The Day the Music Died

Today marks the 48th anniversary of the "Day the Music Died," the moniker given to the day of the plane crash that took the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.D. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. There has been much speculation and discussion about the crash and the circumstances, including a recent article there was gunfire on the plane prior to the crash. J.D. Richardson's son was petitioning to have his father's body exhumed to check for gunshot wounds.

Of course, much has been made of Don McLean's song "American Pie" and its "historical" lyrics. McLean has steadfastly refused to divulge his own interpretation, leaving the rest of us to dissect the song. Herewith, from a variety of Internet sources is a breakdown.

American Pie is rumored to be based on the name of the plane on which the three were killed. It is said that the song is a tribute to Buddy Holly and commentary on how rock and roll has changed in the years since his death. Ironically, according to McLean, the song is not about Buddy Holly but was dedicated to him.

Verse 1:

A long, long time ago...

"American Pie" reached #1 in the US in 1972, and the album containing it was released in 1971. Buddy Holly died in 1959.

I can still remember

How that music used to make me smile.

And I knew if I had my chance

That I could make those people dance

And, maybe, they’d be happy for a while.

Sociologists credit teenagers with the popularity of Rock and Roll, as a part of the Baby boomer generation, they found themselves in a very influential position. Their shear number were the force behind most of our country's recent major transitions. McLean was a teenager in 1959 and he begins by simply commenting that the music had an appealing quality to him as well as the millions of other teens. McLean also had an intense desire to entertain as a musician. His dream, to play in a band at high school dances, was the dream of many young boys who wanted to make people dance to Rock and Roll.

But February made me shiver

A reference to February 3, 1959.

With every paper I’d deliver.

Don McLean's only job besides being a full-time singer/song writer was being a paperboy.

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,

Buddy Holly's wife was pregnant when the crash took place; she had a miscarriage shortly afterward.

But something touched me deep inside

The day the music died.

Since all three who died on the plane were so prominent at the time, February 3, 1959, became known as "The Day The Music Died."

Chorus:

So bye-bye, miss American pie.

Likely a reference to the rumored name of the plane. "Miss American Pie" is "as American as apple pie," so the saying goes; she could also be a synthesis of this symbol and the beauty queen Miss America. Either way, her name evokes a simpler time in American life when these icons held more meaning. She is the America of a passing era, and McLean is bidding her farewell.

Drove my Chevy to the levee,

But the levee was dry.

And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye

Singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.

this’ll be the day that I die."

"Drove my Chevy to the levee" alludes to a drive "along a levee" mentioned in a series of popular 1950s Chevrolet television commercials sung by Dinah Shore. Also may be a reference to the three college students whose murder was the subject of the film 'Mississippi Burning.' The students were attempting to register as black voters, and after being killed by bigoted thugs their bodies were buried in a levee. Them good ol' boys being: Holly, Valens, and the Big Bopper, They were singing about their death on February 3. One of Holly's hits was "That'll be the Day"; the chorus contains the line "That'll be the day that I die."

Verse 2:

Did you write the book of love,

"The Book of Love" by the Monotones, a hit in 1958."Oh I wonder, wonder who... who, who wrote the book of love?"

And do you have faith in God above,

If the Bible tells you so?

There is an old Sunday School song that goes: "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so" McLean is reported to be somewhat religious.

Do you believe in rock ’n roll,

The Lovin' Spoonful had a hit in 1965 with John Sebastian's "Do you Believe in Magic?". The song has the lines: "Do you believe in magic" and "It's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock and roll."

Can music save your mortal soul,

And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Music was believed to "save the soul" and slow dancing was an important part of early rock and roll dance events. Dancing declined in importance through the 60's. McLean was asking many questions about the early rock 'n roll in an attempt to keep it alive or find out if it was already dead.

Well, I know that you’re in love with him

`cause I saw you dancin’ in the gym.

Back then, dancing was an expression of love, and carried a connotation of commitment. Dance partners were not so readily exchanged as they would be later.

You both kicked off your shoes.

A reference to the "sock hop." (Street shoes tear up wooden basketball floors, so dancers had to take off their shoes.)

Man, I dig those rhythm and blues.

Before the popularity of rock and roll, music, like much elsewhere in the U. S., was highly segregated. The popular music of black performers for largely black audiences was called, first "race music," later softened to rhythm and blues. In the early 50s, as they were exposed to it through radio personalities such as Allan Freed, white teenagers began listening, too. Starting around 1954, a number of songs from the rhythm and blues charts began appearing on the overall popular charts as well, but usually in cover versions by established white artists, (e.g."Shake Rattle and Roll," Joe Turner, covered by Bill Haley; "Sh-Boom, "the Chords, covered by the Crew-Cuts; "Sincerely," the Moonglows, covered by the McGuire Sisters; Tweedle Dee, LaVerne Baker, covered by Georgia Gibbs). By 1955, some of the rhythm and blues artists, like Fats Domino and Little Richard were able to get records on the overall pop charts.In 1956 Sun records added elements of country and western to produce the kind of rock and roll tradition that produced Holly.

I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck

With a pink carnation and a pickup truck,

"A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation)," was a hit for Marty Robbins in 1957. The pickup truck has endured as a symbol of sexual independence and potency.

But I knew I was out of luck

The day the music died.

Verse 3:

Now for ten years we’ve been on our own

McLean was writing this song in the late 60's, about ten years after the crash.

And moss grows fat on a rollin’ stone,

A possible reference to Bob Dylan, whose "Like a Rolling Stone" (1965) was his first major hit. It could refer to rock and rollers, and the changes that had taken place in the business in the 60's, especially the huge amounts of cash some of them were beginning to make, and the relative stagnation that entered the music at the same time. Or, it could refer to the Rolling Stones themselves, many musicians were angry at the Stones for "selling out."

But that’s not how it used to be.

When the jester sang for the king and queen,

The jester is Bob Dylan, as becomes clear later in the song. There are several interpretations of king and queen: some think that Elvis Presley is the king, which seems rather obvious. The queen is said to be either Connie Francis or Little Richard. An alternate interpretation is that this refers to the Kennedys - the King and Queen of "Camelot" - who were present at a Washington DC civil rights rally featuring Martin Luther King. (There's a recording of Dylan performing at this rally. The Jester.)

In a coat he borrowed from James Dean

In the movie "Rebel Without a Cause," James Dean has a red windbreaker that holds symbolic meaning throughout the film. In one particularly intense scene, Dean lends his coat to a guy who is shot and killed; Dean's father arrives, sees the coat on the dead man, thinks it's Dean, and loses it. On the cover of "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan," Dylan is wearing just such a red windbreaker, posed in a street scene similar to movie starring James Dean.

And a voice that came from you and me,

Bob Dylan's roots are in American folk music,with people like Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. Folk music is by definition the music of the masses, hence the "...came from you and me."

Oh, and while the king was looking down,

The jester stole his thorny crown.

Likely a reference to the decline of Elvis Presley and the rise of Dylan (i.e. Presley is looking down from a height as Dylan takes his place). Consider that Elvis was is the army at the time of Dylan's ascendancy and a common Army marching song sings, "Ain't no use in looking down, ain't no discharge on the ground". The thorny crown might be a reference to the price of fame. Dylan has said that he wanted to be as famous as Elvis, one of his early idols.

The courtroom was adjourned;

No verdict was returned.

This could be the trial of the Chicago Seven.

And while Lennon / Lenin read a book on Marx,

Most likely John Lennon reading about Karl Marx; figuratively, the introduction of radical politics into the music of The Beatles.

The quartet practiced in the park,

There are two schools of thought about this; the obvious one is The Beatles playing in Shea Stadium, but note that the previous line has John Lennon doing something else at the same time. This leads to a possible explanation of the line being a reference to the Weavers, who were blacklisted during the McCarthy era. McLean had become friends with Lee Hays of the Weavers in the early 60's while performing in coffeehouses and clubs in upstate New York and New York City. He was also well acquainted with Pete Seeger; McLean, Seeger, and others took a trip on the Hudson river singing anti-pollution songs at one point. Seeger's LP "God Bless the Grass" contains many of these songs.

And we sang dirges in the dark

A "dirge" is a funeral or mourning song, so perhaps this is meant literally...or, perhaps, this is a reference to some of the new "art rock" groups that played long pieces not meant for dancing. In the dark of the death of Holly.

The day the music died.

Verse 4:

Helter skelter in a summer swelter.

"Helter Skelter" is a Beatles song that appears on the "White" album. Charles Manson, claiming to have been "inspired"by the song (through which he thought God and/or the devil were taking to him) led his followers in the Tate-LaBianca murders. "Summer swelter" could either be a reference to the "Summer of Love" or perhaps to the "long hot summer" of Watts.

The birds flew off with a fallout shelter,

Eight miles high and falling fast.

This refers to the Byrds who helped launch David Crosby to super stardom. The Byrd's song "Eight Miles High" was found on their late 1966 release "Fifth Dimension." They recorded this song when some of the groups members were considering leaving (some of the groups members actually left the group because they refused to fly in an airplane). A fallout shelter was sometimes referred to as the fifth dimension because of the 1950's fascination with sci-fi and the futuristic appearance of a fallout shelter. This was one of the first records widely banned because of supposedly drug-oriented lyrics.

It landed foul on the grass.

One of the Byrds was busted for possession of marijuana.

The players tried for a forward pass,

Obviously a football metaphor, but about what?It could be the Rolling Stones, i.e., they were waiting for an opening that really didn't happen until The Beatles broke up.

With the jester on the sidelines in a cast.

On July 29, 1966, Dylan crashed his motorcycle while riding near his home in Woodstock, New York. He spent nine months in seclusion while recuperating from the accident. This gave a chance for many other artists to become noticed.

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume

Hmm, could it be . . . Drugs? Although that may be too obvious. It's possible that this line and the next few refer to the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The "sweet perfume" is probably tear gas.

While the sergeants played a marching tune.

Following from the thought above, the sergeants would be the Chicago Police and the Illinois National Guard, who marched protesters out of the park where the Convention was being held and into jail. Alternatively, this could refer to The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Or, perhaps McLean refers to The Beatles' music as "marching" because it's not music for dancing. Or, finally, the "marching tune" could be the draft.

We all got up to dance,

Oh, but we never got the chance!

The Beatles' 1966 Candlestick Park concert only lasted 35 minutes. But at this point The Beatles were not "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" until 1967. Or, following on from the previous comment, perhaps she was considering the hippies who were protesting the Convention. They were known for playing their own folk music.

`Cause the players tried to take the field;

The marching band refused to yield.

Some folks think this refers to either the 1968 Democratic Convention or Kent State. If the players are the protesters at Kent State, and the marching band the Ohio National Guard.
This could be a reference to the dominance of The Beatles on the rock and roll scene. For instance, the Beach Boys released "Pet Sounds" in 1966 - an album that featured some of the same sort of studio and electronic experimentation as "Sgt. Pepper" (1967). The other Beatles reference here refers to the Monkees. The Monkees were merely actors (or players), they were not a true band but a fabrication attempting to replicate The Beatles. The players tried to take the place of the Fab Four but the band wouldn't step down. Or finally, this might be a comment that follows up on the earlier reference to the draft: the government/military industrial-complex establishment refused to accede to the demands of the peace movement.

Do you recall what was revealed

The song's most ambiguous line. Some have suggested that it refers to John Lennon and Yoko Ono's 1968 release entitled Unfinished Music No. 1—Two Virgins—on the cover of which stands the two artists, naked as the sun; others have said that it refers to the widespread rumors a little later of Paul McCartney's death; while most choose not to wrestle with this line at all. But in the context of the pivotal 1968 riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, this line is most likely speaking of the Chicago police department's brutality there, revealing the dark underside of one of our most cherished institutions. Blow number four—another day the music dies.

The day the music died?

Verse 5:

Oh, and there we were all in one place,

Woodstock.

A generation lost in space

Some people think this is a reference to the US space program, which it might be (the first moon landing took place in '69); but that seems a bit too literal. Perhaps this is a reference to hippies, who were sometimes known as the "lost generation," partially because of their particularly acute alienation from their parents, and partially because of their presumed preoccupation with drugs (which was referred to as being "spaced-out.")

With no time left to start again.

The "lost generation" spent too much time being stoned, and had wasted their lives.

So come on: jack be nimble, jack be quick!

Probably a reference to Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones; "Jumpin' Jack Flash" was released in May 1968.

Jack flash sat on a candlestick

Perhaps a reference to the Rolling Stones Candlestick Park concert

Cause fire is the devil’s only friend.

It's possible that this is a reference to the Grateful Dead's "Friend of the Devil." An alternate interpretation of the last four lines is that they may refer to President Kennedy and the decisions made during the Cuban Missile Crisis; the candlesticks/fire refer to ICBMs and nuclear war.

Oh, and as I watched him on the stage

My hands were clenched in fists of rage.

No angel born in hell

Could break that Satan’s spell.

While playing a concert at the Altamont Speedway in 1968, the Stones appointed members of the Hell's Angels to work security (on the advice of the Grateful Dead). In the darkness near the front of the stage, a young man named Meredith Hunter was beaten and stabbed to death -- by the Angels. Public outcry that the song "Sympathy for the Devil"(because of "satan's spell") had somehow incited the violence and caused the Stones to drop the song from their show for the next six years. This incident is chronicled in the documentary film "Gimme Shelter."

And as the flames climbed high into the night

To light the sacrificial rite,

The most likely interpretation is that McLean is still talking about Altamont, and in particular Mick Jagger's prancing and posing and "climbing high" while it was happening. Or the bonfires around the area could provide the flames. The sacrifice is Meredith Hunter. It could also be a reference to Jimi Hendrix burning his Stratocaster at the Monterey Pop Festival, but that was in 1967 and this verse is no doubt set in 1968.)

I saw Satan laughing with delight

If the above follows, then Satan is Jagger.

The day the music died.

Verse 6:

I met a girl who sang the blues

Janis Joplin

And I asked her for some happy news,

But she just smiled and turned away.

Janis died of an accidental heroin overdose on October 4, 1970. It may also be Roberta Flack. It's rumored that she wrote, "Killing Me Softly" in response to this lyric in his song.

I went down to the sacred store

Where I’d heard the music years before,

There are two interpretations of this: The "sacred store" was Bill Graham's Fillmore West, one of the great rock and roll venues of all time. Alternatively, this refers to record stores, and their long time (then discontinued) practice of allowing customers to preview records in the store. It could also refer to record stores as "sacred" because this is where one goes to get "saved."

But the man there said the music wouldn’t play.

Perhaps he means that nobody is interested in hearing Buddy Holly's music? Or, as above, the discontinuation of the in-store listening booths.

And in the streets: the children screamed,

Could be "Flower children" being beaten by police and National Guard troops; in particular, perhaps, the People's Park riots in Berkeley in 1969 and 1970. It is possible that this refers to the Vietnamese children. Life magazine was famous for publishing horrifying photos of children in Vietnam during the Vietnamese War.

The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.

The trend toward psychedelic music in the 60's? Or again the hippies who were both great lovers and poets who would then be crying because of the difficulties of their struggle and dreaming of peace.

But not a word was spoken;

The church bells all were broken.

It could be that the broken bells are the dead musicians: neither can produce any more music.

And the three men I admire most:

The father, son, and the holy ghost,

Likely Holly, The Big Bopper, and Valens or perhaps JFK, Martin Luther King, and Bobby Kennedy. It may also be simply the Catholic aspects of the deity. McLean had attended several Catholic schools.

They caught the last train for the coast

Could be a reference to California religions, or it could just be a way of saying that they've left (or died -- western culture has used "went west" as a synonym for dying). Or, perhaps this is a reference to the famous "God is Dead" headline in the New York Times.

The day the music died.