53 years ago today

[Little-Acorn]

53 years ago today, on Feb. 3, 1959, a Beechcraft Bonanza light aircraft carrying singers Richie Valens, Buddy Holly, and J.P. Richardson ("The Big Bopper") crashed in an Iowa cornfield in heavy weather, killing all on board. That was the day the music died.

The name of the plane was "American Pie".

 

[steveox]

And back in the 50s The media wasnt biased like it is now. Taxes were high on the wealthy and people had jobs.Rock N roll was clean,, TV shows were clean no sex and graphic violence like you have today. Ohhh those were the good old days. Just like that song from All in the Family


"
Boy, the way Glen Miller played. Songs that made the hit parade.
Guys like us, we had it made. Those were the days.
Didn't need no welfare state. Everybody pulled his weight.
Gee, our old LaSalle ran great. Those were the days.
And you know who you were then, girls were girls and men were men.
Mister, we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again.
People seemed to be content. Fifty dollars paid the rent.
Freaks were in a circus tent. Those were the days.
Take a little Sunday spin, go to watch the Dodgers win.
Have yourself a dandy day that cost you under a fin.
Hair was short and skirts were long. Kate Smith really sold a song.
I don't know just what went wrong. Those Were The Days.

 

[dogtowner]

And back in the 50s The media wasnt biased like it is now. Taxes were high on the wealthy and people had jobs.Rock N roll was clean,, TV shows were clean no sex and graphic violence like you have today. Ohhh those were the good old days. Just like that song from All in the Family


"
Boy, the way Glen Miller played. Songs that made the hit parade.
Guys like us, we had it made. Those were the days.
Didn't need no welfare state. Everybody pulled his weight.
Gee, our old LaSalle ran great. Those were the days.
And you know who you were then, girls were girls and men were men.
Mister, we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again.
People seemed to be content. Fifty dollars paid the rent.
Freaks were in a circus tent. Those were the days.
Take a little Sunday spin, go to watch the Dodgers win.
Have yourself a dandy day that cost you under a fin.
Hair was short and skirts were long. Kate Smith really sold a song.
I don't know just what went wrong. Those Were The Days.

the media has always been biased and the taxes PAID by the rich never equated to the published tax rates.

 

[Gipper]

53 years ago today, on Feb. 3, 1959, a Beechcraft Bonanza light aircraft carrying singers Richie Valens, Buddy Holly, and J.P. Richardson ("The Big Bopper") crashed in an Iowa cornfield in heavy weather, killing all on board. That was the day the music died.

The name of the plane was "American Pie".

Really? I never knew the name of the plane matched the great tune. Wild! It certainly makes perfect sense.

I have long wondered what Buddy Holly would have become had he lived. He just might have been as big as Elvis or the Beetles.

Thanks for posting this.

 

[steveox]

This is still my kind of Music

 

[Gipper]

Check this out. In fact, the song was about much more than the death of those great rock stars. It was about the death of America...thanks to liberalism. That makes a lot of sense when you listen closely to the lyrics.

I have renewed my love for this song and have great respect for Don McLean. You?

Since sifting through all the research about the song, it's evident that American Pie is about McLean giving up rock & roll since the death of such great stars as Holly, and the emergence of artists who had become money obsessed.

However the song has tones, which come across even more strongly than these points about society as a whole changing. The sadness about the Vietnam war, the threat of nuclear attack from Russia, race riots, and the death of JFK shattering the idealism. This for me is the picture that McLean paints so well in this song. His disillusionment becomes more apparent as the song progresses. As McLean puts it "American Pie speaks to the loss that we feel. That's why that song has found the niche that it has" - Don McLean, VH1 Interview http://www.don-mclean.com/DonMcLean/play.asp?p=58
The song is also about the degeneration of America in terms of religion & McLean's longing for the wholesome days of the 50s when musicians were God fearing & which some believe a metaphor for American Pie. (Ref: M Green)

For McLean 50s Rock represented his innocent years. The song chronicles important events in the 60s as well as McLean's own growth & loss of innocence as well as his attempt to retain it. The song is in fact highly autobiographical, with McLean featured in every verse. (Ref: Mark Jordan)

In the late sixties and early seventies, Don was obsessed with what he called "the death of America" -- the loss of many things he believed in while growing up. "In a sense, 'American Pie' was a very despairing song but it can also be seen as very hopeful. Pete Seeger has said that he saw it as a song in which people were saying something. They'd been fooled, they'd been hurt, and it wasn't going to happen again. (Ref: donmclean.com)

Many people have theorized about what the words "American Pie" actually mean: It's a metaphor for the times (Ref: Marv Bloom). I think Don took different episodes from the American music and political events from the 60's. I think it is an analogy - The pie is the American events of the decade of 60´s, and the slices are every episode he is describing. (Ref: Alex J)
You may disagree, so read this interpretation and then make up your own mind.
Enjoy!
http://www.missamericanpie.co.uk/interpret.html

 

[dogtowner]

wow... lyrics with meaning instead of "I like big butts..." ?
yeah the music did pretty much die.