Starkist
10-14-2002, 06:45 AM
My previous topic didn't gain much attention, so for my sophomore project I'll use another song I like, only this time one that is more popular.
A long, long time ago
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance that I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while
But February made me shiver with every paper I'd deliver
Bad 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.
So bye bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
And them good 'ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye singin'
This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die.
Did you write the book of love, and do you have faith in God above?
If the Bible tells you so
Now do you believe in rock and roll, can music save your moral soul and
Can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Well I know that you're in love with him 'cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes, man I dig those rhythm and blues
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck, with a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck the day the music died.
I started singin' bye bye Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levy
But the levy was dry
Them good 'ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye and singin'
This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die.
Now for ten years we've been on our own and moss grows, fat on a rolling stone
But that's not how it used to be
When the jester sang for the king and queen in a coat he borrowed from James Dean
And a voice that came from you and me
Oh and while the king was looking down, the jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned, no verdict was returned
And while Lennon read a book on Marx, the quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark the day the music died
We were singin' bye bye Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levy
But the levy was dry
Them good 'ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye and singin'
This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die.
Helter-skelter in a summer swelter the birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and fallin' fast, it landed foul on the grass
The players tried for a forward pass with the jester, on the sidelines in a cast
Now the half-time air was sweet perfume while sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance, oh but we never got the chance
'Cause the players tried to take the field, the marching band refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed the day the music died.
We started singin' bye bye Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levy
But the levy was dry
Them good 'ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye and singin'
This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die.
Oh, and there we were all in one place, a generation lost in space
With no time left to start again
So come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack Flash sat on a candlestick 'cause
Fire is the devil's only friend
Oh, and as I watched him on the stage my hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in hell, could break that Satan's spell
And as the flames climbed high into the night, to light the sacrificial rite I saw
Satan laughing with delight the day the music died.
We were singin' bye bye Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levy
But the levy was dry
Them good 'ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye and singin'
This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die.
I met a girl who sang the blues, and I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
I went down to the sacred store, where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn't play, mmm
And in the streets the children screamed, the lovers cried and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken, the church bells all were broken
And the three men I admire most: the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast the day the music died.
And they were singing
Bye bye Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levy
But the levy was dry
And them good 'ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye singin'
This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die.
They were singing
Bye bye Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levy
But the levy was dry
Them good 'ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye singin'
This'll be the day that I die.
This song is essentially about the loss of innocence in America during the 1960's. The decade opened with the optimism of the 50's, Rock & Roll was in its infant stage, and young America had dreams. Watching Buddy Holly play his music, with such hits as That Will Be The Day That I Die, inspired a generation of fans. Unfortunately his fame was short lived. He, along with The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens of La Bamba fame, were killed in a plane crash on their way to a concert. It was the beginning of the end. The music had died.
Was Rock & Roll the salvation of America? Could it change America from the sheltered young child it was in the 1950's? While tame by today's standards, the music of the late 50's was wild and rebellious for its time. It was the beginning of the antithesis of the conformist 50's. How far it would go was beyond the intentions of most.
"Ten years we've been on our own." The music died but it didn't even know it. New faces came to the music from Elvis to Dylan. Elvis' popularity dropped quickly while Dylan became the voice of a generation. He soon discovered however that the crown of the king was a "thorny" one. The price of fame is high. Meanwhile the Beatles, the "quartet" was ready to step onto the stage. Already hugely popular they began to take steps into society and politics and they "practiced in the park," their final tour performance was at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. "We sang dirges in the dark" for all the fallen icons: John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X....
The Jester, Dylan, watched the changing of the guard at the end of the 1960's "on the sidelines in a cast," his memento of a motorcycle accident. New artists tried to step into the spotlight but the Beatles kept the limelight to themselves for a while. Rock & Roll was getting edgier, rebellion was getting wilder, and the Vietnam War was polarizing the generations. Drugs were more popular than ever. What was "revealed the day the music died?" I don't know. But the 1960's ended on a terrible note. The Rolling Stones, eager to duplicate the success of Woodstock planned their own free concert in Altamont, California. In their native England they had used Hell's Angels as security but they underestimated the malevolence of their American counterparts. They beat up on the crowd, killing a black man at one point. I remember reading a Rolling Stone article describing members of Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead huddling in fear as the Angels wreaked havoc. It got so bad that Mick Jagger and his band had to escape in a helicopter. What alter had the dead man, more so the innocence of America been sacrificed on?
The 1960's had began with optimism and ended in tragedy. The children screamed. In Vietnam, kids were being killed by the hundreds while at home kids were frying their brains on acid. The generation of the 60's felt abandoned by everybody. Even abandoned by God? Perhaps He left to escape the evil that had become America, perhaps America kicked Him out. Perhaps the Trinity here represented the three artists killed at the start of the decade, the plane crash that was the beginning of the end. I'm not sure. In any case, the song clearly articulates the end of America's innocence. Apple pie and baseball, ,these used to represent the American spirit. Now it was marred by an unwinnable war and strife at home, violent revolution on the minds of its youth. Miss America was gone, her virginity taken violently. The "good ole' boys" of days past looked at the present time and silently faded away. Buddy Holly looked to the future saying "that will be the day that I die." Well, he did.
A long, long time ago
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance that I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while
But February made me shiver with every paper I'd deliver
Bad 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.
So bye bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
And them good 'ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye singin'
This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die.
Did you write the book of love, and do you have faith in God above?
If the Bible tells you so
Now do you believe in rock and roll, can music save your moral soul and
Can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Well I know that you're in love with him 'cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes, man I dig those rhythm and blues
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck, with a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck the day the music died.
I started singin' bye bye Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levy
But the levy was dry
Them good 'ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye and singin'
This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die.
Now for ten years we've been on our own and moss grows, fat on a rolling stone
But that's not how it used to be
When the jester sang for the king and queen in a coat he borrowed from James Dean
And a voice that came from you and me
Oh and while the king was looking down, the jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned, no verdict was returned
And while Lennon read a book on Marx, the quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark the day the music died
We were singin' bye bye Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levy
But the levy was dry
Them good 'ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye and singin'
This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die.
Helter-skelter in a summer swelter the birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and fallin' fast, it landed foul on the grass
The players tried for a forward pass with the jester, on the sidelines in a cast
Now the half-time air was sweet perfume while sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance, oh but we never got the chance
'Cause the players tried to take the field, the marching band refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed the day the music died.
We started singin' bye bye Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levy
But the levy was dry
Them good 'ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye and singin'
This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die.
Oh, and there we were all in one place, a generation lost in space
With no time left to start again
So come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack Flash sat on a candlestick 'cause
Fire is the devil's only friend
Oh, and as I watched him on the stage my hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in hell, could break that Satan's spell
And as the flames climbed high into the night, to light the sacrificial rite I saw
Satan laughing with delight the day the music died.
We were singin' bye bye Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levy
But the levy was dry
Them good 'ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye and singin'
This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die.
I met a girl who sang the blues, and I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
I went down to the sacred store, where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn't play, mmm
And in the streets the children screamed, the lovers cried and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken, the church bells all were broken
And the three men I admire most: the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast the day the music died.
And they were singing
Bye bye Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levy
But the levy was dry
And them good 'ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye singin'
This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die.
They were singing
Bye bye Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levy
But the levy was dry
Them good 'ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye singin'
This'll be the day that I die.
This song is essentially about the loss of innocence in America during the 1960's. The decade opened with the optimism of the 50's, Rock & Roll was in its infant stage, and young America had dreams. Watching Buddy Holly play his music, with such hits as That Will Be The Day That I Die, inspired a generation of fans. Unfortunately his fame was short lived. He, along with The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens of La Bamba fame, were killed in a plane crash on their way to a concert. It was the beginning of the end. The music had died.
Was Rock & Roll the salvation of America? Could it change America from the sheltered young child it was in the 1950's? While tame by today's standards, the music of the late 50's was wild and rebellious for its time. It was the beginning of the antithesis of the conformist 50's. How far it would go was beyond the intentions of most.
"Ten years we've been on our own." The music died but it didn't even know it. New faces came to the music from Elvis to Dylan. Elvis' popularity dropped quickly while Dylan became the voice of a generation. He soon discovered however that the crown of the king was a "thorny" one. The price of fame is high. Meanwhile the Beatles, the "quartet" was ready to step onto the stage. Already hugely popular they began to take steps into society and politics and they "practiced in the park," their final tour performance was at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. "We sang dirges in the dark" for all the fallen icons: John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X....
The Jester, Dylan, watched the changing of the guard at the end of the 1960's "on the sidelines in a cast," his memento of a motorcycle accident. New artists tried to step into the spotlight but the Beatles kept the limelight to themselves for a while. Rock & Roll was getting edgier, rebellion was getting wilder, and the Vietnam War was polarizing the generations. Drugs were more popular than ever. What was "revealed the day the music died?" I don't know. But the 1960's ended on a terrible note. The Rolling Stones, eager to duplicate the success of Woodstock planned their own free concert in Altamont, California. In their native England they had used Hell's Angels as security but they underestimated the malevolence of their American counterparts. They beat up on the crowd, killing a black man at one point. I remember reading a Rolling Stone article describing members of Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead huddling in fear as the Angels wreaked havoc. It got so bad that Mick Jagger and his band had to escape in a helicopter. What alter had the dead man, more so the innocence of America been sacrificed on?
The 1960's had began with optimism and ended in tragedy. The children screamed. In Vietnam, kids were being killed by the hundreds while at home kids were frying their brains on acid. The generation of the 60's felt abandoned by everybody. Even abandoned by God? Perhaps He left to escape the evil that had become America, perhaps America kicked Him out. Perhaps the Trinity here represented the three artists killed at the start of the decade, the plane crash that was the beginning of the end. I'm not sure. In any case, the song clearly articulates the end of America's innocence. Apple pie and baseball, ,these used to represent the American spirit. Now it was marred by an unwinnable war and strife at home, violent revolution on the minds of its youth. Miss America was gone, her virginity taken violently. The "good ole' boys" of days past looked at the present time and silently faded away. Buddy Holly looked to the future saying "that will be the day that I die." Well, he did.