The Day the Music died

Generation after generation has grown up listening to " American Pie" by Don Mclean and over the years fans have fallen in love with the song all the more and many are still trying to decipher the exact meaning of the lyrics as Mclean still maintains his silence of what he meant when he wrote the lyrics.3rd February (1959) is officially known as "The Day the Music Died" when three American Rock and Roll musicians - Buddy Holly,Ritchie Valens and J P Richardson died in a plance crash near Clear Lake , Iowa.The death of these musicians inspired Don Mclean to express his feelings through his song the "American Pie".The song has had a profound effect on me as each line is as meaningful and intriguing as the previous line.The songs exihibits the vicissitude of emotions Mclean felt and went through during the 1960's.Sociologists credit teenagers with the popularity of Rock and Roll, as a part of the Baby boomer generation, they found themselves in a very influential position. Their shear number were the force behind most of our country’s recent major transitions. McLean was a teenager in 1959 and he begins by simply commenting that the music had an appealing quality to him as well as the millions of other teens. McLean also had an intense desire to entertain as a musician. His dream, to play in a band at high school dances, was the dream of many young boys who wanted to make people dance to Rock and Roll.Music was believed to “save the soul” and slow dancing was an important part of early rock and roll dance events. Dancing declined in importance through the 60’s as things like psychedelia and the 10-minute guitar solo gained prominence.McLean was asking many questions about the early rock ‘n roll in an attempt to keep it alive or find out if it was already dead.Back then, dancing was an expression of love,and carried a connotation of commitment. Dance partners were not so readily exchanged as they would be later.Before the popularity of rock and roll, music, like much elsewhere in the U. S., was highly segregated. The popular music of black performers for largely black audiences was called, first “race music,” later softened to rhythm and blues. In the early 50s, as they were exposed to it through radio personalities such as Allan Freed, white teenagers began listening, too.McLean was writing this song in the late 60’s,about ten years after the crash.
The jester in the song is Bob Dylan , there are several interpretations of king and queen: some think that Elvis Presley is the king, which seems rather obvious. The queen is said to be either Connie Francis or Little Richard.An alternate interpretation is that this refers to the Kennedys — the King and Queen of “Camelot” — who were present at a Washington DC civil rights rally featuring Martin Luther King.The song also mentions about a generation lost in space which refers to hippies, who were sometimes known as the “lost generation,” partially because of their particularly acute alienation from their parents, and partially because of their presumed preoccupation with drugs (which was referred to as being “spaced-out.”).Being on drugs was sometimes termed — being lost in space because of the TV show, “Lost in Space,” whose title was used as a synonym for someone who was rather high.
The song inspired Janis Joplin (lady of the blues) to write and sing the song "Killing me softly with his song."
The song is one in its class and has been voted as the 5th best song of all times...please take some time out to listen to the song its an absolute beauty....