Everyone who was alive in the 1970's can sing this song from start to finish regardless if english is their first language or not, the entire western world at the time felt these words.
There's so many references thrown. The Jester is Bob Dylan, the King is Elvis, the Rolling Stone is a reference to Rolling Stones, the Quartet is the Beatles. Eight Miles High is a record by The Byrds, an American band. The sweet perfume was tear gas at war protests, the marching band was the soldier at Kent University. Jack Flash is a Stones tune. The devil was Mick Jagger, and the Stones used Hell's Angels as security. The girl who sang the blues is Janis Joplin. It's....a lot. Those are just the highlights.
It’s so funny that most of the young people today wouldn’t even remember Kent State or Woodstock or so many of the things that made up life…. “And there we were all in one place. A generation lost in space”. That’s us….. I was born in 1957 and it’s amazing how much history my generation has seen and lived through.
@@myroselle6987 Lost In Space was also a TV show. Multiple meanings. It's a great song, and great song writing. A true time capsule. I am gen X and I wonder how much of our stuff is now esoteric. Sally Ride. Rodney King and the LA Riots. Stuff like that.
Also the Father Son and Holy Ghost references the deaths of JFK Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy. I also remember watching on TV when there was a football game and the players and marching band fought on the field. The space is referring to going to the moon. It tells the John Lennon reading the book on Marx. It's telling the history of the sixties. You had to do research for that decade or lived in the sixties to know what we lived through I the sixties. Jack Flash is about the Rolling Stones. The flames was the Riots in Watts California. The Vietnam war the girl he met was Janis Joplin. Helter Skelter is Charles Manson murders. He got everything in that happened! Bravo! ❤❤❤
I was born in 1945 and I lived through this history. The kids today missed so much. The fifties were innocent the sixties were rebellious the eighties were awakenings the nineties and twenties brought us to where we are now. Music of all kinds will always bring joy.
First verse: The widowed bride could be Buddy Hollie’s wife or Jackie Kennedy, JFK’s First Lady. Who Wrote The Book Of Love was a 1950s hit rock ‘n’roll song by The Monotones A White Sport Coat ( And A Pink Carnation) was a hit by Marty Robbins The Bible Tells Me So was a Sunday School song The Day The Music Died was maybe Time or Life magazine’s headline for their story on the plane crash that took the lives of three of rock’s most promising young performers, Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and J.P. Richardson, known as The Big Bopper. That’ll Be The Day (That I Die) was one of Buddy Holly’s big hits. Verse by verse and line by line everything references an event, song, TV show, tragic death and assasination in the ten years following the plane crash, a time period encompassing 1959 to 1969 more or less.
Helter skeleter is a Beatles song, lost in space a tv show, girl who sang the blues Janis Joplin, sweet perfume was tear gas used against protestors… very clever lyrics and quite genius to get all of the references into the song, there’s a song he does called empty chairs and that has some of the finest poetry in it that I’ve ever heard
You missing the term Buddy Holly's song "Oh Boy" Buddy sang/Wrote "I'm Gonna Sing My Dirges Tonight" Mclean writes/sings "And We Sang Dirges In The Dark The day The Music Died" Clearly refers to Buddy's song "Oh Boy". So That'll Be The Day" isn't the only song by Buddy that is directly referenced. I'm ashamed to say I don't know what "Dirges" are?
Incidentally, "Bronco" was a popular late 50's early 60's TV Western that Starred the ridiculously handsome Ty Hardin. The term "Brocin Buck" may be referencing that TV series as it could have been one of Don McClean's favorite shows when he was a Teenager.
The day Buddy Holly's plane crashed and killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper is the day the music died. The father son and the Holy Ghost is a reference to them... You are absolutely correct that it's chock full of references to musicians who died "I met a girl who sang the blues" is Janis Joplin for example. ❤
Ty! I was just going to write all this for him! I love that he’s exploring the good old days, the classics! He’s always saying he was born in the wrong era n maybe that is true, however if u ask me, music is in your soul n if it runs deep in your soul then you feel it w your heart n that can be any age, generation or era n Cliff is definitely one of them/us that has music deep in his soul and can always appreciate the music!!! I have music on all day everyday n my kiddos ages range from 2-30 (6 of them) and they all know music is what keeps me going all day n we listen to anything n everything (but the classics are definitely all of our favorites!!!) We must keep the classics going n pass them on generation to generation n so on!!! Wishing Peace’ Light’ Love’ Health & Happiness To All Always!!!🙏🏼🥰🙏🏼💞
The Jester was Mick Jagger… Please Cliff react to Vincent, in my opinion the greatest song ever written, McLean lyrically paints Van Goghs masterpieces
The Lenin referred to in the song was Vladimir Lenin, the founder & leader of the Soviet Union, back in 1922. He was a Marxist - that’s why the lyrics refer to Karl Marx.
Buddy Holly wrote a song called That'll be the Day. The chorus included the lines, "You say you're gonna leave, You know it's a lie, Cause that'll be the day-ay-ay, That I die." So when singing about the day Buddy died, the words get changed to the present tense, "This'll be the day [instead of That'll be the Day] that I die." Buddy died in February and I think McLean found out by reading the headline while delivering newspapers. McLean is contrasting the early innocence of rock n' roll with the later darkness symbolized by the Altamont Free Concert in 1969 where a concert goer was killed and it was caught on video and became part of the documentary concert film Gimme Shelter. The Rolling Stones were one of the bands playing the concert, hence the references to their songs Jumping Jack Flash and Sympathy for the Devil in the last verse of American Pie. The Hell's Angels motorcycle gang was hired to provide security at the concert.
The Jester is Bob Dylan,The king is Elvis, the queen is Aretha Franklin, the marching band is The Beatles, the sacred store is the record store. The lady who sang the Blues is Janis Joplin. The day the music died is is the day Buddy Holly died in a plane crash. Watch the Body Holly story or La Bbamba.
Thank you! I knew they had to be referencing particular people but I wasen't sure who. I was born in 72 so I grew up with it but was to young to recognize it as anything other than good music.
Watch La Bamba. The Buddy Holly Story is absolutely abysmal, and this is coming from someone who would say Buddy Holly is my favourite artist of all time. Paul McCartney’s 1980s documentary The Real Buddy Holly Story is a must watch.
Don was 13 and a paper boy. It was while he was delivering papers on February 1959 that he found out about the plane crash that killed Richie Valens,Buddy Holly and Jules Richardson (The Big Bopper)
Waylon Jennings lived with survivors remorse because he gave his seat on the plane to Ritchie because Ritchie was sick and Waylon took Ritchie's seat on the bus.
Jennings regrets a making a joke to Buddy also when he said to Buddy, "I hope your plane crashes, " and Buddy said back "Then I hope your bus crashes."
@thomastimlin1724 Close, yeah, it was the other way round though. When Buddy found out Weylon wasn't taking the flight, he joked, "I hope your bus breaks down." Weylon quipped back "I hope your damn plane crashes." It was the last thing he clever said to Buddy.
Cliff, I don't have to imagine. I was born in 53 and graduated HS in 71. What a time to be alive. But it wasn't all fun and games. A lot of this song is about the vietnam war where a metric crap ton of young men lost their lives and futures. There was the draft, and the death of the traditional US with the assassinations, race issues, etc. etc. It was really tumultuous...
Thank you for pointing these things out to him, I thought the same exact thing but I have no right to speak regarding a time when I wasn’t alive. I genuinely think people forget how far technology has progressed as well. There were home phones, TV’S with a few (less than 10) channels, Radio Shows, and much more human interaction. It wouldn’t have been odd if a friend stopped by because they were in the neighborhood. Even through the 90s, my mom always had a cake baked every week and flavored coffees ready, just in case. Now, even if I were to stop by at my parents without calling they would approach the door like it was a break in. Which is truly funny, crime rates across the nation are the LOWEST they have ever been in every category. The issue is, when things are going well there is nothing to report on for 24 hours a day. So these networks find, one crime, in one neighborhood and the entire country acts like it happened to them. 24 hour news was needed from 9/11 through our initial invasion of Afghanistan, after that these networks (all of them) have become opinion based reporting. I digress, I just again wanted to thank you. I have spoken with my grandfather about his life, and I know the times were not easy. Everyone did the best they could. From war, racism, Cold War, drafting, assassinations, even the challenger explosion. I am glad that I am a child of the 90’s, because there was a lot going on back then and no real help. Thanks again, stay well.
@@joshuacoldwater You would laugh to know how I grew up. But I clearly remember the old man putting a cold water tap from the well into the house. I must have been 6 or so.... 55 miles NW of Chattanooga Tn. My God the poverty. First phone in the house I was 12 or 13 ...
@@joshuacoldwaterfellow 90s kid… I remember everyone shared the house phone and there was no call waiting or caller ID and when it came out it was the tiny box next to the phone. Or calling the movie hotline to find out movie times and if you missed it you had to sit there til it came around again. My dads mom grew up during the depression and had him late (early 40s). She was a horrible person in my mind, she would watch me and my brother on Fridays and I had black friends come over sometimes and I remembered her gatekeeping like “you’re parents don’t work hard to go feeding all the coloreds in the neighborhood”. Always whining about wanting to die too, like always all passively aggressive “oh don’t bother yourself getting a cake, hopefully my gift to you will be me not around anymore “. My moms mom OTOH was like “the more the merrier” and she was funny as hell. Ironically enough, her and my dads mom hated each other and worked together before my parents even met. She’d be snarky as hell and shut down any racist BS. She was 20 years younger but died 4 years prior to my other gmom. “Only The Good Die Young”.
Born the same year and graduated high school the same year. I might venture to say that we were the luckiest as far as the great evolution of music that we experienced. The world was a little upside down, but I think every generation experiences an upside down world. I'm just glad I grew up when I did.
Every line is a reference . The girl who sings the blues was Janis Joplin. The quartet was the Beatles. The Devil was Mick Jagger. Helter skeltor were the Manson murders..etc. You do need to go through a line by line breakdown of the song to get all the references .
@@guystephens2881 Yes, as well as "Sargeant's played a marching tune" and when the "marching band refused to yield" (when the players tried to take the field) I always felt that might have meant that The Beatles were so big during the ' 60s that all the other groups/bands were hoping to overtake them in popularity ( I lived through that period and that is what I saw).
"HELTER SKELTER" was also the Beatles' song from their WHITE ALBUM, that Manson misinterpreted it to be about a race war, which he decided to start by sending his "family" out to do the Tate/LoBianca murders in August 1968.
From the Wikipedia article on American Pie: "The sense of disillusion and loss that the song transmits isn't just about deaths in the world of music, but also about a generation that could no longer believe in the utopian dreams of the 1950s… According to McLean, the song represents a shift from the naïve and innocent '50s to the darker decade of the '60s. --Alva Yaffe, Musicholics"
The sacred store was the Record Store. It was the best of times to be a teenager in the 70's. Legal age was 18, concerts were $10, weed was 15 an ounce😂😂😂
I always thought it was the record store he was singing about, but looking back now, I wonder? Record stores were still in full swing when this song was written. Perhaps the old large reel tapes were popping up in some places (my dad had one), but surely this was too early for cassette tapes....? I was under the age of taking notice of such things at this point in history.
The Sargeant was a reference to The Beatles. It could also be refering to Vietnam. The Hell's Angels were the security at the Rolling Stones concert at the Altamont Speedway. They stabbed a young man near the stage.
That young man had a gun, fired it at least once, and was advancing towards Mick Jagger & the Stones. I'm no Hells Angels fan but the Angel whose job was providing security for the band confronted a pistol-shooting, crazed fan. The Angel brought a knife to a gunfight. IDK, man, there's always 2 sides to every story. In this case, about 50 sides to this story, nobody can definitively say what really happened. (One Hells Angel was actually shot by the fan who died, but since he was a wanted felon they couldnt take him to the hospital. Just a flesh wound anyway supposedly)
This song was released in 1971. I was 16, and in 11th grade, and yeah, it was a great time to be alive and a great time for music. Just look at the songs still being played from back then. Some amazing music. I have nearly 700 albums, and I'm afraid my kids will just store them away when I'm gone.
It’s great that you look up some break downs of the song because there are so many references to people such as Janis Joplin (A girl who sang the blues), Bob Dylan (The Jester), Elvis (The King), The Rolling Stones(Jack be nimble/Jumping Jack Flash/Sympathy For The Devil etc), The Beatles (The Marching Band/Sgt Pepper’s), The Byrds (mention of birds and 8 miles high/a The Byrds album? song?)…it’s lovely to listen to again and again. And the Hells Angels reference is actually spot on - it’s talking about a concert where The Rolling Stones helicoptered out due to how that all played out. There’s a verse relating to all of that.
Wanted to discuss the line "when Lennon read a book from Marx," he wasn't talking about Vladimir Lenin and Karl Marx (they weren't around in the 1960s); he was talking about John Lennon using the style of Groucho Marx and the Marx brothers, when he and the other Beatles made the movie "Hard Day's Night" in the Marx Bros. comedic style.
A million years ago I went to the Garth Brooks concert in Central Park - with like 100,000 people there, I have no idea, it was a lot of people. It was a blast. at one point, he said, "I'd like to welcome to the stage the artist who has inspired me most - who made me want to start writing songs - Don McLean." Out came Don and they sang American Pie together - and we all sang too. When I was a kid, I knew all the words to this song - and on show n tell day in kindergarten when other kids brought in their GI Joe dolls and their hamsters - I stood up and sang the entirety of the song. I am very glad there were not cell phones back then to record it. I had no idea what any of it meant but something in it touched me. So to actually see him live - singing that song - in that place - next to Garth Brooks - was overwhelming. Really really loved watching you listen to these lyrics. thank you.
This song is about all the changes that took place starting from the plane crash that took the lives of Richie Valens, Buddy Holly & Big Bopper but also all of the 60's with the protests, the politics, the music, the drugs, the space race, the Viet Nam War, etc. It was unbelievable when I think about that decade alone. Thanks for the reaction though. You do a great job.
Cliff, most of the young men between 18-24 when this came out were in Vietnam. Some were in Europe like your grandfather. It was played on Armed Forces Radio Network in Europe and the Pacific.
I was 18 when this song hit the airwaves. To this day, it gives me chills. Transports me back to that unbelievable time. As crazy as it was, I'm so glad I lived through it.
2/3/1959 was the tragic crash of a small plane that Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and The Big Bopper died in, and it was referred to as The Day the Music Died. I was born in 1976, grew up with this song and this was the only story I ever heard of what was behind the song.
The young pilot was not experienced with flying at night (or on instruments). Dark night over dark country land - no lights or visual references. I heard the plane also has a non standard gyro which inverted the up and down signals. If the young pilot didn’t know that he could easily have become confused and that resulted in him erroneously flying the plane into the ground… sad and tragic.
I was 19 when this was released and 8 when The Music Died... so I knew all the words and the meanings behind them in a few short weeks, I lived through those 2 decades prior to this from Don Mclean.. even here in UK it had a very profound effect on everyone.. still does for us really old folks.
Killing Me Softly was written by Lori Lieberman after going to see Don in concert. She recorded it in 1971, released in 1972. Roberta covered it in 1973 and made it popular. 🤙🏼
A generation of music ... the 60s The King = Elvis The Jester = Bob Dylan The girl who sings the blues is Janis Joplin The Devil is Mick Jagger The father son and holy ghost .. MLK, JFK and Bobby Kennedy.
Studied this song in my creative writing class in college, it's a creative work of genius... 1. ‘Drove My Chevy To The Levee But The Levee Was Dry’ There was an advertisement for Chevrolet sang in 1953 by Dinah Shore who was a top-charting female vocalist of the 40s and 50s. The fact it was now dry refers to the change in the social climate in the 60s compared to the 50s. 2. ‘Singin' This'll Be The Day' - in the chorus Likely refers to Buddy Holly's song "That'll Be the Day." 3. ‘But February Made Me Shiver’ Of course refers to the deaths of Buddy Holly, along with singers the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens, and pilot Roger Peterson, perished in a plane incident February 3, 1959. Their small aircraft went down on a snowy late night after a concert in Clear Lake, IA. (Made me shiver - plane crashed in a blizzaed_ 4. ‘With Every Paper I'd Deliver / Bad News On The Doorstep / I Couldn't Take One More Step’ McLean worked as a newspaper delivery boy. And on February 3, 1959, the "bad news" was Buddy Holly's demise, on the cover of every paper that he delivered. 5. ‘When I Read About His Widowed Bride’ Buddy Holly was married to his young wife, Maria Elena Santiago-Holly, for only six months when he perished.His widowed, pregnant new bride was so traumatized by the news of his demise that she had a miscarriage. 6. ‘The Day The Music Died’ Since there was the loss of all three rock musicians in the same incident was seen as a tragedy, and in McLean's mind, marked the end of a musical era that would never be reclaimed. 7. ‘Did You Write The Book Of Love?’ "The Book of Love" is a famous song by The Monotones, a group from Newark, NJ. The song was released in 1958, topping pop and R&B charts. It must have left an impression on young McLean. As the lyrics to the song go: "I wonder, wonder who, mmbadoo-ooh, who...Who wrote the book of love" 8. ‘If The Bible Tells You So?’ "The Bible Tells Me So" was written by Dale Evans in 1955 and recorded by a handful of singers the same year. It was a pop(ish) version of the of the Sunday school song "Jesus Loves Me" 9. ‘You Both Kicked Off Your Shoes’ Refers to sock hops. Teenage dance parties in the '40s and '50s that involved playing popular music in gymnasiums or community halls. Kids were told to take their shoes off to protect the varnish on gymnasiums and dance floors. 10. ‘With A Pink Carnation And A Pickup Truck’ In 1957, Marty Robbins released the heartbreak song "A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation)" about a young man "all dressed up for the dance" and "all alone in romance." 11. ‘And Moss Grows Fat On A Rolling Stone’ A year after Bob Dylan released "Like a Rolling Stone" in 1965, he was involved in a motorcycle accident that made him lie low for a year or two at the height of his career. He had just transformed himself from a folk singer to an electric guitar-playing rock musician, which caused a lot of controversy within the American music scene. Some people believe McLean's intention was to highlight the evolution of music between the '50s and early '70s while also pushing the action of the song into the '60s. 12. ‘When The Jester Sang For The King And Queen’ Bob Dylan is the jester, Pete Seeger is the king, and Joan Baez is the queen. Bob Dylan opened for them at the Newport Folk Festival in 1963, where the three of them sang Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" together on stage. 13. ‘In A Coat He Borrowed From James Dean’ On the cover of his 1963 album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, Dylan wears a red windbreaker similar to the one worn by James Dean in the film Rebel Without a Cause. 14. ‘And While The King Was Looking Down’ Reference to Pete Seeger looking down on the way Bob Dylan experimented with music in the 1960s. 15. ‘The Jester Stole His Thorny Crown’ Bob Dylan the jester became the king, taking the crown when he won hearts with his brand of folksy rock 'n' roll. Some people believe he took the crown from Elvis, the "King of Rock 'n' Roll." Others stick with Pete Seeger. 16. ‘The Courtroom Was Adjourned / No Verdict Was Returned’ Refering tothe JFK assination. After he was slain in 1963 , the man accused of the slaying, Lee Harvey Oswald, was himself slain. Therefore, "no verdict was returned" because no trial actually occurred. Also, the Warren Commission showed no real explanation to the event. 17. ‘And While Lennon Read A Book On Marx’ The popular theory is that he's singing about the Beatles becoming more political with their music as tensions soared in the '60s. The Beatles, adored by American youth, were deemed inappropriate by older generations who thought their music was too rowdy. Also, the Beatles released songs like "Revolution" in 1968, whose message is in line with the Communist writer Karl Marx, known for The Communist Manifesto.
18. ’The Quartet Practiced In The Park’ The quartet is likely the Beatles: Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. 19. ‘And We Sang Dirges In The Dark’ A dirge is a funereal song of mourning, and there a lot of funerals in the '60s: President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy among them. The line could also refer to the Vietnam conflict; many drafted service members sent overseas never made it back home. 20. ‘Helter Skelter In A Summer Swelter’ "Helter Skelter" is a song the Beatles released in 1968, a year of political and social turmoil in the United States. The next August, "in a summer swelter," followers of Charles Manson (who called for racial war he refered to as "Helter Skelter") brutally slayed five people, including the actress Sharon Tate. 21. ‘The Birds Flew Off From A Fallout Shelter’ Some fans speculate this is an reference to the '60s rock band The Byrds. A fallout shelter is a euphemism for a drug treatment center, which one of the band members checked into after being caught with illicit substances. 22. ‘Eight Miles High And Falling Fast’ Eight Miles High is the title of a 1966 album by The Byrds. It is considered one of the first real trippy records. The sound of the album was influenced by plenty of experimentation with acid. 23. ‘It Landed Foul On The Grass’ Referencing the counterculture's overt use of the weed. 24. ‘With The Jester On The Sidelines In A Cast’ In 1966, Bob Dylan (the Jester), was in a very bad motorcycle accident which had him laid up and in a cast. He didn't want to go to a hospital so he moved in with small town doctor, Doctor Ed Thaler and his family, staying in the third-floor bedroom of their home, until he healed. 25. ‘While Sergeants Played A Marching Tune’ The Beatles released their album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" in 1967. It was an album where they changed their style making traditional "rock n roll". Experimenting with different soundscapes, introducing instruments such as brass horns and sitars. 26. ' 'Cause The Players Tried To Take The Field / The Marching Band Refused To Yield’ Talking about the protest movement that seemed to peak in the late '60s and early '70s, from Chicago protests at the Democratic National Convention to the one at Kent State in Ohio where the National Guard opened fire on a bunch of students. 27. ‘Oh, And There We Were, All In One Place’ Woodstock. The 1969 music festival in Bethel, NY, which brought together more than 400,000 people in one weekend. Many of the most well-known rock musicians of the time performed, including Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. The festival is viewed as the height of American hippie culture. 28. ‘Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick / Jack Flash Sat On A Candlestick’ A mashup of the "Jack Be Nimble" nursery rhyme and the 1969 song "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by the Rolling Stones released on their album "Live'r Than You'll Ever Be". The album sold poorly, so this could be read as an insult to the Stones for not coming up with a good comeback to the Beatles' album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". 29. ‘Cause Fire Is The Devil's Only Friend’ The Devil seen to be represented by the Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger. The Rolling Stones music potraying rebellion and estrangement, and the pull away from a more innocent time perceived earlier in the '50s and early '60s music as well as the world in general. 30. ‘No Angel Born In Hell / Could Break That Satan's Spell’ "Angel" refering to the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, which started a riot at the 1969 Altamont Free Concert in California. They were hired to provide security during a performance by the Rolling Stones, and an 18-year-old Black man was stabbed by a member of the motorcycle group (some say for trying to pick up on a white girl). The events of the day are considered by some to be the day the "free love" movement ended. 31. ‘I Met A Girl Who Sang The Blues’ The "girl" could be Janis Joplin, the rock singer with a very bluesy voice who perished from taking illicit substances in 1970. Her hits "Piece of My Heart" and "Me and Bobby McGee" were considered anthems for the hippie generation. 32. '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’ Don McLean is possibly talking about the loss of interest in '50s music at record stores. When he released the song in 1971, perhaps he was suggesting no one cared about music from this bygone era anymore. 33. ‘And In The Streets The Children Screamed’ In recent years leading up to the song's creation, thousands of young people across the country were involved in various protest movements, which led to confrontations with law enforcement or other groups. 34. 'And The Three Men I Admire Most / The Father, Son, And The Holy Ghost' Since Don McLean was raised Catholic, bringing religion in at the end of the song makes sense. The sacred holy trinity he speaks of, however, catches "the last train for the coast," likely a sign McLean believes America lost its moral foundation in 1959, the year of Buddy Holly's plane crash.
"Killing Me Softly" was written by Lori Lieberman after going to see Don in concert. She recorded it in 1971, released in 1972. Roberta Flack covered it in 1973 and made it popular. 🤙🏼
The Byrds were a popular band from Laurel Canyon back then, one of their most popular songs was called "Eight Miles High". Check out a book called "Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon", this song will make MUCH more Sense. 😮
Referenced in the lyrics as “the day the music died,” McLean's 1971 song was paying homage to Feb. 3, 1959-the day pop music idols Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson, Jr. (“The Big Bopper”) were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. But there are also many other references in the song.
Buddy Holly’s first hit is “ That will be the Day. In 1964 the big pop movie was Hard Days Night “ where instead of being revealed as typically bad actors the Beatles were compared to the Marx Brothers. So make the comment Lennon read a book on Marx and the the quartet practiced in the park… Beatles lay Shea stadium is just a way to let you know Dylan is sidelined.
One of my history teachers had this song as an assignment to read into some history stuff, 1 listen to this had me hooked, music and history are my absolute favorite subjects.
Buddy Holly, Big Bopper, and Richie Valens. I live about 7 miles from Clear Lake, Iowa where it happened. The Surf Ballroom still holds concerts to this day, and they renamed the street Buddy Holly Lane 😉
I was born in 1960. I had an older brother and i learned about all the greats from him. I basically grew up in the 70's and let me tell you i am grateful. The music was amazing and we listened to all genres. There are so many bands for you to discover. The Beatles, the Stones, The Allman Brothers. They are my favorite. Blues mixed with rock, soul. Amazing. Start with Whipping pos or , Soul shine so many many more. Love your channel.✌️❤️
The whole song is a history lesson. I believe the reference of the hells angels is about the time they were hired for security at Altamont Free Concert in 1969 where in a guy pulled a gun trying to shoot Mick Jagger. Altamont is also referenced by Don McLean in the song "American Pie" in the song's fifth verse, the majority of which contains symbols related to Altamont: "Jack Flash", a reference to San Francisco ("Candlestick", though that venue had nothing to do with the actual concert), (Sympathy for) "the Devil", an enraged spectator watching something on a stage, and an "angel born in Hell". McLean officially refused to confirm or deny the song's ties to Altamont until he sold his songwriting notes in 2015. Within the context of the song, Altamont served as the culmination of a period that had begun with the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper in February 1959, during which "things (were) heading in the wrong direction" and life was "becoming less idyllic."[43]
I was born in 1963 and I don't recall a time I didn't know this song. I even remember my brother John singing around the house all the time. He is 6 years older than I am. This song is iconic and historic...look it up. It's the song of a generation and the loss of innocence.
Layers and layers of meaning to these classic lyrics. Lots of good explanations in the comments. If you want more Don McLean, *definitely* check out Vincent next. (Spoiler: it's about Van Gogh). I think you'll love it.
SOOOOO many allusions . . . so many theories. Don, himself never alluded to ANY meanings when asked, ever. He just wanted to leave them up to the listeners. I believe the "drove the chevy to the levee" lines alludes to the death of Otis Reading, in 1967 and his song "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" which he couldn't finish due to his passing, in an airplane accident, hence the final "verse" of the song being whistled.
1971 was when it came out. I was in jr. high (9th grade) 14 years old. I remember summer, my little transistor radio and a cassette ready to record it so I could sing to it later. In my bathing suit, out in the backyard, my towel, my book too. Such a clear memory, music does that, you hear a song you love and decades later you can recall exactly the memory. Music from the 1960s through the 1980s was my period, I don't know the music from now as much. Do a few more from my playbook. Meatloaf's I'ld Do Anything For Love (but I won't do that) and It's All Coming Back To Me Now. Then a couple of newer ones. K.D. Lang in 2005's Juno Awards performance of "Hallelujah" will give you goose bumps. Also, check out the video Delta Rae's 2012's "Dance In The Graveyards." The video shows a great meaning to that one.
That tracks because John Lennon said once the Beatles were more popular than Jesus and a lot of conservative Christians started calling him a communist.
The first verse references the death of the rock ‘n roll legend Buddy Holly. Buddy was on tour with 7 other artists in 1959 when they played the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, IA. The tour bus had a broken heater. There was a charter 4 seat plane (pilot and 3 passengers) available so Buddy, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” boarded the plane which crashed shortly after take off. In 2012 I took the opportunity to see my favorite recording artist perform at the Surf. The venue and museum are incredible. I spent the night and went to the memorial / crash site the next morning. Later that year I was in Hollywood and got to see Buddy's star on the walk of fame. It was truly a moving experience.
I didn't bother about any message when I was young, just enjoyed and sang along - such a great song ! Now I'm a lot older (76) I still enjoy it - only the words "the day the music died" makes me sad because music is everything in a life !
Great history references already in the comments. What you may not know is Don was this was supposed to be Don's last album with is contract at the time. With nothing to lose, he wrote what became his most famous hit. As someone who is clearly not of that era, I understand this is an emotional moment in each person's life when childhood fades and adulthood reveals the truth of the world.
I was born in 1956 and grew up surrounded by the absolute best music this planet will ever know...I am thankful for that every single day as I prepare to get off this ride and see what's next!
Thanks so much for listening to this song - and appreciating it. I was one of the lucky ones who was in their late teens when this song came out. We all know it by heart. The Day the Music died refers to the day Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper - star musicians of the day - died in a plane crash. But for me what this song always conveyed is the sense of change and loss our generation and certainly the country experienced. There is a mournful quality that I think reflects how many of us felt having witnessed the assassination of so many important figures - I think this is hard for later generations to understand or feel - JFK, Medger Evers, Malcolm X, MLK, RFK being the most notable. This song absolutely captured and crystallized a Zeitgeist of the time. You didn't have all this perspective but I really appreciated how much you understood or intuited
There is a documentary all about this song. It's called The Day The Music Died: American Pie featuring interviews with Don Mclean and other musicians. The trailer is on You Tube.
Great reaction! I was born in 1958 and I know every word to this song. You can try to figure it out but Don made it insane to figure out. The closest you can get is when that plane crashed is the day the music died. A lot of cryptic references in the song but bottom line is it's one of the greatest songs ever made!
I was 8 when this was released. I may not have gotten the meaning at the time but I knew every word of it. It was on the radio EVERYWHERE! Growing up in the 70s and into the 80s, i took for granted what AWESOME music we had. Great concerts too! Thanks for this wonderful blast from the past. I love revisiting great music through the eyes of a younger generation. I enjoy your channel Cliff. Keep up the great work 👍 ❤
My goodness I was a 17-year-old junior in high school back in 1971 when this classic song came out. Now I'm a 70-year-old senior citizen watching today's youth loving the music of our times. On February 3rd,1959 a plane carrying Buddy Holly, JP Richarson [The Big Bopper] and Ritchie Valens [La Bomba]. After finishing a concert in Iowa. They were headed to the West Coast on that fateful night. This was the day The Music Died. These men were Rock & Roll icons of the 50's. "February may me shiver. With every paper I 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."-Don McLean
American Pie,is the name of the plane that crashed,the big bopper,Ritchie valens and buddy holly, were killed in February 1959,during a bad snowstorm. Ritchie valens was sick,and hated flying, but he got the last seat on the plane,ie private. Watch the movie Labamba it's all about Ritchie valens life,from nothing to that infamous night in 1959. American Pie song is 51/52 years old. 1971/ 72 .👋💕🇦🇺
"The Day The Music Died" is February 3, 1959, when Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper were killed in a plane crash after a concert. McLean wrote the song from his memories of the event ("Dedicated to Buddy Holly" was printed on the back of the album cover). “Well, I know that that you’re in love with him, I saw you dancing in the gym. You both kicked off your shoes, Man I dig those rhythm and blues” refers to a young, lonely McLean, watching other kids have happy experiences. His line “For 10 years we’ve been on our own, Moss grows fat on a rolling stone” is about McLean and his mother, following the death of his father in 1960. “If you look at where I talk about John Lennon, I say ‘Lenin read a book on Marx.’ Well, Lenin read Marx, and then there was Marxist Leninism, and John Lennon certainly read Marx because he wanted socialism. So, it’s both.” “If you want to think the King is Elvis you can, but the King in my song has a thorny crown. That’s Jesus Christ.” McLean dismisses some of the most common speculations about his reference points. Elvis wasn’t the king in question. The “girl who sang the blues” wasn’t Janis Joplin, and Bob Dylan wasn’t the jester. In 2017, Dylan commented on his alleged reference to Rolling Stone: “A jester?” he said. “Sure, the jester writes songs like Masters of War, A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall, It’s Alright, Ma.” I have to think he’s talking about somebody else.” I believe Satan was the jester who stole the Kings crown. In fact, American Pie ends with “the father, son and the holy ghost,” so appalled by the state of the country that even they - the ostensible saviours of mankind - cut and run for the coast. “People aren’t thinking about what (the song) really means,” Proffer said. “They’re thinking about how it makes them feel.” Peace out.
So many sing about "the day that music died" on Feb. 3, 1959, when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson were killed in a plane crash. Don McLean coined the term in his 1971 hit "American Pie." The song about the decline of the 60s starts with the death of the three young musicians, "the end of the happy 50s," he told Forbes Magazine. Most people he mentioned were other singer. The King was Alvis. The Girl was Janis and so on.
This song is our boomer anthem for sure!...memories! I was in high school when this came out. It was the best of times. It really was. The day the music died was the day buddy holly, big bopper, and richie valens died in a plane crash. It really references the sixties and the Vietnam war, but to him, innocence started to unravel in the fifties with the plane crash and then continued into the sixties as us boomers aged and the vietnam war raged. I think that is the basic jist of the song but there are many musical references throughout. It is cleverly written. Btw, you seem like a very sweet human being...nice to see these days!😊
I actually am from and still live in Clear Lake, Iowa where the plane crashed; and where the last concert of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper was performed right before. I live not too far away from the crash site, and sadly my beloved hometown is famous for “the day the music died.” Don McLean stayed at the hotel I used to work at; a couple years ago when he was in town for the annual music festival that gets put on here at the famous Surf ballroom every February. It’s a really magical place, if you ever find yourself in Iowa you should check it out. A lot of musical legends have performed there. In April it’ll be ZZ Top hitting the stage. This song has always been a huge part of my life and this town. Sad but beautiful. ❤
I lived in Clear Lake, IA in 1978 and worked at the Holiday Motor Lodge for most of the year and never knew of the plane crash. I even visited the Surf Ballroom and didn't notice the memorabilia they had commemorating the fallen rock and roll legends.
@@h.w.hilton6819 well you’ll have to come back to town sometime so you can take a second look around! I didn’t know how to get to the plane cash site until about 6-7 years ago; and I’ve lived here my whole life.
👍 Hey Cliff! There's an obscure Don McLean song that i love. It's called 'Winterwood'. It wasn't a hit, but it was on the American Pie album. Good poetry in Winterwood.
American Pie was recorded and released in 1971 and went to number one in January 1972, and stayed there for 4 weeks. I was 13 years old in 1972 and so I well remember this coming out. It was stupendous, to say the least and became more and more iconic as the years went by. Everyone I knew, knew all of the lyrics and the radio actually played the entire song, which was rare then. It's a much beloved part of my life and I still know all of the lyrics by heart.
The three men I admired the most, the father, son and holy ghost we interpreted as the assignation of President Kennedy, Dr Martin Luther King, and Senator Robert F. Kennedy
Ritchie Valens was asked to play on the 1st day of the opening of Clairemont High School. He came and played for all our high school buddies, and everybody enjoyed it. A few months later was when he died on that fated plane flight. Yup, Clairemont is the same school that Ridgemont High was based upon. The same school that Kris Kardashian graduated frometc, etc, etc...
![First Time Reaction | Eagles - Hotel California (Live 1977) (Official Video) [HD]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/yA3t3faGM9Q/mqdefault.jpg)
![First Time Reaction | Eagles - Hotel California (Live 1977) (Official Video) [HD]](/img/tr.png)
Everyone who was alive in the 1970's can sing this song from start to finish regardless if english is their first language or not, the entire western world at the time felt these words.
So very true. 🎉
Truth - forever and always
This song was magic when it hit in 1971. I was 16 and we played this record to death. It was an anthem.
There's so many references thrown. The Jester is Bob Dylan, the King is Elvis, the Rolling Stone is a reference to Rolling Stones, the Quartet is the Beatles. Eight Miles High is a record by The Byrds, an American band. The sweet perfume was tear gas at war protests, the marching band was the soldier at Kent University. Jack Flash is a Stones tune. The devil was Mick Jagger, and the Stones used Hell's Angels as security. The girl who sang the blues is Janis Joplin. It's....a lot. Those are just the highlights.
well said!
It’s so funny that most of the young people today wouldn’t even remember Kent State or Woodstock or so many of the things that made up life…. “And there we were all in one place. A generation lost in space”. That’s us….. I was born in 1957 and it’s amazing how much history my generation has seen and lived through.
@@myroselle6987 Lost In Space was also a TV show. Multiple meanings. It's a great song, and great song writing. A true time capsule. I am gen X and I wonder how much of our stuff is now esoteric. Sally Ride. Rodney King and the LA Riots. Stuff like that.
Also the Father Son and Holy Ghost references the deaths of JFK Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy. I also remember watching on TV when there was a football game and the players and marching band fought on the field. The space is referring to going to the moon. It tells the John Lennon reading the book on Marx. It's telling the history of the sixties. You had to do research for that decade or lived in the sixties to know what we lived through I the sixties. Jack Flash is about the Rolling Stones. The flames was the Riots in Watts California. The Vietnam war the girl he met was Janis Joplin. Helter Skelter is Charles Manson murders. He got everything in that happened! Bravo! ❤❤❤
I was born in 1945 and I lived through this history. The kids today missed so much. The fifties were innocent the sixties were rebellious the eighties were awakenings the nineties and twenties brought us to where we are now. Music of all kinds will always bring joy.
First verse:
The widowed bride could be Buddy Hollie’s wife or Jackie Kennedy, JFK’s First Lady.
Who Wrote The Book Of Love was a 1950s hit rock ‘n’roll song by The Monotones
A White Sport Coat ( And A Pink Carnation) was a hit by Marty Robbins
The Bible Tells Me So was a Sunday School song
The Day The Music Died was maybe Time or Life magazine’s headline for their story on the plane crash that took the lives of three of rock’s most promising young performers, Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and J.P. Richardson, known as The Big Bopper.
That’ll Be The Day (That I Die) was one of Buddy Holly’s big hits.
Verse by verse and line by line everything references an event, song, TV show, tragic death and assasination in the ten years following the plane crash, a time period encompassing 1959 to 1969 more or less.
Helter skeleter is a Beatles song, lost in space a tv show, girl who sang the blues Janis Joplin, sweet perfume was tear gas used against protestors… very clever lyrics and quite genius to get all of the references into the song, there’s a song he does called empty chairs and that has some of the finest poetry in it that I’ve ever heard
You missing the term Buddy Holly's song "Oh Boy" Buddy sang/Wrote "I'm Gonna Sing My Dirges Tonight" Mclean writes/sings "And We Sang Dirges In The Dark The day The Music Died" Clearly refers to Buddy's song "Oh Boy". So That'll Be The Day" isn't the only song by Buddy that is directly referenced. I'm ashamed to say I don't know what "Dirges" are?
Incidentally, "Bronco" was a popular late 50's early 60's TV Western that Starred the ridiculously handsome Ty Hardin. The term "Brocin Buck" may be referencing that TV series as it could have been one of Don McClean's favorite shows when he was a Teenager.
We were definitely spoiled in the 70's, the best era of music.
I mean 80s Michael Jackson is comp
The day Buddy Holly's plane crashed and killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper is the day the music died. The father son and the Holy Ghost is a reference to them...
You are absolutely correct that it's chock full of references to musicians who died
"I met a girl who sang the blues" is Janis Joplin for example.
❤
Ty! I was just going to write all this for him! I love that he’s exploring the good old days, the classics! He’s always saying he was born in the wrong era n maybe that is true, however if u ask me, music is in your soul n if it runs deep in your soul then you feel it w your heart n that can be any age, generation or era n Cliff is definitely one of them/us that has music deep in his soul and can always appreciate the music!!! I have music on all day everyday n my kiddos ages range from 2-30 (6 of them) and they all know music is what keeps me going all day n we listen to anything n everything (but the classics are definitely all of our favorites!!!) We must keep the classics going n pass them on generation to generation n so on!!! Wishing Peace’ Light’ Love’ Health & Happiness To All Always!!!🙏🏼🥰🙏🏼💞
The Jester was Mick Jagger…
Please Cliff react to Vincent, in my opinion the greatest song ever written, McLean lyrically paints Van Goghs masterpieces
Also ‘Lennon is referring to John Lennon’s socialist views
The widow bride was Javkie Kennedy
The Lenin referred to in the song was Vladimir Lenin, the founder & leader of the Soviet Union, back in 1922. He was a Marxist - that’s why the lyrics refer to Karl Marx.
Buddy Holly wrote a song called That'll be the Day. The chorus included the lines, "You say you're gonna leave, You know it's a lie, Cause that'll be the day-ay-ay, That I die." So when singing about the day Buddy died, the words get changed to the present tense, "This'll be the day [instead of That'll be the Day] that I die." Buddy died in February and I think McLean found out by reading the headline while delivering newspapers. McLean is contrasting the early innocence of rock n' roll with the later darkness symbolized by the Altamont Free Concert in 1969 where a concert goer was killed and it was caught on video and became part of the documentary concert film Gimme Shelter. The Rolling Stones were one of the bands playing the concert, hence the references to their songs Jumping Jack Flash and Sympathy for the Devil in the last verse of American Pie. The Hell's Angels motorcycle gang was hired to provide security at the concert.
The Jester is Bob Dylan,The king is Elvis, the queen is Aretha Franklin, the marching band is The Beatles, the sacred store is the record store. The lady who sang the Blues is Janis Joplin. The day the music died is is the day Buddy Holly died in a plane crash. Watch the Body Holly story or La Bbamba.
Thank you! I knew they had to be referencing particular people but I wasen't sure who. I was born in 72 so I grew up with it but was to young to recognize it as anything other than good music.
I just learned the first part is about Buddy Holly, he died in a plane crash Feb 3 1959.
Watch La Bamba. The Buddy Holly Story is absolutely abysmal, and this is coming from someone who would say Buddy Holly is my favourite artist of all time. Paul McCartney’s 1980s documentary The Real Buddy Holly Story is a must watch.
Brilliant song.
A generation lost in space.. tv show “lost in space “ in the sixties.
Don was 13 and a paper boy. It was while he was delivering papers on February 1959 that he found out about the plane crash that killed Richie Valens,Buddy Holly and Jules Richardson (The Big Bopper)
Waylon Jennings traded the seat on the plane because someone was sick
Richie was sick. He won the coin flip. 😢😢😢
Waylon Jennings lived with survivors remorse because he gave his seat on the plane to Ritchie because Ritchie was sick and Waylon took Ritchie's seat on the bus.
Jennings regrets a making a joke to Buddy also when he said to Buddy, "I hope your plane crashes, " and Buddy said back "Then I hope your bus crashes."
@thomastimlin1724 Close, yeah, it was the other way round though. When Buddy found out Weylon wasn't taking the flight, he joked, "I hope your bus breaks down." Weylon quipped back "I hope your damn plane crashes." It was the last thing he clever said to Buddy.
"Vincent" should be next. It is deep and so beautiful.
Yes!!! Vincent is an amazing song!!!
Yes! It is beautiful and written so economically. No words wasted.
Yes definitely should be❤❤❤❤
yeah be sure to get the video that has all his paintings in it. great video to accompany a great song.
Oh god, Vincent will rip your heart out.
Cliff, I don't have to imagine. I was born in 53 and graduated HS in 71. What a time to be alive.
But it wasn't all fun and games. A lot of this song is about the vietnam war where a metric crap ton of young men lost their lives and futures. There was the draft, and the death of the traditional US with the assassinations, race issues, etc. etc. It was really tumultuous...
Thank you for pointing these things out to him, I thought the same exact thing but I have no right to speak regarding a time when I wasn’t alive. I genuinely think people forget how far technology has progressed as well. There were home phones, TV’S with a few (less than 10) channels, Radio Shows, and much more human interaction. It wouldn’t have been odd if a friend stopped by because they were in the neighborhood. Even through the 90s, my mom always had a cake baked every week and flavored coffees ready, just in case. Now, even if I were to stop by at my parents without calling they would approach the door like it was a break in. Which is truly funny, crime rates across the nation are the LOWEST they have ever been in every category. The issue is, when things are going well there is nothing to report on for 24 hours a day. So these networks find, one crime, in one neighborhood and the entire country acts like it happened to them. 24 hour news was needed from 9/11 through our initial invasion of Afghanistan, after that these networks (all of them) have become opinion based reporting. I digress, I just again wanted to thank you. I have spoken with my grandfather about his life, and I know the times were not easy. Everyone did the best they could. From war, racism, Cold War, drafting, assassinations, even the challenger explosion. I am glad that I am a child of the 90’s, because there was a lot going on back then and no real help. Thanks again, stay well.
@@joshuacoldwater You would laugh to know how I grew up. But I clearly remember the old man putting a cold water tap from the well into the house. I must have been 6 or so.... 55 miles NW of Chattanooga Tn. My God the poverty. First phone in the house I was 12 or 13 ...
@@joshuacoldwaterfellow 90s kid… I remember everyone shared the house phone and there was no call waiting or caller ID and when it came out it was the tiny box next to the phone. Or calling the movie hotline to find out movie times and if you missed it you had to sit there til it came around again.
My dads mom grew up during the depression and had him late (early 40s). She was a horrible person in my mind, she would watch me and my brother on Fridays and I had black friends come over sometimes and I remembered her gatekeeping like “you’re parents don’t work hard to go feeding all the coloreds in the neighborhood”. Always whining about wanting to die too, like always all passively aggressive “oh don’t bother yourself getting a cake, hopefully my gift to you will be me not around anymore “.
My moms mom OTOH was like “the more the merrier” and she was funny as hell. Ironically enough, her and my dads mom hated each other and worked together before my parents even met. She’d be snarky as hell and shut down any racist BS. She was 20 years younger but died 4 years prior to my other gmom. “Only The Good Die Young”.
Born the same year and graduated high school the same year. I might venture to say that we were the luckiest as far as the great evolution of music that we experienced. The world was a little upside down, but I think every generation experiences an upside down world. I'm just glad I grew up when I did.
"A white sport coat & a pink carnation. I'm all dressed up for the dance." - Marty Robbins - 1957
Good you caught that.
Every line is a reference . The girl who sings the blues was Janis Joplin. The quartet was the Beatles. The Devil was Mick Jagger. Helter skeltor were the Manson murders..etc. You do need to go through a line by line breakdown of the song to get all the references .
The marching band was a reference to Sgt pepper.
@@guystephens2881 Yes, as well as "Sargeant's played a marching tune" and when the "marching band refused to yield" (when the players tried to take the field) I always felt that might have meant that The Beatles were so big during the ' 60s that all the other groups/bands were hoping to overtake them in popularity ( I lived through that period and that is what I saw).
"HELTER SKELTER" was also the Beatles' song from their WHITE ALBUM, that Manson misinterpreted it to be about a race war, which he decided to start by sending his "family" out to do the Tate/LoBianca murders in August 1968.
2/3/1959 is the day the music died
Rest in peace
Buddy Holly
Ritchie Valens
Big bopper (jp Richardson)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Music_Died
For me it was 24. November 1991 when we lost Freddie. Mercury.
Dec 8 1980 when Lennon was murdered
RIP . Bob Dylan was in the audience to see Buddy Holly. Buddy’s music changed his mortal soul.
When Don McLean was asked what the song means, he replied, "It means I never have to work again." That made me laugh.
The fact that you put yourself into the shoes of someone as a teen hearing this for the first time says A LOT about you. I'm a fan.
There are college courses that dissect this song to this day. So many references, metaphors, historical pinpoints, etc.
I don't have to imagine. I was 14 and IMO the late 60s and 70s were the best time ever for music.
Don likes Weird Al's version so much he accidentally starts Al's lyrics sometimes when he performs
From the Wikipedia article on American Pie: "The sense of disillusion and loss that the song transmits isn't just about deaths in the world of music, but also about a generation that could no longer believe in the utopian dreams of the 1950s… According to McLean, the song represents a shift from the naïve and innocent '50s to the darker decade of the '60s. --Alva Yaffe, Musicholics"
The sacred store was the Record Store. It was the best of times to be a teenager in the 70's. Legal age was 18, concerts were $10, weed was 15 an ounce😂😂😂
We paid like $7.00 for a concert in my town up until about 1982 then it went up to $10 to $12.50.
I always thought it was the record store he was singing about, but looking back now, I wonder?
Record stores were still in full swing when this song was written. Perhaps the old large reel tapes were popping up in some places (my dad had one), but surely this was too early for cassette tapes....? I was under the age of taking notice of such things at this point in history.
@@payntpot7623 we made mixed cassettes in the 70's off of the radio.
The Sargeant was a reference to The Beatles. It could also be refering to Vietnam.
The Hell's Angels were the security at the Rolling Stones concert at the Altamont Speedway. They stabbed a young man near the stage.
That young man had a gun, fired it at least once, and was advancing towards Mick Jagger & the Stones. I'm no Hells Angels fan but the Angel whose job was providing security for the band confronted a pistol-shooting, crazed fan. The Angel brought a knife to a gunfight. IDK, man, there's always 2 sides to every story. In this case, about 50 sides to this story, nobody can definitively say what really happened. (One Hells Angel was actually shot by the fan who died, but since he was a wanted felon they couldnt take him to the hospital. Just a flesh wound anyway supposedly)
This song was released in 1971. I was 16, and in 11th grade, and yeah, it was a great time to be alive and a great time for music. Just look at the songs still being played from back then. Some amazing music. I have nearly 700 albums, and I'm afraid my kids will just store them away when I'm gone.
Cliff, if you go to Wikipedia and put in American Pie song, there is a wonderful explanation to the references in the song. Nice reaction.
February 3, 1959….The day the music died….Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and ‘The Big Bopper’ JP Richardson were all killed in a plane crash….
And could have been waylon jennings too if he hadn't given up his seat....
I was a child of the 70's and I'm convinced that was our greatest generation. The best music, for sure.
My father in law is a retired fighter pilot and was in Vietnam. The squadron played this song before they took off.
It’s great that you look up some break downs of the song because there are so many references to people such as Janis Joplin (A girl who sang the blues), Bob Dylan (The Jester), Elvis (The King), The Rolling Stones(Jack be nimble/Jumping Jack Flash/Sympathy For The Devil etc), The Beatles (The Marching Band/Sgt Pepper’s), The Byrds (mention of birds and 8 miles high/a The Byrds album? song?)…it’s lovely to listen to again and again. And the Hells Angels reference is actually spot on - it’s talking about a concert where The Rolling Stones helicoptered out due to how that all played out. There’s a verse relating to all of that.
Wanted to discuss the line "when Lennon read a book from Marx," he wasn't talking about Vladimir Lenin and Karl Marx (they weren't around in the 1960s); he was talking about John Lennon using the style of Groucho Marx and the Marx brothers, when he and the other Beatles made the movie "Hard Day's Night" in the Marx Bros. comedic style.
Yes, but that has a double meaning. It also references the fear of the spread of Communism in America which was considerible.
His song is jam packed with cultural references from the time!!! Absolute perfection!!!
A million years ago I went to the Garth Brooks concert in Central Park - with like 100,000 people there, I have no idea, it was a lot of people. It was a blast. at one point, he said, "I'd like to welcome to the stage the artist who has inspired me most - who made me want to start writing songs - Don McLean." Out came Don and they sang American Pie together - and we all sang too. When I was a kid, I knew all the words to this song - and on show n tell day in kindergarten when other kids brought in their GI Joe dolls and their hamsters - I stood up and sang the entirety of the song. I am very glad there were not cell phones back then to record it. I had no idea what any of it meant but something in it touched me. So to actually see him live - singing that song - in that place - next to Garth Brooks - was overwhelming. Really really loved watching you listen to these lyrics. thank you.
This song is about all the changes that took place starting from the plane crash that took the lives of Richie Valens, Buddy Holly & Big Bopper but also all of the 60's with the protests, the politics, the music, the drugs, the space race, the Viet Nam War, etc. It was unbelievable when I think about that decade alone. Thanks for the reaction though. You do a great job.
it was amazing. I saw him live in Albany, NY. I LOVE 70's music!
Jumpin' Jack Flash is Mick Jagger and the part after is a reference to "Sympathy for The Devil" by The Stones
It is also a reference to the Altamont Free Festival and the deaths.
Cliff, most of the young men between 18-24 when this came out were in Vietnam. Some were in Europe like your grandfather. It was played on Armed Forces Radio Network in Europe and the Pacific.
I was 15 when this came out in 1971. What a great time to be alive with some of the greatest music.
Dude... literally the entire song is word play and straight up mentions of history.
I was 18 when this song hit the airwaves. To this day, it gives me chills. Transports me back to that unbelievable time. As crazy as it was, I'm so glad I lived through it.
"Fuck you Satan" had me dying 😂😂
Yes f satan - I hate him
2/3/1959 was the tragic crash of a small plane that Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and The Big Bopper died in, and it was referred to as The Day the Music Died. I was born in 1976, grew up with this song and this was the only story I ever heard of what was behind the song.
I've read so much about this song trust me theres a billion hidden messages and meanings
Waylon Jennings flipped a coin and gave his seat to the big bopper, and said hope your plane crashes, he lived with regret til he died
The young pilot was not experienced with flying at night (or on instruments). Dark night over dark country land - no lights or visual references. I heard the plane also has a non standard gyro which inverted the up and down signals. If the young pilot didn’t know that he could easily have become confused and that resulted in him erroneously flying the plane into the ground… sad and tragic.
It is not an American classic, it is THE American classic!
I know every word of this since first hearing it in 1971 when I was 16. It was astounding and felt momentous. We were lucky - so much good music.
It usually gets missed in the explanations but "The Book Of Love" was a popular 50s song by The Monotones.
Thank you. I didn’t know who sang it.
I was 19 when this was released and 8 when The Music Died... so I knew all the words and the meanings behind them in a few short weeks, I lived through those 2 decades prior to this from Don Mclean.. even here in UK it had a very profound effect on everyone.. still does for us really old folks.
Killing me softly was written by roberta flack, after going to a don mclean gig. Bro can speak to your soul
Killing Me Softly was written by Lori Lieberman after going to see Don in concert. She recorded it in 1971, released in 1972. Roberta covered it in 1973 and made it popular. 🤙🏼
@@Searles007 👍
A generation of music ... the 60s
The King = Elvis
The Jester = Bob Dylan
The girl who sings the blues is Janis Joplin
The Devil is Mick Jagger
The father son and holy ghost .. MLK, JFK and Bobby Kennedy.
Studied this song in my creative writing class in college, it's a creative work of genius...
1. ‘Drove My Chevy To The Levee But The Levee Was Dry’
There was an advertisement for Chevrolet sang in 1953 by Dinah Shore who was a top-charting female vocalist of the 40s and 50s. The fact it was now dry refers to the change in the social climate in the 60s compared to the 50s.
2. ‘Singin' This'll Be The Day' - in the chorus
Likely refers to Buddy Holly's song "That'll Be the Day."
3. ‘But February Made Me Shiver’
Of course refers to the deaths of Buddy Holly, along with singers the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens, and pilot Roger Peterson, perished in a plane incident February 3, 1959. Their small aircraft went down on a snowy late night after a concert in Clear Lake, IA.
(Made me shiver - plane crashed in a blizzaed_
4. ‘With Every Paper I'd Deliver / Bad News On The Doorstep / I Couldn't Take One More Step’
McLean worked as a newspaper delivery boy. And on February 3, 1959, the "bad news" was Buddy Holly's demise, on the cover of every paper that he delivered.
5. ‘When I Read About His Widowed Bride’
Buddy Holly was married to his young wife, Maria Elena Santiago-Holly, for only six months when he perished.His widowed, pregnant new bride was so traumatized by the news of his demise that she had a miscarriage.
6. ‘The Day The Music Died’
Since there was the loss of all three rock musicians in the same incident was seen as a tragedy, and in McLean's mind, marked the end of a musical era that would never be reclaimed.
7. ‘Did You Write The Book Of Love?’
"The Book of Love" is a famous song by The Monotones, a group from Newark, NJ. The song was released in 1958, topping pop and R&B charts. It must have left an impression on young McLean. As the lyrics to the song go:
"I wonder, wonder who, mmbadoo-ooh, who...Who wrote the book of love"
8. ‘If The Bible Tells You So?’
"The Bible Tells Me So" was written by Dale Evans in 1955 and recorded by a handful of singers the same year. It was a pop(ish) version of the of the Sunday school song "Jesus Loves Me"
9. ‘You Both Kicked Off Your Shoes’
Refers to sock hops. Teenage dance parties in the '40s and '50s that involved playing popular music in gymnasiums or community halls. Kids were told to take their shoes off to protect the varnish on gymnasiums and dance floors.
10. ‘With A Pink Carnation And A Pickup Truck’
In 1957, Marty Robbins released the heartbreak song "A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation)" about a young man "all dressed up for the dance" and "all alone in romance."
11. ‘And Moss Grows Fat On A Rolling Stone’
A year after Bob Dylan released "Like a Rolling Stone" in 1965, he was involved in a motorcycle accident that made him lie low for a year or two at the height of his career. He had just transformed himself from a folk singer to an electric guitar-playing rock musician, which caused a lot of controversy within the American music scene. Some people believe McLean's intention was to highlight the evolution of music between the '50s and early '70s while also pushing the action of the song into the '60s.
12. ‘When The Jester Sang For The King And Queen’
Bob Dylan is the jester, Pete Seeger is the king, and Joan Baez is the queen. Bob Dylan opened for them at the Newport Folk Festival in 1963, where the three of them sang Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" together on stage.
13. ‘In A Coat He Borrowed From James Dean’
On the cover of his 1963 album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, Dylan wears a red windbreaker similar to the one worn by James Dean in the film Rebel Without a Cause.
14. ‘And While The King Was Looking Down’
Reference to Pete Seeger looking down on the way Bob Dylan experimented with music in the 1960s.
15. ‘The Jester Stole His Thorny Crown’
Bob Dylan the jester became the king, taking the crown when he won hearts with his brand of folksy rock 'n' roll. Some people believe he took the crown from Elvis, the "King of Rock 'n' Roll." Others stick with Pete Seeger.
16. ‘The Courtroom Was Adjourned / No Verdict Was Returned’
Refering tothe JFK assination. After he was slain in 1963 , the man accused of the slaying, Lee Harvey Oswald, was himself slain. Therefore, "no verdict was returned" because no trial actually occurred. Also, the Warren Commission showed no real explanation to the event.
17. ‘And While Lennon Read A Book On Marx’
The popular theory is that he's singing about the Beatles becoming more political with their music as tensions soared in the '60s. The Beatles, adored by American youth, were deemed inappropriate by older generations who thought their music was too rowdy. Also, the Beatles released songs like "Revolution" in 1968, whose message is in line with the Communist writer Karl Marx, known for The Communist Manifesto.
18. ’The Quartet Practiced In The Park’
The quartet is likely the Beatles: Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.
19. ‘And We Sang Dirges In The Dark’
A dirge is a funereal song of mourning, and there a lot of funerals in the '60s: President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy among them. The line could also refer to the Vietnam conflict; many drafted service members sent overseas never made it back home.
20. ‘Helter Skelter In A Summer Swelter’
"Helter Skelter" is a song the Beatles released in 1968, a year of political and social turmoil in the United States. The next August, "in a summer swelter," followers of Charles Manson (who called for racial war he refered to as "Helter Skelter") brutally slayed five people, including the actress Sharon Tate.
21. ‘The Birds Flew Off From A Fallout Shelter’
Some fans speculate this is an reference to the '60s rock band The Byrds. A fallout shelter is a euphemism for a drug treatment center, which one of the band members checked into after being caught with illicit substances.
22. ‘Eight Miles High And Falling Fast’
Eight Miles High is the title of a 1966 album by The Byrds. It is considered one of the first real trippy records. The sound of the album was influenced by plenty of experimentation with acid.
23. ‘It Landed Foul On The Grass’
Referencing the counterculture's overt use of the weed.
24. ‘With The Jester On The Sidelines In A Cast’
In 1966, Bob Dylan (the Jester), was in a very bad motorcycle accident which had him laid up and in a cast. He didn't want to go to a hospital so he moved in with small town doctor, Doctor Ed Thaler and his family, staying in the third-floor bedroom of their home, until he healed.
25. ‘While Sergeants Played A Marching Tune’
The Beatles released their album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" in 1967. It was an album where they changed their style making traditional "rock n roll". Experimenting with different soundscapes, introducing instruments such as brass horns and sitars.
26. ' 'Cause The Players Tried To Take The Field / The Marching Band Refused To Yield’
Talking about the protest movement that seemed to peak in the late '60s and early '70s, from Chicago protests at the Democratic National Convention to the one at Kent State in Ohio where the National Guard opened fire on a bunch of students.
27. ‘Oh, And There We Were, All In One Place’
Woodstock. The 1969 music festival in Bethel, NY, which brought together more than 400,000 people in one weekend. Many of the most well-known rock musicians of the time performed, including Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. The festival is viewed as the height of American hippie culture.
28. ‘Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick / Jack Flash Sat On A Candlestick’
A mashup of the "Jack Be Nimble" nursery rhyme and the 1969 song "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by the Rolling Stones released on their album "Live'r Than You'll Ever Be". The album sold poorly, so this could be read as an insult to the Stones for not coming up with a good comeback to the Beatles' album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".
29. ‘Cause Fire Is The Devil's Only Friend’
The Devil seen to be represented by the Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger. The Rolling Stones music potraying rebellion and estrangement, and the pull away from a more innocent time perceived earlier in the '50s and early '60s music as well as the world in general.
30. ‘No Angel Born In Hell / Could Break That Satan's Spell’
"Angel" refering to the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, which started a riot at the 1969 Altamont Free Concert in California. They were hired to provide security during a performance by the Rolling Stones, and an 18-year-old Black man was stabbed by a member of the motorcycle group (some say for trying to pick up on a white girl). The events of the day are considered by some to be the day the "free love" movement ended.
31. ‘I Met A Girl Who Sang The Blues’
The "girl" could be Janis Joplin, the rock singer with a very bluesy voice who perished from taking illicit substances in 1970. Her hits "Piece of My Heart" and "Me and Bobby McGee" were considered anthems for the hippie generation.
32. '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’
Don McLean is possibly talking about the loss of interest in '50s music at record stores. When he released the song in 1971, perhaps he was suggesting no one cared about music from this bygone era anymore.
33. ‘And In The Streets The Children Screamed’
In recent years leading up to the song's creation, thousands of young people across the country were involved in various protest movements, which led to confrontations with law enforcement or other groups.
34. 'And The Three Men I Admire Most / The Father, Son, And The Holy Ghost'
Since Don McLean was raised Catholic, bringing religion in at the end of the song makes sense. The sacred holy trinity he speaks of, however, catches "the last train for the coast," likely a sign McLean believes America lost its moral foundation in 1959, the year of Buddy Holly's plane crash.
the 'good ole boys drinkin' whiskey and rye' were 18 year olds who were being drafted to VietNam where 'this'll be the day that i die'.
Which in itself is a play on Buddy Holly's "That'll Be The Day".
The sixties and seventies for Music were the BEST Cliff
Canadian!!! I would add the fifties also. ❤️❤️Gmaw
I am 70. We screamed this song 🎵 from our car radio every time it came on. I was amazing
"Killing Me Softly" was written by Lori Lieberman after going to see Don in concert. She recorded it in 1971, released in 1972. Roberta Flack covered it in 1973 and made it popular. 🤙🏼
The Byrds were a popular band from Laurel Canyon back then, one of their most popular songs was called "Eight Miles High".
Check out a book called "Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon", this song will make MUCH more Sense. 😮
And yes, it really kinda does take a whole book to really absorb what this song is talking about in spirit and incident by incident.
Great book
Some songs just transcend generations, this is one of those songs.
I was born in 1963....great era of music!
Referenced in the lyrics as “the day the music died,” McLean's 1971 song was paying homage to Feb. 3, 1959-the day pop music idols Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson, Jr. (“The Big Bopper”) were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. But there are also many other references in the song.
Buddy Holly’s first hit is “ That will be the Day. In 1964 the big pop movie was Hard Days Night “ where instead of being revealed as typically bad actors the Beatles were compared to the Marx Brothers. So make the comment Lennon read a book on Marx and the the quartet practiced in the park… Beatles lay Shea stadium is just a way to let you know Dylan is sidelined.
American Pie was the name of the plane that Buddy Holly, Richide Valens, The Big Bopper were on.
Yeah, that is an urban legend. There was no name given to the plane.
This is one of the songs to be played at his funeral when my father dies.
Don McLean is a song writing genius. A national treasure. Great reaction.
One of my history teachers had this song as an assignment to read into some history stuff, 1 listen to this had me hooked, music and history are my absolute favorite subjects.
Buddy Holly, Big Bopper, and Richie Valens. I live about 7 miles from Clear Lake, Iowa where it happened. The Surf Ballroom still holds concerts to this day, and they renamed the street Buddy Holly Lane 😉
I was born in 1960. I had an older brother and i learned about all the greats from him. I basically grew up in the 70's and let me tell you i am grateful. The music was amazing and we listened to all genres. There are so many bands for you to discover. The Beatles, the Stones, The Allman Brothers. They are my favorite. Blues mixed with rock, soul. Amazing. Start with Whipping pos or , Soul shine so many many more. Love your channel.✌️❤️
McLean deserves a Nobel for literature. Dylan got one.
The whole song is a history lesson. I believe the reference of the hells angels is about the time they were hired for security at Altamont Free Concert in 1969 where in a guy pulled a gun trying to shoot Mick Jagger.
Altamont is also referenced by Don McLean in the song "American Pie" in the song's fifth verse, the majority of which contains symbols related to Altamont: "Jack Flash", a reference to San Francisco ("Candlestick", though that venue had nothing to do with the actual concert), (Sympathy for) "the Devil", an enraged spectator watching something on a stage, and an "angel born in Hell". McLean officially refused to confirm or deny the song's ties to Altamont until he sold his songwriting notes in 2015. Within the context of the song, Altamont served as the culmination of a period that had begun with the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper in February 1959, during which "things (were) heading in the wrong direction" and life was "becoming less idyllic."[43]
I was born in 1963 and I don't recall a time I didn't know this song. I even remember my brother John singing around the house all the time. He is 6 years older than I am. This song is iconic and historic...look it up. It's the song of a generation and the loss of innocence.
Layers and layers of meaning to these classic lyrics. Lots of good explanations in the comments. If you want more Don McLean, *definitely* check out Vincent next. (Spoiler: it's about Van Gogh). I think you'll love it.
SOOOOO many allusions . . . so many theories. Don, himself never alluded to ANY meanings when asked, ever. He just wanted to leave them up to the listeners. I believe the "drove the chevy to the levee" lines alludes to the death of Otis Reading, in 1967 and his song "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" which he couldn't finish due to his passing, in an airplane accident, hence the final "verse" of the song being whistled.
1971 was when it came out. I was in jr. high (9th grade) 14 years old. I remember summer, my little transistor radio and a cassette ready to record it so I could sing to it later. In my bathing suit, out in the backyard, my towel, my book too. Such a clear memory, music does that, you hear a song you love and decades later you can recall exactly the memory. Music from the 1960s through the 1980s was my period, I don't know the music from now as much.
Do a few more from my playbook. Meatloaf's I'ld Do Anything For Love (but I won't do that) and It's All Coming Back To Me Now. Then a couple of newer ones. K.D. Lang in 2005's Juno Awards performance of "Hallelujah" will give you goose bumps. Also, check out the video Delta Rae's 2012's "Dance In The Graveyards." The video shows a great meaning to that one.
Pretty sure those lyrics on the screen are wrong. It wasnt Lenin who read a book on Marx I think it was Lennon, as in John.
That tracks because John Lennon said once the Beatles were more popular than Jesus and a lot of conservative Christians started calling him a communist.
Yes
It's weird that the screen lyrics don't say Lennon or Lenin, they say Lennin.
I think it works both ways.
7:30 or so:
McLean’s narrator doesn’t appreciate Lennon’s mixing rock ‘n’ roll with dreary politics.
The first verse references the death of the rock ‘n roll legend Buddy Holly. Buddy was on tour with 7 other artists in 1959 when they played the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, IA. The tour bus had a broken heater. There was a charter 4 seat plane (pilot and 3 passengers) available so Buddy, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” boarded the plane which crashed shortly after take off. In 2012 I took the opportunity to see my favorite recording artist perform at the Surf. The venue and museum are incredible. I spent the night and went to the memorial / crash site the next morning. Later that year I was in Hollywood and got to see Buddy's star on the walk of fame. It was truly a moving experience.
I didn't bother about any message when I was young, just enjoyed and sang along - such a great song ! Now I'm a lot older (76) I still enjoy it - only the words "the day the music died" makes me sad because music is everything in a life !
Born in 63. Yes best music ever, Love your reactions.
Great history references already in the comments. What you may not know is Don was this was supposed to be Don's last album with is contract at the time. With nothing to lose, he wrote what became his most famous hit. As someone who is clearly not of that era, I understand this is an emotional moment in each person's life when childhood fades and adulthood reveals the truth of the world.
I was born in 1956 and grew up surrounded by the absolute best music this planet will ever know...I am thankful for that every single day as I prepare to get off this ride and see what's next!
me too! same year! happy 68th this year from me to you!
I stand in awe of this writing! Brilliant xx
Thanks so much for listening to this song - and appreciating it. I was one of the lucky ones who was in their late teens when this song came out. We all know it by heart. The Day the Music died refers to the day Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper - star musicians of the day - died in a plane crash. But for me what this song always conveyed is the sense of change and loss our generation and certainly the country experienced. There is a mournful quality that I think reflects how many of us felt having witnessed the assassination of so many important figures - I think this is hard for later generations to understand or feel - JFK, Medger Evers, Malcolm X, MLK, RFK being the most notable. This song absolutely captured and crystallized a Zeitgeist of the time. You didn't have all this perspective but I really appreciated how much you understood or intuited
There is a documentary all about this song. It's called The Day The Music Died: American Pie featuring interviews with Don Mclean and other musicians. The trailer is on You Tube.
On Paramount+ there's a documentary called The Day the Music Died. Don explains the song. It's a great documentary!!
Great reaction! I was born in 1958 and I know every word to this song. You can try to figure it out but Don made it insane to figure out. The closest you can get is when that plane crashed is the day the music died. A lot of cryptic references in the song but bottom line is it's one of the greatest songs ever made!
I was 8 when this was released. I may not have gotten the meaning at the time but I knew every word of it. It was on the radio EVERYWHERE! Growing up in the 70s and into the 80s, i took for granted what AWESOME music we had. Great concerts too! Thanks for this wonderful blast from the past. I love revisiting great music through the eyes of a younger generation.
I enjoy your channel Cliff. Keep up the great work 👍 ❤
Lennon wrote Imagine which is pretty much the communist manifesto. The song describes a utopian, socialist or communist society.
My goodness I was a 17-year-old junior in high school back in 1971 when this classic song came out. Now I'm a 70-year-old senior citizen watching today's youth loving the music of our times. On February 3rd,1959 a plane carrying Buddy Holly, JP Richarson [The Big Bopper] and Ritchie Valens [La Bomba]. After finishing a concert in Iowa. They were headed to the West Coast on that fateful night. This was the day The Music Died. These men were Rock & Roll icons of the 50's. "February may me shiver. With every paper I 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."-Don McLean
They don’t make young men like you anymore! You remind me so much of my grandson. Bless you and your heart for keeping the music alive!
American Pie,is the name of the plane that crashed,the big bopper,Ritchie valens and buddy holly, were killed in February 1959,during a bad snowstorm. Ritchie valens was sick,and hated flying, but he got the last seat on the plane,ie private. Watch the movie Labamba it's all about Ritchie valens life,from nothing to that infamous night in 1959. American Pie song is 51/52 years old. 1971/ 72 .👋💕🇦🇺
"The Day The Music Died" is February 3, 1959, when Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper were killed in a plane crash after a concert. McLean wrote the song from his memories of the event ("Dedicated to Buddy Holly" was printed on the back of the album cover). “Well, I know that that you’re in love with him, I saw you dancing in the gym. You both kicked off your shoes, Man I dig those rhythm and blues” refers to a young, lonely McLean, watching other kids have happy experiences.
His line “For 10 years we’ve been on our own, Moss grows fat on a rolling stone” is about McLean and his mother, following the death of his father in 1960. “If you look at where I talk about John Lennon, I say ‘Lenin read a book on Marx.’ Well, Lenin read Marx, and then there was Marxist Leninism, and John Lennon certainly read Marx because he wanted socialism. So, it’s both.” “If you want to think the King is Elvis you can, but the King in my song has a thorny crown. That’s Jesus Christ.” McLean dismisses some of the most common speculations about his reference points. Elvis wasn’t the king in question. The “girl who sang the blues” wasn’t Janis Joplin, and Bob Dylan wasn’t the jester. In 2017, Dylan commented on his alleged reference to Rolling Stone: “A jester?” he said. “Sure, the jester writes songs like Masters of War, A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall, It’s Alright, Ma.” I have to think he’s talking about somebody else.” I believe Satan was the jester who stole the Kings crown. In fact, American Pie ends with “the father, son and the holy ghost,” so appalled by the state of the country that even they - the ostensible saviours of mankind - cut and run for the coast. “People aren’t thinking about what (the song) really means,” Proffer said. “They’re thinking about how it makes them feel.” Peace out.
that the beauty of this great song it can mean many things to many different people
There are many videos going over this song line by line. Each line refers to a historical event
So many sing about "the day that music died" on Feb. 3, 1959, when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson were killed in a plane crash.
Don McLean coined the term in his 1971 hit "American Pie." The song about the decline of the 60s starts with the death of the three young musicians, "the end of the happy 50s," he told Forbes Magazine. Most people he mentioned were other singer. The King was Alvis. The Girl was Janis and so on.
This song is our boomer anthem for sure!...memories! I was in high school when this came out. It was the best of times. It really was. The day the music died was the day buddy holly, big bopper, and richie valens died in a plane crash. It really references the sixties and the Vietnam war, but to him, innocence started to unravel in the fifties with the plane crash and then continued into the sixties as us boomers aged and the vietnam war raged. I think that is the basic jist of the song but there are many musical references throughout. It is cleverly written. Btw, you seem like a very sweet human being...nice to see these days!😊
It's about the death of innocence in music and for a generation. The cultural references are many and holds up today.
I was 4 when the song came out. It was on the radio all the time. So thankful i was around to see all of this
I actually am from and still live in Clear Lake, Iowa where the plane crashed; and where the last concert of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper was performed right before. I live not too far away from the crash site, and sadly my beloved hometown is famous for “the day the music died.” Don McLean stayed at the hotel I used to work at; a couple years ago when he was in town for the annual music festival that gets put on here at the famous Surf ballroom every February. It’s a really magical place, if you ever find yourself in Iowa you should check it out. A lot of musical legends have performed there. In April it’ll be ZZ Top hitting the stage. This song has always been a huge part of my life and this town. Sad but beautiful. ❤
I lived in Clear Lake, IA in 1978 and worked at the Holiday Motor Lodge for most of the year and never knew of the plane crash. I even visited the Surf Ballroom and didn't notice the memorabilia they had commemorating the fallen rock and roll legends.
@@h.w.hilton6819 well you’ll have to come back to town sometime so you can take a second look around! I didn’t know how to get to the plane cash site until about 6-7 years ago; and I’ve lived here my whole life.
👍 Hey Cliff! There's an obscure Don McLean song that i love. It's called 'Winterwood'. It wasn't a hit, but it was on the American Pie album. Good poetry in Winterwood.
American Pie was recorded and released in 1971 and went to number one in January 1972, and stayed there for 4 weeks. I was 13 years old in 1972 and so I well remember this coming out. It was stupendous, to say the least and became more and more iconic as the years went by. Everyone I knew, knew all of the lyrics and the radio actually played the entire song, which was rare then. It's a much beloved part of my life and I still know all of the lyrics by heart.
Don McLean live . . . solo in an auditorium . . . held us in his hands. The most amazing concert I have experienced.
I love this song so much. He did a lovely video of the song with what everything means.
The three men I admired the most, the father, son and holy ghost we interpreted as the assignation of President Kennedy, Dr Martin Luther King, and Senator Robert F. Kennedy
Ritchie Valens was asked to play on the 1st day of the opening of Clairemont High School. He came and played for all our high school buddies, and everybody enjoyed it. A few months later was when he died on that fated plane flight. Yup, Clairemont is the same school that Ridgemont High was based upon. The same school that Kris Kardashian graduated frometc, etc, etc...