Nov 8th in Pop History

On this day, November 8th, in: 

• 1971 - Don McLean released the epic single American Pie.

American Pie is a song by American singer and songwriter Don McLean. Recorded and released on the American Pie album in 1971, the single was the number-one US hit for four weeks in 1972 and also topped the charts in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. In the UK, the single reached number 2, where it stayed for 3 weeks, on its original 1971 release and a reissue in 1991 reached No. 12. The Recording Industry Association of America has the song in its top five, behind Over the Rainbow and White Christmas. McLean's combined version, at 8 1/2 minutes, is the fourth longest song to enter the Billboard Hot 100 (at the time of release it was the longest), in addition to being the longest song to reach number one.

The repeatedly mentioned phrase “the day the music died,” refers to the plane crash in 1959 that killed early rock and roll performers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper. (McLean's description eventually became the popular name for the plane crash.) The meaning of the other lyrics has long been debated, and for decades, McLean declined to explain the symbolism behind the many characters and events mentioned; he eventually released his songwriting notes in 2015, explaining many of the symbols in the lyrics, but they still aren’t as specific as fans wished they were. 

The jester in the song is widely assumed to be Bob Dylan, stealing the limelight from Elvis Presley as the new messiah: “And while the king was looking down / The jester stole his thorny crown.” Dylan himself seemed to take umbrage with the association. “Yeah, American Pie, what a song that is,” he said in a rare interview in 2017. “A jester? Sure, the jester writes songs like Masters of War, A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall, It’s Alright, Ma – some jester. I have to think he’s talking about somebody else. Ask him.” So, it seems Dylan doesn’t seem to believe the reference is to him. Don McLean seems to resist being specific about interpreting the lyrics. Others can’t resist trying to exegete each verse and it’s meaning as you can see in the chart below: 

It is safe to conclude that the overall theme of the song is the loss of innocence of the early rock and roll generation as symbolized by the plane crash that claimed the lives of three of its heroes and various other events over the course of the 1960s. 

Just as Woodstock was heralded as the landmark of the counterculture movement, "Altamont was the event that signalled its demise. Reality steps in," says Fann. The tragedy served to finally "burst the bubble of youth culture's illusions about itself," wrote Todd Gitlin, an eyewitness, in his book The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage.

And in the final verse of McLean's parable, when he "goes down to the sacred store, where I'd heard the music years before" he finds that sadly: “The man there said the music wouldn’t play.” 

And these words are not just symbolic. But even more so, "the cynicism of this generation had annihilated the innocent world the narrator had grown up in." That kind of music simply wouldn't play any more. Now, 50 years later, it would be nice to think that - whatever the revelations to come from McLean's original scribbled notes - they will not burst the bubble for the millions of fans who still dream of Chevys, whisky and rye. 

The decade of the 1960s saw the end of innocence and the rise of cynicism. A decade born in hope, somehow degenerated into self indulgence, and ended in disillusionment. This song, in 1971, is ultimately a sad parable of that decline. Listen for yourself... 

American Pie on Spotify:

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Also, on this day, November 8th, in: 

• 1971 - Paul McCartney throws a party at London's Empire Ballroom to officially launch his new group, Wings 

• 1975 - Elton John’s album Rock Of The Westies hits # 1 in America. It's his third # 1 album of 1975, following Elton John's Greatest Hits and Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy 

• 1975 - David Bowie makes his US television debut on the CBS variety show Cher, performing Fame. Bowie also sings a medley of tracks with Cher

• 1975 - The Carpenters released their remake of the Marvelettes' song Please Mr. Postman