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Don McLean started just as he suggests in American Pie, as a paperboy. It was in this way that he learned of the death of the man he calls his first and last idol: Buddy Holly. Haunted by feelings that everything important had been said and done by bigger men, Don tried his hand at music. In the mid to late 1960's, McLean earned regional success in New York's Hudson Valley. Don was declared Hudson River Troubadour. He hitchhiked the river performing in the watertowns. It was during this that he met Pete Seeger and was drafted into the "Sloop Singers," a group preaching environmental respect. With this environmentally aware background, Don created Tapestry. He took the record to, and was turned down by, thirty-four different record labels. Finally, a tiny label More... (Submit New Don McLean Lyrics) (Submit New Don McLean Lyrics) Review about Don McLean Protest songs | Reviewer: Anonymous ------ About the song Orphans of wealth performed by Don McLean Don McLean is an all time favorite singer of mine. I enjoyed singing this song over the years. However, as I think about the words to the lyrics it strikes me that this is in line with so many other protest songs. It is a beautiful sentiment but not necessarily true. While there are hungry people in this country they represent a tiny minority. Further, the idea that it is somehow society's fault is also troubling. This is not to say there is not such a thing as societal guilt. The problem is that if there is blame it should be placed properly on the responsible party. The fact that we have both public programs (food stamps) and private programs (bread lines and soup kitchens) is a sign we corporate responsibility is being addressed. This song primes me to jump on board to protest, and yet after looking hard, it is difficult to find the band wagon. Powerful | Reviewer: Anonymous ------ About the song Flight of dragons performed by Don McLean i want to share a powerful experience with this song. i watched the movie when i was like 1 or 2 years old (29 now), forgotten all about the movie and song all these years, just never remembered it AT ALL, until just 10 minutes ago when i viewed a video of a cover of the song on Youtube, played with a guitar. www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFhmWjGlvnw <<this. apparently it triggered something, because i didn't feel sad or anything but tears came out involuntarily and i realized that I've always remembered this song. it all came back. looks like it was just marked as a 'hidden file' in my brain, so to speak. i got goosebumps. the subconscious is a pretty powerful thing, apparently. Loan Payday | Reviewer: Aila ------ About the song And I Love You So performed by Don McLean How are you. Do it now. It is not safe to leave a generous feeling to the cooling influences of the world. I am from Guinea and also am speaking English, tell me right I wrote the following sentence: "How to start a home based business profitable business ideas, expert tips and start up help." Thank you very much :-D. Aila. Buddy Holly | Reviewer: William ------ About the song American Pie performed by Don McLean GB has a nice interpretation, I think it's fair to say that Don McLean is an extremely talented musician. I do have to say though that carrying with the comparison to Buddy Holly's death is correct but in a more literal sense. Although 'American Pie' could symbolise America it was also the name of Buddy Hollys plane and that he is reminiscing about when he would go to 'the levee' and the patrons of the bar would be singing old Buddy Holly songs 'this will be the day that i die'. My interpretation of American Pie lyrics | Reviewer: GB ------ About the song American Pie performed by Don McLean My interpretation of American Pie is that Don Mclean is of the opinion that after the death of Buddy Holly, rock music has played a major role in the corruption of our society. The history of rock music as a common interpretation of the song is correct only to the point that it serves as a backdrop for Mclean’s editorializing that the beginning of the end of morality in this country was the beginning of more strident forms of rock music. (That Mr. Mclean mourns the passing of danceable music is an insult to his intelligence.) I personally do not participate much in organized religious activities, and I don’t consider myself particularly prudish, but I am of the opinion that rock music has cultivated a subculture nearly devoid of moral content. Insofar that it has spawned increased drug use and a breakdown of the family, I do in fact buy into the interpretation which I outline below. Note: I am not knowledgable enough about rock music to identify every reference to a rock group or song contained in American Pie, but I believe that below I successfully prove my point, as discussed above. A long long time ago I can still remember how that music used to make me smile Music used to be wholesome. Smiling is good and simple. And I knew if I had my chance That I could make those people dance And maybe they'd be happy for a while. He knew he wanted to be a music010012 3021 o ;//////1//////////11//../ +62+ 6+99;9;8//;;;//*.,../ ,./ .an from when he was young. But February made me shiver With every paper I'd deliver The events of Buddy Holly’s death occurred when Mclean was a teenager Bad news on the doorstep The Korean War…. I couldn't take one more step …..affected Don Mclean deeply. He is a thoughtful and moral person. I can't remember if I cried When I read about his widowed bride Obviously Buddy Holly based on later references. But something touched me deep inside The day the music died. He understood on a subconscious level (likely as a dramatic point more so than historical fact) at the time that something profound had changed in American culture - that this was a significant event. {Refrain} So bye-bye, Miss American Pie He is saying that the wholesome part of American society, namely “apple pie and mother” is gone forever. Drove my chevy to the levee Chevy is the all American car. Levees are near water and water is the universal literary symbol of purity. But the levee was dry The purity in America is gone. And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye Good old boys are the essence of America Singin' this'll be the day that I die This'll be the day that I die hi The obvious reference to Buddy Holly Did you write the Book of Love And do you have faith in God above Speaking to the youth of America, “Do you believe in God?” If the Bible tells you so Mock sarcasm, implying that of course they don’t. Do you believe in rock 'n roll The youth of America have devoted too much of their lives to rock music, which, as will be shown below, is evil. Can music save your mortal soul Music doesn’t offer any substantive guidance to how to run one’s life. Religion serves that purpose. And can you teach me how to dance real slow Mclean's preference is to more pleasant music than hard rock 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 - not rock music This stanza may mean more, but it hearkens to simpler days before rock music introduced decadence to our youth. I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck With a pink carnation and a pickup truck Don Mclean was a typical, American teenager But I knew I was out of luck The day the music died Again, Mclean sensed a sad future for America I s rted singin' {Refrain} Now for ten years we've been on our own Ten years after the death of Holly 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 This may in fact be a reference to Kennedy The day the music died We were singing {Refrain} Helter Skelter in a summer swelter Reference to Charles Manson who put his faith in rock music, and you know how that went The Byrds flew off with a fallout shelter Eight miles high and falling fast It landed foul out on the grass Reference to the Byrd member who was arrested for drug possession 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 You can’t really dance to rock music (?) '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 singing {Refrain} Oh, and there we were all in one place A generation Lost in Space A reference to the sixties era, particularly the loss of American taste With no time left to start again So come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack Flash sat on a candlestick Reference to the Rolling Stones '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 These are the true feelings of Don Mclean - a sense of outrage at the evil and immorality of the age of rock music No angel born in hell Could break that Satan's spell And as the flames climbed high into the night To light the sacrifical rite I saw Satan laughing with delight Obvious reference to the murder of a fan by the Hell’s Angels acting as body guards for the Rolling Stones The day the music died This clearly shows that Don Mclean believes that the decline in our culture began after the time of Buddy Holly He was singing {Refrain} I met a girl who sang the blues And I asked her for some happy news But she just smiled and turned away Janis Joplin dying of a drug overdose I went down to the sacred store Church Where I'd heard the music years before He had a faith in religion when he was young But the man there said the music woudn't play There is no more religion in our lives (a common attitude 1969) And in the streets the children screamed The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed Life basically goes on But not a word was spoken All discussion of morality is gone The church bells all were broken Religion as an institution was in decline in 1969 And the three men I admire most The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost Here Don Mclean professes his inner Catholic spiritualism and faith They caught the last train for the coast The spirit of religion is gone from America, displaced by rock music. The day the music died After Buddy Holly’s death And they were singing {Refrain} They were singing bye-bye, Miss American Pie Drove my chevy to the levee But the levee was dry Them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye Singin' this'll be the day that I die Let me know what you think Oh my heart. | Reviewer: Sandy, Andy, Mandy. ------ About the song Vincent performed by Don McLean This song touches me deeply. I love it. It reminds me of the affair I had with Andy that broke Mandy's heart. My name is Sandy. I know, strange coinicidence. It rhyemes, but that's what happens in the town of Mount Morgan. (we are all cousins, by the way. I love them.) Andy: With eyes that know the darkness in my soul; these words i sing to u as i no u no bout my past, u and mandy are the only people that have known me my hole life and still loved me thru the ruff n tuff tymes.. i wish u girls both new how much use mean to me, my love for u is in the same but different ways..And when no hope was left in sight On that starry, starry night girls i love use both to death.. literaly i would kill myself if i ever hurt one of use. The end, Written by bored business students. american pie | Reviewer: orangeeee ------ About the song American Pie performed by Don McLean this song is amazing!!! its so fun to jam to when u r spazing out!!! BYE BYE MISS AMERICAN PIE!! DROVE MY CHEVY TO THE LEVEE, BUT THE LEVEE WAS DRY!!! im sorta spazing out right now!!! but this song is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To the reviewer tom... | Reviewer: James ------ About the song American Pie performed by Don McLean I think the reason Don felt the music died was because during this time so many great music artists were using/abusing drugs, therefore, he probably thought they were wasting their talent for no reason. All in all, this is a beautiful song, which i listen to at least 10 times during the day. Peer Review | Reviewer: tom ------ About the song American Pie performed by Don McLean Don is 2 years older than I and he wrote and sang this song when I was 24 in the early 1970's. In hindsight it was an epitaph of the America lost and prophesy of its future. His "generation lost in space" very well predicted the future generation born between 1971 and 2001 (9/11 that snapped it), which is lost in cyberspace. And the years preceding between 1953-1971, or his generation, recounted in Susan Faloody's 2000 Book "Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Male." The great history of rock and roll from 1953 Buddy Holly, James Dean and Elvis the King, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Byrds (8 miles high), and Mick Jagger (jumpn jack flash)and John Lennon are all historically lyricized. When and why he felt the music died remains a mystery but at the general period of time the whole rock and roll movement had made a transition from innocence and creative art to more heavy metal and hard core nonsense music that was no longer music but noise that emiited from the whole technological transition of the world occurring at that time. Don's extra sense not only saw this paradigm shift in music and in culture but was profound in making it a milestone by his song "American Pie". In other words, the American Dream had reached its peak and he correctly sounded it out metaphorically. Hats off to Don and lets hope the next generation will pickup the beat. CTY | Reviewer: cty<3er ------ About the song American Pie performed by Don McLean i am so glad i won't be a nevermore 4 a while. it's going 2 be so sad when i have 2 leave cty, and i know so many of last year's nevermores and how hard it is. I WILL MISS CTY, MY CONDOLENCES 2 ANY OTHER CERIOUSLY TALENTED YOUTH!!!!!! Enchanted | Reviewer: Rebecca Doherty ------ About the song Flight of dragons performed by Don McLean The first time I watched the movie I was 3 yrs old, and I have been one of my favourite ever since. The music has had me completely enchanted even though I couldn't remember the lyrics. Unfortunately when I was 13 I made the rather stupid mistake of taping over the movie, thankfully my sister burnt a copy recently, now I can enjoy it again. Is there a ringtone for this, I'd love to it on my phone? About the song Flight of dragons performed by Don McLean | Reviewer: Eric Kirk ------ About the song Flight of dragons performed by Don McLean I first found this movie in the public library, and when we took it home I instantly fell in love. Occasionally my parents would find me humming the song during or after the movie. We even got ourselves a copy, but it got lost in the pile of family videos and found some years later. I still watch it every once and awhile, the movie started my love for dragons. I wish I could have a copy of the soundtrack for my cd player. I cried | Reviewer: Sally ------ About the song Flight of dragons performed by Don McLean I had this film on a recorded VCR when i was about 5. I watched it so often i broke the tape. it didnt work for so long that i forgot about it for a while. i came accross it again when i was about 17 and we'd got a new video player by then so i gave it a whirl, and it worked! those opening chords made me cry. this film was so much of my childhood. I flew off with the dragons in my head so much. it was beautiful. I searched and searched online to try and download it and eventually sucess with that as well! now i have it in beautiful digital format that wont wear out! also, for those that are interested, the book it was based on 'Flight of Dragons' by Peter Dickenson is available by order from most good book shops (ISBN 1850284113) you can really see where the animators got their inspiration. its lovely. mclean - dylan | Reviewer: teez ------ About the song Everybody Loves Me Baby performed by Don McLean i agree with user king about the dylanesqueness (haha, what a word), i didn´t know many bob dylan songs before i listened to don´s "pie" album at the age of something like 10. after getting to know dylan now i must agree with you, anyway a great song!! Flight | Reviewer: Katelyn ------ About the song Flight of dragons performed by Don McLean I watched this movie all the time but that was when i was 7, im really happy to know where is can find the lyrics and the song! Dragons are just so majestic self esteem booster | Reviewer: Mike Wheeler ------ About the song Everybody Loves Me Baby performed by Don McLean Anybody no matter how downtrodden can have a self esteem boost by listening to this song for a while. Especially just after getting up and just before bed. Mike lyric about whiskey in Rye? | Reviewer: Andy ------ About the song American Pie performed by Don McLean There appears to be some controversy about whether the correct lyric is "Whiskey in Rye" or "whiskey and rye". Some are claiming that Rye or Rhye is a town somewhere. Any thoughts? Don Allen | Reviewer: Gary Erickson ------ About the song Everybody Loves Me Baby performed by Don McLean Don, who wrote this song, reflects this song. Quite a man, growing up in Warren Michigan. His only child, Mark, and I were roomates in college. We sung this song karoke in 1992 at a little bar in Nango Japan. Really great | Reviewer: King ------ About the song Everybody Loves Me Baby performed by Don McLean The verse/chorus order is unorthodox and the lyrics are great -- not a dead word. There's a certain Dylanesque air around the tongue-in-cheek lyrics and the not-so-perfect pitch. And it's danceable! All in all, awesome! We Struggle for Our Humanity | Reviewer: Claudia C. Pharis ------ About the song Vincent performed by Don McLean This song touches me deeply. Some of us live closer to our humanity than others, and it is these among us who are least able to bend themselves to countenance the distance from our humanity that modern life often requires. Such people often wind up homeless, artists, schizophrenics, suicidal, . . . We ignore them at our peril. They carry messages for us that we need to understand. 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