The Song American Pie Is A Representation Of Loss During The Transition Into The 1960s

Tragedy soon hit Buddy Holly, and he unfortunately died in a plane crash and Waylon just barely escaped death. Buddy Holly, Waylon and a few other men had a show to go to in Iowa, Jennings gave up his plane seat to JP Richardson and Waylon decided he wouldn't go. The plane crashed right after it took off, and everyone on it was killed. Waylon then moved back and went on to be a radio disk jockey again, but soon began his music career again in 1960. He created a new band, and named them the "Waylors". The band never really got successful. However, it did cause Waylon Jennings to score a contract with A&M Records, but not the rest of his band. He had issues with his record label, because they wanted him to change his sound. Waylon Jennings swore to stay Country, while the record label wanted him to sound

Rock and Roll was the start of a new revolution in America. It introduced the world to many of the famous artists that continue to be a part of our lives today. "Artists who became popular in the 1950s such as Elvis, began to pave the way for others such as Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly" (The History of Rock 'n' Roll until 1960). With the introduction of rock 'n' roll, there came many new changes to the lives of many Americans. Rock and Roll was a major contributor for the change in teens' behavior in the 1950s because it encouraged new freedoms for teenagers, encouraged new fads among teenagers, and caused a generation gap.

AC/DC’s “Back in Black”, http://youtu.be/HQywr-PBR_o, was release just five months after their lead singer Bon Scott died (“Songfacts”). “Back in Black” was to be a tribute to Bon (“Songfacts”). The lyrics suggest that he’ll never die, because he’ll live on forever through their music (“Songfacts”). Brain Johnson later joined the band after being discovered in a

Rock and roll never officially started without a true performer named Buddy Holly. Holly pioneered in the new wave of rock and roll along with Elvis Presley. No matter what Holly did, his fans seemed to never leave his side and fell in love with a style of music all his own. Forever young, buddy Holly still has a musical impact on his fans.

Music defines our culture. As Americans, we listen to music while we drive our cars, are at work, doing housework, studying, etc. We have songs for special occasions: Christmas, Hanukah, birthdays, weddings, parties, etc. We have taken songs from the various cultures that make us diverse: Arabic, German, Mexican, Native American, etc. We have many genres: country, hip-hop, rap, pop, blues, jazz, rock, heavy metal, etc. And although we may think of music as simple and easy, looking at all this makes one realize how diverse and complex our music truly is. Two things that contribute to this diversity are theme and symbolism.

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.

There are many songs that relate to the American Dream past. One song that really relates in my opinion is the song American Dream by Mkto. The song already starts off with a great tip which is “Do something with your life”. Which then leads to the song saying “We broke down trying to leave town, flying down the road to change”. In the American Dream this lyric relates a lot of how people tried getting away or start a new successful life. The American Dream in the past was related on if you were successful then you get much more, than from if you were poor and you had nothing. But, people who weren’t the most rich could change their lives around by being rich and successful. This goes with the lyric “Say goodbye to white picket fences, say

"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 loss of these legendary singers with the death of Buddy Holly, the enlisting in the Army of Elvis Presley, religious choice of Little Richard, the scandal of Jerry Lewis and incarceration of Chuck Berry sent the entertainment industry into an unpredictable state of what rock n roll would become. However, rock n roll remained a real thing, it continued to captivate and motivate its fans around the world. With the new singers such as the Beatles and Rolling stones and many other British musicians coming in would not let rock n roll

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.

Born and rise in Richard Steven Valenzuela on May 13 ,1941,in Pacoima near LA, California, Ritchie Valens made history when he died in the plane crash.Because he was youngest . His promising career, however, was cut short by tragedy. Valens died in a 1959 plane crash while on tour, along with Buddy Holly and J.P. The Big Bopper Richardson only 17 years old when he died he died Fed, Valens left behind a few recordings.His first self-titled album was released shortly after the accident and did well on the charts.He was put in the Rock and Roll hall of fame in 2001.At 16 Valens joined his first band.The group played local gigs, and Valens was spotted at one of these performances by Bob Keane, the head of the Del-Fi record label. With Keane's

The writing styles of Claudine Rankine and Colson Whitehead vary significantly, but both manage to address the issue of race in America in profound ways. In Citizen: An American Lyric, the former utilizes a combination of images and poetry to convey a sense of open-endedness, while the latter follows a traditional historical fiction narrative in his novel, The Underground Railroad. The books build on historical and modern events to evoke emotion and convey criticism. *Rankine uses an experimental style to allow introspection, and Whitehead’s traditional writing blurs the line between fiction and nonfiction.

Rock music has come a long way since its development in the early 20th century. The genre, defined “as a merger between rhythm&blues and country” (Scaruffi, The History of Rock Music:1955-1966), started out more as an underground market, but ended up becoming a significant aspect of American popular music history. Rock-n-Roll music produce many legendary artists who will for ever be known as innovators of the genre. Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry were some of the many artists in Rock-n-Roll who will always live on in their music.Many teenagers were also to identify it due to its rebellious nature their disapproval of the cold war. Towards the end of the 1950s, Rock-n-Roll was ending on a particularly bad note, with a brief decline:

In 1973, exactly twenty-five years prior to my birth, my parents were just in elementary school. They told me stories about their lives back then but none contained any traces of music. The only stories about music back in those years were from my grandmother. Back then, my parents grew up in Viet Nam in a poor family with no televisions so they couldn’t really listen to any music growing up. Although my parents could not listen to music on television like how we can now; they were able to come to live performances by local artists held at the district’s performance center every other month because the shows were free. My grandmother told me that the music back then was really different than how it is now. The songs served many purposes to the citizens, it was an encouragement to soldiers at war, it was the rhythm that put kids to sleep, it was the comfort food for everyone who listen. Grandma told me the style