Analysis of American Pie

As the song begins, the narrator seems to feel nostalgic about the music written by a certain person, and he describes the way that music made him smile (1-3). He misses the music from the past that could make people smile, and that could help them forget their troubles. McLean seems to be referring to the 1950s, which is clearer in the chorus of the song. As the speaker goes on, he says, “But 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 by Buddy Holly called, “That’ll Be the Day,” where Holly later says, “that I die.” Again, McLean is returning to his beloved songwriter, Buddy Holly. We can