Interpretations of the lyrics to American Pie

"It means I never have to work again if I don't want to."

• The quartet practiced in the park - has been suggested as referring to the Beatles' last concert in Candlestick Park (after which their music died).
• While Sergeants played a marching tune - There was a very successful record "The Ballad of the Green Berets" that was sung by Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler (released I believe in 1966) which this might refer to.

I'm not going to pick apart every lyric- there's more than enough above this w/u to cover that- but from where I stand, it seems to me that McLean was writing about momentary "deaths" in music. Such as Buddy Holly dying, John Lennon splitting from the Beatles, Elvis' career on the decline, The Rolling Stones selling out, Janis Joplin overdosing, etcetera. All of these people and music "greats" came to, seemingly, untimely ends. Each time another musical pioneer died, it seemed like the music for that day and age died, too. In a social, political, musical, artistic, philosophical, cultural and sensational sense, the music industry and society as a whole lost a bit of itself when these people disappeared from the scene.

McLean, to me, is describing pivotal points in recent history where music seemed to die, but only for a moment. Like chapters come to an end, you turn the page and start a new chapter. The previous chapter is closed, behind you- dead and in the past. There will be, I'm sure, other days when the music seems to die. Like Selena getting killed, Randy Rhodes dying, Freddie Mercury passing- when those people were lost to us forever, their music came to an effective end.

We will never have another Elvis, another Buddy Holly, another Jimi Hendrix or another Janis Joplin. When they died, their musical talent went with them and that talent can never be reproduced. Music will never die. There will always be visionaries ahead of us, but when the "founding fathers" of rock and roll pass on, it will seem like a hiccup in time where things seem to stand still and we will mourn the loss- twice over.

The song could have just as easily been about the great visual artists like Van Gogh, Picasso, da Vinci and so on, but McLean probably wanted to write something a little more current. Something that would have a bigger impact on the people who were listening to the song at the time.

At least, that's my take on it. I might be entirely wrong.

Copyright Rich Kulawiec 1997,2000.

( January 2000 update: currently being rewritten. )

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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.

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. As Robert Williams has pointed out to me, the entire song can be viewed as one big projective test, so interpretations vary quite a bit. I've tried to be inclusive while also indicating which ones I buy into and which I don't; your mileage may vary. Note that Don McLean has been rather steadfastly silent on this over the years; my hunch is that he derives a great deal of quiet amusement from our attempts to dissect his lyrics. A few years back, while being interviewed by Bob Costas on the "Later" TV show, he was fairly surprised to find out that his song had so much meaning.

Recently, many people have inquired as to why I just don't ask Don McLean what he meant. Well...I probably could do that. I'll bet that he's online *somewhere*. But I think that it's much more fun for all of us to speculate and debate and discuss what we think it means. In many ways, it tells us more about ourselves, and about what our music and culture mean to us.

Besides, he gave us this song, which is one of the classics of our time; I don't feel that we can rightfully ask any more of him.

So, buy his records and tapes and CDs and attend his shows; but please don't bug him over this one song -- I have a hunch that he's had enough of it over the years.

I must also tip my hat to Cecil Adams, whose "Straight Dope" columns and books have been a source of joy and information to me since I discovered them in the Chicago Reader years ago. If there is any merit in this article's contents, credit Uncle Cecil for inspiring it. (And my thanks to Ed Zotti for getting this article mentioned in the latest S.D. book, "The Return of the Straight Dope". Go forth and buy it and drink deeply from the fountain of wisdom.)

Oh -- and about that. When Uncle Cecil ran a note about American Pie in his "Straight Dope" column on June 25, 1993 or so, it included some additional material from an "interview" with McLean and Casey Kasem. Several weeks later, the following letter appeared (August 3, 1993):

THE LAST WORD (PROBABLY) ON "AMERICAN PIE"

As you can imagine, over the years I've been asked many times to discuss and explain my song "American Pie" June25. I have never discussed the lyrics, but have admitted to the Holly reference in the opening stanzas. I dedicated the album American Pie to Buddy Holly as well in order to connect the entire statement to Holly in hopes of bringing about an interest in him, which subsequently did occur.

This brings me to my point. Casey Kasem never spoke to me and none of the references he confirms my making were made by me. You will find many "interpretations" of my lyrics but none of them by me. Isn't this fun?

Sorry to leave you all on your own like this but long ago I realized that songwriters should make their statements and move on, maintaining a dignified silence.

- Don McLean Castine, Maine

Incidentally, gentle reader, you'll find a revision history and credits at the end of all this. Many thanks to those who have contributed.

Rich Kulawiec
rsk@itw.com

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.

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

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.

Buddy Holly died on the night of February 2, 1959 in a plane crash in Iowa during a snowstorm. The news came to most of the world on the morning of February 3, which is why it's known as The Day The Music Died.

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

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

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".

(Refrain)

Bye bye Miss American Pie,

Miss American Pie *is* rock and roll music.

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

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

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

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. Dave Tutelman tells me that this particular song wasn't exactly a gem of rock 'n roll.

There's also an old Sunday School song which goes: "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so" (Stephen Joseph Smith tells me that Bartlett's gives the source of this as "The Love of Jesus", by Anna Bartlett Warner, 1858.)

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."

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.

Slowdancing COULD just be dancing, or it could be vertical "making out". It wasn't hard to watch a couple slow-dancing and figure out whether they had some sort of relationship, if you knew anything about slow dancing. So just the fact they were dancing didn't tell you anything, but if "I saw you dancing in the gym" I could tell from watching whether there was anything between you (figuratively :-). (Thanks to Dave Tutelman for this note.)

A reference to the beloved "sock hop". (Leather-soled street shoes tear up wooden basketball floors, and rubber-soled sneakers grip too much for dance moves, so dancers had to take off their shoes.)

Some history. Before the popularity of rock and roll, music, like much else 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 Mc Guire 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 Buddy Holly. (Thanks to Barry Schlesinger for this historical note. ---Rsk) (Oh...and Barry, Dave Tutelman wants to know if you were Bronx Science class of '58.)

"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, especially in a Texas context. (Also, Jimmy Buffet does a song about "a white sport coat and a pink crustacean". :-) )

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

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; and since he was busy writing songs extolling the virtues of simple love, family and contentment while staying at home (he didn't tour from '66 to '74) and raking in the royalties. This was quite a change from the earlier, angrier Dylan. The "rolling stone" could also be Elvis, although I don't think he'd started to pork out by the late sixties. It could refer to rock and rollers in general, 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, perhaps it's a reference to the stagnation in rock and roll. Or, finally, it could refer to the Rolling Stones themselves; a lot of musicians were angry at the Stones for "selling out". Howard Landman points out that John Foxx of Ultravox was sufficiently miffed to write a song titled "Life At Rainbow's End (For All The Tax Exiles On Main Street)". The Stones at one point became citizens of some other country merely to save taxes.

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. 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.)

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 of England. He was *not* properly attired, so perhaps this is a reference to his apparel.

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".

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. Dylan has said that he wanted to be as famous as Elvis, one of his early idols.

This could be the trial of the Chicago Seven, but McLean seems to be talking about music, not politics at this point in the song. With that in mind, perhaps he meant that the arguments between Dylan and Elvis fans over who was better just couldn't be settled.

Literally, John Lennon reading about Karl Marx; figuratively, the introduction of radical politics into the music of the Beatles. (Of course, he could be referring to Groucho Marx, but that doesn't seem quite consistent with McLean's overall tone. On the other hand, some of the wordplay in Lennon's lyrics and books is reminiscint of Groucho.) The "Marx-Lennon" wordplay has also been used by others, most notably the Firesign Theatre on the cover of their album "How Can You Be In Two Places At Once When You're Not Anywhere At All?". Also, a famous French witticism was "Je suis Marxiste, tendance Groucho."; "I'm a Marxist of the Groucho variety".

It's also a pun on "Lenin".

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. He was also well-acquainted with Pete Seeger; in fact, 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.

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.

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 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.

One of the Byrds was busted for possesion of marijuana.

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

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.

Drugs, man.

Well, now, wait a minute; that's probably 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.

Following from the thought above, the sergeants would be the Chicago Police and the Illinois National Guard, who marched the protestors out of the park 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 in general as "marching" because it's not music for dancing. Or, finally, the "marching tune" could be the draft.

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.

Some folks think this refers to either the 1968 Deomcratic Convention or Kent State; following on from the Chicago reference above, this could be another comment on protests. But perhaps the players are the protestors 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 which featured some of the same sort of studio and electronic experimentation as "Sgt. Pepper" (1967) -- but the album sold poorly. 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. Or finally, this might be a comment which 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.

Woodstock.

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. :-)

The "lost generation" spent too much time being stoned, and had wasted their lives? Or, perhaps, their preference for psychedelia had pushed rock and roll so far from Holly's music that it couldn't be retrieved.

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

The Stones' Candlestick park concert? (unconfirmed)

"Sympathy for the Devil", by the Stones -- seems to fit with some of the surrouding material.

It's possible that this is a reference to the Grateful Dead's "Friend of the Devil". But I doubt it.

An alternative interpretation of the last four lines is that they may refer to Jack Kennedy and his quick decisions during the Cuban Missile Crisis; the candlesticks/fire refer to ICBMs and nuclear war.

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" 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".

The most likely interpretation is that McLean is still talking about Altamont, and in particular Mick Jagger's prancing and posing while it was happening. The sacrifice is