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Old 20 July 2022, 01:53 AM   #1
Blansky
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Drove My Chevy To the Levee but the Levee was Dry.....

50 years ago Don McLean's American Pie changed music in a lot of ways....

A lot of people have tried to decipher the lyrics through the years but part of the charm of the song is also his beautiful loving voice.

A new documentary is now out.


https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...the-music-died

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwRuInx6fSU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5TvCEgTOJA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsZFiMo8TIc


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX_TFkut1PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5gOTK23Lzw
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Old 20 July 2022, 12:59 PM   #2
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I literally had a class in college that the professor had us analyze, decipher and discuss the lyrics.
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Old 20 July 2022, 05:31 PM   #3
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Thanks for the links Blansky. I like your point about the charm of McLean’s voice; something music critics generally avoid grappling with, instead going with a more boring lit-crit approach. But it’s the sound that matters most.
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Old 20 July 2022, 06:00 PM   #4
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Yes, a lovely singer. Don's voice (imho)never sounded sweeter than on one of his other beautiful songs; 'Vincent'.
A song that always moves me, not sure why.


https://youtu.be/oxHnRfhDmrk
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Old 20 July 2022, 10:40 PM   #5
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Always liked the song but never really found the lyrics all that hard to 'decipher'.
Then again, I've probably been missing things.
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Old 21 July 2022, 01:46 AM   #6
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Quote:
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Always liked the song but never really found the lyrics all that hard to 'decipher'.
Then again, I've probably been missing things.
Yeah, interesting you say that. It's been written that the day the music died was JFK assassination or other things but it's really for him, the Buddy Holly et all plane crash.

Be interesting to see the documentary and see what all the references actually were...to him.

He wrote it during turbulent times and generations that followed just don't necessarily have his reference points.

But basically it's a loss of innocence that everyone of any generation can relate to on some level.
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Old 21 July 2022, 01:47 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Speedbird-1 View Post
Yes, a lovely singer. Don's voice (imho)never sounded sweeter than on one of his other beautiful songs; 'Vincent'.
A song that always moves me, not sure why.


https://youtu.be/oxHnRfhDmrk
Agree. Vincent was always one of my favorites. Very moving singing and lyrics.
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Old 21 July 2022, 02:07 AM   #8
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In one of the videos, the Aussie one, at the end they say that Roberta Flack's, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, was written about Don McLean. Wrong. Firstly Roberta Flack made the song famous but she didn't write it.

The song written about Don McLean was actually Killing Me Softly made famous by Roberta Flack but written by Charles Fox, lyrics by Lori Lieberman. She wrote the lyrics after seeing McLean sing Empty Chairs in LA. As per the article there was a lot of controversy about the lyrics and who actually wrote them.....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killin..._with_His_Song
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Old 21 July 2022, 04:22 AM   #9
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He released an album in 1976 called "Solo" that he recorded in England in 1973. It was a series of concerts where he accompanied himself solely on guitar and banjo. Well worth the effort of listening. The man can play.
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Old 21 July 2022, 04:48 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Speedbird-1 View Post
Yes, a lovely singer. Don's voice (imho)never sounded sweeter than on one of his other beautiful songs; 'Vincent'.
A song that always moves me, not sure why.
Why? Because it's a beautiful piece of music beautifully performed, that's why!
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Old 21 July 2022, 03:37 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blansky View Post
In one of the videos, the Aussie one, at the end they say that Roberta Flack's, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, was written about Don McLean. Wrong. Firstly Roberta Flack made the song famous but she didn't write it.

The song written about Don McLean was actually Killing Me Softly made famous by Roberta Flack but written by Charles Fox, lyrics by Lori Lieberman. She wrote the lyrics after seeing McLean sing Empty Chairs in LA. As per the article there was a lot of controversy about the lyrics and who actually wrote them.....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killin..._with_His_Song
Yes, Kirsty MacColl’s dad Ewan wrote that! (The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face — and also one of my favourites, Dirty Old Town.) Apparently Kirsty never liked it because he wrote it for Peggy Seeger, whom he had an affair with. Off topic sorry, but I love Kirsty’s singing voice…
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Old 21 July 2022, 06:14 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by m j b View Post
Why? Because it's a beautiful piece of music beautifully performed, that's why!
Thanks for the explanation.
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