Buddy Holly
February, 3rd, 1959,
plane crash in Iowa
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.
Them good ol'boys were drinking whiskey and rye,
Singing: "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?
Now 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 you're in love with him,
'cause saw you dancing in the gym,
You both kick off your shoes,
Man, I dig those rhythm 'n' blues
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck,
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck,
But I knew that I was out of luck,
The day that music died.
I started singing:
"So, bye, bye, Miss American pie,
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.
Them good ol'boys were drinking whiskey and rye,
Singing: "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 the rolling 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.
Oh, and while King was lookin' down,
The jester stole his thorny crown,
The courtroom was adjourned,
No verdict was returned,
And while Lennon read the book on Marx,
The quartet practiced in the park,
And we sang dirges in the dark',
The day the music died.
We were singing:
" So, bye, bye, Miss American pie,
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.
Them good ol'boys were drinking whiskey and rye,
Singing: "This'll be the day that I die,
This'll be the day that I die..."
Helter Skelter in a summer swelter,
The birds flew off with the 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 sidelines in a cast.
Now the halftime air was sweet perfume,
While sergeants play 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 that music died?
We started singing:
"So bye, bye, Miss American pie,
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.
Them good ol'boys were drinking whiskey and rye,
Singing: "This'll be the day that I die,
This'll be the day that I die..."
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.
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,
And as the flames climbed high into the night,
To light the sacrificial light,
I saw satan laughing with delight
The day the music died.
He was singing:
"So, bye, bye, Miss American pie,
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.
Them good ol'boys were drinking whiskey and rye,
Singing: "This'll be the day that I die,
This'll be the day that I die..."
I met the 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,
But not a word was spoken,
The church bells all were broken.
And three men I admire the most,
The Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast,
The day the music died.
And they were singing:
"So bye, bye, Miss American pie,
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.
Them good ol'boys were drinking whiskey and rye,
Singing: "This'll be the day that I die,
This'll be the day that I die..."
I should like to represent one of the brilliant commentaries to it.
www.stevenpockett.com/americanpie/
Although my favourite music comes from the modern-day camps of Oasis, Kula Shaker and Radiohead, I still have a large place in my heart for the music of the 1960's and 70's. Among my favourite songs of these eras are The Beatle's 'A Day In The Life', The Rolling Stones 'Sympathy For The Devil' and, of course, the 8 minute 27 second masterpiece of a certain Don McLean - titled 'American Pie'.
As well as being a great tune to sing at the local pub when you and your friends have had a few drinks, it is also one of the most analyzed songs of the '70s. The entire history of rock 'n' roll is contained somewhere within the lyrics, hidden in ambiguous imagery that lends itself to endless interpretations.
I was priviledged enough to witness Don McLean in concert earlier this year at my local Town Hall, but unfortunately, despite requests from a number of the audience, he refused to comment on the lyrics of that particular song. This really came as no surprise as he has never publically talked about the full meaning behind the lyrics since the song's release in the early '70s.
However, the connection to Buddy Holly is one he is happy talking about, and in 1972 he was quoted as saying the following. "When I first heard 'American Pie' on the radio, I was playing a gig somewhere, and it was immediately followed by Peggy Sue. They caught on to the Holly connection right away, and that made me very happy.
I was quite interested in America - I still write about the different aspects of America - and to me, something was slipping away and I couldn't quite put my finger on how to express it. I was sitting up in this little house where I lived and I just started to write this first verse about the day I cut open this bunch of papers [he was a paperboy in his hometown of New Rochelle, New York, USA] and saw that Buddy Holly had been killed. The memory unlocked a whole bunch of things. Suddenly the song wrote itself..."
In the same year, Don McLean told a LIFE Magazine reporter; "I can't necessarily interprete 'American Pie' any better than you can." However, he did provide an important clue about the song. "Buddy Holly was the first and last person I ever really idolised as a kid. Most of my friends liked Elvis Presley. More of them liked Presley than Holly, but I liked Holly because he spoke to me. He was a symbol of something deeper than the music he made. His career and the sort of group he created, the interaction between the lead singer and the three men backing him up, was a perfect metaphor for the music of the '60s and for my own youth."
Now, being only 20 years of age, I can't honestly expect you to believe I have worked out the meaning of the song by myself. I have just read a few books and spent some time surfing the Internet, and would just like to share the interesting results with the rest of you.
The only person who knows the full meaning behind the song is of course Don McLean himself, but as he has stated he will never discuss it, then please follow the verse-by-verse links below to see what other people have made of his masterpiece.
AMERICAN PIE
The name of the song is rumored to be based on the name of the plane (A Beechcraft Bonanza, Number N3794P) in which Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens were killed. It is believed to be a tribute to Buddy Holly and a commentary on how rock and roll has changed in the years since his death. Ironically, according to McLean, the song is not about Buddy Holly but was merely dedicated to him. Some say, this song is a history of Rock n' Roll.
Verse 1
A long, long time ago...
'American Pie' reached number one in the US in 1972 - the album containing
it was released in 1971. Buddy Holly died in 1959.
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.
Sociologists credit teenagers with the popularity of Rock and Roll, as a
part of the Baby boomer generation, they found themselves in a very
influencial position. Their shear number were the force behind most of our
country's recent major transitions. McLean was a teenager in 1959 and he
begins by simply commenting that the music had an appealing quality to him
as well as the millions of other teens. One of early rock and roll's functions was
to provide dance music for various social events. McLean recalls his desire to
become a musician playing that sort of music. His dream, to play in a band at high
school dances, was the dream of many young boys who wanted to make people
dance to Rock and Roll.
But February made me shiver,
Buddy Holly died on the 3rd February 1959 in a plane crash in Iowa during a
snowstorm. Its rumored that the name of the plane was: American Pie.
With every paper I'd deliver,
Don McLean's only job before becoming a full-time singer-songwriter was
being a paperboy.
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,
Holly's recent bride was pregnant when the crash took place; she had a
miscarriage shortly afterward.
But something touched me deep inside, the day the music died.
The same plane crash that killed Buddy Holly also took the lives of Richie
Valens ('La Bamba') and The Big Bopper ('Chantilly Lace'). Since all three
were so prominent at the time, the 3rd February 1959 became known as 'The
Day The Music Died'.
So...
Bye bye Miss American Pie,
Don McLean dated a Miss America candidate during the pageant and broke up
with her on February 3, 1959. (Unconfirmed interpretation). So it's probably
just a reference to the plane, "American Pie" that crashed.
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry. Them good ol' boys were drinking whisky and rye, singing "This'll be the day that I die, this'll be the day that I die".
Driving the Chevy to the levee almost certainly refers to the three college
students whose murder was the subject of the film 'Mississippi Burning.' The
students were attempting to register as black voters, and after being killed
by bigoted thugs their bodies were buried in a levee. Them good ol' boys
being: Holly, Valens, and the Big Bopper, They were singing about their
death on February 3. One of Buddy Holly's hits was 'That'll be the Day' -
the chorus contains the line "That'll be the day that I die".
Verse 2
Did you write the book of love,
'The Book of Love' by the Monotones was a hit in 1958. "Oh I wonder, wonder
who... who, who wrote the book of love?"
And do you have faith in God above, if the Bible tells you so?
In 1955, Don Cornell did a song entitled "The Bible Tells Me So." It was
difficult to tell if it was what McLean was referencing. There's also an old
Sunday School song which goes; "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible
tells me so". McLean was somewhat religious.
Now do you believe in rock 'n' roll?
The Lovin' Spoonful had a hit in 1965 with John Sebastian's 'Do you Believe
in Magic?'. The song has the lines "Do you believe in magic" and "It's like
trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock and roll".
Can music save your mortal soul? And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Music was believed to "save the soul" and slow dancing was an important part
of early rock and roll dance events. Dancing declined in importance through
the 60's as things like psychedelia and the 10-minute guitar solo gained
prominence.
McClean was asking many questions about the early rock 'n roll in an attempt
to keep it alive or find out if it was already dead.
Well I know you're in love with him, 'cause I saw you dancing in the gym,
Back then, dancing was an expression of love, and carried a connotation of
commitment. Dance partners were not so readily exchanged as they would be
later.
You both kicked off your shoes,
A reference to the beloved "sock hop". (Street shoes tear up wooden
basketball floors, so dancers had to take off their shoes.)
Man, I dig those rhythm 'n' blues.
A brief history lesson for you: Before the popularity of rock and roll,
music, like much else in the US, was highly segregated. The popular music of
black performers for largely black audiences was at first called 'race
music', later to be known as rhythm and blues. In the early '50s, as they
were exposed to it through radio personalities such as Allan Freed, white
teenagers began listening too. Starting around 1954, a number of songs from
the rhythm and blues charts began appearing on the overall popular charts as
well, but usually in cover versions by established white artists, (e.g., Joe
Turner's 'Shake Rattle and Roll', covered by Bill Haley and The Chords
'Sh-Boom', covered by the Crew-Cuts). By 1955, some of the rhythm and blues
artists, like Fats Domino and Little Richard, were able to get records on
the overall pop charts. In 1956 Sun Records added elements of country and
western to produce the kind of rock and roll tradition that produced Buddy
Holly.
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck, with a pink carnation and a pickup truck,
'A White Sport Coat (and a Pink Carnation)' was a hit for Marty Robbins in
1957. The pickup truck has endured as a symbol of sexual independence and
potency, especially in a Texas context.
But I knew that I was out of luck, the day the music died. I started singing...
(Chorus)
Verse 3
Now for ten years we've been on our own,
McLean was writing this song in the late 60's, about ten years after the
crash.
And moss grows fat on a rolling stone.
It's unclear who the "rolling stone" is supposed to be. It could be Dylan.
Dylan's 'Like a Rolling Stone' (1965) was his first major hit. He was busy
writing songs extolling the virtues of simple love, family and contentment
while staying at home (he didn't tour from '66 to '74) and raking in the
royalties, and this was quite a change from the earlier, angrier Dylan.
The "rolling stone" could also be Elvis, although I don't think he started
to pork out by the late sixties. he-he!
It could refer to rock and rollers, and the changes that had taken place in
the business in the 60's, especially the huge amounts of cash some of them
were beginning to make, and the relative stagnation that entered the music
at the same time.
Or, it could refer to the Rolling Stones themselves, many musicians were
angry at the Stones for "selling out." I discovered that John Foxx of
Ultravox was sufficiently miffed to write a song titled "Life At Rainbow's
End (For All The Tax Exiles On Main Street)." The Stones at one point became
citizens of some other country merely to save taxes.
But that's not how it used to be, when the jester sang for the King and Queen,
The jester is Bob Dylan, as will become clear later. Elvis Presley is the
King, which seems pretty obvious. The Queen is either Connie Francis or
Little Richard.
An alternate interpretation is that this refers to the Kennedys -- the King
and Queen of "Camelot" -- who were present at a Washington DC civil rights
rally featuring Martin Luther King. (There's a recording of Dylan performing
at this rally. The Jester.)
The third interpretation is that the jester could be Lee Harvey Oswald who
sang (shouted) before he was shot for the murder of the King (JFK).
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean,
In the movie 'Rebel Without a Cause' James Dean has a red windbreaker that
holds symbolic meaning throughout the film. In one particularly intense
scene, Dean lends his coat to a guy who is shot and killed; Dean's father
arrives, sees the coat on the dead man, thinks it's Dean, and loses it. On
the cover of 'The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan', Dylan is wearing just such a red
windbreaker, and is posed in a street scene similar to one shown in a
well-known picture of James Dean.
And a voice that came from you and me.
Bob Dylan's roots are in American folk music, with people like Pete Seeger
and Woody Guthrie. Folk music is by definition the music of the masses,
hence the "...came from you and me".
Oh, and while the King was looking down, the jester stole his thorny crown,
A reference to Elvis's decline and Dylan's ascendance (i.e., Presley is
looking down from a height as Dylan takes his place). The thorny crown a
reference to the price of fame. Dylan has said that he wanted to be as
famous as Elvis, one of his early idols.
Or possibly Lee Harvey Oswald being the jester who ended the reign of JFK
and "stole his crown."
A third interpretation is the quote made by John Lennon and taken out of
context indicating that John felt the Beatles were more popular then Jesus.
John and the Beatles took the crown from Christ.
The courtroom was adjourned, no verdict was returned.
The trial of the Chicago Seven. But its more likely to be the fact that no verdict
was returned for the assassination of JFK because the assassin was killed so
the court was adjourned.
And while Lennon read a book on Marx,
Or it could be "And while Lenin read a book on Marx,"
Someone has to introduce Vladimir Lenin, the father of marxist communism,
to the ideology of Karl Marx. I love the play on words here...
Literally, John Lennon reading about Karl Marx; figuratively, the
introduction of radical politics into the music of the Beatles. (Of course,
he could be referring to Groucho Marx, but that doesn't seem quite
consistent with McLean's overall tone. On the other hand, some of the
wordplay in Lennon's lyrics and books is reminiscent of Groucho.) The
'Marx-Lennon' wordplay has also been used by others, most notably the
Firesign Theatre on the cover of their album 'How Can You Be In Two Places
At Once When You're Not Anywhere At All?'. The Beatles "Here, There and
Everywhere," for example. Also, a famous French witticism was "Je suis
Marxiste, tendance Groucho. " (I'm a Marxist of the Groucho variety).
The quartet practiced in the park,
There are two schools of thought about this; the obvious one is the Beatles
playing in Shea Stadium, but note that the previous line has John Lennon
"doing something else at the same time". This tends to support the theory
that this is a reference to the Weavers, who were blacklisted during the
McCarthy era.
McLean had become friends with Lee Hays of the Weavers in the early '60s
while performing in coffeehouses and clubs in upstate New York and New York
City. He was also well-acquainted with Pete Seeger; in fact, McLean, Seeger,
and others took a trip on the Hudson river singing anti-pollution songs at
one point. Seeger's LP 'God Bless the Grass' contains many of these songs.
And we sang dirges in the dark',
A "dirge" is a funeral or mourning song, so perhaps this is meant
literally...or, perhaps, this is a reference to some of the new "art rock"
groups that played long pieces not meant for dancing. In the dark of the
death of Holly.
The day the music died. We were singing...
(Chorus)
Verse 4
Helter Skelter in a summer swelter,
'Helter Skelter' is a Beatles song which appears on the White Album. Charles
Manson, claiming to have been "inspired" by the song (through which he
thought God and/or the devil were taking to him) led his followers in the
Tate-LaBianca murders. "Summer swelter" a reference to the "Summer of Love"
or perhaps "long hot summer" of Watts.
The birds flew off with the fallout shelter, eight miles high and falling fast,
Without a doubt this refers to the Byrds who helped launch David Crosby to
superstars. The Byrd's 'Eight Miles High' was on their late 1966 release
"Fifth Dimension". They recorded this song when some of the
groups members were considering leaving (some of the groups members actually
left the group because they refused to fly in an airplane). A fallout
shelter was sometimes referred to as the fifth dimension because of the
1950's fascination with sci-fi and the futuristic appearance of a fallout
shelter. It was one of the first records to be widely banned because
of supposedly drug-orientated lyrics.
Another idea focuses on the Beatles' "Helter Skelter." A line from the song
reads, 'I'm coming down fast but I'm miles above you.' The similarity is
pretty obvious.
It landed foul on the grass,
One of the Byrds was busted for possession of marijuana.
The players tried for a forward pass,
Obviously a football metaphor about The Rolling Stones, i.e. they were
waiting for an opening which really didn't happen until the Beatles broke
up.
With regard to the next idea, the players may be other musicians who
received the opportunity to shine when Dylan was injured.
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast.
On 29th July 1966, Bob Dylan crashed his Triumph 55 motorcycle while
riding near his home in Woodstock, New York. He spent nine months in
seclusion while recuperating from the accident. This gave a chance for many
other artists to become noticed
Now the halftime air was sweet perfume,
Drugs, man.
Well, now, wait a minute; that's probably too obvious (wouldn't want to make
it easy). It's possible that This line and the next few refer to the 1968 US
Democratic National Convention. The "sweet perfume" is tear gas.
It could be the fact the since Dylan was temporarily out of the picture, the
future looked bright for many artists. The Stones, for example, may have
been given a brief chance.
While sergeants played a marching tune,
Following from the second thought above, the sergeants would be the Chicago
Police and the Illinois National Guard, who marched protesters out of the
park where the Convention was being held and into jail.
Alternatively, this could refer to the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts
Club Band." Or, perhaps McLean refers to the Beatles' music as "marching"
because it's not music for dancing.
We all got up to dance, oh, but we never got the chance.
The Beatles' 1966 Candlestick Park concert only lasted 35 minutes and there
wasn't any music to dance to. But at this point the Beatles were not "Sgt.
Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1967)
Or, following on from the previous comment, perhaps he was considering the
hippies who were protesting the Convention. They were known for playing
their own folk music.
'Cause the players tried to take the field, the marching band refused to yield,
Some folks think this refers to either the 1968 Democratic Convention or
Kent State. If the players are the protesters at Kent State, and the
marching band the Ohio National Guard...
This could be also a reference to the dominance of the Beatles on the rock and
roll scene. For instance, the Beach Boys released 'Pet Sounds' in 1966 - an
album which featured some of the same sort of studio and electronic
experimentation as 'Sgt. Pepper' (1967) - but the album sold poorly. It's a
comment about how the dominance of the Beatles in the rock world led to
more 'pop art' music, leading in turn to a dearth of traditional rock and roll.
The other Beatles reference here refers to the Monkees. The Monkees were
merely actors (or players), they were not a true band but a fabrication
attempting to replicate the Beatles. The players tried to take the place of
the Fab Four but the band wouldn't step down.
Or finally, this might be a comment that follows up on the earlier reference
to the draft: the government/military industrial-complex establishment
refused to accede to the demands of the peace movement.
Do you recall what was revealed, the day the music died? We started singing
(Chorus)
Verse 5
And there we were all in one place,
Woodstock.
A generation lost in space,
Some people think this is a reference to the US space program, which it
might be (the first moon landing took place in '69); but that seems a bit
too literal. Perhaps this is a reference to hippies, who were sometimes
known as the 'lost generation', partly because of their particularly acute
alienation from their parents, and partly because of their presumed
pre-occupation with drugs. (which was referred to as being "spaced-out.")
Being on drugs was sometimes termed -- being lost in space because of the
TV show, "Lost in Space," whose title was used as a synonym for someone
who was rather high... I keep hoping that McLean had better taste.
With no time left to start again.
The 'lost generation' spent too much time being stoned, and had wasted their
lives. Or, perhaps, their preferences for psychedelia had pushed rock and
roll so far from Holly's music that it couldn't be retrieved.
So come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick,
A reference to Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones; 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' was
released in May, 1968.
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick,
The Rolling Stones' Candlestick Park concert. Jack Flash is also a cockney slang
term for pharmaceutical heroin. If you know how to use heroin, you understand
the reference.
'Cause fire is the devil's only friend.
The 'Stones were playing with fire...
It's possible that this is a reference to the Grateful Dead's "Friend of the
Devil."
An alternate interpretation of the last four lines is that they may refer to
Jack Kennedy and his quick decisions during the Cuban Missile Crisis; the
candlesticks/fire refer to ICBMs and nuclear war.
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.
While playing a concert at the Altamont Speedway in 1969, The Rolling Stones
appointed members of the Hell's Angels as concert security. In the darkness
near the front of the stage, a young man named Meredith Hunter was beaten
and stabbed to death - by the Angels. Public outcry that the song 'Sympathy
for the Devil' had somehow incited the violence caused the 'Stones to drop
the song from their show for the next six years. This incident is chronicled in
the documentary film "Gimme Shelter."
It's also possible that McLean views the Stones as being negatively inspired
(he had an extensive religious background) because of "Sympathy for the
Devil," "Their Satanic Majesties' Request" and so on. This is a bit
puzzling, since the early Stones recorded a lot of "roots" rock and roll,
including Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away."
And as the flames climbed high into the night, to light the sacrificial rite,
About Altamont, and in particular Mick Jagger's prancing and posing and
"climbing high" while it was happening. The sacrifice is Meredith Hunter,
and the bonfires around the area provide the flames.
It could be a reference to Jimi Hendrix burning his Stratocaster at the
Monterey Pop Festival, but that was in 1967 and this verse is no doubt set
in 1968.
I saw satan laughing with delight,
If the above is correct, then Satan would be Jagger.
The day the music died, he was singing...
(Chorus)
Verse 6
I met a girl who sang the blues,
Janis Joplin, the lady of the blues. Or the girl might be Roberta Flack.
Its rumored that she wrote, "Killing Me Softly (with his song)," in response
to this lyric in his song.
And I asked her for some happy news, but she just smiled and turned away.
Janis died of an accidental (accidental my ass!) heroin overdose on
4th October 1970.
I went down to the sacred store, where I'd heard the music years before,
The "sacred store" was Bill Graham's Fillmore West, one of the great rock
and roll venues of all time.
Alternatively, this refers to record stores, and their longtime (then
discontinued) practice of allowing customers to preview records in the
store. (What year did the Fillmore West close?)
It could also refer to record stores as "sacred" because this is where one
goes to get "saved." (See above lyric "Can music save your mortal soul?")
But the man there said the music wouldn't play.
Nobody is interested in hearing Buddy Holly, et.al.'s music. Or, as above, the
discontinuation of the in-store listening booths.
And in the streets the children screamed,
'Flower children' being beaten by police and National Guard troops; in
particular, perhaps, the People's Park riots in Berkeley, USA, in 1969 and
1970.
It is possible that this refers to the Vietnamese children. LIFE magazine
was famous for publishing horrifying photos of children in Vietnam during the
Vietnamese War.
The lovers cried and the poets dreamed,
The trend towards psychadelic music in the '60s. Or again the hippies who
were both great lovers and poets who would then be crying because of the
difficulties of their struggle and dreaming of peace.
But not a word was spoken, the church bells all were broken.
The broken bells are the dead musicians - neither can produce any more
music.
And the three men I admire the most, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Richie Valens - or - Hank Williams, Presley,
and Holly - or - JFK, Martin Luther King, and Bobby Kennedy - or simply the
Catholic aspects of the deity. McLean had attended several Catholic schools.
They caught the last train for the coast,
Could be a reference to wacky California religions, or it could just be a
way of saying that they've left (or died - western culture has used "went
west" as a synonym for dying). Or, perhaps this is a reference to the famous
"God is Dead" headline in the New York Times. Some have suggested that this
is an oblique reference to a line in Procol Harum's "Whiter Shade of Pale,"
but I'm not sure I'd buy that; firstly, all of McLean's musical references
are to much older roots: rock and roll songs; and secondly, I think it's
more likely that this line shows up in both songs simply because it's a
common cultural metaphor.
The day the music died.
This tends to support the conjecture that the "three men" were
Holly/Bopper/Valens, since this says that they left on the day the music
died.
And they were singing...
(chorus)
had caused to life many parodies: the life continues...
At least one of them I want to present too.
