Since it was written people have debated what on earth American Pic could be about (and Don McLean wasn’t talking) so it was all the more interesting when McLean’s original notes sold at auction.
The basic idea is that it is a chronicle of the cultural and musical journey of the 1950’s through 1960’s
"The day the music died" refers to Buddy Holly's death in a plane crash on 3 February 1959, which McLean mourns as the end of the entire 50s era.
"Do you believe in rock and roll? Can music save your mortal soul?"
"Faith in the music now replaces faith in God,"
Bob Dylan was the "rolling stone" who ended up gathering moss. Dylan was “the jester”.
"When the jester sang for the King and Queen, In a coat he borrowed from James Dean"
Bob Dylan becomes the leader of the 60s generation, taking the title from Elvis, the king of the 50s: "While the King was looking down, the jester stole his thorny crown."
The coat "borrowed from James Dean" can be seen on the iconic cover sleeve of Dylan’s 1963 album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. But by the end of the decade, we see that Dylan's "rolling stone" is gathering fat moss.
The Beatles surpassed Dylan as the icons of the 60s generation.
"Now the half-time air was sweet perfume, While sergeants played a marching tune"
"sergeants" leading the march of counter-culture, leaving Dylan behind as "the jester on the sidelines in a cast" because of a real life motorbike crash. "We all got up to dance, but we never got the chance," sang McLean.
The "players try to take the field; But the marching band refused to yield". Here “the players” may refer to the slow rock style of “The Band” that was growing throughout the U.S. but The Beatles and progressive rock were more powerful.
In December 1969 there was a tragic concert at Altamont Speedway , where "Jack Flash sat on a candlestick". An estimated 300,000 fans came to Altamont to see the Rolling Stones and Jefferson Airplane.
"No angel born in hell could break that Satan's spell"
And Mick Jagger really did appear on stage that night dressed in a flowing red cape, singing lyrics inciting fire and rebellion.
And although there was a huge amount of violence right in front of the stage Mic Jagger did not stop the concert. : "I saw Satan laughing with delight; The day the music died".
And in the final verse , when he "goes down to the sacred store, where I'd heard the music years before" he finds that sadly:"The man there said the music wouldn't play". He’s talking about his local music store. Literally, the music stores that had once provided listening booths for their customers were by this time no longer offering this service.
![Cover art for American Pie [Original Version] lyrics by Don McLean](https://images.songmeanings.com/bb8d7637-5e3d-4ae0-a4d9-2d1d8bdb1292.webp)
Since it was written people have debated what on earth American Pic could be about (and Don McLean wasn’t talking) so it was all the more interesting when McLean’s original notes sold at auction.
The basic idea is that it is a chronicle of the cultural and musical journey of the 1950’s through 1960’s
"The day the music died" refers to Buddy Holly's death in a plane crash on 3 February 1959, which McLean mourns as the end of the entire 50s era. "Do you believe in rock and roll? Can music save your mortal soul?" "Faith in the music now replaces faith in God,"
Bob Dylan was the "rolling stone" who ended up gathering moss. Dylan was “the jester”. "When the jester sang for the King and Queen, In a coat he borrowed from James Dean" Bob Dylan becomes the leader of the 60s generation, taking the title from Elvis, the king of the 50s: "While the King was looking down, the jester stole his thorny crown." The coat "borrowed from James Dean" can be seen on the iconic cover sleeve of Dylan’s 1963 album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. But by the end of the decade, we see that Dylan's "rolling stone" is gathering fat moss.
The Beatles surpassed Dylan as the icons of the 60s generation. "Now the half-time air was sweet perfume, While sergeants played a marching tune" "sergeants" leading the march of counter-culture, leaving Dylan behind as "the jester on the sidelines in a cast" because of a real life motorbike crash. "We all got up to dance, but we never got the chance," sang McLean.
The "players try to take the field; But the marching band refused to yield". Here “the players” may refer to the slow rock style of “The Band” that was growing throughout the U.S. but The Beatles and progressive rock were more powerful.
In December 1969 there was a tragic concert at Altamont Speedway , where "Jack Flash sat on a candlestick". An estimated 300,000 fans came to Altamont to see the Rolling Stones and Jefferson Airplane. "No angel born in hell could break that Satan's spell" And Mick Jagger really did appear on stage that night dressed in a flowing red cape, singing lyrics inciting fire and rebellion. And although there was a huge amount of violence right in front of the stage Mic Jagger did not stop the concert. : "I saw Satan laughing with delight; The day the music died".
And in the final verse , when he "goes down to the sacred store, where I'd heard the music years before" he finds that sadly:"The man there said the music wouldn't play". He’s talking about his local music store. Literally, the music stores that had once provided listening booths for their customers were by this time no longer offering this service.
Loss of innocence; loss of direction.
Well that’s what I think anyway.