I knew underwear came into it) , The other band member went by bus instead, As they were about to board the plane the Holly joked to the other guy ''I hope your bus crashes''
The reply was 'I hope your plane crashes''. Just 5 miles off the runway the plane did crash, but the crash was not seen or heard by anyone as the storm was so bad.

[pixie373]

I always thought it was about Buddy Holly, too.

[dr b]

http://www.whrc-wi.org/americanpie.htm

This web site has perhaps the worst graphics in the history of the Internet but is a good analysis of the song that pretty much agrees with stuff I've read elsewhere. Jester = Bob Dylan, etc.

[solvitquick]

Thank you all - heard the Buddy Holly story but didn't credit it given all the lyrics. Think the aim of scanning/rhyming belittles a great lyrisicist. However I am outvoted so far. Hope against hope that there are other ideas.
SIQ

[dr b]

Here's another one that is a bit more pretentious. What is with the black backgrounds on these sites?

http://understandingamericanpie.com/

[EDDIE51]

I love 'American Pie' it is the only song I have ever sung on a Karaoke night !

[solvitquick]

Sorry, missed EDDDIES1, good analysis and of course Patsy Cline's was a different plane crash which I only realised about 10 years ago.
SIQ

[EDDIE51]

You didn't miss much I can't do Karaoke sober !

[Tuvok]

If you've got Sky there was an episode of Songbook on Sky Arts and Don MacLean was thenfeatured artist.

It is definately about Buddy Holly - he told the plane as he had the flu and did not fancy the long journey in the long journey in the tour bus.

[TheWinner]

http://www.don-mclean.com/?p=261

[puternut]

Another 'odd' fact is that the musician who swapped bus/plane seats with Buddy was actually Waylon Jennings who, as you may know, became a well-known singer in his own right


http://www.buddyhollyandthecrickets.com/related/jennings.html

[Jeza]

I agree with you all about Buddy, but I thought American Pie was the name of the plane?

[T&S]

That Wiki link said the Madonna version charted higher than the Don McLean version. Shocking.

[VHG]

It is not JUST about Buddy Holly.

I think it is a sort of "history" of pop music up to the time he wrote it.

>>>Now for ten years we've been on our own

This refers to "pop" music becoming an "art form" in its own right and gradually developing

> And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone

Rolling stones getting older and fatter, and that was THEN.

>>> jester sang for the king and queen

Jester refers to Bob Dylan singing music "that came from you and me"

The "king" is of course Elvis Presley.

>>>Oh, and while the king was looking down the jester stole his thorny crown

This is Elvis getting fat and becoming less popular, and Bob Dylan becoming more popular.

>>A quartet practiced in the park

Is the Beatles.

> Helter Skelter in a summer swelter

Helter Skelter was a song on the Beatles White album

> The birds flew off with a fallout shelter. Eight miles high and falling fast

The Byrds had a hit with Eight Miles high (and sang a lot of Bob Dylan songs.

> With the jester on the sidelines in a cast

Bob Dylan (the jester) broke his back in a motorbike accident and was in a cast for a year or so

>>>While the sergeants played a marching tune

The Beatles released the Sgt Pepper album.

I think that is most of the references to singers and bands.