According to McLean, “American Pie” was originally inspired by the death of Buddy Holly. “I loved his music,” he told. “When that whole crash happened, it was a real ache in my heart. So, I ended up bringing back all those memories of 1959 and the things that happened later.”
About This Song
“The Day The Music Died” is February 3, 1959, when Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper were killed in a plane crash after a concert. McLean wrote the song from his memories of the event (“Dedicated to Buddy Holly” was printed on the back of the album cover).
The Beatles Sgt. Pepper album was also a huge influence, and McLean has said in numerous interviews that the song represented the turn from innocence of the ’50s to the darker, more volatile times of the ’60s both in music and politics.
McLean was a 13-year-old paperboy in New Rochelle, New York when Holly died. He learned about the plane crash when he cut into his stack of papers and saw the lead story.
Even though McLean was unknown outside of folk circles, this song took off pretty quickly. The American Pie album was released in October 1971, with the title track issued as a single a short time later. The song earned lots of airplay and hit #1 in the US on January 15, 1972; a week later, the album hit the top spot. The song stayed at #1 for four weeks, the album for seven.The Recording Industry Association of America’s project “Songs of the Century” ranked this song number 5.
Video
Lyric
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A long, long time ago, I can still rememberHow that music used to make me smileAnd I knew if I had my chanceThat I could make those people danceAnd maybe they’d be happy for a while
But February made me shiverWith every paper I’d deliverBad news on the doorstepI couldn’t take one more stepI can’t remember if I criedWhen I read about his widowed brideBut something touched me deep insideThe day the music died
So, bye, bye, Miss American PieDrove my Chevy to The Levee, but The Levee was dryAnd them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey in RyeSingin’, “This’ll be the day that I dieThis’ll be the day that I die”
Did you write the Book of Love?And do you have faith in God aboveIf the Bible tells you so?Do you believe in rock ‘n’ roll?Can music save your mortal soul?And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Well, I know that you’re in love with him‘Cause I saw you dancing in the gymYou both kicked off your shoesThen I dig those rhythm and bluesI was a lonely teenage broncin’ buckWith a pink carnation and a pickup truckBut I knew I was out of luckThe day the music died
I started singin’, “Bye-bye, Miss American Pie”Drove my Chevy to The Levee, but The Levee was dryThem good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey in RyeSingin’, “This’ll be the day that I dieThis’ll be the day that I die”
Now for ten years we’ve been on our ownAnd moss grows fat on a rollin’ stoneBut that’s not how it used to beWhen the jester sang for the king and queenIn a coat he borrowed from James DeanAnd a voice that came from you and me
Oh, and while the king was looking downThe jester stole his thorny crownThe courtroom was adjournedNo verdict was returnedAnd while Lennon read a book on MarxThe quartet practiced in the parkAnd we sang dirges in the darkThe day the music died
We were singin’, “Bye-bye Miss American Pie”Drove my Chevy to The Levee, but The Levee was dryThem good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey in RyeSingin’, “This’ll be the day that I dieThis’ll be the day that I die”
Helter Skelter in the summer swelterThe birds flew off with a fallout shelterEight miles high and fallin’ fastIt landed foul on the grassThe players tried for a forward passWith the jester on the sidelines in a cast
Now, the half-time air was sweet perfumeWhile the sergeants played a marching tuneWe all got up to danceOh, but we never got the chance‘Cause the players tried to take the fieldThe marching band refused to yieldDo you recall what was revealedThe day the music died?
We started singin’, “Bye-bye, Miss American Pie”Drove my Chevy to The Levee, but The Levee was dryThem good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey in RyeAnd singin’, “This’ll be the day that I dieThis’ll be the day that I die”
Oh, and there we were, all in one placeA generation lost in spaceWith no time left to start againSo come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quickJack Flash sat on a candlestick‘Cause fire is the devil’s only friend
Oh, and as I watched him on the stageMy hands were clenched in fists of rageNo angel born in HellCould break that Satan’s spellAnd as the flames climbed high into the nightTo light the sacrificial riteI saw Satan laughing with delightThe day the music died
He was singin’, “Bye-bye, Miss American Pie”Drove my Chevy to The Levee, but The Levee was dryThem good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey in RyeAnd singin’, “This’ll be the day that I dieThis’ll be the day that I die”
I met a girl who sang the bluesAnd I asked her for some happy newsBut she just smiled and turned awayI went down to the sacred storeWhere I’d heard the music years beforeBut the man there said the music wouldn’t play
And in the streets, the children screamedThe lovers cried and the poets dreamedBut not a word was spokenThe church bells all were brokenAnd the three men I admire mostThe Father, Son, and the Holy GhostThey caught the last train for the coastThe day the music died
And they were singin’, “Bye-bye, Miss American Pie”Drove my Chevy to The Levee, but The Levee was dryAnd Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey in RyeSingin’, “This’ll be the day that I dieThis’ll be the day that I die”
They were singin’, “Bye-bye, Miss American Pie”Drove my Chevy to The Levee, but The Levee was dryThem good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey in RyeSingin’, “This’ll be the day that I die”