Undoubtedly, the death of rock musicians deeply affected him and left an imprint on the rest of his life, including his desire to write music. Because of this, many people perceive the first verses as mourning for the deceased Buddy Holly, McLean’s musical idol. McLean (1971) wrote, “But February made me shiver With every paper I’d deliver”, implying the date of the plane crash, February 3, 1959. The reference to this tragic event was embedded in the lyrics and confirmed by the author himself. Most attempts to unravel the meaning associate it with already mentioned «The Day the Music died», the day of the plane crash. This has led to the rise of fan interpretations and conjectures, each of which is interesting in its unique way and deserves attention from music analysts. According to McLean himself, the song only meant that he would never have to work again (Walker, 2020). The author avoided making any comments about the meaning of the song, which only made it more difficult to interpret.

The song is well known for its convoluted lyrics, which have long been the subject of curiosity and controversy.

American Pie is a folk-rock song dedicated to the 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and Big Bopper, huge rock musicians of those times.

The song american pie what does it mean