THE COMEBACK:

You think you’re so smart.

I don’t want to rain on your parade. I prefer a typhoon!

THE MESSAGE:

Recently some articles have been released wherein singer Don Maclean referred to the 1950 era as quite gentle while the 1960 era was very troubled. One of these articles proclaimed that the 1950s were an era of happiness and affluence for the middle class. North Americans had a feeling of optimism about their future, and pride in the allies which had emerged victorious from World War II. Entertainers such as Buddy Holly and Bill Haley and the Comets produced happy music that matched the mood of the times. Depressing forces did not prevail. Most citizens of the western world would agree with this reality.

For McLean, the transition from the innocence of his childhood to the dark realities of adulthood began with the deaths of his father, Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper. Adding to the upheaval was the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963.

Don’s memories of being a paperboy in 1959 and learning of the death of Buddy Holly had a serious affect on him. The song “American Pie” metaphorically presents an abstract story of his life from the mid-1950s until the end of the 1960s. It also represents the evolution of a society and of popular music for those who listen.

TONY TODAY:

The 1960s saw a much more disturbing and politically charged atmosphere in the USA. Civil rights campaigners marched on Washington, D.C., and Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. The following years saw the 1964 Civil Rights Act become law. America was being challenged by the Soviet Union, and its military might was being tested in the Vietnamese war. In music, America soon found itself competing with the British invasion of the Beatles.

The 1960s was a turbulent time for McLean’s generation and by 1971, America was still deeply troubled. The Vietnam War was out of control. The anti-war movement was gathering momentum and dominated the media.

AMERICAN PIE

In the opinion of the song’s producer, Ed Freeman, “It was the funeral oration for an era: Without it, many of us would have been unable to grieve, achieve closure, and move on. Don saw that, and wrote the song that set us free. We should all be eternally grateful to him for that.”

THE MUSIC: