This week I want to take a look at one of the most iconic songs in rock history, Don McLean’s “American Pie”:
While maintaining its status as one of the most popular songs in rock music, “American Pie” is rather cryptic in its meaning. But, as I hope to show you in this post, the song is actually a massive nostalgia-filled farewell to the 1960s. And, therefore, this song contains an abundance of one-line references to historical events from that era.
“American Pie” was released in 1971 at a time where the separation between the 1960s and 1970s was becoming ever so clear. For America, the 60s had been a rather tumultuous decade filled with violence and disunity. Yet, looking back on the decade in 1971, McLean and many American’s did not see this. Instead, they saw a decade filled with American advancements and even maturity. While there were certain undeniable tragedies in the 60s, they helped shape the generation that had brought America into its own as a world power. After World War II America was thrust into the role of a 
superpower and throughout the 1950s it had struggled to define itself.
The 1960s, however, was the decade that saw Americas reach for new goals in innovation and finally catch up (if not pass) the Soviet Union in terms of its standing on the world stage. Something especially relevant to McLean in the 1960s (and late 1950s technically) was the explosion of Rock N’ Roll and the music industry in general. The early pioneers of rock that helped define it gave way to the first megastars like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who and so many more.
What’s more than this, was the lure of the 1960s and the nostalgia felt was intensified by the fact that the 1970s were shaping up to be even more turbulent. The Vietnam War showed no sign of winding down, and political protests regarding America’s involvement were ramping up. And, by the time “American Pie” became popular in 1972, it was becoming clear that America was on the verge of two major catastrophes. First off, there was a looming economic crisis the likes of which had not been seen since the Great Depression. Secondly, questions were beginning to be asked about a break in at the Democratic National Committee offices at the Watergate Building Complex.
So, in short, Don McLean and every other American had a right to feel nostalgic about the 1960s.
Now I’ll turn to talking more about “American Pie.” But before I do, I want to let you know that the song is about 8½-minutes long so I’m not going to talk about every single line (neither you or I would enjoy that). Instead, I’m going to pick out a two important references to try and capture the theme of the song.
The song makes continuous reference to “the day the music died.” This is specifically referring to February 3, 1959 when three rock pioneers and legends (Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper) were killed in a plane crash. Their deaths meant an end to the first era of Rock N’ Roll because they were the only major artists left as Elvis had been drafted and Chuck Berry was serving a prison sentence. This marks the start of the timeframe the song speaks to and it works itself all the way up to the present (1971).
The second aspect of the song I want to talk about is the chorus. “American Pie” is used in reference to the American dream because it elicits a certain feeling of home-grown Americanism. The whole of the chorus plays off of this, or, rather, the notion that they 
were somehow moving away from this picturesque vision of America. McLean’s “drove [his] chevy” (a popular American car) “to the levee but the levee was dry” (referring to the looming economic slowdown they were experiencing in the 70s). The latter part of the chorus reinforces this theme.
Everything around and in between these parts of the songs is a reference to some event of the time period. Nearly every line is about something different, but they all play on the nostalgic element of the 1960s. The problem is that McLean intentionally constructed complex lyrics, so they’re not always easy to understand. In “American Pie” McLean has packaged a fond goodbye to his childhood. Interestingly enough, this is where I find a parallel to the movie, “American Pie.” If you’ve every seen “American Pie” and you can get past the raunchiness, you will notice that the movie is essentially an Ode to High School. At its core, the film is about a group of friends about to move on the next stage in their lives, and the director takes a nostalgic look back at this period in the life of the American teenager. Beyond this I’d venture to say there are no more similarities.