subject: American Pie Lyrics and Popular Explanations [print this page] American Pie Lyrics and Popular Explanations
American Pie lyrics have been controversial for the past 40 years. Though song writer and performer Don McLean has admitted that the song is inspired by Buddy Holly (and that several of the verses detail his reaction to learning of the singer's death), he has not publicly spoken the meaning of all the other symbols in the song. Who is the King and Queen? Who is the Jester? What is the meaning of "Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry?"
While the mystery may never be solved, deciphering these lyrics may not be as difficult as you think. Let's analyze some verses of the song. The beginning of the song clearly details the death of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. What many people don't know was that the plane that crashed was rumored to have been called "American Pie." The lyrics also state that the protagonist drove his "Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry." Some listeners believe this verse references the well publicized murder of three college students and civil rights workers in the 1960s, since their bodies were buried in a levee. Furthermore, the line "This'll be the day" is a direct reference to Holly's own "That'll be the Day" song.
Many other lyrics are actually direct references to other songs and other notable groups from the 1950s and 1960s. For example, "The Bible Tells Me So" and "The Book of Love" are both referenced in McLean's verses, as is "Do You Believe in Magic?" with the line "Do you believe in rock and roll?"
As the song progresses the action in the narrative becomes vague and multiple interpretations may be in order. Some interpreters believe the lyric "Can you teach me how to dance real slow" is a reference to the decline of dancing in the 1960s music scene, thanks to the "Marching Band" Beatles and other prominent singers.
The lyric "Moss grows fat on a rolling stone," could easily be in reference to Bob Dylan, who had just written "Like a Rolling Stone" several years ago, though others speculate it could be a reference to the out of shape Elvis of the late 1960s, or even the Rolling Stones band. The Queen is sometimes guessed to be Connie Francis or Little Richard.
American Pie lyrics indict the Beatles in several verses, particularly the hardly-cloaked line "While Lenin (Lennon?) read a book on Marx", a criticism of the Beatles radical and occasionally blasphemous quotes, and a few more references to an unstoppable "marching band", which symbolizes the Beatles' undanceable hits.
Of course, one could speculate for hours, but why not just let McLean's innuendos speak for themselves? Hear it now!
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