3/10/2023 0 Comments Eight miles high and falling fast“Now do you believe in rock & roll?”: McLean was a former folk singer, a medium supplanted by rock n’ roll. “And do you have faith in God above, if the Bible tells you so?”: Don Cornell’s book “The Bible Tells Me So” (1955) and the Sunday School song “Jesus Loves Me,” with the line “For the Bible tells me so” were presumed memories from McLean’s childhood. “Did you write the book of love?”: ”The Book of Love” was a hit in 1968 by the Monotones. Elvis got drafted, Little Richard turned gospel, Bill Haley was forgotten, Jerry Lee Lewis was scandalous and Chuck Berry was a convicted criminal. “But something touched me deep inside, the day the music died.”: Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper died together on the same day and fans felt that these three were that only major artists left. “I can’t remember if I cried, when I read about his widowed bride”: Buddy Holly’s wife was pregnant when the accident occurred and soon after had a miscarriage. “Bad news on the doorstep, I couldn’t take one more step”: Denotes the day he got the news of the plane crash. “With every paper I’d deliver”: He was a newspaper delivery boy in New Rochelle, New York. “But February made me shiver”: His idol, Buddy Holly died in a February plane crash in Iowa. “And I knew if I had my chance, that I could make those people dance, and maybe they’d be happy for a while…”: Fifties music was primarily made for school dances and sock hops and McLean was waxing nostalgic about creating the same atmosphere with his music. “I can still remember how that music used to make me smile”: McLean’s favorite music were the golden oldies of the 50’s. “A long, long time ago”: “American Pie” was written in 1971 but talks about the 1950s. Every line of the 8 1/2 minute song has been carefully examined and, rightly or wrongly, “explained” by fans and pundits alike. In 2009, on the 50th anniversary of the crash, he stated that writing the first verse of the song exorcised his long-running grief over Holly’s death and that he considers the song to be “a big song … that summed up the world known as America.” It should be noted that McLean dedicated his album to Holly. They’re poetry.” His silence has simply added fuel to the speculation. McLean has really never divulged the song lyric meanings. 5 song on the RIAA project Songs of the Century and was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress. Deciphering the song’s lyrics became a national pastime, sparking rumors that persist to this day. The title track went on to become an anthem for late stage baby boomers. The album launched two number one hits in the title song and “Vincent.” “American Pie” made McLean an international star. McLean’s major break came when Mediarts was bought by United Artists, paving the way for his second album, “American Pie.” It attracted good reviews but little notice outside the folk community. After being rejected 72 times by multiple labels, the album was picked up and released by Mediarts, a label that had not existed when he first started looking. Ten years later, McLean recorded an album in Berkeley, California called “Tapestry” in 1969. The day became known as “The Day the Music Died.” Thirteen-year-old Don McLean was folding newspapers for his paper route in the early morning hours of Februwhen he got the news. Richardson, known as the Big Bopper, were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. Sixty years ago, February 3, 1959, three of rock ‘n roll’s biggest stars: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |