Analysis Of ' The Day The Music Died '

Music is an outlet to all aspects of life and culture is a significant way of forming people and the way they live. Although not always seen directly culture has an overbearing influence on the music that is produced and made popular. The political Climate of the early seventies was full of fire with issues such as Vietnam and constant protest throughout the county. Later in the 70’s the end of the Vietnamese conflict brought the rise of the Watergate scandal and Iran Contra. These issues swept headlines and ingrained people’s thoughts. Social issues also played a big role in the developing culture of the seventies. Protests and constant outbreaks about gay rights and women’s rights seemed to

Music has continued to change throughout each decade, but the 1960s was the most influential decade in the history of music. Starting in the early 1950s, rock music was first introduced. Major record labels were releasing new “cover songs” which were originally made by black artist, but now by white artist (Rock and Roll). These cover songs changed a few lyrics from the original songs to avoid copyright issues and to also make the song more appropriate for the white listeners. The biggest star of the 1950s was Elvis Presley, who was known as the “King of rock n’ roll”.

During the 1900s, passion of composing music arose and encouraged many young teens to create garage bands and elder to perceive music as career. Famous musicians like Robert Johnson, Bill Monroe, and Elvis Presley were seeking the same. Although many were composing songs, most of them adapted their own versions from many which created a list of similarities and differences between them. Most commonly similar were themes or forms yet some differentiated in delivery style or instrumentation. Many artists got more creative and used similar instruments but give a twist into the sound play. This can be seen in the script or heard in the audio of the songs “Walkin’ Blues” and “Blue Moon of Kentucky” like many others.

Nonetheless, many critics assume the first line of the chorus relates to McLean 's relationship with the Miss America contestant. According to the Understanding American Pie website, the catchy phrase, "So bye bye, Miss American Pie," refers to, "the beauty queen Miss America" (Fann 3)." During McLean 's successful career, he dated Miss America, which Americans said that she is as American as an apple pie. She represents the simplicity in American history that carried meaning. Miss America does not correlate with the theme of the song. The transformation of Rock 'n Roll music was impacted by different elements instead of Miss America. The lyric, "So bye bye, Miss American Pie," that Americans assume is the Miss America never cause the change of events and music.

The music of “American Pie” harkens back to a time of rock-n-roll, pianos, and acoustic guitars. A time when the music was upbeat and peppy, causing you to want to jump up and dance. However, the music during the time of its creation lacks the calming effect that is acquainted with the music of previous eras. “American Pie” embodies many qualities of the music during the 1950s, including the simplicity of the chord structures overall, the clear vocals, and well-known and used instruments. With the use of simple but repetitive chords, Don McLean is able to shift the attention from the musical facet of the song back to the lyrics and the individual person listening to it.

The Sixties were an exciting revolutionary period of time with great social and technological change. Some people called it the “decade of discontent” because of the race riots in Detroit and La, and the demonstrations against the Vietnam War. Other people called it the decade of “peace, love, and harmony”. It was called this because of the peace movement and the emergence of the flower children. (Britannica) The sixties were about assassination, unforgettable fashion, new styles of music, civil rights, gay and women’s liberation, Vietnam, Neil Armstrong landing on the moon, peace marches, sexual freedom, drug experimentation, and Woodstock. All of these components caused a revolutionary change in the world of popular Music.

The music of the sixties went through tremendous change. It shaped mush of the music we hear today. From New Orleans came Jazz, from the East Coast came rock, from the West Coast came Psychedelic rock, and from England came the Invasion.

In the song American Pie, by Don McLean, produced in 1971, McLean uses this song to commemorate the death of singer Buddy Holly but he is able to also describe what he thinks is one of the most influential periods of American history; 1959-1970. The speaker in the song is Don because he’s telling what has happened since the death of Buddy holly and how much has influenced a change in society. In the song “bye bye mrs American pie” there to represent the innocence of American that Holly took when he died. I chose this song because it was one of my father’s favorite songs. And since the main idea of the song is about death, after my father died I felt a connection with the song. American pie relates to an old saying "as American as apple pie".

Rock and roll has developed a long way throughout the years from a dance craze in the 1950’s to a political and cultural landscape that is recognized worldwide. Rock and roll has come to define the roots of teenage rebellion, people who don’t follow the norms, and have disrespect for authority. The style of rock and roll itself is a melting pot of music, a combination of sounds that include jazz, country, blues, ragtime, gospel, swing, classical, and ethnic music. It can be a simple variation of three chords to a complex chromatic scale combination. It can convey emotions such as love, hate, fear, lust, sadness, joy, disillusion, or a strong sense of reality. Many things can be said about rock but the fact is that it is the most widely

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.

Charles Hardin Holley, or as we all know him, Buddy Holly was amongst the most influential singer/songwriters of the rock and roll generation. He was a very popular artist. While traveling to one of his concert venues, the plane he chartered unexpectedly crashed killing him and two other mainstays of 50s rock and roll, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. It is this incident that drove Don McLean to write the song American Pie which, to this day, remains one of the most widely talked about and debated songs of all times. McLean left this song open for interpretation and while there are many disputed details there is no doubt that this song is about how the death of Buddy Holly was the symbolic end of not only “good” music but more importantly

The song “American Pie” by Don McLean has sparked controversy over its meaning since it was released in 1971. Some people believe that McLean’s work is nothing more than simple rhymes, while others believe there is much deeper meaning. McLean refuses to directly answer questions about the lyrics, so we are left to make our own assumptions.

Throughout history, music have defined or depicted the culture and social events in America. Music has constantly played an important role in constituting American culture, where people have expressed themselves through music during flourishing and turbulent times. In the 1930’s, Swing music created a platform for audiences to vent their emotions in the midst of Great Depression and political unrest. Such strong relationship between music and culture can be seen throughout history, especially in the sixties.

Tin Pan Alley was a collection of songs that dominated the pop music industry in the 20th and 19th century. During this historical music period, the popularity of the song was tested by listeners before a song was published and produced. The particular style of performance was pop, and this style was met with great acceptance at this historical time. Over the rainbow was a song that was produced during a time when the world was covered in depression. The piece was used by soldiers in war and as a movie soundtrack which made it more popular.

Music has played a vital role in human culture and evidence based on archaeological sites can date it back to prehistoric times. It can be traced through almost all civilizations in one form or another. As time has progressed so has the music and the influences it has on people. Music is an important part of popular culture throughout the world, but it is especially popular in the United States. The music industry here is, and has been, a multi-million dollar business that continues to play an important role in American popular culture. This is also a art form and business that is forever changing as the times and more importantly, technology changes. Technology has changed the way music is made as well as how it is produced,