American Pie Is A Song That Made A Huge Impact On Americans

In every line of “I Hear America Singing”, the word “singing” appears to help emphasize and describe the melody of the working American citizens, yet there is no song in particular. Perhaps they are singing the National Anthem? America’s people doing American jobs all united by an unidentified melody that shrouds them all. It would seem a bit peculiar for

Given the points above, it is almost sacrilege to classify this song as anything other than an American classic. Even in today’s time people recognize

Essentially, the late 1960s and early 1970s are an in between stage for America, where people were exploring the many options in their lives. The release of “American Pie” in 1971 was a landmark in pop music history because the song was eight minutes and thirty-two seconds long. Later, it was divided up into two parts and then turned into the version that is known today (www.don-mclean.com). Now that the time period that surrounded the release of “American Pie” is established it is easier to understand the song because it can be read more in context.

"American Pie" starts out addressing McLean love for music in the 50's. During the 50's, music was a tool for getting people off their feet and on to the dance floors. "And I knew if I had my chance, that I could make those people dance, and maybe they'd be happy for a while" (McLean). This verse symbolizes why he loves to create and perform for his fans. McLean then goes on to mention his mentor Buddy Holly. "But February made me shiver. With every paper, I'd deliver. Shocking 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" (McLean). Buddy Holly died on February 3, 1959, in a plane crash. There are two theories on why the song was called "American Pie." It was rumored, "American Pie" was the name of the plane that took Buddy Holly life. Also, someone refers it to a symbol of the beauty queen Miss America (Morgan). Mclean remembered the paper boy delivering the morning paper and there on the front page, was the story of the death of Buddy Holly. At the time Holly's wife was pregnant and soon had a miscarriage afterward. McLean, he says he can't remember if he cried in the moment or not. All this was in the first few verses in "American Pie." McLean incorporated these lines of imagery to help the listener picture his past emotional experiences. I believe McLean wanted to paint a picture for his audience could relate to. During these times it was tough for McLean. Not only did Buddy Holly die but also rock star legends Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper. For McLean music died for him and the rest of the world.

     The voice of one person can send a profound sound into the hearts of people to help liberate one’s mind. That profound sound is seen through poetry. The creative structure and style of poetry creates a different form of writing that can either have rhythm, alliteration or have a direct message. In the poem “I Too Sing America”, by Langston Hughes had a significant message in that he desired to voice his expression on the issue of black oppression in America. Langston basic themes focused on the American Dream and the possibilities of hope and advancement were constantly present in his poetry. The tension between the unrealized dream and the realities of the black experience in

I feel that the repertoire of songs that were written by Tin Pan Alley composers appeal to so many Americans and continue too, today; because, their songs tempo are so upbeat, very rhythmic, making it very fun to listen to. Tim Pan Alley composers and performers inspired the American public during a delicate time, giving hope while influencing people’s feelings and opinions. Finally, another reason that many of these great American song are still appealing is because we hear them in popular movies. For example, song by Diana Krall, “You Don’t Know Me;” can be heard in “MY Best Friend’s Wedding,” along with one of Michael Bublé songs, “The Way You Look Tonight. Another example is, “How Sweet it is” in American Pie by Michael Bublé. Some of these

The 1930’s was a decade of extremely hard times, following the stock market crash and an extreme depression. In spite of the tremendous hardships in America during this decade, it also became a time of great music that is still remembered today. Jazz music was highly popular in this time, and Billie Holiday was a famous jazz performer. She stood out from many other musicians because of her intense and passionate performances. Jazz arose from “unacceptable” segments of society, but quickly grew like wildfire. We often think of the 1930’s as the decade that jazz became civilized, and famous throughout popular culture through the work of pioneering artists like Billie Holiday. People did not own televisions or cable, so radio was their main source of entertainment, and music during this decade was both up beat and a source of relaxation. “Strange Fruit” defied musical category because it was considered too artsy to be folk, and too explicitly political to fit into jazz. This is why “Strange Fruit” became such a powerful phenomenon. Many other artists later took on this song, changing the genre but still portraying the same message. Nina Simone dramatized “Strange Fruit” in the context of the Civil Rights Movement. More important artists like Jeff Buckley, Rene Marie, Labor Camp Orchestra, and many others made their own rendition on the song, still leaving all of their audiences moved by the powerful imagery of the lyrics.

How does our generation define what it means to be “American”? Being in America gives us the freedom to become who we want to be and, to do what we want to do. We are using technology to get places or to make a point. We want to support things we don’t know anything about. For example, Black Lives Matter. I’m not saying I know everything about it but I know enough. So one day as I was scrolling through Facebook I came across a post. The post was about a 9/11 “Never Forget” picture. A teen one or two older than me had said something along the lines of “When is our never forget day?” along with the hashtag “#Blacklivesmatter”. I got pretty upset by that. Not to mention it was said on 9/11. I was thinking about how they have a whole month to

The song American Pie is a representation of loss during the transition into the 1970s. It was written in 1971 by Don McLean and filled with his views on the state of society, political changes, and cultural changes. The cultural changes and the loss of everything society knew produced the lost generation that McLean was apart of. He demonstrated his disapproval of the direction of the country by using music, faith, and war as examples of the changes and loss his generation faced.

When the narrator says this, it tells the reader that he has a strong attachment to this memory and may be empathizing with what the musician is singing. The rest of the poem is simply an account of the events that take place that evening. Due to the lack of emotion from the narrator, the reader must look towards the second character, the musician, for emotion that is behind the depressed voice. While the musician’s voice is only seen in the song lyrics, his voice plays the largest role communicating emotions to the reader: “I ain't happy no mo'/And I wish that I had died” (29-30). From this lyric the reader understands that the musician is sad and appears to be depressed. At the end of the poem the narrator describes what he believes the musician does:

Buddy Holly and Jerry Allison had watched a John Wayne movie titled The Searchers. Each time in the film Wayne kept resaying "That'll be the day". That catch phrase became the title of the first hit record by Buddy Holly and his group. The song was recorded on February 25, 1957 at the Clovis, New Mexico recording studio of Norman Petty and by September was one of the top songs in the

and her lover from these vicious acts. If god does not seem to be interesting in their safety, then why should they waste energy praying to him? These are some of the complex and sensitive questions Hughes manages to raise from two short lines, illustrating his skill as a poet. The last two lines of the final stanza returns the reader to the tragedy of the young couple. The woman says, “Love is a naked shadow/ On a gnarled and naked tree” (Hughes 11-12). These ending lines are filled with imagery and emotion, thereby leaving the reader struck by the powerful meaning of the poem and the reality that these two people are humans with emotions whose lives have been ruin by this one act. Hughes skill in representing deep emotion and impacting the reader while still depicting very real situations serves to promote his plea for change (Gohar, 151).

One of the “wrappers” I thought was relatively effective was the wrapper for 9-7-17, which was “Identify the one song you think is more effective in conveying a changing America. Briefly explain.” I liked this wrapper because it allowed my mind to make some connections between America as it was and as it is now. In the wrapper, I had chosen Allentown by Billie Joel. Even though Little Man by Alan Jackson was more recent, both in the date and the topic of the song, I felt Allentown better related to the changes I see in America.

When prompted about a song that was important to me in high school, one song in particular comes to mind: “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” by Green Day. Almost anyone who has contemplated the length and depth of life can relate to this gentle song with its slow, almost yearning tone and deep lyrics. To me, “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” is a timeless ballad that never fails to comfort me in times of change and confusion. This song should be included in the “History of Popular Music, 1950-Present” course, not only because its deviation from normal punk rock epitomizes the struggle that Green Day faced in order to find its own sound, but also because Green Day has