History Music / AmericanPie

--> ''Never thought you'd leave, until you went''

* 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" can be a reference to the spate of teen death songs in the early [=1960s=].
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: "Vincent"

-->-- "American Pie", opening lyrics

* RefrainFromAssuming: The "levee" in "American Pie" was the name of a bar, not something else.

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* {{Satan}}: "American Pie" uses that name [[TakeThat to represent]] Music/MickJagger of Music/TheRollingStones playing on (with Satan-praising songs also being performed) even when one member of the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club providing security fatally stabbed a guy amidst an increasingly violent live concert.

** Music/TheRollingStones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and their concert at Candlestick Park.

* 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 apparently alludes to the rebirth of rock music with the rise of British acts such as Music/TheBeatles and Music/TheRollingStones.

** The penultimate lyric is a harsh attack on Music/TheRollingStones, and Music/MickJagger especially, for inciting the violence at the Altamont Free Concert. [=McLean=] goes so far as to compare Jagger to Satan.

* ThePowerOfRock: "American Pie" reminisces about how Rock-and-Roll used to delight the masses with [=McLean=] aspiring to be a rock musician in his younger days.

* ThePowerOfRock: "American Pie" reminisces about how Rock and Roll

* {{Satan}}: "American Pie" uses that name [[TakeThat to represent]] Music/MickJagger of Music/TheRollingStones playing on (with Satan-praising songs also being performed) even when one member of the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club providing security stabbed a guy amidst an increasingly violent live concert.

* ThePowerOfRock: "American Pie"

* {{Satan}}: "American Pie" uses that name to represent Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones playing on (with Satan-praising songs also being performed) even when one member of the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club providing security stabbed a guy amidst an increasingly violent live concert.

--> ''And while Lennon read a book on Marx''

* {{Satan}}: "American Pie" uses that name to represent Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones, playing on (with Satan-praising songs also being performed) even when one Alan Passaro of the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club providing security stabbed a guy amidst an increasingly violent live concert.

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: In "American Pie", near the end, the Christian Trinity itself is stated to do this, though it may be interpreted as Holly, Ritchie and Richardson getting killed in the plane crash to {{Bookend}} the song.

** Marty Robbins' 1957 song "A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation)"

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

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

* {{Satan}}: "American Pie" uses that name to represent Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones, playing on (with "SympathyForTheDevil" among the songs performed) even when one Alan Passaro of the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club providing security stabbed a guy amidst an increasingly violent live concert.

* {{Satan}}: "American Pie" uses that name, to represent Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones, playing on (with "SympathyForTheDevil" among the songs performed) even when one Alan Passaro of the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club providing security stabbed a guy amidst an increasingly violent live concert.

* {{Satan}}: "American Pie" uses that name, to represent Mick Jagger and his band, the Rolling Stones, playing on (with "SympathyForTheDevil" among the songs performed) even when one Alan Passaro of the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club providing security stabbed a guy amidst an increasingly violent live concert.

* LastChorusSlowDown: The final verse of "American Pie".

* MoralityBallad: "American Pie" has been interpreted as a warning about the cultural breakdown of TheSixties. Owing to what happened to the American culture, especially its music scene, ever since "The Day the Music Died", it also shows how everything became increasingly dark and immoral through use of titles and metaphors.

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

* LyricalColdOpen: "American Pie".

* MoralityBallad: "American Pie" has been interpreted as a warning about the cultural breakdown of TheSixties.

* {{Satan}}: "American Pie" appears to blame the calamities it sings about on Satan.

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: In "American Pie", near the end, the Christian Trinity itself is stated to do this, though it may be interpreted as Holly, Ritchie and Richardson getting killed in the plane crash to {{BookEnd}} the song.

''They were singin'''\\

----

-->''Did you have faith in God above''\\

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: In "American Pie", near the end, the Christian Trinity itself is stated to do this.
-->''And the three Men I admire the most,''\\
''The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,''\\
''Had caught the last train for the coast''\\

''And I promised him everything I could give''\\

''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 CelebrityElegy written about the young death of rock 'n' roll stars Music/BuddyHolly, Music/RitchieValens and Music/TheBigBopper. 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 deeper meaning. "American Pie" has become the singer's SignatureSong, though the long song was [[SecondVerseCurse originally released on a dual-sided single and radio stations back then only played the first part]]. "Vincent" also had some success, [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff albeit more in the United Kingdom]] where it even became a number 1 hit song over "American Pie".

* TheWalrusWasPaul: On the subject of "American Pie", the only concrete explanation [=McLean=] had given for many years was that it means he'll never have to work again. He had 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. However, when the original manuscript of the lyrics was auctioned in 2015, he included a more detailed explanation of the lyrics in the sale catalog notes, which confirmed many speculations and debunked others.

** Music/TheBeatles, who played their final concert in Candlestick Park, San Francisco, released ''Music/SgtPeppersLonelyHeartsClubBand'' and had a song called "Helter Skelter" on ''Music/TheWhiteAlbum''

* 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" uses a lot of religious imagery, with God lamenting the deaths of Buddy Holly, 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]].

''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 CelebrityElegy 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".

* ShoutOut: That "American Pie" alludes to the plane crash which killed off Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper is well known. But there are also shout-outs to:

* TakeThat: "American Pie" uses a lot of religious imagery, with God lamenting the deaths of Buddy Holly, 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]].

->''A long long time ago\\

That music used to make me smile.\\

And maybe they'd be happy for a while.''