The day the music died

“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.” – from Miss American Pie, Don McLean

 

                We always had music and from an early age, I embraced it. My first memories of song are the tunes that my mother sang to me at night and the ones Granny sang to me by day. Then there was the radio, often tuned to WHB in Kansas City. At the time, it was a premier station for rock and pop music but now, alas, it’s all sports, all the time.  There were records, too, ranging from the classical music that my dad ordered one late night from television to classic country and rock ‘n rolls. We had a few records with songs for kids and one record dating to my dad’s Army service with military bands and march music.

                By the time I was in grade school, I listened to the hit songs. Thus, I have a fondness for the awesome music of the Sixties and Seventies. Of the many songs I still love, one stands out – Miss American Pie, written and sung by Don McLean.

                The song, played in its entirety, is eight and a half minutes long. There was a shorter version that got airplay along with the full version but at the age of nine, the song captured my attention. I wasn’t aware what it meant at first but my dad explained it to me – what “the day the music died” means.

 

 

                That day happened sixty-three years ago today, a little before my time but the tragedy affected my generation as well.

                We had a .45 record of The Big Bopper (JP Richardson) singing “Chantilly Lace” and we had Buddy Holly’s music too. Both were talented as was Ritchie Valens, who I prefer to call Ritchie Valenzuela. All had lives and careers cut too short, all remain favorites.

 

 Ritchie Valens, top, and Lou Diamond Phillips (one of the best actors today) below playing Valens in "La Bamba".

                So does Don McLean’s iconic song. McLean wrote the song based on the tragic event that took place when he was 12. He has never revealed the allegorical meaning behind the song and when asked for the meaning, quipped it meant he never had to work again.  Many articles have been written in efforts to crack the meaning but I won’t try that here. I take the song as it is and enjoy it as is.

                We can only imagine what Buddy Holly might have done, had he lived. Same for The Big Bopper and the youngest of all, just 17 when he died, Ritchie Valenzuela.

 Buddy Holly

 

                Today, I’ll listen to their tunes and remember – and I’ll also listen to Miss American Pie.

 You can hear it here:  

 https://youtu.be/iX_TFkut1PM