History Music / AmericanPie

--> ''Did you have faith in God above''
--> ''If the Bible tells you so?''

--> ''Now I understand''
--> ''what you tried to say to me''
--> ''and how you suffered for your sanity''
--> ''and how you tried to set them free''
--> ''they would not listen they did not know how''
--> ''perhaps they'll listen now.''

--> ''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''

* {{Satan}}: "American Pie"
--> ''I saw Satan laughing with delight, the day the music died''
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: In "American Pie" near the end:
-->''And the three Men I admire the most,''
-->''The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,''
-->''Had caught the last train for the coast''
-->''The day the music died.''

** Marty Robbins' 1957 song "A White Sport Coat (And A Pink Carnation)"
--> ''I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck''
--> ''With a pink carnation and a pickup truck''

--> ''When the jester sang for the king and queen / in a coat he borrowed from Creator/JamesDean''

--> ''The quartet practiced in the park''
--> ''Helter skelter in a summer swelter''
--> ''(...) while the sergeants played a marching tune''

--> ''The birds flew off with the fallout shelter''
--> ''Eight miles high and falling fast''

--> ''Jack be nimble, jack be quick, jack flash sat on a candlestick''

*** The lyric "The Day the Music Died" from "American Pie" has become a popular nickname for February 3, 1959, when indeed RockAndRoll lost three talented musicians: Music/BuddyHolly, Music/RitchieValens and Music/TheBigBopper. ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' has an episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E18TheDayTheViolenceDied The Day The Violence Died]]" spoofing the title.[[note]]In the episode, ''The Itchy and Scratchy Show'' gets cancelled.[[/note]]

*** "Danny Don't Rapp", about Danny Rapp the lead singer of Danny & The Juniors, from Music/DanielJohnston's ''Music/YipJumpMusic'' also paraphrases the line "This world was never meant for someone as beautiful as you".

--> ''And there I stood alone and afraid''
--> ''I dropped to my knees and there I prayed''
--> ''And I promised him everything I could give''
--> ''If only he would make the music live''
--> ''And he promised it would live once more''
--> ''But this time one would equal four''
--> ''And in five years four had come to mourn''
--> ''And the music was reborn''

* TeenageDeathSongs: "American Pie" in a sense, because it references the death of Ritchie Valens, who was 17 when he died. "The Grave" is about a young Marine dying in the Vietnam War.
** Also, the line "We Sang Dirges In The Dark" could be a reference to the spate of teen death songs in the early 1960's.

--> ''But I could have told you, Vincent, this world was never meant for someone as beautiful as you''.

If you're looking for the film of the same name, [[Film/AmericanPie see here.]]

--> ''When the jester sang for the king and queen / in a coat he burrowed from Creator/JamesDean''

''American Pie'' is a 1971 album by Music/DonMcLean. It was [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel his second, more successful album]] after his more moderately received debut album, ''Tapestry'' (1970). It's best remembered for "American Pie", a song written about the young death of rock 'n' roll stars Music/BuddyHolly, Music/RitchieValens and Music/TheBigBopper. The long song was [[SecondVerseCurse originally released on a dual-sided single and radio stations back then only played the first part]]. Although the singer has admitted it's mostly about the death of these three musicians other parts of the lyrics remain ShroudedInMyth, as [=McLean=] himself has always refused to comment on its meaning. "American Pie" has become the singer's SignatureSong, although "Vincent" also had some success, [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff albeit more in the United Kingdom]] where it even became a number 1 hit song over "American Pie".

* GriefSong: "American Pie", lamenting the deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. "Vincent" mourns the tragic life of Creator/VincentVanGogh, while "The Grave" mourns for the unnamed soldier and his comrades.

-->"American Pie", opening lyrics

--> ''The quartet practised in the park''

--> ''(...) while the sergeants played a marchin tune''

* SurprisinglyHappyEnding: The deleted seventh verse in "American Pie" (never publicly revealed until the original manuscript for the song lyrics were auctioned off in 2015), which alludes to the rebirth of rock music with the rise of British acts such as Music/TheBeatles and Music/TheRollingStones.
-->And there I stood alone and afraid
-->I dropped to my knees and there I prayed
-->And I promised him everything I could give
-->If only he would make the music live
-->And he promised it would live once more
-->But this time one would equal four
-->And in five years four had come to mourn
-->And the music was reborn

* PatrioticFervor:[=McLean=] shows his hand on the album cover and the thumb is in the color of the American flag.
* {{Pun}}:
** "American Pie" has a line about Music/JohnLennon reading about Creator/KarlMarx, which also makes a pun on UsefulNotes/VladimirLenin, who was a Marxist.
** Also, John Lennon's public persona was often seen as a musical Creator/GrouchoMarx.
--->''And while Lennon read a book on Marx''.

"American Pie" has become a ToughActToFollow for [=McLean=], since he never had such a commercial success again.

* {{Pun}}: "American Pie" has a line about Music/JohnLennon reading about Creator/KarlMarx, which also makes a pun on UsefulNotes/VladimirLenin, who was a Marxist.
** Also, John Lennon's public persona was often seen as a musical GrouchoMarx
--> ''And while Lennon read a book on Marx''.

** Also, John Lennon's public persona was often seen as a musical [[Groucho Marx]]

** "Vincent" was used during the meteor shower scene in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "Scuse Me While I Miss The Sky". In the episode "So It's Come To This: A Simpsons Clip Show" Granpa paraphases the line: "This world was never meant for someone as beautiful as you."

* TakeThat: "American Pie" uses a lot of religious imagery, with God lamenting the deaths of Buddy Holens, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper while at the same time, the Devil celebrates it. In other words, the song is an extended middle finger to the MoralGuardians who say that rock-and-roll is [[EveryoneIsSatanInHell demonic in origin, and corrupting the youth]].

* CynicismCatalyst: Amidst all the WordSaladLyrics,the title song repeatedly references "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Music_Died the day the music died]]" -- the day of the plane crash that killed rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson.

* CynicismCatalyst:
* Amidst all the WordSaladLyrics,the title song repeatedly references "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Music_Died the day the music died]]" -- the day of the plane crash that killed rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson.

** Creator/JamesDean
--> (...) ''In a coat he burrowed from Creator/JamesDean''

'''''American Pie''''' is a 1971 album by Music/DonMcLean. It was [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel his second, more successful album]] after his more moderately received debut album, ''Tapestry'' (1970). It's best remembered for "American Pie", a song written about the young death of rock 'n' roll stars Music/BuddyHolly, Music/RitchieValens and Music/TheBigBopper. The long song was [[SecondVerseCurse originally released on a dual-sided single and radio stations back then only played the first part]]. Although the singer has admitted it's mostly about the death of these three musicians other parts of the lyrics remain ShroudedInMyth, as [=McLean=] himself has always refused to comment on its meaning. "American Pie" has become the singer's SignatureSong, although "Vincent" also had some success, [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff albeit more in the United Kingdom]] where it even became a number 1 hit song over "American Pie".

"American Pie" has become a ToughActToFollow for [=McLean=], since he never had such a commercial success again. Therefore it's safe to say that many consider it to be his MagnumOpus.

'''American Pie''' is a 1971 album by Music/DonMcLean. It was [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel his second, more succesful album]] after his more moderately received debut album, "Tapestry" (1970). It's best remembered for "American Pie", a song written about the young death of rock 'n' roll stars Music/BuddyHolly, Music/RitchieValens and Music/TheBigBopper. The long song was [[SecondVerseCurse originally released on a dual-sided single and radio stations back then only played the first part]]. Although the singer has admitted it's mostly about the death of these three musicians other parts of the lyrics remain ShroudedInMyth, as [=McLean=] himself has always refused to comment on its meaning. "American Pie" has become the singer's SignatureSong, although "Vincent" also had some success, [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff albeit more in the United Kingdom]] where it even became a number 1 hit song over "American Pie".

'''Tracklist'''

!! ''And this will be the day that I trope''

** "American Pie" has been covered by Music/{{Madonna}} but [[RearrangeTheSong not the entire song]]. , inspired the title of the 1999 SexComedy ''Film/AmericanPie'' (which has nothing to do with the song or the album whatsoever) and as the Music/WeirdAlYankovic parody "The Saga Begins" which made references to the then new ''Franchise/StarWars'' movie ''Film/ThePhantomMenace''.
*** The lyric "The Day The Music Died" from "American Pie" has become a popular nickname for February 3, 1959, when indeed RockAndRoll lost three talented musicians: Music/BuddyHolly, Music/RitchieValens and Music/TheBigBopper. ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' has an episode ''[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E18TheDayTheViolenceDied The Day The Violence Died]]'' spoofing the title. [[note]] In the episode the Itchy and Scratchy Show gets cancelled [[/note]].

* TheWalrusWasPaul: On the subject of "American Pie," the only concrete explanation [=McLean=] has ever given is that it means he'll never have to work again. He has admitted that the line "February made me shiver/with every paper I'd deliver" was about him learning about the deaths of Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens while he was folding papers for his paper route.

"American Pie" has become a ToughActToFollow for [=McLean=], since he never had such a commercial success again. Therefore it's save to say that many consider it to be his MagnumOpus.