Don McLean
A long, long time ago...
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.
And them good old boys were drinkin’
whiskey and rye
Singin’, "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?
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 that you’re in love with him
`cause I saw you dancin’ in the gym.
You both kicked off your shoes.
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues.
I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck,
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died.
I started singin’,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "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 a rollin’ 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 the king was looking down,
The jester stole his thorny crown.
The courtroom was adjourned;
No verdict was returned.
And while lennon read a book of marx,
The quartet practiced in the park,
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music d`ied.
We were singing,
So bye-bye, miss American pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’
whiskey and rye
And singin’, "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 a fallout shelter,
Eight miles high and falling fast.
It landed foul on the grass.
The players tried for a forward pass,
We started singing,
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast. "bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Now the half-time air was sweet perfume Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and
While the sergeants played a marching rye
tune.
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
We all got up to dance,
"this’ll be the day that I die."
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 the music died?
Oh, 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.
Oh, 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 rite,
I saw satan laughing with delight
The day the music died
He was singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."
I met a 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 the three men I admire most:
The father, son, and the holy ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died.
This line is a metaphor
A metaphor is comparing two things
without like or as
This is a metaphor because it is saying
how American culture is done for as
everyone knows it after the plane crash
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This song has a lot of moods. It starts out slow, so the
mood is down and really unhappy. However as the song
goes on the song picks up the tempo and becomes more
energetic and happier, although the words of the song
still aren’t the happiest. So the song is an unhappy song
that gives off a happy and fun sound.
Back
This is imagery
Imagery is using
words to help you see
what is going on
You can see how happy
these people’s music used
to make him very happy
Back
This section of the song is a rhyme
scheme
The rhyme scheme is
aa, bb, c, dd
A rhyme scheme is two or
more lines that end rhyming
the line before it
Back
This is a rhyme scheme
The scheme is aa,
b, cc, and d
This rhyme scheme is the
first two lines rhyme then
the 3rd and 4th lines
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On February 3, 1959, just after 1 a.m., a tragic crash over Clear
Lake, Iowa, took place on a small private plane. Buddy Holly, Big
Bopper, and Ritchie Valens were the most well known people on
that plane. The plane was head to Fargo, N.D. However it never
make it to its destination. The bands had to rent the plane after
their concert in Clear Lake because the bus was so cold that it was
unbearable. However there wasn’t enough space so only these
few people could catch the flight. They never made it far from the
airport before a snow storm hit and caused the plane to crash just
past Clear Water.
Back
New in the 1950’s and into the 60’s, Rock and
Roll shook the foundation of music as everyone
knew it. Several different popular types of music
from across the world helped to created the new
type of music. Rock and Roll only started small
at small clubs, and small radio stations, but with
the creation of American Band Stand in the late
60’s, rock and roll took off. It was also the
cooler young people music because most
parents didn’t like the faster beat, crud lyrics,
and the types of dances that went along with the
music.
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Started in 1962, the Stones were a big part of rock and roll and very
popular. They were originally from London but their music went world
wide. They started as a basic blues band, but once switched to rock,
became popular quick. By the mid- 60’s they were the number two
band in the world, right behind the Beatles. They revolutionized the
use of instruments in rock and roll.
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Charles Mansion is an American criminal and charged for
conspiracy. He also started the organization known as the
Mansion family, or just “the family.” Mansion was put into
jail and when he was released, started the conspiracy
group. He was referred to as Helter Skelter first by the
Beetles, but later a book was called Helter Skelter as well
as the reference in American Pie.
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Holly was one of the great singers before the age of Don McLean.
He was born as the youngest of four in Texas, but was always
strongly influenced by the African-American music that he grew up
listening to. His first few albums were all blues and other song
types, but after hearing Elvis sing, he was always rock and roll.
He was an instant hit and loved by everyone up until his death,
“The Day the Music Died.”
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Ritchie was the first Rock and Roll star out of Chicago. He died during the
plane crash along with the others, and his family was devastated. They live in
San Francisco today. Ritchie’s career never really took off, but for the short time
that it was there, he was well known and respected. He had written several
songs, most of which became hits. It is a shame that he died as young and
early into his career as he did.
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Don McLean was born on October 2nd 1945 in New York.
From a young age he had always be into music and spent
hours listening to the radio and old records. Don
attended Villanova for just four months before leaving to
start his music career while attending night classes at
Iona College. In 1969, Don recorded his first album,
“Tapestry,” and was a decent success for his first. Then in
1971 he started his international career with the release
of “American Pie.” The song was a hit and within a week
of being released became a number one hit on the radios
and record sales. This song was his biggest success and
one of the greatest songs in the 20th century. Through his
career he had four big albums that all hit top 10’s
throughout Europe and the United States. Don McLean is
still alive to this day and lives in Maine on a huge estate
with his wife and two children.
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