From: rsk@aspen.circ.upenn.edu (Rich Kulawiec)
Newsgroups: rec.music.misc,rec.music.makers,rec.music.folk,alt.guitar.tab
Subject: The Annotated "American Pie"
Summary: Lyrics, chords, and notes on the song
Keywords: American Pie, Don McLean, The Day the Music Died
Date: 18 Aug 92 18:15:27 GMT
Followup-To: poster
Organization: Cardiothoracic Imaging Research Center

This particularly enigmatic song has been discussed at least once a year
since Usenet had a newsgroup for discussing music.  These discussions
frequently repeat themselves, but occasionally introduce new information
and new interpretations.  Having tired of watching the same process repeat
itself for ten years, I've created this, the annotated "American Pie".

This posting consists of: the lyrics to the song (left-justified) with
comments (indented); the chords, for those who'd like to tackle it;
some miscellaneous notes; and references.  Comments are most welcome;
comments backed up with references are *very* welcome.  I have attempted
to note where the interpretation is questionable.

Credits, in rough chronological order:
	wombat@ccvaxa.uucp
	ihuxr!steck
	steiny@idsvax.uuucp
	ihldt!bnp
	sbcs!murray 
	fortune!grw
	iws@rayssdb.ray.com (Ihor W. Slabicky)
	tugs@csri.toronto.edu (Stephen Hull)
	dko@calmasd.ge.com (Dan O'Neill)
	ssm@calmasd.ge.com (Sharon McBroom)
	mfterman@phoenix.princeton.edu (Martin Terman)
	rsk@gynko.circ.upenn.edu (Rich Kulawiec)
	tim@tcom.stc.co.uk (Tim Kennedy)
	rns@tortuga.sandiego.ncr.com (Rick Schubert)
	paul@moore.com (Paul Maclauchlan)
	rvloon@cv.ruu.nl (Ronald van Loon)
	wirth@sdsc.edu (Colleen Wirth)

The roots of this posting are in the "Great American Pie" Usenet discussion
of 1983; much of it comes from wombat's (the original wombat, not me)
posting in net.music on June 16, 1985.

---Rsk 1/20/92

Revision history:

	1/20/92	Constructed from various old postings
	1/27/92	Added comments from Usenetters on first draft
	2/3/92  More comments folded in; reposted today, the
		anniversary of The Day the Music Died
	8/18/92	Added comments generated by the Februrary posting.


AMERICAN PIE by Don McLean 

			The entire song is a tribute to Buddy Holly and
			a commentary on how rock and roll changed in
			the years since his death.  McLean seems to be
			lamenting the lack of "danceable" music in
			rock and roll and (in part) attributing that
			lack to the absence of Buddy Holly et. al.

(Verse 1)
A long, long time ago...

			"American Pie" reached #1 in the US in 1972, but
			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.

			One of early rock and roll's functions was to
			provide dance music for various social events.
			McLean recalls his desire to become a musician
			playing that sort of music.


But February made me shiver,

			Buddy Holly died on February 3, 1959 in a plane
			crash in Iowa during a snowstorm.

With every paper I'd deliver,

			Don McLean's only job besides being a full-time
			singer-songwriter 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

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

But something touched me deep inside,
The day the music died.

			The same plane crash that killed Buddy Holly also
			took the lives of Richie Valens ("La Bamba") and
			The Big Bopper ("Chantilly Lace").  Since all three
			were so prominent at the time, February 3, 1959
			became known as "The Day The Music Died".
So...

(Refrain)

Bye bye Miss American Pie,

			Don McLean dated a Miss America candidate
			during the pageant. (unconfirmed)

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ol' boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
Singing "This'll be the day that I die,
This'll be the day that I die."

			One of Holly's hits was "That'll be the Day"; the
			chorus contains the line "That'll be the day <pause>
			that I die".

(Verse 2)
Did you write the book of love,

			"The Book of Love" by the Monotones; hit in 1958.

And do you have faith in God above,
If the Bible tells you so?

			In 1955, Don Cornell did a song entitled
			"The Bible Tells Me So".  Rick Schubert
			pointed this out, and mentioned that he
			hadn't heard the song, so it was kinda
			difficult to tell if it was what McLean
			was referencing.  Anyone know for sure?

Now 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/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?

			Dancing slow was an important part of early rock
			and roll dance events -- but declined in importance
			through the 60's as things like psychedelia and 
			the 10-minute guitar solo gained prominence.

Well I know you're in love with him
'Cause I saw you dancing in the gym

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

You both kicked off your shoes

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

Man, I dig those rhythm 'n' blues
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 hit in 1957.

But I knew that I was out of luck
The day the music died
I started singing...

Refrain

(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 rolling stone

			It's unclear who the "rolling stone" is
			supposed to be.  It could be Dylan, since
			"Like a Rolling Stone" (1965) was his first
			major hit; but it could refer to rock and
			rollers in general, and the changes that
			had taken place in the business in the 60's.

			The "rolling stone" could also be Elvis, although
			I don't think he'd started to pork out by the
			late sixties.

But that's not how it used to be
When the jester sang for the King and Queen    

			The jester is Bob Dylan, as will become clear later.
			There are several interpretations of king and queen:
			some think that Elvis Presley is the king, which seems
			pretty obvious.  The queen is said to be either Connie
			Francis or Little Richard.  But see the next note.

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 (see note at end).  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 as red windbreaker,
			and is posed in a street scene similar to one
			shown in a well-known picture of James Dean.

			Bob Dylan played a command performance for
			the Queen and Prince Consort of England.
			He was *not* properly attired, so perhaps
			this is a reference to his apparel.


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

			This could be a reference to Elvis's decline and
			Dylan's ascendance. (i.e. Presley is looking down
			from a height as Dylan takes his place.)  The thorny
			crown might be a reference to the price of fame.

The courtroom was adjourned,
No verdict was returned.

			This could be the trial of the Chicago Seven.
	
And while Lennon read a book on Marx,

			Literally, 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
			tends to support the theory that this is 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.

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 which
			played long pieces not meant for dancing.

The day the music died.
We were singing...

Refrain

(Verse 4)
Helter Skelter in a summer swelter

			"Helter Skelter" is a Beatles song which 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.

			Is "summer swelter" a reference to the "Summer of
			Love" or perhaps to the "long hot summer" of Watts?

The birds flew off with the fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast

			The Byrd's "Eight Miles High" was on their
			late 1966 release "Fifth Dimension".  It was
			one of the first records to be widely banned					because of supposedly drug-oriented lyrics.

It landed foul on the grass

			One of the Byrds was busted for possesion of marijuana.

The players tried for a forward pass

			Obviously a football metaphor, but about what?
			
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast

			On July 29, 1966, Dylan crashed his Triumph 55
			motorcycle while riding near his home in Woodstock,
			New York.  He spent nine months in seclusion while
			recuperating from the accident.

Now the halftime air was sweet perfume

			Drugs, man.

While sergeants played a marching tune

 			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.

We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance

			The Beatles' 1966 Candlestick Park concert only
			lasted 35 minutes.

			Or, following on from the previous comment, perhaps
			he meant that there wasn't any music to dance to.

'Cause the players tried to take the field,
The marching band refused to yield.

			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 which featured some of the same sort of studio
			and electronic experimentation as "Sgt. Pepper",
			but the album sold poorly because the Beatles'
			release got most of the press.

			Some folks think this refers to either the 1968
			Deomcratic Convention or Kent State.

			This might also be a comment about how the
			dominance of the Beatles in the rock world
			led to more "pop art" music, leading in turn
			to a dearth of traditional rock and roll.

Do you recall what was revealed,
The day the music died?
We started singing

Refrain

(Verse 5)
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;
			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 alientation from
			their parents, and partially because of their
			presumed preoccupation with drugs.

			It could also be a reference to the awful TV
			show, "Lost in Space", whose title was sometimes
			used as a synonym for someone who was rather high...
			but I keep hoping that McLean had better taste. :-)

With no time left to start again
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

			The Stones' Candlestick park concert?
			(unconfirmed)

'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".

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 stabbed to
			death -- by the Angels.  Public outcry that
			the song "Sympathy for the Devil" had somehow
			incited the violence 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".

			It's also possible that McLean views the Stones
			as being negatively inspired (remember, he had
			an extensive religious background) by virtue
			of "Sympathy for the Devil", "Their Satanic
			Majesties' Request" and so on.  I find this a bit
			puzzling, since the early Stones recorded a lot
			of "roots" rock and roll, including Buddy Holly's
			"Not Fade Away".

And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw satan laughing with delight
The day the music died
He was singing...

Refrain

(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.

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 East,
			one of the great rock and roll venues of all time.
			Alternatively, this refers to record stores,
			and their longtime (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".
			(See above lyric "Can music save your mortal soul?")

But the man there said the music wouldn't play

			Perhaps he means that nobody is interested in
			hearing Buddy Holly et.al.'s music?

And in the streets the children screamed

			"Flower children" being beaten by police
			and National Guard troops?

The lovers cried and the poets dreamed

			The trend towards psychedelic music in the 60's?

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 Holy Ghost

			Holly, The Big Bopper, and Valens
			-- or --
			JFK, Martin Luther King, and Bobby Kennedy
			-- or --
	 		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 wacky California religions,
			or could just be a way of saying that they've left.

The day the music died

			This tends to support the conjecture that the "three
			men" were Holly/Bopper/Valens, since this says that
			they left on the day the music died.

And they were singing...


Refrain (2x)



Chords to the song:

The song appears to be in G; the chords are:

 Intro:  G     Bm/F# Em    .     Am    .     C     .
         Em    .     D     .     .     .
         G     Bm/F# Em    .     Am    .     C     .
         Em    .     A     .     D     .     .     .
         Em    .     Am    .     Em    .     Am    .
         C     G/B   Am    .     C     .     D     .
         G     Bm/F# Em    .     Am    .     C     .
         G     Bm/F# Em    .     Am    .     D     .
         G     .     C     .     G     .     D     .

 Chorus: G     .     C     .     G     .     D     .
         G     .     C     .     G     .     D     .
         G     .     C     .     G     .     D     .

         Em    .     .     .     A     .     .     .   (all but
         Em    .     .     .     D     .     .     .    last chorus)

         C     .     D     .     G     C     G     .   (last chorus)


Other notes:

"Killing Me Softly With His Song", Roberta Flack's Grammy Award-winning
single of 1973, was written by Charles Gimble and Norman Fox about McLean.

The Big Bopper's real name was J.P. Richardson.  He was a DJ for a
Texas radio station who had one very big novelty hit, the very well
known "Chantilly Lace".  There was a fourth person who was going to
ride the plane.  There was room for three, ahd the fourth person lost
the toss -- or should I say won the toss.  His name is Waylon
Jennings...and to this day he refuses to talk about the crash.

About the "coat he borrowed from James Dean": James Dean's red
windbreaker is important throughout the film, not just at the end.
When he put it on, it meant that it was time to face the world, time to
do what he thought had to be done, and other melodramatic but
thoroughly enjoyable stuff like that.  The week after the movie came
out, virtually every clothing store in the U.S. was sold out
of red windbreakers.  Remember that Dean's impact was similar
to Dylan's: both were a symbol for the youth of their time, a reminder
that they had something to say and demanded to be listened to.

American Pie is supposed to be the name of the plane that crashed,
contained the three guys that died. (Reported by Robert van Loon
from the discussion on American Pie, autumn 1991, on rec.music.folk)
 

References:

Billboard Book of Number One Hits, by Fred Bronson, Billboard, 1985.

Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock and Soul, revised edition, by Irwin Stambler,
St. Martin's Press, 1989.

Rock Chronicle, by Dan Formento, Delilah/Putnam, 1982.

Rock Day by Day, by Steve Smith and the Diagram Group, Guiness Books, 1987.

Rock Topicon, by Dave Marsh, Sandra Choron and Debbie Geller,
Contemporary Books, 1984.

Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, ed. by Jon Pareles and
Patricia Romanowski, Rolling Stone Press/Summit Books, 1983.

Rolling Stone Record Guide, ed. by Dave Marsh with John Swenson, Random
House/Rolling Stone Press, 1979.
--

---Rsk
rsk@gynko.circ.upenn.edu