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What I consider to be the most important and best song of the 20th century.
Actually I much prefer the version my minds eye provides when I hear music. That is what music is really about.
Good song. Nice review. But it doesn’t mean anything, music doesn’t mean anything. My Mom was baking banana nut bread the day JFK was killed. When I smell banana’s I think of JFK. What does that “mean?”===Nothing. Just an association.
When I drive to the levy, whether it is wet or dry, all I do is note the amount of water and vegetation. Doesn’t mean a thing. If these ambiguous by design symbols mean anything to you, have another slice of banana nut bread.
The music never died, nor did it with all the drug overdose deaths a small time later to much better musicians. The politics of hope and change did not die with Martin, John and Robert either. History stumbles and meanders on.
PS–Was Dylan ever known at “The Jester?” Quick Google mostly only references this song, so hard to say.
#3 – Bobbo
>>Was Dylan ever known at “The Jester?” Quick
>>Google mostly only references this song, so
>>hard to say.
“Dylan now declines the mantel of the Jester that he so proudly wore in the 1960’s and 1970’s. He was nicknamed the Jester because he was much like the old court jester who could and would tell the King he was being foolish, thus saving the country from disaster.”
http://tinyurl.com/3vgfn9
Good video. Thanks hhopper.
bobbo
Dylan was called the Jester (and the Clown and a couple of other things) early in his career when he sang “light, comical” songs.
Also, a lot of people criticized Dylan for ripping off James Dean in his red windbreaker from Rebel Without a Cause. Take a look at the cover of the Free Wheelin’ Bob Dylan.
Or it could be that people have too much time on their hands. Doesn’t matter to me, I still crank up the radio and sing along.
bobbo, did you not just contradict yourself. You say music doesn’t mean anything then use the banana bread analogy that clearly does mean something.
When I hear American Pie I think of my fourth grade music teacher who told us she cries when she hears that song. So it defiantly affected her. Her statement somehow made a impression on me that I started playing guitar and still play.
#4–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?
#7–jobs==I tried to make the point that what you call a contradiction is exactly why the song has no meaning==it only has various associations for different people. Hooman emotions find patterns/meaning where none exist. Two other best examples of that would be random lights flashed somehow match the beat of whatever song you are listening to and single sentences taken from Obama speeches mean whatever slur the McCain sleaze machine have chosen for the days substantive debate.
What does meaning mean? Can it be mere association if the association changes for each listener? How about it lacks meaning but it does “evoke emotions?”
Do words have any meaning otherwise?
Thanks, I enjoyed that. I’m sure ASCAP will be in touch.
#6–QB–didn’t mean to ignore you. My quick google shows Dylan constantly rejecting any such titles. Seems to me HE would have to call himself that, or have an album or song called that for there to be any real reference/meaning as the clip postulates. Would a picture of Leny Bruce have done the same thing===in context yes, but keeping all the loose associations to music gives the randomness a better beat. A few years later, Wierd Al Yankovic could be plugged into such a role?
I’m just after “what does meaning mean?”
Good video.
Someone should show it to Madonna and ask her what the hell she was thinking when she did a cover version of the song.
bobbo,
Meaning == context. At least to me. 😉
It’s a great song. It’s like a great painting. It evokes personal memories and responses, even if it’s not what the artist intended.
#11
Don McLean on Madonna’s version: “I have received many gifts from God but this is the first time I have ever received a gift from a goddess.”
Back when the song was on the charts, I remember sending in a self-addressed, stamped envelope to WCFL in Chicago and getting back a 5 page explanation of the song in the same detail as this.
It was (and is) a great history lesson for those of us who were interested in our Rock and Roll heritage.
That song can still make me cry. I’ve still got the vinyl in my collection.
I thought that there were more symbols in there than I already knew.
Thanks hhopper
#12–QB==meaning equals context? In context, meaning your post #12, the meaning/context of the song is the personal memories it evokes? Gets a bit loosey goosey for me.
I also kinda like every controversial song Madonna has done, including her cover. In context, I don’t see how Madonna singing American Pie changes its meaning, but I don’t recall with FOOD in the title that Wierd Al ever did a parody. He must be respecting its meaning?
(((Google shows Al has no respect:
not a good mash in my opinion.
“The Father, Son and Holy Ghost” remains a mystery, to be solved with a little help from my fiends: Hank Williams, Elvis and Buddy Holly.
Don’t talk or write about it Listen to the words!
Well I suppose today’s generation need crayon drawn maps for every little thing including music.
I like to remember it as a song that required a modicum of thought to “get it”. Those of us that belted it out around the campfire in the haze of the errrr “substances” of the day didn’t need such maps.
Excuse me I have to go get a fresh bowl of cereal, mine’s a little off this morning.
#19
“Well I suppose today’s generation need crayon drawn maps for every little thing including music.”
And I don’t like the look of those teenagers at the bus stop. And why did they take Matlock off TV.
#20
Get off my lawn.
Is it me or are the quality of the posts improving!? Growing up in the 60’s, FM radio in the 70’s, I was a sponge for music (still am though the good stuff keeps gettin harder to find). Most of the cultural references in this song were obvious from the first listening for me – ya hed to be there, and I was.
Another song built out of cultural references was called Life is a Rock by Reunion. If they tried to do the same for that song they’d go nuts::
It’s a song – nothing more,nothing less. It either sounds good or it doesn’t. The “meaning” of a song is totally irrelevant.
#23–BCF==if you are speaking generically, you are wrong. Lots of songs have specific objective meaning. Protest songs, folk songs, homeric odes, etc.
Music has no meaning.
Songs with ambiguous meaningless emotional evocations have no meaning.
I see American Pie simply as a song of lament for things lost. Anything seen as a loss will do–“bye, bye.”
I love the song and the video, but it makes one HUGE mistake that is easily the biggest….Miss American Pie is in the flight record for that night…American Pie was the name on the plane. Its clearly visable on pictures in the Buddy Holly archives. Do a little research and you will find the owner of that plane, and his story about what he felt upon the news of its fate.
I can’t stand that song.
American Pie is the first song that I remember in my life and it is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. In fact it is one of the earliest memories I have…
Masterpiece.
#25–Simple==thanks for that. You are right, shame that was overlooked.
28 comments and no one has said this yet:
What is “American Pie” about?
It’s about 11 minutes too long . . .
They missed explaining the reference “Jester on the sidelines in a cast”. Dylan had injured himself in a motorcycle crash and took some years off back in 66.
They said, in the video, McClean wrote it 10 years after, but it was a hit 12 years. They slipped in the Kent State reference which happened in May of 70 in the video…