A Eureka Moment - "American Pie"

I have never really ever been graced with a lucid and clear mind that is able to grasp all the relevant issues and then gather this information in one binding conclusion. A-ha moments (as opposed to the band) are certainly not a thing that comes along too often for me. However, when they do knock on my mental door, I almost always welcome them into my little mess.

Just recently and quite early in the morning, I may add, I did have one. Although not earth shattering in its nature nor in its relevance to the world today, but it gave me an inner sense of smugness that I was aware of something that much of the world wondered about. It was not quite of the kind that Archimedes had when he ran down the street yelling, "Eureka"!! So instead of running naked down the street, as I may have done in my earlier years, I fumbled for a pen and a piece of paper to record this revelation, something I had wondered about since around 1971. I ended up not finding either, so I took the chance that all writers take when they say to themselves this is such an incredible thought/story/song/plot (you take your pick) that I would never forget. In this case, fortune was on my side and I remembered when I awoke in the morning.

What could make me, as well of millions of other people, so obsessive about a 38 year old question? The only person who could answer the riddle, the writer, has steadfastly refused to unveil the enigma. So people, here I am to take the bows. I unveil to you the mystery of Don McLean's classic masterpiece, "American Pie".

Most people know of the references to various characters in the song from Buddy Holly and the Crickets, to Bob Dylan, to the Beatles ( a take off of the Crickets) to the sinful bad boys of Satan worship, the Rolling Stones (for a complete breakdown see (http://www.faqs.org/faqs/music/american-pie/). But all that is not the point of this piece. The question really is, what is the feel of the song, what is the whole message?

So, here we go. The first thing is that American Pie is a tri-level song, meaning at different levels there are differing meaning but all add up to the same conclusion. The first level is the Marching Band/Jester level of analysis, the 'what is what, who is who' reference. The second level is a little fuzzier and only took me until about 1994 to figure out. The third level is that epiphany that I wrote about before. The actual thought behind the song, the Miss American Pie part.

The first four stanzas of the song are All American. Pick-up trucks, Chevy's, pink carnations, levees and dancin' in the gym. It is Buddy Holly, it IS American Rock and Roll. Then things changed. The day the music died. Holly's untimely death.

The second level is the advancement of each verse to a change in the style of Rock and Roll after every chorus there were new things to report in the change of music style, the Summer of Love to the violence of Altamont. With each chorus of "So, bye, bye Miss American Pie", it marked an evolution of musical tastes. From the early days of Buddy and Elvis to the more mystical styles of the late '60's. It was the transfer of music from an American influence to a British influence.

So, what is that epiphany that I had? What ties in all these three levels? Like most complicated solutions, it is disarmingly simple. Deejays in the early days of Rock n' Roll referred to record albums as platters or pies. What Don McLean wrote about was not "bye, bye Miss American Pie", but "bye bye, Miss American Record". American music to him had really died. The day the music died is not only when Buddy Holly was killed, but it was when American influence in music also died and gave way to the British invasion.