Don McLean's "American Pie": What Does It Mean?
Classic Rock Song Tells the History of Rock and Roll
Apr 30, 2009
One of the iconic songs in rock and roll's history, "American Pie" was released in 1971 by Don McLean. It was at the time an ode to the genre in which it was performed. It details the highs and low of Don McLean's era, including the day the music died.
It's iconic chorus, beginning "Bye bye Miss American Pie," has lasted as one of the great pieces of rock lyricism of all time.
The Day the Music Died
According to Don McLean, the day the music died was 3 February, 1959. That was the day a plane crash killed three of the great musicians in the history of rock and roll. These musicians were Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson, known as "The Big Bopper."
The famous first verse of "American Pie" details the tragic event. The rest of the song goes on to detail other important figures in the history of rock.
Bye Bye Miss American Pie
"For ten years we've been on our own, and moss grows fat on a rolling stone."
This line details the ten years that rock and roll had dominated as the main form of American music, as well as its premier band, The Rolling Stones, and three of its premier songs, "Rolling Stone," "Like a Rolling Stone," and "Papa Was a Rolling Stone."
The Jester in the song is Bob Dylan, who sang in front of England's royalty in 1966, in a coat reminiscent of one of Dylan's heroes, James Dean. The Jester stole the "thorny crown" of the previous king of rock, Elvis Presley.
Helter Skelter and 8 Miles High, both phrases in the song, were popular songs by The Beatles and The Byrds, respectively. Dylan, as the Jester, was now "on the sidelines in a cast," after a motorcycle accident in the summer of 1966.
Don McLean and American Pie's History of Rock
The Seargents in the song were The Beatles in the guise of a marching band on the cover of 1966's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Jack Flash was a character from a popular Rolling Stones song from the era, as was the Devil, from "Sympathy for the Devil."
"There we were all in one place, a generation lost in space," refers to Woodstock. The 1969 festival featured the gods of the rock and roll era all in one place, with an entire generation of fans living lost in space for three days.
The last verse has McLean finding a girl who sang the blues. He again meets with the day the music died, and ends with the iconic chorus:
"So bye by Miss American Pie
I drove my Chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
And good ol' boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing this'll be the day that I die."
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