What does the song “American Pie” have to do with Buddy Holly?
What does the song “American Pie” have to do with Buddy Holly?Answer: Although singer Don McLean has admitted that his massive 1971 hit “American Pie” was in part about the death of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper in a 1959 plane crash, the bulk of the song’s lyrics are open to interpretation. To many, the song declares the plane crash as “the day the music died,” lamenting a world where the fun and innocence had gone out of rock and roll entirely. Many people see the other verses as veiled references to such rock luminaries as Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Janis Joplin, and the Beatles, but McLean has steadfastly refused to clarify the song line-by-line, likening it to a dream or a mystical poem.
