Bohemian Rhapsody

by
Queen
Album: A Night At The Opera Released: 1975
US Chart: 9 UK Chart: 1

NO INTRODUCTION

Freddie Mercury wrote the lyrics, and there has been a lot of speculation as to
their meaning. Mercury's parents were deeply involved in Zoroastrianism an Iranian
religion, founded c600 b.c. by Zoroaster, the principal beliefs of which are in the
existence of a supreme deity, Ahura Mazda, and in a cosmic struggle between a spirit of
good, Spenta Mainyu, and a spirit of evil, Angra Mainyu (dictionary.com), and words
like "Bismillah" (Arabic for "In the name of god") do have a meaning in that religion. His
family grew up in Zanzibar, but was forced out by government upheaval in 1964, and
they moved to England. Some of the lyrics could be about leaving his homeland behind.
Mercury claimed the lyrics were nothing more than "Random rhyming nonsense" when
asked about it by his friend Kenny Everett, who was a London DJ. Mercury may have
written "Galileo" into the lyrics for the benefit of Brian May, who is an astronomy buff.
Galileo is a famous astronomer known for being the first to use a refracting telescope.
The backing track came together quickly, but Queen spent days overdubbing the vocals in
the studio using a 24 track tape machine. By the time they were done, about 120 vocal
tracks were layered together. According to Rolling Stone magazine in their list of the top
500 songs, Brian May said that everyone in the band was bewildered when Mercury
brought them a draft of this four-part suite - even before he told them, "That's where the
operatic bits come in!" The analog recording technology was taxed by the song's
multitracked scaramouches and fandangos. (thanks, James - Vancouver, Canada)
Queen made a video for this to air on Top Of The Pops, a popular British music show,
because the song was too complex to perform live. It started a trend in the UK of making
videos for songs to air in place of live performances. When MTV launched in 1981, most
of their videos came from British artists for this reason. In the December 12, 2004 issue
of The Observer newspaper, Roger Taylor explained: "We did everything we possibly
could to avoid appearing in Top Of The Pops. It was one, the most boring day known to
man, and two, it's all about not actually playing - pretending to sing, pretending to play.
We came up with the video concept to avoid playing on Top Of The Pops." (thanks,
Edward Pearce - Ashford, Kent, England)
The video was very innovative. It was the first where the visual images took
precedence over the song. It was based on their album cover, with the 4 band members
looking up into the shadows. It was shot in 3 hours for $3,500. Effects were achieved by
using camera feedback and prism lenses. At the time, it looked high-tech. It was also the
first music video in the sense that it was shot in video instead of film. This was Queen's
first Top 10 hit in the US. In the UK, where Queen was already established, it was #1 for
9 weeks, a record at the time. This got a whole new audience when it was used in the
1992 movie Wayne's World, starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey. In the film, Wayne
and his friends lip-synch to it in his car (the Mirth Mobile), spasmodically head-bobbing
at the guitar solo. As a result of the movie, it was re-released as a single in the US and
charted at #2. "Jump" by Kris Kross kept it out of #1. The original album version was
over 7 minutes long. It was cut down to 5:55 for release as a single, which the record
company leaked to a London radio station in order to build anticipation for the album.
This helped the single jump to #1 in the UK shortly after it was released.
Brian May recalled recording "Bohemian Rhapsody" in Q Magazine March 2008:
"That was a great moment, but the biggest thrill for us was actually creating the music in
the first place. I remember Freddie coming in with loads of bits of paper from his dad's
work, like Post-it notes, and pounding on the piano. He played the piano like most people
play the drums. And this song he had was full of gaps where he explained that something
operatic would happen here and so on. He'd worked out the harmonies in his head."
In 1991, this was re-released in the UK shortly after Freddie Mercury's death. It again
went to #1, with proceeds going to the Terrence Higgins Trust, which Mercury supported.
Elton John performed this with Axl Rose at the 1992 "Concert For Life," held in London
at Wembley Stadium. It was a tribute to Freddie Mercury, who died of AIDS the year
before. In 2001, Elton John got together with Eminem, who like Axl Rose, was often
accused of being intolerant and homophobic. They performed Eminem's "Stan" at the
Grammys.
When this was re-released in the US, proceeds from the single went to the Magic
Johnson AIDS Foundation. Johnson and Freddie Mercury were 2 of the first celebrities to
get AIDS. The album was the most expensive ever made at the time. They used 6
different studios to record it. Queen did not use any synthesizers on the album, which is
something they were very proud of. A Night At The Opera was re-released as an audio
DVD in 2002 with the original video included on the disc. Commentary from the DVD
reveals that this song had started taking shape in the song "My Fairy King" on Queen's
debut album. (thanks, nathan - l-burg, KY)
In 2002, this came in #1 in a poll by Guinness World Records as Britain's favorite
single of all time. John Lennon's "Imagine" was #2, followed by The Beatles' "Hey Jude."
A lot of words from the lyrics appear in the Qu'ran. "Bismillah" is one of these and it
literally means "In the name of Allah." The word "Scaramouch" means "A stock character
that appears as a boastful coward." "Beelzebub" is one of the many names given to The
Devil. (thanks, Jonathan Horgan - Cork, Ireland)
In an interview with Brian May and Roger Taylor on the Queen Videos Greatest
Hits DVD, Brian said: "What is Bohemian Rhapsody about, well I don't think we'll ever
know and if I knew I probably wouldn't want to tell you anyway, because I certainly don't
tell people what my songs are about. I find that it destroys them in a way because the
great thing about about a great song is that you relate it to your own personal experiences
in your own life. I think that Freddie was certainly battling with problems in his personal
life, which he might have decided to put into the song himself. He was certainly looking
at re-creating himself. But I don't think at that point in time it was the best thing to do so
he actually decided to do it later. I think it's best to leave it with a question mark in the
air." (thanks, Callum - Bendigo, Australia)
The name "Bohemian" in the song title seems to refer not to the region in the
Czech republic, but a group of artists and musicians living roughly 100 years ago, known
for defying convention and living with disregard for standards. A "Rhapsody" is a piece
of Classical music with distinct sections that is played as one movement. Rhapsody's
often have themes. (thanks, George - Dusseldorf, Germany)
Roger Taylor (from 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh): "Record
companies both sides of the Atlantic tried to cut the song, they said it was too long and
wouldn't work. We thought, 'Well we could cut it, but it wouldn't make any sense,' it
doesn't make much sense now and it would make even less sense then: you would miss
all the different moods of the song. So we said no. It'll either fly or it won't. Freddie had
the bare bones of the song, even the composite harmonies, written on telephone books
and bits of paper, so it was quite hard to keep track of what was going on." Kutner and
Leigh's book also states that, the recording included 180 overdubs, the operatic parts took
over 70 hours to complete and the piano Freddie played was the same one used by Paul
McCartney on "Hey Jude." (thanks, Edward Pearce - Ashford, Kent, England)
Ironically, the song that knocked this off the #1 chart position in the UK was "Mama
Mia" by Abba. The words "Mama mia" are repeated in this in the line "Oh mama mia,
mama mia, mama mia let me go." (thanks, James - St Albans, England)
Weird Al Yankovic took the entire song and sung it to a Polka tune, called simply
"Bohemian Polka," which is on his 1993 album Alapalooza. (thanks, Steph - SoCal, CA)
The story told in this song is remarkably similar to that in Albert Camus' book The
Stranger. Both tell of a young man who kills, and not only can he not explain why he did
it, he can't even articulate any feelings about it. (thanks, Bob - Santa Barbara, CA)
You can make the case that the song title is actually a parody, and a clever one at that.
There is a rhapsody by Franz List called "Hungarian Rhapsody," and "Bohemia" is a
kingdom that is near Hungary and was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Furthermore, "Bohemian" is an adjective for something unusual or against convention,
and the song is just that. So "Bohemian Rhapsody" could be a clever title that not only
parodies a famous work but describes the song. (thanks, Con - Melbourne, Australia)
This song was covered by Constantine M. (featuring the cast of We Will Rock You) and
also by The Flaming Lips for the 2005 Queen Tribute album Killer Queen. (thanks,
Rachel - South Point, OH)
Queen fans, and also Brian May, often colloquially refer to the song as "Bo Rhap"
(or "Bo Rap"). The name "Bohemian Rhapsody" makes many appearances in popular
culture: Session 14 of the popular anime series Cowboy Bebop is named "Bohemian
Rhapsody." The Jones Soda Company has a drink named "Bohemian Raspberry" in honor
of this song. In one of the episodes of the TV miniseries Dinotopia, a character cheats on
a poem project by using the first part of the song as his entire project. The inhabitants,
having never heard the song before, are amazed at the sound of it. (thanks, Jonathon -
Clermont, FL, for above 2) Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett used some of the lyrics in
their book Good Omens. The main character (Crowley) plays it in his car all the time.
They also refer to other Queen songs, but mostly "Bohemian Rhapsody." (thanks, Bella -
Pretoria, South Africa)
Hotel California

by
Eagles
Album: Hotel California Released: 1976
US Chart: 1 UK Chart: 8

This is about materialism and excess. California is used as the setting, but it could relate
to anywhere in America. Don Henley in the London Daily Mail November 9, 2007 said:
"Some of the wilder interpretations of that song have been amazing. It was really about
the excesses of American culture and certain girls we knew. But it was also about the
uneasy balance between art and commerce."

On November 25, 2007 Henley appeared on the TV news show 60 Minutes, where he
was told, "everyone wants to know what this song means." Henley replied: "I know, it's
so boring. It's a song about the dark underbelly of the American Dream, and about excess
in America which was something we knew about." (thanks, Emma - Westfield, ME)
Don Henley: "We were all middle-class kids from the Midwest. Hotel California was our
interpretation of the high life in Los Angeles.
This won the 1977 Grammy for Record Of The Year. The band did not show up to accept
the award, as Don Henley did not believe in contests.
Don Felder got the ball rolling on this. He had the chord progressions and took it to Don
Henley and Glenn Frey. They put the words down, then Joe Walsh wrote all the guitar
parts and arranged them for everyone. (thanks, Les - Dannevirke, New Zealand)
"Colitas," in the line "Warm smell of colitas," is often interpreted as a flower or a sexual
reference. It is a Spanish word translated to Henley by the Eagles Mexican-American
road manager meaning "Little Buds," and is a reference to marijuana.
This was recorded at 3 different sessions before the Eagles got the version they wanted.
The biggest problem was finding the right key for Henley's vocal.
Glenn Frey compares this to an episode of The Twilight Zone, where it jumps from one
scene to the next and doesn't necessarily make sense.
The line "They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast" is a
reference to Steely Dan. The bands shared the same manager and had a friendly rivalry.
The year before, Steely Dan included the line "Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are
listening" on their song "Everything You Did."
Don Felder and Joe Walsh played together on the guitar solos, creating the textured
sound.
The lyrics for the song came with the album. Some people thought the line "She's got the
Mercedes Bends" was a misspelling of "Mercedes Benz," and wrote Henley to complain.
The line was a play on words.
Glenn Frey: "That record explores the under belly of success, the darker side of Paradise.
Which was sort of what we were experiencing in Los Angeles at that time. So that just
sort of became a metaphor for the whole world and for everything you know. And we just
decided to make it Hotel California. So with a microcosm of everything else going on
around us." (thanks, Moomin - London, England)
When the Eagles got back together in 1994, they recorded a live version of this for an
MTV special that was included on their album Hell Freezes Over. The album was #1 in
the US its first week.
All 7 past and present members of the Eagles performed this in 1998 when they were
inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
The hotel on the album cover is the Beverly Hills Hotel, known as the Pink Palace. It is
often frequented by Hollywood stars. The photo was taken by photographers David
Alexander and John Kosh, who sat in a cherry-picker about 60 feet above Sunset
Boulevard to get the shot of the hotel at sunset from above the trees. The rush-hour traffic
made it a harrowing experience. Check out the hotel.
Although it is well known that Hotel California is actually a metaphor, there are several
strange Internet theories and urban legends about the "real" Hotel California. Some
include suggestions that it was an old church taken over by devil worshippers, a
psychiatric hospital, an inn run by cannibals or Aleister Crowley's mansion in Scotland.
It's even been suggested that the "Hotel California" is the Playboy Mansion. (thanks,
Adam - Dewsbury, England)
The music may have been inspired by the 1969 Jethro Tull song "We Used to Know,"
from their album Stand up. The chord progressions are nearly identical, and the bands
toured together before the Eagles recorded it. In a BBC radio interview, Jethro Tull
frontman Ian Anderson said laughingly that he was still waiting for the royalties. (thanks,
Lawrence - Royal Tunbridge Wells, England and Dave - Cleveland, OH)
In Chicago at the time of this song's popularity many people called Cook County jail
"Hotel California" because it is on California street. The name stuck and now people of
all ages and races refer to the jail by this nickname. (thanks, jesse - chicago, IL)
Don Felder: "I had just leased this house out on the beach at Malibu, I guess it was
around '74 or '75. I remember sitting in the living room, with all the doors wide open on a
spectacular July day. I had this acoustic 12-string and I started tinkling around with it,
and those Hotel California chords just kind of oozed out. Every once in a while it seems
like the cosmos part and something great just plops in your lap." (thanks, Stone -
Libertyville, IL)
The Hotel California album is #37 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Albums
of all time. According to the magazine, Don Henley said that the band was in pursuit of a
note perfect song. The Eagles spent 8 months in the studio polishing take after take after
take. Henley also said, "We just locked ourselves in. We had a refrigerator, a ping pong
table, roller skates and a couple cots. We would go in and stay for 2 or 3 days at a time."
(thanks, Ray - Stockton, NJ)
According to a reader-submitted poll for Guitar World magazine, the guitar solo for this
song is ranked #8 out of 100. (thanks, Romeo - Belo Horizonte, Brazil)
Blackbird

by
The Beatles
Album: The White Album Released: 1968

Paul McCartney wrote this about the civil rights struggle for blacks after reading about
race riots in the US.
Only 3 things were recorded: Paul's voice, his acoustic guitar, and a tapping. According to
the video The Complete Beatles, the tap was not a foot or metronome - the Master was
intentionally scratched. If you listen closely you will notice that is sounds like a scratch
on a record. Birds were dubbed in later.
This was one of 5 Beatles songs McCartney performed on his Wings Over America tour
in 1976.
Blackbird Singing is the title of a book of poems McCartney wrote.
Brad Mehldau recorded an instrumental jazz version of this in 1997.
In 2002, The Doves covered this on the soundtrack to the TV show Roswell.
At some of McCartney's concerts 2005, he said that one of the first tunes he learned how
to play was a riff by Bach, and that modified riff turned into this song. (thanks, alexandra
- toronto, Canada)

I Am The Walrus

by
The Beatles
Album: Magical Mystery Tour Released: 1967
US Chart: 56

John Lennon wrote this, but it was released as the B-side to "Hello Goodbye," which Paul
McCartney wrote. This angered Lennon because he felt this was much better.
Lennon wrote most of this while tripping on acid. The up and down rhythm was inspired
by a police siren he heard.
Lennon made sure the lyrics didn't make sense so he could confuse all the people trying
to analyze his songs. He got the idea for the oblique lyrics when he received a letter from
a student who explained that his English teacher was having the class analyze Beatles
songs. Lennon answered the letter; his reply was sold as memorabilia at a 1992 auction.
(thanks, Emery - San Jose, CA)
The voices at the end are from a BBC broadcast of the Shakespeare play King Lear.
The idea for the Walrus came from the poem The Walrus and The Carpenter from Alice in
Wonderland. In his 1980 Playboy interview, Lennon said: "It never dawned on me that
Lewis Carroll was commenting on the capitalist and social system. I never went into that
bit about what he really meant, like people are doing with the Beatles' work. Later, I went
back and looked at it and realized that the walrus was the bad guy in the story and the
carpenter was the good guy. I thought, Oh, s--t, I picked the wrong guy. I should have
said, 'I am the carpenter.' But that wouldn't have been the same, would it?"
When Lennon decided to write confusing lyrics, he asked his friend Pete Shotton for a
nursery rhyme they used to sing. Shotton gave them this rhyme, which Lennon
incorporated into the song:
"Yellow matter custard, green slop pie, all mixed together with a dead dog's eye.
Slap it on a butty, ten foot thick, then wash it all down with a cup of cold sick."
The song's opening line, "I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together" is
based on the song "Marching To Pretoria," which contains the lyric, "I'm with you and
you're with me and we are all together." (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France, for above 3)
The choir at the end sings "Oompah, oompah, stick it in your jumper" and "Everybody's
got one, everybody's got one."
This song helped fuel the rumor that Paul McCartney was dead. It's quite a stretch, but
theorists found these clues in the lyrics, none of which are substantiated:
"Waiting for the van to come" means the 3 remaining Beatles are waiting for a police van
to come. "Pretty little policemen in a row" means policemen did show up.
"Goo goo ga joob" were the final words that Humpty Dumpty said before he fell off the
wall and died.
During the fade, while the choir sings, a voice says "Bury Me" which is what Paul might
have said after he died.
During the fade, we hear someone reciting the death scene from Shakespeare's play
"King Lear." (thanks, Tommy - flower mound, TX)
The BBC banned this for the lines "pornographic priestess" and "let your knickers down."
Lennon got the line "Goo Goo Ga Joob" from the book Finnegan's Wake by James Joyce.
In The Beatles song "Glass Onion," Lennon sang, "The Walrus was Paul." He got a kick
out of how people tried to interpret his lyrics and figure out who the Walrus was.
"Semolina Pilchard" was Detective Sergeant Norman Pilcher, head of the Scotland Yard
Drugs Unit. He led the arrests of both John Lennon and Brian Jones et al, before being
investigated himself for blackmail and bribery in the '70s. (thanks, Matt - London,
England)
Eric Burdon (of Animals and War fame) stated in his biography that he is the Egg Man. It
seems he told John Lennon of a sexual experience he was involved in where an egg
played a major part. After that, John called him Egg Man.
ELO's song "Hello My Old Friend" has an identical form to this - almost the same tune
and orchestration but different words. No wonder Jeff Lynne is sometimes referred to as
the 6th Beatle.
In the Anthology version of this song, they experiment with 4 octaves in the intro. Also,
just before Lennon says, "Sitting in an English garden waiting for the sun," Ringo does 2
hits on snare and floor tom before hitting crash. (thanks, Riley - Elmhurst, IL)
In an episode of The Simpsons, "The Bart Of War," airing May 18, 2003, Bart and
Milhouse break into a secret room in the Flanders' household to discover that Ned is a
Beatles fanatic. Bart takes a sip from a can of 40-year-old Beatles-themed novelty soda
and quotes this song: "Yellow matter custard dripping from a dead dog's eye," while
Milhouse takes a trip and sees various Beatles inspired hallucinations. (thanks, Ashley -
Moncton, Canada)
Styx covered this song in 2004. They made a music video for it with a cameo from Billy
Bob Thornton. (thanks, Caitlyn - Farmington Hills, MI)
After John Lennon went solo, he wrote a song called "God" where he sang, "I was the
walrus, but now I am John." (thanks, Webspin - Daytona, FL)
Artists to cover this song include Guided By Voices, Jackyl, Phil Lesh, Love/Hate, Men
Without Hats, Oasis, Oingo Boingo, Spooky Tooth and Styx. The Dead Milkmen
recorded a completely different song with the same title in 1987. (thanks, Bertrand -
Paris, France)
Frank Zappa and the Mothers Of Invention performed the song as part of their late '70s -
early '80s live repertoire, giving it their own comic treatment. It was a favorite of the
fans. (thanks, Dan - Milwaukee, WI)

Above song facts came from:

http://www.songfacts.com/

How to Figure out a Song's

Meaning
Ever been listening to the radio and wondered "What is it this song about?" Artists write songs as
an expression of themselves. Some choose to let the music do the talking, but most artists also
use lyrics to convey emotion. Deciphering lyrics is not always easy, but it brings a sense of
meaning and greater appreciation of the song.

[edit] Steps

1. Make sure you know the lyrics. If you know them by heart, great. If not, or if you're
unsure, use a search engine like Google to look for the words, or use a lyrics database. For
helpful websites, see External Links below.

2. Think about the genre and theme. Is it rock? Metal? Country? Rap? Is it a love song? Is it
a blatant political commentary? Is it humorous? Satirical? Religious? Maybe the song tells a
story. Often, knowing this will help you figure out how to interpret the lyrics.
3. If the meaning of a song seems very literal and obvious at first, re-examine the lyrics. You
may find a whole new interpretation among the words.
4. Take note of any unusual or poetic phrases. These may be metaphors or figurative
language. These are especially difficult to decipher, but take special consideration, as
metaphors can be some of the most important, moving parts of a song, and reveal a lot of
meaning.
5. Listen to the song again, and again if you have to. Listen to it while reading the lyrics.
Maybe you feel a deeper sense of connection with the words.
6. Never accept your interpretation as final. Keep an open mind and talk to other fans and
music lovers; see how they infer the song. You never know, you might hear something
completely different that changes your perspective.
[edit] Tips

Consider the band or singer behind the song. If you're familiar with their music, you know
their style and what they write about. Sometimes artists even like to take their music in a
totally different direction from previous works.

Music is a very emotional art. As you're reading the lyrics, do not forget the all-important
emotions behind the song.
Like a painting or a book, music is not limited to one interpretation. There is no "right" or
"wrong" meaning, one must simply go by what they interpret.

[edit] Warnings

Don't take everything literally. Some song writers like to use a fair amount of bombast that
really has no purpose. However, don't dismiss every use of verboseness as trivial. Indeed,
some musicians are very eloquent.

Some songs are so complex and personal, you might find it difficult to extract any
meaning. This should not discourage you. Find or make up your own meaning in the song.

http://www.wikihow.com/Figure-out-a-Song's-Meaning

American Pie Lyrics

A long, long time ago...

I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, theyd be happy for a while.

But february made me shiver

With every paper Id deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldnt take one more step.

I cant remember if I cried

When I read about his widowed bride,
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died.

So bye-bye, miss american pie.

Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
Singin, "thisll be the day that I die.
"thisll be the day that I die."

Did you write the book of love,

And do you have faith in God above,
If the Bible tells you so?
Do you believe in rock n roll,
Can music save your mortal soul,
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Well, I know that youre 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.

I was a lonely teenage broncin buck

With a pink carnation and a pickup truck,
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died.

I started singin,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
And singin, "thisll be the day that I die.
"thisll be the day that I die."

Now for ten years weve been on our own

And moss grows fat on a rollin stone,
But thats 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 lenin read a book of marx,
The quartet practiced in the park,
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died.

We were singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
And singin, "thisll be the day that I die.
"thisll be the day that I die."

Helter skelter in a summer swelter.

The birds flew off with a fallout shelter,
Eight miles high and falling fast.
It landed foul on the grass.
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!
`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,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
And singin, "thisll be the day that I die.
"thisll be the day that I die."
Oh, and there we were all in one place,
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again.
So come on: jack be nimble, jack be quick!
Jack flash sat on a candlestick
Cause fire is the devils only friend.

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 satans spell.
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite,
I saw satan laughing with delight
The day the music died

He was singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
And singin, "thisll be the day that I die.
"thisll be the day that I die."

I met a girl who sang the blues

And I asked her for some happy news,
But she just smiled and turned away.
I went down to the sacred store
Where Id heard the music years before,
But the man there said the music wouldnt play.

And in the streets: the children screamed,

The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.
But not a word was spoken;
The church bells all were broken.
And the three men I admire most:
The father, son, and the holy ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died.

And they were singing,

"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
Singin, "thisll be the day that I die.
"thisll be the day that I die."

They were singing,

"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
Singin, "thisll be the day that I die."

Don McLean's American Pie

Initially inspired by his memories of the death of Buddy Holly in 1959, American Pie is
autobiographical and presents an abstract story of Don McLeans life from the mid 1950s
until when he wrote the song in the late 1960s. It is almost entirely symbolised by the
evolution of popular music over these years and represents a change from the lightness of
the 1950s to the darkness of the late 1960s. This is also very symbolic of changing
America during this era. In Dons life the transition from light (the innocence of
childhood) to the darker realities of adulthood probably started with the death of Buddy
Holly and culminated with the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963 and the start
of a more difficult time for America. In this 4 year period, Don moved from a fairly
idyllic childhood existence, through the shock and subsequent harsh realities of his
fathers death in 1961, to his decision in 1963 to quit Villanova University to pursue his
dream and become a professional singer.

For 30 years the lyrics of American Pie have been subject to intense scrutiny as people
search for the song's real meaning. Analysis continues today on the Internet and in
newspapers and magazines worldwide. All interpretations start on the premise that Don
McLean never talks about the song and has never provided insight into the meaning of
the lyrics. In fact, Don McLean has spent 30 years doing little else but talk about
American Pie!

In the 'Downloads' section of the main site, under 'Direct from Don McLean' you will
find two interesting interviews with Don McLean concerned with American Pie.

In his 2000 'Starry Starry Night' video, Don says: I'm very proud of the song. It is
biographical in nature and I don't think anyone has ever picked up on that. The song starts
off with my memories of the death of Buddy Holly. But it moves on to describe America
as I was seeing it and how I was fantasizing it might become, so it's part reality and part
fantasy but I'm always in the song as a witness or as even the subject sometimes in some
of the verses.

You know how when you dream something you can see something change into
something else and it's illogical when you examine it in the morning but when you're
dreaming it, it seems perfectly logical. So it's perfectly okay for me to talk about being in
the gym and seeing this girl dancing with someone else and suddenly have this become
this other thing that this verse becomes and moving on just like that. That's why I've
never analyzed the lyrics to the song. They're beyond analysis. They're poetry. Don has
recently re-enforced this theme:

The song was written as my attempt at an epic song about

America, and I used the imagery of music and politics to do
that. Also, I was really influenced by the Sgt. Pepper
album, and the American Pie album was my attempt to do
that, but the song totally overshadowed the album

Most mainstream analyses of American Pie are at least partly based on Bob Dearborn's
interpretation of the song that he produced for his radio show in 1971. His theory was
broadcast on radio across large parts of the USA and is still available on the Web today
at: http://user.pa.net/~ejjeff/pie.html

Basic errors in American Pie interpretations have been carried forward and sometimes get
reported as being fact. One of the most tedious theories of recent times is that the plane
that crashed killing Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper was called
'American Pie'. This is wholly untrue and Don McLean released a press statement in 1999
to confirm this:

the growing urban legend that "American Pie" was the

name of Buddy Hollys plane the night it crashed, killing
him, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper, is untrue. I created
the term." - Don McLean, 1999

Incidentally, Don McLean has also taken time out to rubbish the myth that he had, for a
while, refused to perform the song:

Because of an off-hand funny comment I made backstage at

a concert years ago, a story circulated that the song
{American Pie} has been a burden and even that I didnt
sing it for a while. Thats completely false. I am very proud
of American Pie and the many satellites that grow from it
and revolve around it. For many years I carried my songs
around and now they carry me around. I have always sung
American Pie for my audience and would never think of
disappointing them since it is they who have given me a
wonderful life and untold affection for almost 30 years. -
Don McLean, 1999

and in a Music World article from 2000, Don says: "I have never said a bad thing about
the song, I was poor when I wrote it, and it made me a millionaire overnight. Believe me,
I'm not upset about this song." - Don McLean, 2000.
As for the lyrics there can be many interpretations as they are just as relevant today as
they were in 1972:

A long, long time ago...

I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.

This can literally be any music from our past as long as it made us smile; however, in
context, McLean meant it to be about plane that crashed killing Buddy Holly, Ritchie
Valens and the Big Bopper that forever took their music away from us. Any death of any
artist could make these lyrics meaningful for us as fans; likewise, we may not remember
Buddy Holly or the rest, but we do remember Kurt Cobain, Elvis, and other dead
musicians of our generations.

But february made me shiver

With every paper Id deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldnt take one more step.

I cant remember if I cried

When I read about his widowed bride,
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died.

With these lyrics, we can assume that McLean was a youngster around 12 or 13; how can
we assume this? The lyrics tell us that he is delivering newspapers with the bad news on
the front. When there is a tragic death of someone famous, it is everywhere and people
do cry for their favorite artist. There will be no more music from them.