The Legend and Legacy of American Pie

Neatorama presents a guest post from actor, comedian, and voiceover artist Eddie Deezen. Visit Eddie at his website.

"American Pie," written and recorded by Don McLean, is the longest song to ever reach #1 on the charts. At 8 minutes and 38 seconds, it topped the charts on January 15, 1972 and remained there for four weeks.

Don McLean wasn't able to play sports or engage in any vigorous physical activities as a child due to his severe asthma. He worked hard at therapeutic exercises and helped improve his physical condition, but it also helped him in another way. Don's asthma had also made it hard for him to reach and hold certain notes, and the asthma exercises improved his ability and range as a singer. At age 15, Don decided to pursue a career as a singer, composer, and musician.

His first album, Tapestry (yes, just like Carole King's) was released in 1970 after being rejected by 34 different record labels. The album had some success and garnered good reviews. But this moderate hit was in no way indicative of the legendary phenomenon that he came out with the next year.

Don's album American Pie was released in 1971 and contained a song that was to become a part of music history. "I can't necessarily interpret 'American Pie' any better than you can," Don was to tell Life magazine. With one exception: Don was to say "Buddy Holly was the first and last person I ever idolized. Most of my friends liked Elvis Presley, more of them liked Elvis Presley than Holly, but I liked Holly because he spoke to me. He was a symbol of something deeper than the music."

While a young boy delivering newspapers, Don clearly remembers reading about Holly's fatal plane crash, along with Richie Valens and the Big Bopper. In his stack of papers for February 3, 1959, Holly's profound effect on McLean was indelible and, 12 years later, was to be the genesis of "American Pie." Yes, the song was definitely about the tragic death of Buddy Holly, a great hero of Don's, but aside from this basic agreed-upon point, he has never discussed the rest of the enigmatic lyrics. "American Pie's" lyrics have been interpreted, dissected, discussed, debated, and pored over, much like lyrics to Beatles' songs.

Common theories about "American Pie" lyrics include:

While the king was looking down, the jester stole his thorny crown. The "king" is Elvis Presley and the "jester" is Bob Dylan.

And moss grows fat on a rolling stone. About a slightly overweight Mick Jagger in a too-small stage outfit.

Lenin read a book on Marx. About John Lennon and Karl -or maybe Groucho- Marx.

I met a girl who sang the blues... About Janis Joplin.

Helter skelter in a summer swelter... About Charles Manson.

And on and on it goes...

Guessing at the lyrics of "American Pie" has been an indulgence of musical scholars and dilettantes for forty years now, and will be going on as long as a radio station, TV show, website, or movie plays the unforgettable tune. But besides it's admitted Buddy Holly homage lyrics, Don McLean has added one other pertinent point:

"I'm very proud of the song. It is biographical in nature. I don't think anyone has ever picked up on that. The song was about Buddy Holly. But it moves on to describe America as I was seeing it and how I was fantasizing it might become, so it's part reality and part fantasy. I've never analyzed the lyrics to the song. They're beyond analysis. They're poetry."

In another particularly revealing interview, he was to add, "American Pie" was about the "turn from the innocence of the fifties to darker, more volatile things in sixties music and politics." Don was to later joke that when he was older, he would open a pay-to-listen phone line in which he would tell what the song means.

When "American Pie" was first released, it was so long it took up both sides of the record. It was actually banned by several American radio stations because of its eight-and-a-half minute length. Many stations limited songs to a length of 3:30. For this reason, the "American Pie" title of "longest record to ever reach number one on the charts" is sometimes disputed. The Beatles' "Hey Jude," clocking in a seven minutes and 11 seconds, is listed in some sources as the title holder, because it was a single side of a single record.

Don McLean has some other hits and around twenty mostly well-received albums after the incredibly heady success of American Pie. Don sang "American Pie" on New Year's Eve in 1999 in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Don McLean remains a hard-working and active singer, composer, and musician. He has fronted everything from Bluegrass to rock bands to the Israeli Philharmonic. In 2007, his official memoirs were published. McLean and his most famous and beloved song remain a part of American pop culture. The recording industry of America recently voted "American Pie" number five on its list of all-time greatest songs:

1) "Over the Rainbow" by  Judy Garland

2) "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby

3) "This Land is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie

4) "Respect" by Aretha Franklin

5) "American Pie" by Don McLean

Don McLean has claimed that he never knew how commercial "American Pie" was, just that he had "written a masterpiece."


(YouTube link)


One of my favorite speculations on American Pie came from an article I read years ago called "The Annotated American Pie:

Well, probably not a national obsession, but certainly the life's work of many talented scholars. According to the latest edition of the "American Pie Historical Interpretive Digest" (APHID), noted McLean historian Vincent Vandeman has postulated that cheezy country
songs may have played a much more prominent role in the epic composition than had originally been thought. In particular, the "widowed bride," usually supposed to be either Ella Holly or Joan Rivers, may in fact be Billie Jo. According to this radical exegesis, the "pink carnation" of McLean's song is probably what
was thrown off the Tallahatchie Bridge, and was later found by the lonely, teenaged McLean as he wandered drunkenly on the levee.

Of course, such a view poses problems. McLean vehemently denies any knowledge of Choctaw Ridge, and any theory linking the two songs must surely address this mysterious meeting place of Billie Jo and her husband Billy Joe. Vandeman speculates that Choctaw Ridge may have been the place McLean drove his Chevy after drinking whiskey and rye, and that McLean may have been unaware of the name because of his foggy mental state. Still, there appear to be many tenuous
connections in Vandeman's interpretation - Tammy Wynette as the girl who sang the blues, the proposed affair between Wynette and Billie Joe which later led to d-i-v-o-r-c-e and Billy Joe's suicide, the mysterious whereabouts of George Jones, and why
McLean insisted on driving a Chevy to the levee instead of a more economical Japanese car.

Read more: http://stason.org/TULARC/music-bands/american-pie/10-Still-other-notes-The-Annotated-American-Pie.html#ixzz21IJybZy6
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Great piece Eddie. Don McLean has always been one of my favorite artists. As much as I love American Pie, his song Vincent (about Van Gogh) to me is even better. Thanks again Eddie!!
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Don McLeans best remembered song is "American Pie", but MY all time favorite Mclean song is "And I Love Her So". Besides Don, Elvis Presley recorded it for an album of his own - but the best version was sung and recorded by none other than (don't laugh) Perry Como!
I never realized his idol was Buddy Holly. Holly appealed to other artists just like McLean had done a dozen years later. Thanks for the insight Eddie!
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