From: ALTAMONT and AMERICAN PIE (previous thread)
Posted by: Demon (IP Logged)
Date: januar 3, 2005 22:59


Here are references to AMERICAN PIE and some about Altamont, which are interesting, but it's this guy Kulawiec's opinion:

Note:
I have shortened Mr. Kulawiec's references to specifics, hope this helps those with no time to read the longer version that I posted earlier

---------------------------------

THE ANNOTATED AMERICAN PIE
(What the song is talkin' about!)
By Rich Kulawiec

The entire song is a tribute to Buddy Holly and a commentary on how rock and roll changed in the years since his death. A long, long time ago...

Buddy Holly died in 1959...

...

But February made me shiver,...

Buddy Holly died on February 3, 1959 in a plane crash in Iowa during a snowstorm.The news came to most of the world on the morning of February 3, which is why it's known as The Day The Music Died.

...


VERSE THREE
...

Now for ten years we've been on our own...

McLean was writing this song in the late 60's, about ten years after the crash.

And moss grows fat on a rolling stone...

It's unclear who the "rolling stone" is supposed to be. It could be Dylan, since "Like a Rolling Stone" (1965) was his first major hit;..

Or, perhaps it's a reference to the stagnation in rock and roll...

Or, finally, it could refer to the Rolling Stones themselves; a lot of musicians were angry at the Stones for "selling out". Howard Landman points out that John Foxx of Ultravox was sufficiently miffed to write a song titled "Life At Rainbow's End (For All The Tax Exiles On Main Street)". The Stones at one point became citizens of some other country merely to save taxes...

...

VERSE FOUR

...

The players tried for a forward pass...

Obviously a football metaphor, but about what? It could be the Rolling Stones, i.e. they were waiting for an opening which really didn't happen until the Beatles broke up.

...

ALTAMONT info:...

VERSE FIVE

...

So come on Jack be nimble Jack be quick...

Probably a reference to Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones; "Jumpin' Jack Flash" was released in May, 1968...

Jack Flash sat on a candlestick...

The Stones' Candlestick park concert?...

'Cause fire is the devil's only friend...

"Sympathy for the Devil", by the Stones -- seems to fit with some of the surrounding material...

It's possible that this is a reference to the Grateful Dead's "Friend of the Devil". But I doubt it...

An alternative interpretation of the last four lines is that they may refer to Jack Kennedy and his quick decisions during the Cuban Missile Crisis; the candlesticks/fire refer to ICBMs and nuclear war...

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 spell...

While playing a concert at the ALTAMONT SPEEDWAY in 1968, [1969] the Stones appointed members of the Hell's Angels to work security (on the advice of the Grateful Dead). In the darkness near the front of the stage, a young man named Meredith Hunter was beaten and stabbed to death -- by the Angels. Public outcry that the song "Sympathy for the Devil" had somehow incited the violence caused the Stones to drop the song from their show for the next six years. This incident is chronicled in the documentary film "Gimme Shelter"...

It's also possible that McLean views the Stones as being negatively inspired (remember, he had an extensive religious background) by virtue of "Sympathy for the Devil", "Their Satanic Majesties' Request" and so on. I find this a bit puzzling, since the early Stones recorded a lot of "roots" rock and roll, including Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away"...

And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite...

The most likely interpretation is that McLean is still talking about Altamont, and in particular Mick Jagger's prancing and posing while it was happening. The sacrifice is Meredith Hunter, and the bonfires around the area provide the flames...

(It could be a reference to Jimi Hendrix burning his Stratocaster at the Monterey Pop Festival, but that was in 1967 and this verse is set in 1968.)...

I saw Satan laughing with delight...

If the above is correct, then Satan would be Jagger...

The day the music died
He was singing...

Refrain...

Great summary! Clear and concise. That's my style.

The Cuban missile crisis? You've got to be kidding me! lol

I ain't stupid, I'm just guitarded.

Rank try playing the record backwards at 78RPM you can hear him say cccuuubbbaa like a chipmonk at the 1.69 mark.

ROCKMAN

I've got my turntable at the ready Rockman. All I need is a good Christian with me to make sure I hear it right. Oh god this is gonna be fun!

I ain't stupid, I'm just guitarded.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2005-01-04 00:45 by RankOutsider.

Careful Rank dont loose ya head over it, at 78RPM those records often become airbourne..!!! Might pay to hide behind the couch with Tammy Baker

ROCKMAN

That rock 'n' roll will make ya crazy, that's what momma says.

I ain't stupid, I'm just guitarded.

I've always thought that Jack Flash verse was about the Stones and was partly inspired by Altamont - (although the Candlestick mention has nothing to with Candlestick Park, as the Stones didnt play there until 1981 - almost a decade after the song was written)

and of course theres a Stones boot called "Aint No Angel Born In Hell"...

McLean's point, remember, is that "the music died" on the day of Holly's plane crash, so he's looking at what the Stones stand for from a negative perspective. The verse isnt really set in a particular year, more over a period of time

A few years ago,one of the English daily papers (the 'Express' I think) did a fascinating line by line analysis of that song on its 25th or 30th anniversary (the 'jester' is Dylan, apparently) which I'd love to find again.

I dont think McLean has ever gone into any detail of what the references in the song mean, but it does seem to touch on some kind of deterioration in society (and rock n roll culture specifically) since the comparative innocence of the 1950's

Gaz, I don't know if you read the first ALTAMONT and AMERICAN PIE thread I posted today, the complete article/one man's view, is there. I had to cut it immensely because of complaints it was too cumbersome to read. Let me apologize for leaving the JFK/cuban crisis in, it was within many references to the Stones. Someone had a problem with that, whatever.

I think the "jester" is Dylan too, (Dylan might disagree). Did you see that fabulous interview with Dylan on his new book, very laid back, as usual, he's so funny sometimes though, sometimes I look at him a just break out in "gleeful chuckles."

ANYHOO...............

In the original and "full" version of this "American Pie" subject, Mr. Kulawiec refers to Dylan as "jester":

"Bob Dylan's roots are in American folk music, with people like Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. Folk music is by definition the music of the masses, hence the "...came from you and me".

Oh, and while the King was looking down
The JESTER stole his thorny crown

This could be a reference to Elvis's decline and Dylan's ascendance. (i.e. Presley is looking down from a height as Dylan takes his place.) The thorny crown might be a reference to the price of fame. Dylan has said that he wanted to be as famous as Elvis, one of his early idols.

...


The players tried for a forward pass

Obviously a football metaphor, but about what? It could be the Rolling Stones, i.e. they were waiting for an opening which really didn't happen until the Beatles broke up.

With the JESTER on the sidelines in a cast

On July 29, 1966, Dylan crashed his Triumph 55 motorcycle while riding near his home in Woodstock, New York. He spent nine months in seclusion while recuperating from the accident.

To be honest, I didnt notice your earlier post until I read this one....when I saw there had been one, I wrongly assumed you'd accidentally reprinted it or something.

Now I've had a quick peruse at it, I think this is in fact the very same article that I referred to above which was (re?)-printed in a newspaper here a couple of years ago.

So, I'm assuming you found this in some newspaper archive somewhere? I think its a very interesting analysis.

before I read that article, I'd always interpreted the "jester" to be Holly and the "King" to be Elvis, with the line about 'the king was looking down/the jester stole his thorny crown' to be a reference to Holly taking over as the main rock n roll figure when Elvis was in the army. I also took the line about "singing for the King and Queen" a bit too literally, thinking about the fact that Holly performed for Queen Elizabeth at a Royal Command Performance in london just a couple of months before he was killed. Now I think the analysis of Dylan as the 'jester' makes more sense

And yeah, I got the Dylan "60 Minutes" interview OK. Very good! Downloaded it on a bit torrent site but also someone was kind enough to burn it to DVD and send it to me!





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2005-01-04 02:18 by Gazza.

I like Dylan, he's a cool cat! I like his disappearing acts, the ones he pulls off from time to time.