“So bye-bye Miss American Pie…” Can you believe that iconic song celebrates it’s 50th anniversary next year?! Don McLean has announced his world tour to mark the occasion and will be performing at Clowes Memorial Hall on May 1st.
Fans will remember how ‘American Pie’ takes you through history, remembering dark times like the tragic plane crash that took the lives of Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Richie Valens in 1959. It also has so many references to other historical moments in world history like the assassination of JFK and the death of James Dean.
‘American Pie’ went to the top of the charts in 1972 for four weeks. Will be incredible to celebrate the 50th anniversary of this true classic hit with McLean when he comes to Indy in May.
NORTH AMERICA – I’m thrilled to be getting back on the road for the 50th Anniversary of American Pie! Check my website for dates near you! https://t.co/3WVMRjoWSN. pic.twitter.com/xGET0Dfap3
— Don McLean (@donmclean) December 13, 2021
(source Don McLean via Twitter)
Do you remember the lyrics to ‘American Pie’?
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 whileBut February made me shiver
With every paper I’d deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn’t take one more stepI can’t remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music diedSo bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinkin’ 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 mortal 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 bluesI 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 diedI started singin’ bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinkin’ 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 rollin’ 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 meOh, and while the king was looking down
The jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returnedAnd while Lenin read a book on Marx
A quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music diedWe were singin’ bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
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 falling fast
It landed foul on the grass, the players tried for a forward pass
With the jester on the sidelines in a castNow the halftime air was sweet perfume
While the 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 levee, but the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinkin’ 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 friendOh, 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 spellAnd as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music diedI started singin’ it
Singin’ bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinkin’ 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 playAnd in the streets, the children screamed
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were brokenAnd 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 diedAnd they were singin’ bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’ “This’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die”They were singin’ bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’ This’ll be the day that I die”
(source Musixmatch)
