Don McLean’s “American Pie” has been categorized as a cultural touchstone in American music history. Recorded and released in 1971, the song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It held the top spot for four weeks in 1972. Not only is the song McLean’s biggest hit, but it is one of the most recognizable songs of the whole 20th century.
Don McLean recalled a time in his childhood when he was delivering papers, and learned of the news of the death of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper. The three rock and roll pioneers died in a plane crash on February 3, 1959, after a performance in Clear Lake, Iowa. It would be on February 4, 1959, that a young Don McLean learned of the crash while delivering papers.
In Rolling Stone, Don McLean recalled the day he learned about the famous plane crash. “I first found out about the plane crash because I was a 13-year-old boy in New Rochelle, New York, and I was carrying the bundle of the local Standard-Star papers that were bound in twine. When I cut it open with a knife, there it was on the front page.”
McClean called back to this experience when writing about “the day the music died.” The song then transformed into eight minutes and 42 seconds of metaphors about American society. Specifically, the song makes indirect references to the changes within rock and roll culture since 1959. Throughout the years, it’s been widely regarded as a folk epic.
Don McLean Says the Song Is Left Open to Ambiguity
Many have speculated on the song’s true meaning throughout the years. Don McLean himself has avoided questions about the song’s meaning. In a quote through Super Seventies, McLean claimed, “People ask me if I left the lyrics open to ambiguity. Of course I did. I wanted to make a whole series of complex statements. The lyrics had to do with the state of society at the time.”
It appears the lyrics use the crash of the rock stars as a metaphor. It symbolizes change in the world throughout the years. Many of the references in the track are thought to be references to rock icons and songs throughout the years. Music icons such as Elvis, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, The Byrds, and John Lennon are thought to be referenced in the lyrics, though never confirmed by McLean himself.
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