02 American Pie by Don McLean: Verse 1
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This article is from the The Annotated American Pie FAQ, by Rich Kulawiec rsk@gsp.org with numerous contributions by others.
02 American Pie by Don McLean: Verse 1
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 et.al. 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 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.
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,
Miss American Pie *is* rock and roll music.
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".
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