American Pie and The Beatles

[Bluemagicwoman]

it.youtube.com/watch?v=PBJnFV233vw

Has anybody ever thought about Mc Lean's song "American Pie"
I see a lot of strange references in it...

nl.youtube.com/watch?v=sG2ZAqtcOcs&feature=related



Don McLean - American Pie lyrics

A long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they’d be happy for a while.

But february made me shiver
With every paper I’d deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldn’t take one more step.

I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride,
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died.

So bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

Did you write the book of love,
And do you have faith in God above,
If 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 dancin’ in the gym.
You both kicked off your shoes.
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues.

I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck,
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died.

I started singin’,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

Now for ten years we’ve been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rollin’ stone,
But that’s not how it used to be.
When the jester sang for the king and queen,
In a coat he borrowed from james dean
And a voice that came from you and me,
[glow=red,2,300]
Oh, and while the king was looking down,
The jester stole his thorny crown.
The courtroom was adjourned;
No verdict was returned.
And while lennon read a book of marx,
The quartet practiced in the park,
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died.[/glow]

We were singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

[glow=red,2,300]Helter skelter in a summer swelter.
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter,
Eight miles high and falling fast.
It landed foul on the grass.
The players tried for a forward pass,
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast.[/glow]

[glow=red,2,300]Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While the sergeants played a marching tune.
We all got up to dance,
Oh, but we never got the chance!
`cause the players tried to take the field;
The marching band refused to yield.
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died? [/glow]

We started singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

[glow=red,2,300]Oh, and there we were all in one place,
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again.
So come on: jack be nimble, jack be quick!
Jack flash sat on a candlestick
Cause fire is the devil’s only friend.[/glow]

[glow=red,2,300]Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage.
No angel born in hell
Could break that satan’s spell.[/glow]
[glow=red,2,300]And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite,
I saw satan laughing with delight
The day the music died[/glow]

He was singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news,
But she just smiled and turned away.
I went down to the sacred store
Where I’d heard the music years before,
But the man there said the music wouldn’t play.

And in the streets: the children screamed,
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.
[glow=red,2,300]But not a word was spoken;[/glow]
[glow=red,2,300]The church bells all were broken.[/glow]
And the three men I admire most:
The father, son, and the holy ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died.

And they were singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

They were singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
singin' "This'll be the day I die".

[faulconandsnowjob]

Ok, I will take a shot at interpreting some of this...

When the jester sang for the king and queen, > Paul played Yesterday for the Queen
In a coat he borrowed from james dean > Teddy Boy Paul, maybe?
And a voice that came from you and me, > reference to "From Me to You"?

Oh, and while the king was looking down, > King = Paul (Apollo = Sunking)?
The jester stole his thorny crown. > Faul the Usurper
The courtroom was adjourned;
No verdict was returned. > people still haven't even noticed
And while lennon read a book of marx,
The quartet practiced in the park, > hm, Beatles need to practice w/ new member?
And we sang dirges in the dark > funeral dirge?
The day the music died. > when Paul died, obviously

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume > reference to flowers at a funeral?
While the sergeants played a marching tune. > reference to Sgt Pepper/Beatles
We all got up to dance,
Oh, but we never got the chance!
`cause the players tried to take the field;
The marching band refused to yield.
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?

Oh, and there we were all in one place,
A generation lost in space > space-cadets don't notice there's a new "Paul"?
With no time left to start again.
So come on: jack be nimble, jack be quick! > reference to John?
Jack flash sat on a candlestick
Cause fire is the devil’s only friend. > reference to the fire at death scene?

Oh, and as I watched him on the stage > Faul?
My hands were clenched in fists of rage. > yep, mad that he's impersonating Paul
No angel born in hell
Could break that satan’s spell. > Faul

And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite, > ceremony for Paul, I'd guess
I saw satan laughing with delight > Faul
The day the music died

I met a girl who sang the blues > Jane Asher?
And I asked her for some happy news,
But she just smiled and turned away. > couldn't talk about what happened...
I went down to the sacred store
Where I’d heard the music years before,
But the man there said the music wouldn’t play.

And in the streets: the children screamed,
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.
But not a word was spoken; > news of Paul's death hushed up
The church bells all were broken. > no public service for him

And the three men I admire most: > John, George & Ringo?
The father, son, and the holy ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast > to retrieve Paul's body?
The day the music died.

[faulconandsnowjob]

In a coat he borrowed from james dean > JD died in a car crash...

[Bluemagicwoman]

Dean Wood Mineo Pool

[LUCY]

so, what does it mean?

[Bluemagicwoman]

Hi, I've already told that I don't see a clear figure yet while trying to put together the million pieces of this never ending puzzle...
...here I was just trying to point out some elements that I think
could be connected to each other: "American pie" and what it tells, Buddy Holly and "That 'll be the day (that I die)", the Beatles,..."...satan spells...,... fire...,...candlesticks...and so on", macabre and weird coincidences in deaths of different people...
(You know for sure, for example, that "Rebel without a cause" is known to be a "cursed movie": Dean, Wood and Mineo died in violent/mysterious circumstances)...
There are really a lot of things that I'd like to write and post, but I not always have the time to do it, then I think that my interpretation of The Fabulous Fab Four would not be so appreciated or understood
;)but I'll go on

[lelocomotion]

Here’s my interpretation of American Pie. It’s not about Paul, Faul or the Beatles specifically, although it does reference the Beatles and the Sgt. Pepper album. Imo it’s about rock and roll music in general. The first verse talks about Buddy Holly’s death. Don McLean also cryptically references the Rollng Stones, Elvis, Bob Dylan, the Byrds, Kent State, pot, rock festivals, etc. In other words, all the stuff that had just happened 67-70 when this song came out in 71.

When the jester sang for the king and queen, > When Bob Dylan started making rock/pop music, and aiming more for the youth market in America and less for the folk music people.

In a coat he borrowed from james dean > Look at the cover of Bob Dylan's The Freewheelin' Bob dylan album- he's wearing a leather jacket similar to Dean's. Dylan was THE American rebel of the 60's. like Dean was THE American rebel of the 50's.

And a voice that came from you and me, > Bob Dylan had an everyman voice, not a pretty voice. He was the voice of the street (you and me).

Oh, and while the king was looking down, > The first king of rock 'n' roll was Elvis. In the late 60's Elvis was making bad movies, not good music.

The jester stole his thorny crown. > So Bob Dylan took over as the King of rock 'n' roll in the 60's.

The courtroom was adjourned;
No verdict was returned. > Not sure. People kept on buying crappy music when good music was available?

And while lennon read a book of marx> Lennon grew up and out of the Fab Four mold/mould.

The quartet practiced in the park, > "hm, Beatles need to practice w/ new member?" (you could be right here, faulconandsnowjob)

And we sang dirges in the dark >
The day the music died. > might be about PID

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume > Marijuana smoke at Monterey, Woodstock, etc.

While the sergeants played a marching tune. > Sgt Pepper album was played between acts at Monterey and that whole summer. It was a big album for the boys

We all got up to dance,
Oh, but we never got the chance!> The football game that's referenced in this verse is the demonstrations that were on college campuses in the late 60's. Never got the chance to "dance" because the American National Guard ended all campus demonstrations when they shot down 4 students at Kent State.

When the players tried to take the field;
The marching band refused to yield. > Could be one of two things- Sgt. Pepper-influenced music (Progressive Rock) took over from earlier fun rock ‘n’ roll, OR the quashing of protests on all American campuses by the US govt.

Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?> Yeah, we found out that if we get too rowdy on campus, the government will kill us.

In there we were all in one place,
A generation lost in space > No more leadership in the Youth movement. Janis, Jimi and Jimbo Lizard King gone.

With no time left to start again.> Cos the record companies are now replacing real rock 'n' roll with Bad Company and other macho clowns, and wimps like James Taylor.

So come on: jack be nimble, jack be quick! > Mick and Rolling Stones

Jack flash sat on a candlestick/ Cause fire is the devil’s only friend. > The Stones and Altamont (Jumping Jack Flash)

Oh, and as I watched him on the stage > Mick
My hands were clenched in fists of rage. > Where did all the Peace and Love go?

No angel born in hell/Could break that satan’s spell. > Reference to the Hell’s Angels, who acted as Security at Altamont

And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite> Meredith Hunter, killed by Hell’s Angels at Altamont was the sacrifice. The Stone's stage lighting provided the lighting, and the Stones' movie crew caught the killing on film.

I saw satan laughing with delight > Cos he fooled the people again- a whole new generation.
The day the music died- Goodbye rock and roll geniuses Jimi, Janis, Jimbo, etc., Hello Wings, Abba, Olivia Newton-John, Elton John, ad nauseum.

I met a girl who sang the blues > Janis Joplin
And I asked her for some happy news,
But she just smiled and turned away. > Janis died.

I went down to the sacred store
Where I’d heard the music years before,
But the man there said the music wouldn’t play.> The Fillmore West closed.

And in the streets: the children screamed/ The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.
But not a word was spoken/ The church bells all were broken. > The end of the Sixties optimism.

And the three men I admire most/ The father, son, and the holy ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast > The beginning of the modern pimping of religion.

The day the music died.

just my interpretation of course