SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES 016: THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED (2022)

 

A long, long time ago - five decades to be exact - America was roiled by wrenching generational showdowns, massive street protests, and a blazing array of social justice movements. Now, half a century later, similar events and dynamics dominate the public conversation. So, perhaps, it's poetic that precisely five decades have elapsed since a song that captured all that cultural turmoil, "American Pie," became a smash hit. "It's a song that spoke to its time," said Spencer Proffer, who has produced a comprehensive new documentary about the song, titled: "The Day The Music Died." "But it's just as applicable now."

In fact, "Ameican Pie" has only gained in fans and expanded in meaning as it has hit successive generations and generated fresh covers. Over the years, it has been interpreted by artists from Madonna to Garth Brooks. Throughout the years, journalists have subjected the song to a Talmudic level of scrutiny, while its songwriter, Don McLean, has doled out dribs and drabs of insight into his intent. By contrast, the new documentary offers the first line-by-line deconstruction of the song's lyrics, as well as the most detailed analysis to date of its musical evolution. In addition, it offers an emotional account of the tragic event that McLean used as his jumping off point for the larger story he wanted to tell. 

The event, which McLean dubbed "The Day The Music Died," shattered the pop world of its day and had a formative effect on the songwriter. On a frigid night in 1959, a small plane carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and JP Richardson (The Big Bopper) crashed in a corn field in Clear Lake, Iowa, minutes after take-off, killing everyone on board. 

The first part of the film covers McLean's early life, including his time as a paper boy in the suburb of New York City where he grew up. In an extensive interview for the film, McLean talks about delivering the paper that carried news of the crash, something he alludes to towards the start of the song's lyrics. At the time, Buddy Holly was his musical idol. If his death instigated the song's words, a more personal loss altered the course of McLean's life. When he was 15, his father died suddenly of a heart attack. "That had a profound effect on him," Proffer said. 

In his grief, McLean threw himself into music, developing a talent promising enough to earn him gigs in the folk clubs of Greenwich Village as a teenager. He found a role model in the Weavers, particularly in Pete Seeger, whom he befriended. The primacy of storytelling in the group's songs, as well as their socio-cultural grounding, served as a template for certain aspects of "American Pie." From Seeger, he also learned the value of the singalong. One clear draw of "American Pie" is its chorus, which anyone can mimic. The simplicity of its melody echoes children's music. 

Some of the song's lyrics even quote nursery rhymes, including "Jack be nimble / Jack be quick." The cover of the "American Pie" album underscored the connection by featuring McLean's thumb in the forefront to reference another nursery rhyme about Little Jack Horner, who "put in his thumb / and pulled out a plum". 

At the same time, the song's message couldn't be more adult. "For me, "American Pie" is the eulogy for a dream that didn't take place," says the song's producer, Ed Freeman, in the film. "We were witnesses to the death of the American dream". 

The extremity of it all made McLean want to shoot for the moon, creatively. "I wanted to write a song about America, but I didn't want to write a song about America like anybody ever wrote before," he says. That was no small goal considering the number of songwriters at the time who were fashioning their own odes to the disillusion of the American dream. They ranged from Paul Simon with "American Tune" (which imagines the Statue Of Liberty sailing out to sea) to Dion's version of "Abraham, Martin and John" (which poignantly addressed the assassinations of Lincoln, Luther King and Kennedy). 

McLean's desire to stand out from the other singer-songwriters who dominated music at the time had a careerist incentive as well. His debut album, "Tapestry", released in 1970 hadn't made waves and his small record company, "MediaArts", had little faith in him. Even so, the big statement song he devised to turn that around arrived in a form that defied the most basic edict of a hit - that it last no longer than three minutes. "American Pie" snaked on for eight and a half minutes, and was stuffed with a fever dream's worth of cryptic imagery. In fact, McLean wrote even more verses than the final song held. 

In that sense, it shares something with Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". In both songs, verses were written by the author and discarded (though many more were ditched in Cohen's case). Both songs have also gained in stature and impact over the years. Yet, at the core, they differ fundamentally. "Hallelujah" is a spiritual study. "American Pie" is a sociological study". 

One of the most interesting sections of the documentary offers a granular dissection of the evolution of the song's arrangement. It didn't find its true groove until they brought in session keyboardist Paul Griffin, who has played on seminal recordings by everyone from Dylan to Steely Dan. His piano parts brought a gospel fervor to the song, as well as an extra pop bounce. 

To deal with its length, McLean's record company had a clever idea. The first half of the song appeared on the A-side of the single, while the second was consigned to side B. The result turned the A-side into a cliffhanger the listener had to see through to the end. The subsequent demand forced AM radio stations to play both sides. At the same time, FM radio - whose mandate was to go deeper and play longer - was reaching its commercial apex at the time. Issued at the end of 1971, "American Pie" hit Nr1 by January of 72, where it stayed for a full month. For 49 years, it held the record for the longest song to hit Nr1  - until Taylor Swift's 10 minute cut, "All Too Well", broke it. 

"It's exciting to know that something that happened 50 years ago can resonate to later generations," Proffer said. "Through listening to the song, people get a glimpse into what life was like then and what it came to be today". 

But before we get to the main feature, let's enjoy... 

The Pre-Show: 

 

We open with two documentaries concerning the figure of Buddy Holly. Though to be more exact, we get a personal view of his hometown and grave, plus the very place where the plane crash occurred (very interesting for those of us who do not live in the States). Not to forget the Surf Ballroom, the last venue where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper enjoyed their last gig. Then we get a chance to witness Don McLean's preview of four of his songs belonging to his "new" album: "Still Playin' Favorites" (2020). And of course we end our Pre-Show with the famous song itself  (American Pie) being interpreted by Don McLean live (Austin). 

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The Main Feature: 

Title: The Day The Music Died 

Director: Mark Moorman 

Cast: Don McLean / Garth Brooks / Brian Wilson... 

Release Date: 2022 

Country: United States Of America 

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On Your Way Out: 

And we get to the "blind spot" where we don't exactly know what is in it for us, but we're sure we won't be dissapointed. Well, at least that's my wish. I try and give you, kind visitor, that which might interest you. Obviously, the common thread here has to do with the documentary in question and with its two main characters: Buddy Holly and Don McLean. Well, enough said before I spill the contents of the surprise. I sincerely hope you'll enjoy this week's goodies. It's there to take as a memory of today's "film show" and hopefully to enhance our personal knowledge of the subject matter. 

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