Attempts to unravel the meaning embedded in the lyrics are a critical part of listening to music. Even those who perceive music solely as an object for entertainment and do not subject lyrics to analysis experience the influence of superficial and hidden meaning. For a long time, discussions among musicians revolved around the song American Pie, written by Don McLean in 1971. Its multiple interpretations have generated many theories and debates in the music community, but its contribution to the development of America’s musical and cultural heritage remains undeniable.
American Pie is a folk-rock song dedicated to the 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and Big Bopper, huge rock musicians of those times. The song is well known for its convoluted lyrics, which have long been the subject of curiosity and controversy. The author avoided making any comments about the meaning of the song, which only made it more difficult to interpret. According to McLean himself, the song only meant that he would never have to work again (Walker, 2020). This has led to the rise of fan interpretations and conjectures, each of which is interesting in its unique way and deserves attention from music analysts.
Most attempts to unravel the meaning associate it with already mentioned «The Day the Music died», the day of the plane crash. The reference to this tragic event was embedded in the lyrics and confirmed by the author himself. McLean (1971) wrote, “But February made me shiver With every paper I’d deliver”, implying the date of the plane crash, February 3, 1959. Because of this, many people perceive the first verses as mourning for the deceased Buddy Holly, McLean’s musical idol. Undoubtedly, the death of rock musicians deeply affected him and left an imprint on the rest of his life, including his desire to write music. This interpretation reveals the need to consider the historical context of writing the song because, without a full understanding of the circumstances in which the author wrote the lyrics, it is unlikely that there will be an awareness of what specific lines refer to.
According to another interpretation, the major part of the song refers to the events of the 1960s, especially focusing on how once united, peaceful, and romantic youth movements began to split into separate groups. McLean (1971) starts the third verse with the following words, “Now for ten years we have been on our own”, referring to the death of Kennedy. The former president was used as a symbolic loss of innocence for the youth of this decade, which led to the infamous Altamont Festival filled with an abundance of drugs and violence. The author never commented on this theory of interpretation, so its veracity is only a guess. Probably, leaving a reference to major public events, the author drew attention to social problems and subconsciously focused on the environment of America in the middle of the last century.
Less popular opinion is that the song’s lyrics contain mourning for McLean’s father, who died right in front of his eyes. This theme runs through all of the author’s work, from American Pie to the lesser-known Run, Diana, Run, and still little attention is paid to it while interpreting the lyrics. The author admitted this when he said that American Pie is largely an autobiographical song, and it was still difficult to talk about its meaning because he wanted to capture and say something that was almost unspeakable (Walker, 2020). Understanding the author’s biography and the experience becomes another way to identify the song’s deeper meaning, which an ordinary listener can hardly catch.
Many fans of American Pie, attempting to interpret the lyrics on their own, focused on who the author could refer to, introducing the figures of the Jester, the King, Satan, etc. The Jester in the song is widely used to be Bob Dylan, stealing the limelight from Elvis Presley (Walker, 2020). There is also an opinion that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are dedicated to Richie Valens, Buddy Holly, and Big Bopper. Altogether these figures have their own prototypes, which, like a historical context, introduce the listener to the years in which the song was written.
As any song has a lot of hidden and obvious interpretations, the understanding of them will depend on the listener’s involvement. A deeper analysis of the composition and the events of the past time belongs to the sphere of art. In contrast, the usual enjoyment of musical accompaniment and more obvious meanings belong to the sphere of entertainment. After studying various interpretations of American Pie, I had a more conscious understanding of the lyrics. Its versatility and layering greatly improved my personal attitude to the song, which remained after the first, less thoughtful listening. Authors strived not just to write a hit but also to evoke deep emotions in listeners, which is why he resorted to such methods as the inclusion of historical and autobiographical subtexts. American Pie is a culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant song that has made a huge contribution to the development of the musical sphere of America.
References
McLean, D. (1971). American Pie [Song]. On American Pie. United Artists.
Walker, R. (2020). Don McLean on the tragedy behind American Pie: ‘I cried for two years’. The Guardian. Web.