Initially
inspired by his memories of the death of Buddy Holly in 1959,
‘American Pie’ is autobiographical and presents an abstract
story of Don McLean’s life from the mid 1950s until when he wrote
the song in the late 1960s. It is almost entirely symbolised by the
evolution of popular music over these years and represents a change
from the lightness of the 1950s to the darkness of the late 1960s.
This is also very symbolic of changing America during this era. In
Don’s life the transition from light (the innocence of childhood) to
the darker realities of adulthood probably started with the death of
Buddy Holly and culminated with the assassination of President
Kennedy in 1963 and the start of a more difficult time for America.
In this 4 year period, Don moved from a fairly idyllic childhood
existence, through the shock and subsequent harsh realities of his
father’s death in 1961, to his decision in 1963 to quit Villanova
University to pursue his dream and become a professional singer.
For 30 years the lyrics of American Pie have been subject to
intense scrutiny as people search for the song's real meaning.
Analysis continues today on the Internet and in newspapers and
magazines worldwide. All interpretations start on the premise that
Don McLean never talks about the song and has never provided insight
into the meaning of the lyrics. In fact, Don McLean has spent 30
years doing little else but talk about American Pie!
In the 'Downloads' section of the
main site, under 'Direct
from Don McLean' you will find two interesting interviews with Don
McLean concerned with American Pie.
In
his 2000 'Starry Starry Night' video, Don says: I'm very proud of
the song. It is biographical in nature and I don't think anyone has
ever picked up on that. The song starts off with my memories of the
death of Buddy Holly. But it moves on to describe America as I was
seeing it and how I was fantasizing it might become, so it's part
reality and part fantasy but I'm always in the song as a witness or
as even the subject
sometimes
in some of the verses.
You know how when you dream something you
can see something change into something else and it's illogical when
you examine it in the morning but when you're dreaming it it seems
perfectly logical.
So it's perfectly okay for me to talk about
being in the gym and seeing this girl dancing with someone else and
suddenly have this become this other thing that this verse becomes
and moving on just like that. That's why I've never analyzed the
lyrics to the song. They're beyond analysis. They're poetry."
Don has recently re-enforced this theme:
"The song was written as my attempt at an epic song about America,
and I used the imagery of music and politics to do that. Also, I was
really influenced by the Sgt. Pepper album, and the American Pie
album was my attempt to do that, but the song totally overshadowed
the album."
Most mainstream analyses of American Pie are at least partly
based on Bob Dearborn's interpretation of the song that he produced
for his radio show in 1971. His theory was broadcast on radio
across large parts of the USA and is still available on the Web
today at:
http://user.pa.net/~ejjeff/pie.html
Basic errors in American Pie interpretations have been carried
forward and sometimes get reported as being fact. One of the most
tedious theories of recent times is that the plane that crashed
killing Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper was called
'American Pie'. This is wholly untrue and Don McLean released a
press statement in 1999 to confirm this:
"the growing urban legend that "American Pie" was the name of
Buddy Holly’s plane the night it crashed, killing him, Ritchie
Valens and the Big Bopper, is untrue. I created the term." - Don
McLean, 1999
Incidentally, Don McLean has also taken time out to rubbish the
myth that he had, for a while, refused to perform the song:
"Because of an off-hand funny comment I made backstage at a concert
years ago, a story circulated that the song {American Pie} has been
a burden and even that I didn’t sing it for a while. That’s
completely false. I am very proud of ‘American Pie’ and the many
satellites that grow from it and revolve around it. For many years I
carried my songs around and now they carry me around. I have always
sung ‘American Pie’ for my audience and would never think of
disappointing them since it is they who have given me a wonderful
life and untold affection for almost 30 years." - Don McLean, 1999
and in a
Music World article from 2000, Don says: "I have never
said a bad thing about the song, I was poor when I wrote it, and it
made me a millionaire overnight. Believe me, I'm not upset about
this song." - Don McLean, 2000.
Don McLean sings 'American Pie' on 'Top of the Pops', October
31st, 1991:
Search for American Pie in our Words and Music
Database:
Initially
inspired by his memories of the death of Buddy Holly in 1959,
‘American Pie’ is autobiographical and presents an abstract
story of Don McLean’s life from the mid 1950s until when he wrote
the song in the late 1960s. It is almost entirely symbolised by the
evolution of popular music over these years and represents a change
from the lightness of the 1950s to the darkness of the late 1960s.
This is also very symbolic of changing America during this era. In
Don’s life the transition from light (the innocence of childhood) to
the darker realities of adulthood probably started with the death of
Buddy Holly and culminated with the assassination of President
Kennedy in 1963 and the start of a more difficult time for America.
In this 4 year period, Don moved from a fairly idyllic childhood
existence, through the shock and subsequent harsh realities of his
father’s death in 1961, to his decision in 1963 to quit Villanova
University to pursue his dream and become a professional singer. 
In
his 2000 'Starry Starry Night' video, Don says: I'm very proud of
the song. It is biographical in nature and I don't think anyone has
ever picked up on that. The song starts off with my memories of the
death of Buddy Holly. But it moves on to describe America as I was
seeing it and how I was fantasizing it might become, so it's part
reality and part fantasy but I'm always in the song as a witness or
as even the subject
sometimes
in some of the verses.
