1. Ivor Biggun says:

    I can’t believe I found what I was referring to earlier. Here is Bob Dearborn’s explanation of American Pie written at the time it was popular. http://user.pa.net/~ejjeff/pie.html

    WAY cool….

  2. Gary, the dangerous infidel says:

    Here’s another stream of evocative images matched up with the lyrics of Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” (with a dash of humor thrown in):

    http://yeli.us/Flash/Fire.html

    Any more of these videos/slide shows and we’ll need to expand Memory Lane to four lanes 😉

  3. Satman says:

    I tried an earlier post with a link but it didn’t take.

    According to Snopes, The plane wasn’t named American Pie. It only had the wing registration number, N3794N.

    Waylon Jennings didn’t lose a coin toss. He gave his seat up to JP Richardson, who was running a fever and had trouble fitting his stocky frame comfortably into the bus seats.

    Ritchie Valens “won” the coin toss with Tommy Allsup.

    Great song and cool video though.

  4. Dallas says:

    Awesome video! I showed this to my dad. He said….

    “yes I remember those days…lots of events shaped America..some good, some bad. A lot of people stood up for what they believed in,..blah blah..”

    I said, yeah I remember too. You said the Beatles were communists and those that died in Kent State deserved what they got because they were pro- viet cong and did not support America. Hint: He’s a republican.

  5. Montanaguy says:

    #34
    Nice job bashing your dad in public. Jerk.

  6. Dallas says:

    #35.. Yeah, enjoy the song, shmuck. That’s about as close to being an American you’ll ever get. At least my father is proud that I stand my ground and call it like it is. Unlike sheep mindless lemmings like you.

  7. bobbo says:

    #34–Dallas==I could see saying the same thing to my dad with the same reaction, only he is a lib. Ex-military, but still a lib otherwise.

    Montanna–I can see why you think Olberman is humorless. Your way or highway kinda guy?

  8. God says:

    Actually, I wrote the song. I was just feeling sad that day. Don’t read too much into it.

  9. hhopper says:

    If that’s true, why don’t you smite the RIAA?

  10. overly anal says:

    over-analysis kills art.

  11. Harry Armpet says:

    #36, Dallas,

    Great come back. LOL.

  12. Mr. Fusion says:

    Sometimes a song is just a song.

    This reminds me of English class where every book had such sub-plots and each character was psychoanalyzed. Didn’t anyone ever think that maybe they were just good books to enjoy?

  13. onomontapeia says:

    #3 bobbo- you have made all Vulcans very proud of you!

  14. #8 – Bobster

    Mustard==I read that piece before I posted. Seems to me Dylan himself rejected the title and all other titles just a few lines below what you quoted?

    Bobster, what the fuck is up with you and the weird punctuation?? I’ve come to accept the meaningless “==” stuff, but putting a question mark at the end of a declarative sentence?

    And to answer your question/ refute your declaration, no, he did not “reject” the title in question at the time it was applied to him. The interview was 40 years after he was known as “The Jester”.

    Your question was, and I quote: “PS–Was Dylan ever known at “The Jester?” Quick Google mostly only references this song, so hard to say.“.

    I answered it, and you’re still not happy.

    You really do love to watch your words appear on the magical screen, don’t you?!?!?!?

  15. Balbas says:

    Lovely vid; now it makes sense.

  16. MarkP says:

    The producers of the video certainly put in a lot of work and thought into it, and by and large their interpretation works (even if it isn’t perfect). The references to Dylan and the Beatles are spot on. The Jester is a well known Dylan motif (a part he still likes to play from time to time). Just take a listen to his Albert Hall concert.

    As for the object of this discussion, American Pie is a brilliant example of modern lyric poetry. Those who say songs have no meaning are imbeciles. Britney Spears may sing without meaning. But songs like this carry meaning in both their words and music.

  17. George says:

    There was at least one group that had another interpretation. As a kid, maybe 1971 or 72, I remember some stoner-looking teenagers passing out flyers at the mall. The subject of the flyer was how Don McLean’s song “American Pie” speaks to the youth about the coming war and nuclear anihilation. (8 miles high and falling).

    I kept that flyer for years, and only later discovered what the song was generally about.

  18. Gigwave says:

    Waylon Jennings did talk about that time recently. He said Buddy razzed him about having to ride in the cold bus and he told Buddy that he hoped the plane crashed. He said he had a lot of trouble with that in the following years.

  19. Fair Trade says:

    Fascinating, thank you.

  20. Cursor_ says:

    Buddy Holy didn’t die.

    He renamed himself Elvis Costello.

    Cursor_


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