# Don McLean Speaks Out (American Pie) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [June 20, 2007, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-mclean-speaks-out-american-pie/408733 "2007-06-20T16:25:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-mclean-speaks-out-american-pie/408733/21 "2013-03-04T17:09:01Z")
I like “American Pie”, but “Vincent” is _glurge_. Also, I am pretty darn sure I knew about Buddy Holly (and his death) well before “American Pie” came out, and I was neither particularly musically hip at that time, nor old enough to remember Buddy from when he was still alive. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-mclean-speaks-out-american-pie/408733/22 "2013-03-04T17:34:36Z")
That article suggests that the “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost” line refers to McLean’s father, Buddy Holly, and JFK. > [@](#): > > For McLean, the transition from the light innocence of childhood to the dark realities of adulthood began with the deaths of his father and Buddy Holly and culminated with the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, which was the start of a more difficult time for America. I could be reading too much into that sentence. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-mclean-speaks-out-american-pie/408733/23 "2013-03-04T17:49:07Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > 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. I know I’m responding to a zombie post, but I’ve heard that McLean sometimes starts singing Weird Al Yankovic’s [del]parody of[/del] tribute to “American Pie,” called “The Saga Begins.” “Long, long time ago, in a galaxy far away, Naboo was under an attack.” ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-mclean-speaks-out-american-pie/408733/24 "2013-03-04T17:50:55Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Personally I like ‘Everbody Loves Me Baby’ Me too! A nice touch of comic hyperbole. “The Grave” is another excellent song that doesn’t get much attention (and didn’t deserve the lackluster George Michael cover). But I could do without “Vincent” and some of his other, mushier tunes. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_guy23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/53a042/32.png) [@Dark\_guy23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_guy23)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-mclean-speaks-out-american-pie/408733/25 "2013-03-05T21:54:55Z")
Just as Magicians keep their magical secrets well hidden, so too do Musicians have the right to keep their mysterious lyrics under wraps. That’s the secret behind a lot of entertainment, as well as a lot of the intrigue. Part of the enjoyment of pop culture is to use our OWN imagination to increase the awareness of our surroundings, to interpret things for ourselves, to discover things for ourselves. I say let the artists keep some things under lock and key, because isn’t life more exciting that way anyway? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-mclean-speaks-out-american-pie/408733/26 "2013-03-05T23:06:04Z")
Moderator Comment: Welcome to the Straight Dope Message Boards, **Dark\_guy23** , we’re glad you found us. Since there was already a thread on this topic, I’ve taken the liberty of merging your post into that thread… sort of trying (vaguely) to keep topics together. Speaking as a poster: I think that artists very often do not even recognize the implications of their work. I’d be hard-pressed to imagine that Shakespeare (for instance) could have imagined a fraction of the kinds of commentary that’ve happened on any one of his plays. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-mclean-speaks-out-american-pie/408733/27 "2013-03-06T00:40:02Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > Speaking as a poster: I think that artists very often do not even recognize the implications of their work. I’d be hard-pressed to imagine that Shakespeare (for instance) could have imagined a fraction of the kinds of commentary that’ve happened on any one of his plays. Certainly, I’ll bet McLean never thought he’d inspire somebody’s porn squad. > [@dchmello](#): > > When I was in high school, the pom squad had horrendous trouble getting their music to play on the PA during halftime. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-mclean-speaks-out-american-pie/408733/28 "2013-03-06T00:53:28Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Certainly, I’ll bet McLean never thought he’d inspire somebody’s porn squad. I beg your pardon? ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-mclean-speaks-out-american-pie/408733/29 "2013-03-06T16:44:00Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I beg your pardon? Typography strikes again. I saw the same thing that [Tom Tildrum](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php) saw: “p-o-m” looked oddly like “p-o-r-n” because of the shape of the “m” in the font I’m viewing this in. (Internet Explorer 8, if that matters, and whatever the default font is for comments.) So, it just takes a careless and dirty-minded glance to misread “pom squad” as “porn squad”. \ ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-mclean-speaks-out-american-pie/408733/30 "2013-03-06T17:00:21Z")
I did a double-take on that word, too, and I was happily imagining a football game being held up by a “porn delay.” ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-mclean-speaks-out-american-pie/408733/31 "2013-03-06T17:52:48Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Typography strikes again. > > I saw the same thing that [Tom Tildrum](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php) saw: “p-o-m” looked oddly like “p-o-r-n” because of the shape of the “m” in the font I’m viewing this in. (Internet Explorer 8, if that matters, and whatever the default font is for comments.) > > So, it just takes a careless and dirty-minded glance to misread “pom squad” as “porn squad”. > > \ What’s a “pom squad”? ---
**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-mclean-speaks-out-american-pie/408733/32 "2013-03-06T20:21:31Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > What’s a “pom squad”? It’s like a porn squad, but British. No, actually it’s just a squad of cheerleaders. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-mclean-speaks-out-american-pie/408733/33 "2013-03-06T20:24:09Z")
> [@RiverRunner](#): > > It’s like a porn squad, but British. > No, actually it’s just a squad of cheerleaders. Ah. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-mclean-speaks-out-american-pie/408733/34 "2013-03-07T01:36:23Z")
Presumably due to their carrying (at least in the US) pom-poms. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-mclean-speaks-out-american-pie/408733/35 "2013-03-07T01:42:02Z")
Pom Squad is traditionally more dance and less cheer. Many schools have them in addition to Cheerleaders. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-mclean-speaks-out-american-pie/408733/36 "2013-03-07T02:35:33Z")
I have only been to two football games in my life. Both times it involved chatting up women. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-mclean-speaks-out-american-pie/408733/37 "2013-03-07T03:55:05Z")
> [@Dark\_guy23](#): > > Just as Magicians keep their magical secrets well hidden, so too do Musicians have the right to keep their mysterious lyrics under wraps. That’s the secret behind a lot of entertainment, as well as a lot of the intrigue. Part of the enjoyment of pop culture is to use our OWN imagination to increase the awareness of our surroundings, to interpret things for ourselves, to discover things for ourselves. I say let the artists keep some things under lock and key, because isn’t life more exciting that way anyway? > [@Cecil](#): > > Or it simply rhymes, a big determinant of plot direction in pop music lyrics (which may also explain “drove my Chevy to the levee”). A lot of secrets are unintentionally secretive. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-mclean-speaks-out-american-pie/408733/38 "2013-03-07T09:34:58Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > 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. He was at the local college in the last 20 years & stumbled over the lyrics once or twice but the audience was singing along & brought him up to speed. _L_ Really. A fun & memorable evening! ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-mclean-speaks-out-american-pie/408733/39 "2013-03-07T17:05:37Z")
Something I’m curious about from McLean’s reply to Cecil: > [@](#): > > Casey Kasem never spoke to me and none of the references he confirms my making were made by me. You will find many “interpretations” of my lyrics but none of them by me. It sounds like he is suggesting Kasem claims to have spoken to him, when he had not. Was Kasem ever called out for it? ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-mclean-speaks-out-american-pie/408733/40 "2013-03-08T20:33:58Z")
> [@RiverRunner](#): > > It’s like a porn squad, but British. Haha. But of course that would properly be spelled “POHM squad”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-mclean-speaks-out-american-pie/408733.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/don-mclean-speaks-out-american-pie/408733.md?page=3)