Buy, buy miss American pie: Singer reveals meaning behind iconic hit

Express (UK) ^ | 10:39, Sat, Apr 4, 2015 | CLIVE DAVIS

[a fool in paradise]

The song starts with a reference to Buddy Holly’s death. Then it meanders though all sorts of other references to other things.

[a fool in paradise]

If anything, it may sum up feelings of lost innocence that began for him with that plane crash.

[KevinB]

Just for grins, I looked up Madonna’s version (name checked in the article). Yow!!!

Yow is right! First time I ever thought she was remotely hot.

[KevinB]

Please add me to the list, Squawk.

[dfwgator]

Basically it was a case of “Hey I need a word that rhymes here.”

[Lonely Bull]

No, they are being clever, as in BUY the manuscript which is going on sale soon...

Indeed. As the article says: "This Tuesday, meanwhile, sees a new chapter in the song's history when the original manuscript goes up for auction at Christie's in New York. Experts believe it could fetch as much as £1million."

(The equivalent right now is nearly $1.5 million. I don't like the song that much. I've never even liked the song.)

[ROCKLOBSTER]

Yeah, I think Rock-n-Roll came from Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis... But mostly wild-ass black artists. Bo-Diddey, Screamin Jay Hawkins, Fat’s Domino

[dfwgator]

Yeah, I think Rock-n-Roll came from Chuck Berry,

Actually from his cousin, Marvin.

[KevinB]

Paul McCartney never wrote anything again approaching his Beatles work.

I agree with you, but some of his stuff on Flaming Pie came damn close. Here's an example.

[Fiji Hill]

"While Lenin read a book on Marx..."

I have always been curious about the book in question. Could it have been Catechism of a Revolutionary (1869) by Sergei Nechayev?

[ifinnegan]

“This article didn’t reveal anything promised in the title!”

No it didn’t.

Everyone already knew about the Buddy Holly crash.

The rest seems to catalog the 60’s counterculture satanic descent, with Altamount being the climax.

[2banana]

Drinking whiskey and rye leads to lots of “hold my bottle and watch this” moments

[P.O.E.]

Andy Breckman vs. Don Maclean

[ifinnegan]

The whisky and rye part supposedly refers to the murder of civil rights workers.

[dfwgator]

A well known singer got bumped off the flight and took a Greyhound bus.

Waylon Jennings IIRC.

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

Waylon Jennings is who gave up his seat so one of the others could fly.

[Squawk 8888]

Done!

[Moonman62]

Yeah, OK...

But what the hell does it mean?

...

It has the same meaning as MacArthur Park and Blinded by the Light.

[KevinB]

Much obliged!

[Old Sarge]

Out of his own mouth comes thy answer:

"It means I never have to work again."