# Bye Bye Miss American Pie — it hit #1, 50 yrs ago tomorrow **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [January 14, 2022, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye-miss-american-pie-it-hit-1-50-yrs-ago-tomorrow/957780 "2022-01-14T15:31:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye-miss-american-pie-it-hit-1-50-yrs-ago-tomorrow/957780/21 "2022-01-14T20:37:16Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I think they do, but McLean is the only one that can decipher them. > **[What is Don McLean’s song “American Pie” all about?](https://www.straightdope.com/21342063/what-is-don-mclean-s-song-american-pie-all-about)** > [@](#): > > Sorry to leave you all on your own like this but long ago I realized that songwriters should make their statements and move on, maintaining a dignified silence. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye-miss-american-pie-it-hit-1-50-yrs-ago-tomorrow/957780/22 "2022-01-14T20:39:47Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > “The three men I admire the most: Ron Howard, Anson Williams and Donnie Most.” …they caught the last plane for the coast The day Happy Days…died\* \* Sept 24, 1984 ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye-miss-american-pie-it-hit-1-50-yrs-ago-tomorrow/957780/23 "2022-01-14T21:17:05Z")
Just to point out, that last video is not Ritchie Valens. It’s Lou Diamond Phillips playing Ritchie Valens in the biopic _La Bamba_. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye-miss-american-pie-it-hit-1-50-yrs-ago-tomorrow/957780/24 "2022-01-14T21:20:52Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > I can’t imagine anyone hating this song…? My wife can’t stand it, but her reason for this is solely because she heard it so often as a young person, and she grew sick of it. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye-miss-american-pie-it-hit-1-50-yrs-ago-tomorrow/957780/25 "2022-01-14T21:38:19Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > Just to point out, that last video is not Ritchie Valens. It’s Lou Diamond Phillips playing Ritchie Valens in the biopic _La Bamba_ . Sorry. Can anyone find of video of Ritchie singing La Bamba (the videos I am finding simply show one or more pictures of him while the song is playing.) ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye-miss-american-pie-it-hit-1-50-yrs-ago-tomorrow/957780/26 "2022-01-14T21:46:40Z")
I did a quick search and could not. There doesn’t seem to be much film of him actually performing. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye-miss-american-pie-it-hit-1-50-yrs-ago-tomorrow/957780/27 "2022-01-14T21:52:09Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > In 2015, McLean sold the manuscript of the lyrics to “American Pie.” Holy crap! When I first glanced at that I thought it was talking about rights to the lyrics and going “Damn, did he get fucked.” > [@flurb](#): > > I’d say in terms of being remembered the order is Buddy Holly \> Richie Valens \> \> \> The Big Bopper. For me, Buddy Holly is the only one I can actually picture in my head when I hear his songs. Lou Diamond Phillips is Richie Valens. And until this thread, I thought the Big Bopper was a black guy. 😊 In my defense, I think the only time I’ve ever heard his music is when they used to sell greatest hits of the decade LPs on television. > [@74westy](#): > > I had that line wrong. I thought it was “The three men I admire the most: Ron Howard, Anson Williams and Donnie Most.” Best mondegreen ever! 👍 I wish I had heard that! > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > My wife can’t stand it, but her reason for this is solely because she heard it so often as a young person, and she grew sick of it. This is me a little bit. If it comes up on the car radio twice a year I won’t change the channel. But I’ve never owned it or had it on a playlist of any kind. I think it’s a good song, it’s just a bit out of my musical tastes and a little goes a long way. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye-miss-american-pie-it-hit-1-50-yrs-ago-tomorrow/957780/28 "2022-01-14T22:09:27Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > I can’t imagine anyone hating this song…? Though I love the song in general, I can think of one particular instance I hated it…one night my sister dragged me to a Karaoke night at a bar. One guy, either clueless, shameless, or sadistic, kept going up and singing in a mumbly, off-key voice that was like nails on a chalkboard. After a few shorter songs, he chose to sing American Pie. I’ve never been more acutely aware of how long the song is. > [@N9IWP](#): > > I like the Weird Al version (The Saga Begins) That’s one of my favorite Weird Al parodies. Fun fact about that: Weird Al wrote the song before he ever saw the movie, basing his info on online leaks. when he was invited to a prescreening, he was surprised how accurate he was, and only had to make a few changes. > **[When Did Weird Al Yankovic Write "The Saga Begins"?](https://fantasticfacts.net/3116/)** > > Star Wars is an American epic space-opera multimedia series created by George Lucas that became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye-miss-american-pie-it-hit-1-50-yrs-ago-tomorrow/957780/29 "2022-01-14T22:18:51Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > And while Lenin read a book on Marx Not “Lennon read a book on Marx”? A possible reference to his 1970 “Working Class Hero”? ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye-miss-american-pie-it-hit-1-50-yrs-ago-tomorrow/957780/30 "2022-01-14T22:20:00Z")
Don’t know. I got the lyrics from google so all bets are off. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye-miss-american-pie-it-hit-1-50-yrs-ago-tomorrow/957780/31 "2022-01-14T22:30:38Z")
> [@Kropotkin](#): > > Not “Lennon read a book on Marx”? I always figured that the “Lennon/Lenin” was a play on words, and could be interpreted either way. I have no idea if there is an official lyric sheet, or which spelling it might feature, but for what it’s worth, the song’s listing on [Genius.com](http://Genius.com) says “Lennon,” and I find their lyrics to usually be fairly accurate. > **[Don McLean – American Pie](https://genius.com/Don-mclean-american-pie-lyrics)** > > Don McLean released this groundbreaking song on the album American Pie in 1971. It is full of pop-culture references. An entire website has been created by Jim Fann to explore the ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye-miss-american-pie-it-hit-1-50-yrs-ago-tomorrow/957780/32 "2022-01-14T22:39:21Z")
My brother in law hates this song. He chaperoned a scouting trip when this hit #1 and it’s all he heard for 3 days. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye-miss-american-pie-it-hit-1-50-yrs-ago-tomorrow/957780/33 "2022-01-14T22:49:17Z")
> [@peedin](#): > > My brother in law hates this song. He chaperoned a scouting trip when this hit #1 and it’s all he heard for 3 days. - That’s only five repetitions. Big deal. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye-miss-american-pie-it-hit-1-50-yrs-ago-tomorrow/957780/34 "2022-01-14T22:55:47Z")
> [@gnarator](#): > > I recall Casey Kasem explaining the lyrics on _American Top Forty_ years and years ago. As I child I was impressed with the song and its lyrics. Just for the hell of it, I once decided to reinterpret the entire song to make it all about politics. I can’t remember every metaphor I tortured, but the jester was Abbie Hoffman, the sergeants playing a marching tune who wouldn’t yield the field were the National Guard troops at Kent State, The Chevy on the levee of course belonged to Ted Kennedy. Yeah, some of the allusions were forced, but they didn’t seem much more forced that what Casey Kasem came up with. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2022, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye-miss-american-pie-it-hit-1-50-yrs-ago-tomorrow/957780/35 "2022-01-14T23:09:17Z")
I heard he stopped performing it, thinking it would pigeonhole him or something, but I haven’t found that on line. His current girlfriend was negative twenty (plus) years old at the time…a man with money to burn meets his ‘match,’ as they say? > **[American Pie singer Don McLean, 75, kisses girlfriend Paris Dylan, 27, while...](https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/don-mclean-kisses-girlfriend-paris-dylan-walk-of-fame-star)** > > The 1971 hit song "American Pie" turned 50 years old this year. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2022, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye-miss-american-pie-it-hit-1-50-yrs-ago-tomorrow/957780/36 "2022-01-15T00:27:25Z")
She’s pretty. And he’s pretty… old. About the Surf Ballroom, it has a pay phone in it. It’s the same phone Buddy Holly used to call his wife that night. It was the last time they would talk. Years later she visited, and she autographed the wall nearby. Seeing that sent chills up my spine. _I saw Satan laughing with delight_ _The day the music died_ ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2022, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye-miss-american-pie-it-hit-1-50-yrs-ago-tomorrow/957780/37 "2022-01-15T01:24:31Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > About the Surf Ballroom, it has a pay phone in it. It’s the same phone Buddy Holly used to call his wife that night. It was the last time they would talk. Chills? I’ve probably posted it in here elsewhere, but are we all familiar with the story of the Big Bopper and his coffin? IIRC they buried him in a part of the cemetery where people weren’t finding him. At some point they decided to relocate him so the could stop explaining how to find him. So they contacted his son (who was still in the womb when his dad died) and basically asked if he’d like to “meet” his father for the first time. And he did. 😬 > **[Big Bopper's son meets his father for the first time](https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2007-04-04-0704020146-story.html)** I’m too lazy to go back and find sources but IIRC, Texas law says you can’t rebury in the same coffin, so…here’s a piece of RNR memorabilia?! The son mentioned possibly selling it on ebay, but people squealed and he was like “No, not really.” It ended up in a museum. I wonder what it smelled like and I’m glad I don’t know. Dig (ahem) into that story…something to the effect that the son thought maybe Buddy Holly was carrying a gun and his dad had been shot, so they x-rayed the corpse. Bizarre stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2022, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye-miss-american-pie-it-hit-1-50-yrs-ago-tomorrow/957780/38 "2022-01-15T02:01:49Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I love this song, but I can imagine some people might not like it. Imagine only knowing it from the Madonna version. Don’t … just don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2022, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye-miss-american-pie-it-hit-1-50-yrs-ago-tomorrow/957780/39 "2022-01-15T02:19:11Z")
Oh I’d forgotten she’d done one. Memorable? Not. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2022, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye-miss-american-pie-it-hit-1-50-yrs-ago-tomorrow/957780/40 "2022-01-15T11:10:17Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > This is me a little bit. If it comes up on the car radio twice a year I won’t change the channel. But I’ve never owned it or had it on a playlist of any kind. I think it’s a good song, it’s just a bit out of my musical tastes and a little goes a long way. I am this way about [Freebird](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0W1v0kOELA) … growing up, it was on hard cycle the summer of 75 and my brother and I picked up money working for a local farmer doing various crop related stuff and the foreman had a boom box on the tractor and blasted it … so I associate the song with being hot, sweaty and tired. The whole middle where the guy on guitar goes off twiddling around for about 10 minutes could safely be cut out as far as I am concerned. I do like American Pie, it wasn’t as overplayed - and doesn’t have the selfwanking guitar part in the middle. I did like Valens, Holley and Big Bopper, grew up listening to the music [my mom liked them and owned records that she would play. I love Chantilly Lace =)] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye-miss-american-pie-it-hit-1-50-yrs-ago-tomorrow/957780.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-bye-miss-american-pie-it-hit-1-50-yrs-ago-tomorrow/957780.md?page=3)