TheBig3

I was reading in the most recent edition of Guitar World: Acousitc that Don McLean's "American Pie" has reached some milestone (35 years-ish) and what the obvious translations were (Dylan is the jester, the king is elvis, satan is jagger) and thought "wow I'd never really thought that those figures in the song were actual famous people I'd heard of, I figured that it was just another interesting story about something only personal.

So then I figured, I wonder what else is in that gem of a damn song (im sorry I went to school for Literature).

In what is argueably the quintessential folk song, have you picked out anything that could help peice this peice together (do you see what I did there)? I think this song deserves its own thread, though my threads are often deleted (ill find you )

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TheBig3

/bump

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either/or

nice thread. good song. the bob dylan being the jester thing makes so much sense to me.

well it's obvious though that the chorus refers to the death of buddy holly in a plane crash- his plane being called 'american pie'.

Now for ten years we've been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone - could be a reference to dylan's like a rolling stone.


And while Lennon read a book of Marx- reference to lennon's increased interest in communism.

With the jester on the sidelines in a cast- after bob dylan's motorbike accident.

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 - i think this is a reference to the cover of sgt peppers album cover, which also has dylan on it, on the side.


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 - it seems he doesn't like jagger that much.

great song though, open to many different interpretations.

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Painstaking devotion and love
Surrendered to self preservation
From others who care for themselves
A blindness that touches perfection
But hurts just like anything else

Isolation, isolation, isolation

jacintamlh

Does anybody know if this song was written before the accident, because somebody told me that they thought it was, but they wasn't sure.

Great song this one, really fun to play on guitar too.

Akira

Don McLean was told that American Pie means so many things to so many people and was asked what it meant for him. He simply stated that American Pie meant that he didn't have to work ever again.

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Fruitonica

This is probably the most influential song from my childhood, and even though I've heard it a million times it never grows old for me.

Actually I'd always thought that read," And while Lenin read a book of Marx", but I guess it's just some pretty clever wordplay.

WendyCal

When that first came out, it was like "Ode to Billie Joe" ~ everyone was SO trying to figure out exactly who he was talking about...

i don't know if y'all have ever heard of it, but there is a site that is MisHeard Lyrics, and some of them are HILARIOUS!

The main one that comes to mind for me, is:

"'Scuse me, while i kiss this guy" ~ Hendrix, of course

but they've got a MILLION of 'em! Do a Googler for misheard lyrics, and prepare to laugh your ass off!

ProggyMan

I used to think it was 'piss the sky', never heard 'kiss this guy'.

WendyCal

Dang, Prog, submit it! i like yours even better!!!

lucifer_sam

Hendrix was plenty aware of the ambiguous vocals and he liked to play along with the crowd from time to time. There are a few surviving recordings of him annunciating "kiss this guy."

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