American PIE
by Don McLean”
Το
“American Pie”, είναι ένα τραγούδι που έγραψε και παρουσίασε ο
Don McLean το 1971 σαν φόρο τιμής σε τρεις ανθρώπους της
Rock μουσικής που δηλώνει άλλωστε στο τελευταίο του κουπλέ ότι θαύμαζε απεριόριστα.
Τον
Buddy Holly, τον
Richie Valens και τον
Big Bopper. Σκοτώθηκαν και οι τρεις όπως και όσοι ήταν μαζί τους σε αεροπορικό δυστύχημα στις 3 Φεβρουαρίου του 1959.
Το
“American Pie”, είναι ένα τραγούδι με πολλές αναφορές σε ονόματα που άφησαν εποχή
(James Dean), αλλά και σε ονόματα που κυριαρχούσαν στην εξέλιξη της
Rock μουσικής σκηνής.
(Lennon, Beatles, Byrds, στους
Rolling Stones και στον κιθαρίστα τους
Brian Jones, που είχε ήδη πεθάνει τον Ιούλιο του 1969, στην
Janis Joplin) και φυσικά στην Αγία Τριάδα όπως ονομάζει τους
Buddy Holly, Richie Valens και Big Bopper.
Το
“American Pie”, κατέληξε να είναι ένα τραγούδι κόλαση για τον δημιουργό του, αφού κατά την διάρκεια που το συνέθετε, συνέβη ο θάνατος της
Janis Joplin τον Οκτώβριο του 1970 και ένα τραγούδι προφητικό, αφού δύο χρόνια μετά την κυκλοφορία του, τον Σεπτέμβριο του 1973 σκοτώθηκε επίσης σε αεροπορικό δυστύχημα ο τροβαδούρος της
Rock,
Jim Croce, που ήταν και προσωπικός φίλος του
Don McLean και 9 χρόνια αργότερα, το 1980, δολοφονήθηκε ο
Lennon του οποίου ήταν θαυμαστής.
Το
American Pie επανήλθε στην επικαιρότητα με την
Madonna το 2000.
“American Pie”
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 they ‘re happy for a while.
But February made me shiver
With every paper I ‘d deliver,
Bad news on the doorstep……
I couldn ‘t take one more step.
I can ‘t remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride,
But something touched me deep inside,
The day the music died.
Bye bye Miss
American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.
Then good old boys were drinking whisky and rye,
Singing this will be the day that I die, this will 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,
Now 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 you ‘re in love with him,
Cause I saw you dancing in the gym,
You both kicked off your shoes,
Man, I dig those Rhythm ‘n’
Blues.
I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck,
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck,
But I knew that I was out of luck,
The day the music died.
Bye bye Miss
American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.
Then good old boys were drinking whisky and rye,
Singing this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die.
Now for ten years we ‘ve been on our own,
And moss grows fat on a “Rolling Stone”.
But that ‘s not how it used to be,
When the jester sang for the King and
Queen,
In a cost 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,
The day the music died.
Bye bye Miss
American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.
Then good old boys were drinking whisky and rye,
Singing this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die.
Helter Skelter is a summer swelter,
The birds flow off with the 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 halftime air was sweet perfume,
While 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.
Bye bye Miss
American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.
Then good old boys were drinking whisky and rye,
Singing this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die.
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 nimbls Jack be quick,
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick,
Cause fire is the Devil ‘s only friend.
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.
And as the flames climb high into the night,
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw satan laughing with delight,
The day that music died.
Bye bye Miss
American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.
Then good old boys were drinking whisky and rye,
Singing this will be the day that I die, this will 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 I ‘d heard the music years before,
But the man there said the music wouldn ‘t 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 admired most,
The Father, Son and Holly Ghost,
They caught the last Train for the coast,
The day the music die.
Bye bye Miss
American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry.
Then good old boys were drinking whisky and rye,
Singing this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die.
“American Pie” By: Don McLean / EMI 1971
