1971, I was in the Australian Army, they had started the withdrawal from Vietnam so there were a lot of us crowding the barracks. I was stationed at the Jungle Training Centre in Canungra, not far from the Queensland Gold Coast. A few of us got the OK to live off-base and we got flats in and around Surfers Paradise. The army almost became a 9-5 job, we'd drive in and drive home and if we had to work the weekend we got a day off in lieu. All that is background to say that that's when I bought this album.
Next to the album photo I've attached a photo of me at the time. The US Stars and Stripes influence carried through from the album cover to my clothing.
A couple of quirky things - the inner sleeve has a poem written by McLean about William Boyd, known more as Hopalong Cassidy. The sleeve was removed from copies after about a year. The other thing is the side. Not side one, side two. Instead it's 'One Side' and 'Another Side'. As I said, quirky. On the back there is a dedication to Buddy Holly.
Everybody knows the title song, in part or in total. 8 minutes 33 seconds. DJ's play it when they have to go to the bathroom. Drunks try and sing it at parties. People either know the meaning behind it or put their own spin on the words. Don McLean himself didn't give too much away. At one point when he was asked what the song meant he said "It means I don't ever have to work again if I don't want to."
Some bits are obvious. McLean was working his paper round aged 13 in 1959 when he saw the news about the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper -
"But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver"
The phrase "the day the music died" became so fixed in the lexicon that it ended up being used to refer to that tragic plane crash.
Elvis was 'the king', Dylan was 'the jester' and the Rolling Stones get a nod towards the end with 'Jack Flash sat on the candlestick' and 'no angel born in Hell' describing the death of Meredith Hunter at the Altamont Free Concert.
You've also got The Byrds in there, "eight miles high and falling fast", Charles Manson and The Beatles, "helter skelter in a summer swelter" and "sergeants played a marching tune".
Did you spot Woodstock? "Oh, and there we were all in one place, a generation lost in space".
Janis Joplin - "I met a girl who sang the blues" and then back to Buddy, Richie and Big Bopper - "And the three men I admire most The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost".
When Dylan was asked by MTV's Bill Flanagan what he thought of being referred to as the jester he replied ..
“A jester? Sure, the jester writes songs like ‘Masters of War,’ ‘A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall,’ ‘It’s Alright, Ma’ – some jester. I have to think he’s talking about somebody else. Ask him.” Not impressed Bob.
The album does contain other songs of note, particularly 'Vincent' which was a hit in it's own right. It's sometimes incorrectly referred to as 'Starry Starry Night' because of it's opening line but whatever you call it, it made it to #1 in the UK and #2 on the US Adult Contemporary charts.
'Winterwood' is a lovely song. Peaceful and pleasant and just a plain old love song.
"No-one can take your place with me,
And time has proven that I'm right.
There's no place I'd rather be,
Than at your place for the night."
Conversely, 'Empty Chairs' is a tear-jerker.
"Empty rooms that echo as I climb the stairs
And empty clothes that drape and fall on empty chairs
And I wonder if you know
That I never understood
That although you said you'd go
Until you did I never thought you would"
Don sang 'Empty Chairs' at a concert and Lori Lieberman was in the audience. Charles Fox composed a song and Lori collaborated with Norman Gimbel to write the lyrics, inspired by watching McLean's performance. The result was 'Killing Me Softly With His Song'. Lori did a beautiful version in 1972 but it didn't get anywhere until Roberta Flack released hers in 1973.
I think my favourite Don McLean song is from his debut album 'Tapestry' in 1970. The first track is 'Castles in the Air'. It was re-recorded in 1981 and the new version was the more popular, but to me, the original is best. Faster, brighter, better.
For something a little bit different, I've linked a video of 'American Pie' sung live by Don, but used as a promo for Grand Rapids. The downtown area was shut down, 5000 people were involved and the whole thing is amazing. Enjoy.
I saw Don McLean at the Auckland Town Hall shortly after he became a "star". I remember the concert due to the fact that as he sang American Pie, he lost track of where he was in the song, and stopped, as we kept singing.
ReplyDeleteEmpty Chairs is in my top 5 songs ever. I also prefer the faster version of Castles in the Air.