American Pie by Don McLean

From 1971, Don McLean starts American Pie remembering when he was a 13 year old paper boy folding his morning papers to be delivered and saw the headline reporting the deaths of three rock and roll icons, Richie Valens, Big Bopper and Buddy Holly. February 3rd, 1959 will always be remembered as “The Day The Music Died”. The rest of the song (according to McLean) is an impressionist poem about the loss of innocence of the Baby Boom generation from that event all the way to the deaths of JFK, MLK, RFK, Lee Harvey Oswald, making it impossible to try him for JFK’s assassination and even of Janice Joplin, Sympathy for the Devil, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Military-Industrial Complex and so much more-more than I ever knew. At 8 minutes plus, it was too long to fit on one side of a single 45 rpm record, so the second half was on the flip side. At first, radio stations only played the front, skipping the final three verses, but eventually listeners demanded the whole thing. (Thank goodness for the rise of FM radio).

[@shproperties9974]

Very nice 👍👏

[@patrickbraun8767]

Great job Robin!

[@davidhrycay4860]

Always a song nice to hear

[@robinleebraun7739]

Thanks, Dave. When it comes on the radio, Sue turns it off.

[@robinleebraun7739]

Playing my 1973 Ovation Balladeer. In 1971, this was a very popular instrument played by Glen Campbell, Paul McCartney, America, Paul Simon, and Jim Croce.

[@blaineashley3333]

Well done Robin!

[@robinleebraun7739]

Thanks, Blaine. Your turn. Maybe a little Jackson Browne.

[@burlingtonbill4687]

Good stuff Robin!