Following up on something in the previous entry, the Don McLean song that gave us the expression “the day the music died” is, of course, “American Pie,” an eight-minute-long anthem that debuted in 1971 and has been a staple of rock radio ever since. It’s a beautiful piece of songwriting, simple, catchy, and haunting, in no small part because the lyrics are so bloody mysterious. I have no doubt that generations of college freshmen sat up half the night trying to decode this song. I didn’t have to myself, because right around the time I was in my oldies fandom phase, I started hearing a version of “American Pie” where some guy’s voice had been dubbed over the top of the song, explaining what all of the symbolic lines were actually supposed to be referring to. I don’t know the provenance of this version, or how much the explanations actually jibe with Don McLean’s intentions, but based on what I know of the historical and musical milestones of the 1960s, it all seemed plausible.

Here’s a video clip that repeats much of the information from “American Pie: The Overdub” (or whatever it was called) in visual form. Again, I make no claim on the accuracy of any of this. But it is interesting, and you get to see some great vintage pictures of Buddy Holly, among others, and hear one of the enduring classics of the rock era: