We all know the song; we all sang to it; but do we all know the story behind it? American Pie is one of the most debatable songs released in the history of the 20th century. Written by Don McLean and released in 1971, American Pie’s elegiac composition had become a staple of American music shortly after its release. Decades later, the song still remains all the more relevant and holds multiple timeless interpretations of society. American Pie was not just a hit that came out of nowhere. The single starts with a reference to one of the biggest tragedies in music history; a plane crash that killed the biggest stars of American rock & roll in the late 50s, The Winter Dance Party Tragedy. Who were the men lost in the accident? How did they inspire Mclean, and what other subliminal messages were left for us to decipher in the 8-minute American single?
A Day That Ended in Tragedy
February 3, 1959, is a day that ended in tragedy for the biggest names in the music business in the late 50s: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper. The three were rock & roll’s greatest stars at the time.
Source: independent.co.uk
Buddy Holly had music that would lift you up off your seat and fill you with joy, Ritchie Valens was a young rising star who seemed to come out of nowhere with some of history’s most timeless hits, and The Big Bopper’s humorous and fun folk music made for the perfect winter tour destined for the three stars to partake in.