Products

About

©2018 StudyMode.com

American Pie Analysis

Topics: The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Buddy Holly Pages: 9 (3418 words) Published: March 17, 2008
The immensely popular song "American Pie", written by Don McLean, describes the "day the music died", and the decline of society in the following decade. This date, specifically February 3rd 1959, is marked by the deaths of influential musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson. McLean wrote the song to describe his feelings towards the deaths, and to describe the history of American music up to the date "American Pie" was written, using symbolism to describe events without directly naming them or those involved. McLean uses many different themes, including theology and time to describe this journey. Don McLean's "American Pie" uses symbolism to tell the story of American music and the "day the music died", and the events that lead up to the apocalypse.

The first line in the song "A long, long time ago" (McLean) suggests a feeling of timelessness, which is often used in mythic stories and events. This line also refers to the narrator's (presumably McLean) youth, before he was a well-known musician. The following lines describe McLean's desire to bring joy to people through music and dance. "And I knew if I had my chance, that I could make those people dance, and maybe they'd be happy for a while" (McLean). Music is often used symbolically as a connector with the universal and with the cosmos. "Music with its different harmonies, tones, tempi and instruments is a means of identifying with the life of the cosmos with all its fullness" (Chevalier 688). Dance can also be seen as a manifestation of the spirit and of life (272-273). During the time that McLean was a youth, dance was seen as a serious sign of affection, to a greater and more meaningful extent than it would later. Dance is a constant theme in the song, and as it progresses it is diminished to a more trivial role, to McLean's dismay.

The next section dramatically alters the tone of the song from upbeat "…music used to make me smile" (McLean) to somber "But February made me shiver" (McLean). Symbolically, cold weather deteriorates both physically and spiritually whomever it engulfs, showing McLean's changing physical and emotional state. The verse continues with references to a newspaper on a doorstep which bears bad news for the narrator McLean. Paper is an archetype of fragility and of the timeless part of an individual (Chevalier 735). Thus, the bad news of the newspaper reflects the fragility of the good mood of the first verse. Also, the doorstep on which the newspaper rests suggests to a gateway. "Gateways symbolize the scene passing from one state to another, from one world to another, from the known to the unknown, from light to darkness" (422). On top of this, McLean is unable to take a step, symbolizing an end to any forward progression. Progression is also an important theme in the song, usually to describe society during the decade following 1959. The abundance of transcendent imagery in this verse complements the change of American music and society following the "day the music died", referenced in the next section.

"I can't remember if I cried when I read about his widowed bride" (McLean). This line references those killed on February 3rd 1959 by taking mention of their wives. Tears are an obvious symbol of grief and death (Chevalier 977), and here make allude to the sorrow felt not only by McLean, but by the entire American society. Widows are often used in reference in the search for their dead husband, and is also a synonym for the gallows and guillotine (1109). This symbol represents the grief felt by those who lived during this time, and their search for peace. These symbols combined with the next line "…something touched me deep inside, the day the music died" (McLean) represents to sorrow and the search for reason felt by society following the deaths of the three musicians.

The "American Pie" of the first line of the refrain may symbolize American society itself. "Bye, bye, Miss American Pie" (McLean). The words bye, bye...
Continue Reading

Please join StudyMode to read the full document

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Analysis of American Pie Research Paper

    ...February made me shiver / With every paper I'd deliver.” Here it is widely believe that Don McLean is referring to the death of Buddy Holly. He is said to have been delivering newspapers on his paper route the February that he learned of Buddy Holly’s death. The speaker identifies Holly by the month of his death, and the, “widowed bride,” (12) that Holly left behind (Fann). The death of Buddy Holly seems to have had a profound effect on Don McLean, as the lyrics appear to show. In the chorus, we see more clearly how McLean misses the 1950s, as he references many events that occurred at the time. The chorus begins with McLean saying, “Bye, bye, Miss American Pie” (16). Here the speaker could be referring to the American Dream, which he believes has gone under a change since the 1950s. He seems to think that the idea of the American Dream is different now, in 1971. Another option for what the speaker means here is the fact that Don McLean dated a Miss America contestant once. In line 17, McLean says, “Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.” In the 1950s, Chevrolet was the major automobile company. When McLean says, “the levee was dry,” (17), he is possibly referring to the fact that a relationship of his has fallen apart (Fann). He seems to be upset over this fact, but he is accepting of it. In the next line, the speaker says, “This’ll be the day that I’ll die” (18). There is a song written...

    Read More
    2090 Words 7 Pages
  • Essay on What is "American Pie"

    ...What is “American Pie?” During the early to 1970s to modern times songwriters such Don McLean has released nearly 40 gold and platinum records. Of all McLean’s music his most memorable album would be American Pie. In the American Pie album McLean wrote his most famous song “American Pie” which he dedicated it to one of his greatest influences Buddy Holly. Buddy Holly was a particular influence on Don McLean and was one of the biggest explanations why he decided to write “American Pie.” This legendary folk rock song still has the record of being the longest song to top out on the billboard top 100 with it being over eight and a half minutes long. The song “American Pie” is a historical that many interpreters have tried to decipher over the decades. “You will find many interpretations of my lyrics but none of them done by me… Sorry to leave you all on your own like this but long ago I realized that songwriters should make their statements and move on, maintaining a dignified silence”. 1 Don McLean has certainly not specified any explanations of the true meaning to his lyrics, but he leaves it to his listeners to determine or to understand what the mean of “American Pie” is? First to fully understand Don McLean’s masterpiece one must look further into the structure of...

    Read More
    941 Words 3 Pages
  • The Meaning of American Pie Essay

    ...In the autumn of 1971 Don McLean's elegiac American Pie entered the collective consciousness, and over thirty years later remains one of the most discussed, dissected and debated songs that popular music has ever produced. A cultural event at the peak of its popularity in 1972, it reached the top of the Billboard 100 charts in a matter of weeks, selling more than 3 million copies. By identifying this great success it illustrates that it was no ordinary song. With its boldness, originality and it being thematically ambitious created uncertainty. Presenting the idea that we weren’t entirely sure what the song was about, provoking endless debates over its epic cast of characters. But however open to interpretation the lyrics may have been, the song's emotional resonance was unmistakable: McLean was clearly relating a defining moment in the American experience—something had been lost. Opening with the death of singer Buddy Holly and ending near the tragic concert at Altamont Motor Speedway, we are able to frame the span of years the song is covering—1959 to 1970—as the "10 years we've been on our own" of the third verse. It is across this decade that the American cultural landscape changed radically, passing from the relative optimism and conformity of the 1950s and early 1960s to the rejection of these values by the various political and social movements of the mid and late 1960s. American...

    Read More
    992 Words 3 Pages
  • American Pie Essay

    ...The movie American Pie is about four high schoolers, close to graduating, determined not to carry their virginity's with them to college and so they make a pact to lose their virginity by prom night. The movie is directed by Paul Weitz and stars Jason Biggs, Chris Klein and Tara Reids and takes place around Michigan's East Great Falls High. The movie opens with student Jim (Jason Biggs) being caught by his parents pleasuring himself in a tube sock while trying to watch a scrambled broadcast on an adult channel. By the end of this movie, all four seniors would have lost their virginity somehow or the other, and as a result with it learning more about themselves, their friendships, love, romance and the opposite sex. The movie showed a lot of different aspects of high school life and for the most part, some of the characters in it could remind the audience of some high school buddies. It had everything from diarrhea, vomiting, voyeurism, premature ejaculation, the drinking of beer with a sperm chaser and even a scene about masturbation with an apple pie. As controversial as those seem it didn't stop teenagers from flocking to the theaters to go see it. Summarizing the reviews of three critics will show that each critic had a lot of the same positive and the few negative views, but they all enjoyed it and the message it sent out to the audience. Movie critic Catherine Ranfold said "Finally, a really good teen flick!"...

    Read More
    524 Words 2 Pages
  • "American Pie" by Don Mclean Essay

    ..."American Pie" by Don McLean, is a very interesting song. After listening to the lyrics and the song itself, there is a meaning to this song. Each line of the lyrics has a special meaning to what Don McLean wanted to say, but in his own special way. If one was to look at each lyrics one by one, they will be able to find out the big picture of the whole song. It tells a story of Mclean's favorite performers, Buddy HOlly. American Pie was rumoured to be the name of the plane that BUddy Holly died in. In the beginning of the song, he starts out saying, "A long, long time ago, I can still remember how that music made me smile. ANd i knew if I had a chance, that i could make those people dance, and maybe they'd be happy for a while." THis line is talking about how when he was a child he listened to great performers of his time and how he could do the same and make other teenagers happy with his song and make them want to dance and be merry. "But February made me shiver, with every paper I'd deliver, bad news on the doorstep. I couldnt 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." This line is the day back in February 3, 1959 when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper died in a plane crash. As a child, McLean was a paper boy and the news papers that were being passed that day was spreading "bad" news to...

    Read More
    806 Words 2 Pages
  • Latin American Geography Analysis Essay

    ...discriminatory surgery that excludes and abolishes millions of Latin Americans”. I think this is completely true. Every time someone tries to define Latin America they leave some race, culture, or belief out of its overall identity. Latin America cannot just be summarized with Spanish, Portuguese, and the natives they conquered. Africans and Chinese also play a big roll in determining the identity of what we call Latin America. Another good point that the author makes about Latin America is that in the colonial times, even though there was a clear distinction between Europeans and natives, Europeans quickly became part of this culture. They became “criollos”, or also known as Europeans born or raised in the New World. To me, this is the beginning of “mestizaje” or the mixing of races. This is what makes Latin America what it is today: a region with no identity. But, is this lack of identity necessarily a bad thing? According to Vargas Llosa, Latin America’s greatest patrimony is “to be a continent that lacks an identity because is contains all identities”. And, speaking as someone who is part of the Latin American community, this is something that I completely agree with. Not everyone can say that his or her country has influences from Asia, Africa, and Europe that make it unique and different from all others. Mario Vargas Llosa, a highly educated Peruvian and Nobel Prize winner, captures the feeling of what being Latin...

    Read More
    670 Words 2 Pages
  • Pie Analysis Essay

    ...Analysis of Potential Industry Earnings (PIE) Potential Industry Earnings(PIE); the final value a company can expect, which is the value to the customer, less the value of the resources used to make the goods/services which the customers value. To examine this value more, it is essential to understand the determinants of it. First, competition is a major factor in determining PIE. The level of the competition within the industry determines the price of the products/services a company sells, as well as the resources it purchases to manufacture or sell its services. If competition is high in an industry, companies will turn to price competition to try to leverage themselves within the industry, therefore driving price down amongst all competitors which forces competitors to try to compete on other levels such as selling more, and to do that, it puts a demand in the market for the resources it uses and thus subcontractors have the power to can raise prices. Thus, the level of competition within the industry, plays a major part of PIE, as the value of the resources is essential subtracted from the value customers get out of the company’s product or service. The buyer and supplier power within the industry also plays a large role in determining PIE. As already determined, the power of suppliers; subcontractors, drives up the price of resources, which has a negative effect on the equation...

    Read More
    484 Words 2 Pages
  • literary analysis american dream Essay

    ...Brandon Winter Mr. Clyne English 11 17 March 2015 The Great Gatsby and the American Dream In 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald published a book called The Great Gatsby. The period in which the book was published was a very important time in American history. Not only people born in America but also people from around the world had one goal in life at the time and that goal was the American Dream. The early 1900’s was a time where people thought they could achieve anything, at least they thought most things were possible. In F.S. Fitzgerald’s book he doesn’t directly address what an American Dream is but through the use of the characters in his novel, he directly gives the motives and reasons the characters have for achieving their goals. All of the characters are backed by one main idea in the novel, the idea of an American Dream. In my opinion Fitzgerald does an almost perfect job of describing the American Dream and applying it to characters in his novel, The Great Gatsby. In The Great Gatsby, there is a fine line between people who are happy with what they have and people who always need more. This separation is represented by East Egg and West Egg. Each side has its own morals they live by. Characters in the novel travel east and west, looking for their “American Dream”. There is a place though, that lies between West Egg and New York, called “The Valley of Ashes.”...

    Read More
    1024 Words 4 Pages

Popular Essays

Become a StudyMode Member

Sign Up - It's Free