An incredibly sardonic description of the real nature of Hollywood. It contrasts the image of both the place and the classic films it has produced, with its images of happy people, cheery optimism, and fun and sun and sand, with the true nature of the place, which is greed, excess, moral degradation, and cold blooded hypocrisy.
This song is an interesting contrast in itself to "American Pie", which would come out later, and its theme of lamenting the lost innocence of early Rock and Roll and criticizing the dark nature of later music in comparison. This song bears little resemblance to anything recorded by Buddy Holly. Still, a great tune in itself, with the kind of thought provoking and poetic lyrics that represent the best of Don McLean. It isn't the kind of song that you will probably ever hear on mainstream radio, but it deserves to be rediscovered and appreciated along with some of the best work of the singer-songwriters of his era and any era.
An incredibly sardonic description of the real nature of Hollywood. It contrasts the image of both the place and the classic films it has produced, with its images of happy people, cheery optimism, and fun and sun and sand, with the true nature of the place, which is greed, excess, moral degradation, and cold blooded hypocrisy.
This song is an interesting contrast in itself to "American Pie", which would come out later, and its theme of lamenting the lost innocence of early Rock and Roll and criticizing the dark nature of later music in comparison. This song bears little resemblance to anything recorded by Buddy Holly. Still, a great tune in itself, with the kind of thought provoking and poetic lyrics that represent the best of Don McLean. It isn't the kind of song that you will probably ever hear on mainstream radio, but it deserves to be rediscovered and appreciated along with some of the best work of the singer-songwriters of his era and any era.