Don McLean has broken his supposed “silence” on the issue of the lyrics. Don McLean’s official website on American Pie. Not that he is very explicit in his statements.
This is in regards to Cecil’s column, reposted today on the main page: What is Don McLean’s song “American Pie” all about?
MODERATOR NOTE: Please be aware this thread is from 6/2007 until Post #18 which resurrected this in 3/2014. – CKDH
In another SDMB thread, somebody mentioned reading an interview with McLean in which he said that although he doesn’t particularly mind performing “American Pie” in concert, it’s so lengthy and he’s done it so many times that he tends to zone out when he does.
This is a little irrelevant the problem of figuring out the lyrics, but as soon as I reread the column by Cecil and the letter from McLean, I couldn’t help but think one thing…
Obviously, Don McLean is a fan of the Straight Dope…or at least knows it exists…
Now, was he ever a poster here on the boards? :dubious:
Brendon
Another good find, DSYoungEsq. Nothing he says in there actually contradicts what Cecil wrote in the article, but Don McLean is adding that there are some references to personal experiences of his.
While going through his website, I was interested to read this:
http://www.don-mclean.com/direct/index.asp
Is that the Straight Dope?
It’s a bit hyperbolic, but there is some truth in it. Certainly, a lot of kids grooved on Tommy Roe in the mid 60s without realizing how much he had borrowed from Buddy Holly.
On the other hand, as Rock and Roll got established and started spawning ever more trends and genres, retrospectives and history were pretty much inevitable and I doubt that Holly would be totally unremembered, today, except for American Pie. The song very definitely gave him a boost into the memory of folks born between 1946 and his death which has certainly not hurt his legacy or memory. But, then, Valens and the Big Bopper are pretty well known, (and their music was played as oldies even before American Pie was released), and they are not even mentioned in the song, so I doubt that Holly would have drifted into oblivion without the song.
I suspect that it would be more accurate to say that the mid-1960s AM radio stations concentrated so heavily on TODAY’s! TOP! 40! (actually, top 19 or so) that a lot of younger listeners initially were unaware of the roots of much of the music, but as FM changed the broadcasting and listening habits and more oldies format stations were born, Holly was pretty well assured a place in our consciousness, eventually.
Well, WABC-AM always had it’s “solid gold”, and it was around 1971 that dedicated oldies stations started springing up.
I generally agree, but I would put it back even a bit earlier if only because so many 60s rock stars did covers of Holly’s songs. The Stones did “Not Fade Away,” Blind Faith covered “Well All Right,” The Mamas and Papas had a hit with “Words of Love,” Peter & Gordon redid “True Love Ways” and there are dozens of others pre “American Pie”.
And by 1971 the 50s had already been rediscovered enough so that people like Dion, Ricky Nelson, and Neil Sedaka had had comeback hits. You could hear 50s songs regularly on Top 40 as flashbacks or golden oldies or the like and certainly college radio stations were broadening their playlist to include rock roots on a regular basis.
McLean’s website may claim that “it is often said that if it wasn’t for Don McLean then nobody would have heard of Buddy Holly today.” but this is the very first time in the 36 years that I’ve ever heard anyone say that.
I say it’s spinach and I say the hell with it.
The funniest part of all this is that, if it weren’t for American Pie, most people would never have heard of Don McLean!! 
(Said by someone who loves at least 7 things he did, including his wonderful version of Mountains O’Mourne).
And “Vincent,” better known by many as “Starry, Starry Night.”
Two different songs. However, the Beatles did a cover of the Holly song.
Don’t forget “Dreidel”!
Personally I like ‘Everbody Loves Me Baby’
Oh and whenever I see DSYoungEsq I think you are really Denis DeYoung from Styx.
Hehehe, would that I was… I imagine he has a bit more money than I do.
Cecil says
Yes, it rhymes, but I seem to remember (though I’m not going to search for it) that The Levee was a club where McLean frequently performed.
True. How sad. Don McLean’s artist status, though, is secure forever owing to Vincent.
I feel the same way about Mountains O’Mourne. Another, for me, would be Castles In The Air (the version that moves, not the dreamy one).
In any case, [FONT=Times New Roman]if you are reading this, Don, thank you for giving the world Vincent. It is on the short list of works of art that illuminate, interpret, define or redefine, and are forever associated with another work of art.
I’m trying to think of other pairs that might be in that category.
[/FONT]Starry Night, Van Gogh … Vincent, Don McLean
This question was reposted as a Classic today, which made me think about how to me, the line “As the players tried to take the field, the marching band refused to yield” has special meaning.
When I was in high school, the pom squad had horrendous trouble getting their music to play on the PA during halftime. After several minutes of trying, they finally did their routine to silence. Then it was time for the marching band (of which I was a member) to perform. Because of the pom delay, we were still playing when the clock ran out, and our football coach was furious because we “refused to yield.” Our team actually got a delay of game penalty, but I swear it was the POM SQUAD’S fault!
Yes, I heard that too, at a McLean concert. The place was busted for serving underage several times, meaning he didn’t get paid those nights.