This Sunday, Feb. 3, marks the 54th anniversary of the plane crash that killed rock ‘n’ roll pioneers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. This tragedy is more popularly known as “The Day the Music Died” thanks to Don McLean’s song “American Pie,” in which he pays tribute to his fallen heroes.

At face value, “American Pie” is a classic song with one of the most well known choruses in music. But McLean’s genius is often overlooked. What many do not realize is how his lyrics make allusions to America’s changing society as it entered the 1960s.

Understanding these references is crucial to truly appreciating McLean’s song and fully comprehending its significance in American music.

The introduction and first verse essentially summarize his feelings growing up as a teenager and how he found out about the plane crash by reading a newspaper headline.

“But February made me shiver with every paper I’d deliver/Bad news on the doorstep, I couldn’t take one more step.”

Buddy Holly’s death in particular was the inspiration for the song, but McLean also makes countless references to other musicians from the 1950s and 1960s.

The song is riddled with references to Bob Dylan.

“When the Jester sang for the King and Queen in a coat he borrowed from James Dean”

The “Jester” is Bob Dylan. On the cover of his album “The Freewheeling Bob Dylan,” he wears a coat that’s similar to the iconic one James Dean wears in “Rebel Without a Cause” (1955).

“Oh and while the King was looking down the Jester stole his thorny crown”

Elvis Presley is the “King.” According to McLean, by stealing the King’s crown, Dylan surpassed Presley as the leading voice of rock music.

Two major phenomena in the 1960s were “Beatlemania” and a fear of socialism. McLean notes them both.

“And while Lenin [Lennon?] read a book on Marx the quartet practiced in the park”

“The quartet” is most likely the Beatles, but McLean uses a play on words, making it unclear who is reading Karl Marx – socialist leader Vladimir Lenin or former Beatle John Lennon, who was accused of being a socialist.

McLean references the Beatles again in the next verse.

“The halftime air was sweet perfume while the sergeants played a marching tune”

This is a reference to the Beatles’ album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, which is widely considered one of the best albums ever and one of my personal favorites.

The tempo slows for the final verse as McLean introduces another tragic singer.

“I met a girl who sang the blues and I asked her for some happy news/But she just smiled and turned away”

This is Janis Joplin, the raspy-voiced, psychedelic blues-rock singer known for songs such as “Piece of My Heart” and “Me and Bobby McGee.” In 1970 – a year before “American Pie” was released – she died from an overdose at age 27.

The last line of the final verse brings the song full circle.

“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.”

McLean uses the Holy Trinity to represent Holly, Valens and the Big Bopper. He ends the song by revisiting its inspiration.

“American Pie” is widely regarded as one of the best rock songs ever written. Still, I doubt McLean would hesitate to trade his timeless song for those never written because of the plane crash on Feb. 3, 1959.

As the anniversary of “The Day the Music Died” looms, we must acknowledge the contributions of the three musicians who perished and appreciate the hidden meanings in the song that immortalized them.

James O’Hare is a senior history and political science major. His column appears weekly. He loves cheeseburgers. He can be reached at [email protected]. 

Published on January 29, 2013 at 1:50 am