The Day The Music Died

(Just because most of this was news to me.)

One of the most heavily interpreted, speculated, and beloved songs in the history of American music (in fact, number five on the RIAA's Songs of the Century list), Don McLean's "American Pie" chronicles (sort of) an event which turned 50 years old last week.

February 3, 1959, about 2:00 AM. A plane crashes in rural Iowa, with three rock 'n roll pioneers on board.

The night before, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, Jr., were among performers who played an impromptu show in Clear Lake, Iowa. Traveling in the dead of winter usually isn't that fun anyway, and a tour bus with a busted heating system didn't really help circumstances. In fact, drummer Carl Bunch had developed severe frostbite on his feet and had to be treated at a local hospital.

Not exactly ideal travel conditions, especially for famous rock stars, so Buddy Holly ("Peggy Sue" and "That'll Be The Day") looked to arrange a charter plane to take him and his bandmates to their next tour stop in Minnesota. Turns out, a single-engine Bonanza could make the trip, but only had room for three passengers (plus one pilot). Holly, I suppose as a reward for brainstorming such an idea, got seat number one. Ritchie Valens (possibly best known for "La Bamba") won a coin flip to earn seat number two. The final spot went to Richardson after a young country musician named Waylon Jennings gave up his seat because of Richardson's flu.

In a hauntingly prescient dialogue, after Holly found out Jennings had given up his seat, he quipped, "Well, I hope your ol' bus freezes up." To which Jennings replied, "Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes."

Then the plane crashed at about 2 o'clock in the morning, killing all on board instantly on impact.

We know this is what Don McLean meant in his legendary hit's chorus when he referred to "The Day the Music Died." But debate has raged for decades about other references in his poetically vague lyrics (such as "The Jester", "The Quartet", "The Girl Who Sang The Blues", etc.). And McLean hasn't really helped, responding to inquisitors, "[The lyrics] are beyond analysis. They're poetry." And, by the way, this is the way it oughta be.

Related article: 'The Day the Music Died'? Hardly.

Visual Epilogue: Here's the gold single of "American Pie", with a copy of the notebook paper on which McLean scratched his lyrics, of which I am the proud owner...