American Pie

About American Pie

"American Pie" is a song by American singer and songwriter Don McLean. Recorded and released on the American Pie album in 1971, the single was the number-one US hit for four weeks in 1972 and also topped the charts in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. In the UK, the single reached number 2, where it stayed for 3 weeks, on its original 1971 release while a reissue in 1991 reached No. 12. The song was listed as the No. 5 song on the RIAA project Songs of the Century. A truncated version of the song was covered by Madonna in 2000 and reached No. 1 in several countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. McLean's combined version is the fourth longest song to enter the Billboard Hot 100 (at the time of release it was the longest), in addition to being the longest song to reach number one. The repeatedly mentioned phrase "the day the music died" refers to the plane crash in 1959 that killed early rock and roll performers Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens. (The crash was not known by that name until after McLean's song became a hit.) The meaning of the other lyrics has long been debated, and for decades, McLean declined to explain the symbolism behind the many characters and events mentioned. However, the overall theme of the song is the loss of innocence of the early rock and roll generation as symbolized by the plane crash that claimed the lives of three of its heroes. In 2017, McLean's original recording was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or artistically significant". more »

Year:

2006

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A long, long time ago I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while. 

But February made me shiver
With every paper I delivered,
Bad news on the door step,
I couldn't take one more step, 

I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride 
But something touched me deep inside,
The day, the music, died. 
So

Bye, bye Miss American Pie 
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry 
Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey 'n' rye 
Singin this will be the day that I die.
This will be the day that I die. 

Did you write the book of love 
And do you have faith in God above,
If the bible tells you so. 
And do you believe in rock 'n' roll?
Can music save your mortal soul? 
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Well I know that you're in love with him
Cuz I saw you dancin' in the gym. 
You both kicked off your shoes 
And I dig those rhythm and blues. 

I was a lonely teenage bronkin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pick up truck 
But I knew I was out of luck,
The day, the music, died.
I started singin

Bye, bye Miss American Pie 
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry 
Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey 'n' rye 
Singin this will be the day that I die.
This will be the day that I die.

Now for ten years we've been on our own 
And moss grows fat on a rollin stone 
But that's not how it used to be,
When the jester sang for the king and queen
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean 
And a voice that came from you and me. 

Oh and while the king was looking down,
The jester stole his thorny crown 
The courtroom was adjourned;
No verdict was returned. 

And while Lennon read a book on Marx, 
The quartet practiced in the park 
And we sang dirges in the dark, 
The day, the music, died.
We were singin'

Bye, bye Miss American Pie 
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry 
Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey 'n' rye 
Singin this will be the day that I die.
This will be the day that I die.

Helter Skelter in a summer swelter
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter,
Eight miles high and fallin' fast. 
It landed foul on the grass. 
The players tried for a forward pass
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast. 

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume 
While the sergeants played a marching tune. 
We all got up to dance
Oh but we never got the chance. 

As the players tried to take the field
The marching band refused to yield.
Do you recall what was revealed, 
the day, the music, died?
We started singin'

Bye, bye Miss American Pie 
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry 
Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey 'n' rye 
Singin this will be the day that I die.
This will be the day that I die.

Oh and there we were all in one place, 
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again. 
So come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick. 
Jack Flash sat on a candle stick 
Because fire is the devils only friend.

Oh and as I watched him on the stage,
My hands were clinched in fists of rage,
No angel born in hell
Could break that Satan's spell. 

And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight,
The day, the music, died.
He was singin'

Bye, bye Miss American Pie 
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry 
Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey 'n' rye 
Singin this will be the day that I die.
This will be the day that I die.

I met a girl who sang the blues 
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away. 
I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn't play.

And in the streets the children screamed,
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.
But not a word was spoken,
The church bells all were broken.

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.
And they were singin'

Bye, bye Miss American Pie 
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry 
Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey 'n' rye 
Singin this will be the day that I die.
This will be the day that I die.

They were singin'

Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
Them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey 'n' rye
Singin' this will be the day that I die.

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Don McLean

Donald "Don" McLean (born October 2, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter. He is most famous for the 1971 album American Pie, containing the renowned songs "American Pie" and "Vincent". more »

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