Don McLean's Birthday

[Vick]

The Author of (what many recognize) the finest crafted song ever to be performed in Rock-N-Roll is 58 today


American Pie

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'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
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...

CHORUS :
Bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll 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
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
'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died
I started singin' ...

CHORUS

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 of Marx
The quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died
We were singin' ...

CHORUS

Helter Skelter in a summer swelter
The Byrds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
It landed foul out 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
'Cause 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' ...

CHORUS

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 candlestick
'Cause fire is the Devil's only friend
Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched 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' ...

CHORUS

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' ...


http://www.don-mclean.com/


Debatable explanation of the lyrics to American Pie
http://www.rareexception.com/Garden/American.php

[Forest]

I think its Stings B'day also

they gave him a Guitar cake on the today show

He jammed

[Vick]

For me personally (as I love raw sounding 50's R-n-R) the song American Pie is beyond outstanding and a classic

I also see a parallel between how 50's music faded away (but never really dies) and how 80's hair rock faded away (Cobain and Alternative rock all but killed hair music as much as the Beatles killed 50's rock)

More parallels can be drawn between the fun loving/pushing the limit attitude of 50's rock and the excess of 80's rock

But truth be told (as painful as it is) 80's hair band rock excesses had to stop sometime

I'm just glad I was there for the ride

[sarah_webinc]

he could sing for me any day....the inspiration behind the Roberta Flack (covered by the Fugees) track "Killing Me Softly With His Song"

[sarah_webinc]

Originally posted by Vick@Oct 2 2003, 07:02 AM


But truth be told (as painful as it is) 80's hair band rock excesses had to stop sometime

wait until 'The Darkness' reach your shores. Jon Bon Jovi reffered to them this week as 'the best 80's band I have ever heard'. Not bad for a band whose first album came out in 2003

[Vick]

Cool!!!

I'm still all about Buck Cherry as the best 90-00's 80's band (even though they broke up) - Buck Cherry's former singer Josh Todd is playing a local club here next Wednesday

[ulfie]

American Pie was the second record (45) I ever bought as a kid. The first embarassingly enough was Candyman by Sammy Davis, Jr. Cut me some slack, I was probably only 5 or 6 years old.

[Vick]

Originally posted by ulfie@Oct 2 2003, 10:57 AM
The first embarassingly enough was Candyman by Sammy Davis, Jr. Cut me some slack, I was probably only 5 or 6 years old.

Just admitting it is the first step

I'll admit to trying to play our guitars along to American Pie and Three Dog Night songs when we were about 8 or so

[PornoDoggy]

I was probably only 5 or 6 years old.

I'll admit to trying to play our guitars along to American Pie and Three Dog Night songs when we were about 8 or so

May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits ...


And if she asks you why you can tell her that I told you
That I'm tired of Castles in the Air
I've got a dream I want the world to share in castle walls
Just lead me to despair

Hills of forest green where the mountains touch the sky
A dream come true, I'll live there 'til I die
I'm asking you, to say my last goodbye
The love we knew, ain't worth another try

Save me from all the trouble and the pain
I know I'm weak but I can't face that girl again
Tell her the reasons why I can't remain
Perhaps she'll understand if you tell it to her plain

Oh, but how can words express the feel of sunlight
In the morning in the hills away from city strife
I need a country woman for my wife
I'm city born but I love the country life

For I can not be part of her Cocktail-Generation Partner's Waltz,
Devoid of all romance
The music plays and everyone must dance
I'm bowing out, I need a second chance

Save me from all the trouble and the pain
I know I'm weak but I can't face that girl again
Tell her the reasons why I can't remain
Perhaps she'll understand if you tell it to her plain

And if she asks you why you can tell her that I told you
That I'm tired of Castles in the Air
I've got a dream I want the world to share in castle walls
Just lead me to despair

[Vick]

Starry, starry night
Paint your palette blue and gray
Look out on a summer's day
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul
Shadows on the hills
Sketch the trees and daffodils
Catch the breeze and the winter chills
In colors on the snowy linen land

[confucy]

Forest, did you see the 60 Minutes piece on Sting? They say he is worth $300 million. Not bad! He said he got the name "sting* because in the early days he wore a bright yellow and black sweater, and one of the band members said he looked like a gigantic bee. Sting makes over $2,000 a day from the royalties from "Every Breath I take." He has great artists backing him up.

[Evil Chris]

Don McLean?

I first got excited. I thought you were talking about Ron McLean from HNIC.

Oh well.

(it means Hockey Night in Canada you silly Yanks) :P