Succession
After a quick succession of
phrases about "the Devil,"
"Satan," and "Jack Flash
sitting on a candle-stick," we
can easily guess that the author
is talking about the Rolling
Stones. Two of the
Stones' biggest albums were
titled, "Sympathy For The
Devil," and "Their Satanic
Majesty's Request." "Jumpin'
Jack Flash," was one of their
big hit singles. Perhaps I'm
wrong, but during this section
of the song, I get the
overwhelming feeling that Don
McLean sees Mick Jagger as
sort of devil-figure that he
dislikes. It could be that he
resents Jagger's interpretation
of Buddy Holly material which
he performed in his early
days.
McLean adds he met a girl
"who sang the blues." Could
this have been Janis Joplin? It
all fits, but nobody I've talked
to seems very sure about this
part.
During the 50's, it was
possible to go into the local
record shop and hear a
recording that you might want
to purchase. The practice has
all but disappeared in recent
years. Could it be that, upon
returning to the record store
where he spent so much time
during his youth, an older Don
McLean discovered that (the
man said the music wouldn't
play) it was not longer possible
to listen to the records in the
store? Probably.
Toward the end of
American Pie, there's a section
of lyrics that's less obvious in
its meaning than most of the
rest of the song. Consequently,
there are many different
interpretations of it. McLean
says, "the three people he
admired most, the Father, Son
and Holy Ghost, all caught the
last train to the coast, the day
the music died."
Many people have suggested
that he's referring to Buddy
Holly, Ritchie Valens and the
Big Bopper. I don't buy that.
In a song where the major
influences on music in the last
decade and a half-Presley, the
Beatles and the Rolling
Stones-are being discussed, I
can't believe that McLean
could equate those talents with
Ritchie Valens and the Big
Bopper.
Another theory is that the
author is talking about his faith
in the Almighty being
shattered by what happened to
Buddy Holly and that musical
age. Maybe so. I choose to
think that in a song that has
spent more than eight minutes
talking about musical
evolution, McLean would not
suddenly decide to switch
subjects at the last moment.
