Analysis Of ' The Day The Music Died '

During the 1900s, passion of composing music arose and encouraged many young teens to create garage bands and elder to perceive music as career. Famous musicians like Robert Johnson, Bill Monroe, and Elvis Presley were seeking the same. Although many were composing songs, most of them adapted their own versions from many which created a list of similarities and differences between them. Most commonly similar were themes or forms yet some differentiated in delivery style or instrumentation. Many artists got more creative and used similar instruments but give a twist into the sound play. This can be seen in the script or heard in the audio of the songs “Walkin’ Blues” and “Blue Moon of Kentucky” like many others.

The song American Pie is a representation of loss during the transition into the 1970s. It was written in 1971 by Don McLean and filled with his views on the state of society, political changes, and cultural changes. The cultural changes and the loss of everything society knew produced the lost generation that McLean was apart of. He demonstrated his disapproval of the direction of the country by using music, faith, and war as examples of the changes and loss his generation faced.

On January 16, 1920 many Americans felt that their voices had finally been heard. Their hard fought war was over. They had finally sent John Barleycorn to the grave. They believed the United States could now escape poverty and families could prosper. On January 16, 1920 the 18th amendment went into effect. The 18th amendment was the prohibition of any intoxicating liquor. Many celebrated what they called the death of John Barleycorn, a fictional character representing alcohol. The future looked bright for America now that alcohol would not be there to destroy families. The outcome proved otherwise as it was unsuccessful and had a negative impact on society. To what extent did prohibition hurt society? There is much evidence that supports that prohibition was repression that led to rebellion and negatively affected society. The prohibition proved to increase crime and threaten American freedom. Abraham Lincoln once stated, “Prohibition... goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes... A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded.”

The music of the sixties went through tremendous change. It shaped mush of the music we hear today. From New Orleans came Jazz, from the East Coast came rock, from the West Coast came Psychedelic rock, and from England came the Invasion.

Charles Hardin Holley, or as we all know him, Buddy Holly was amongst the most influential singer/songwriters of the rock and roll generation. He was a very popular artist. While traveling to one of his concert venues, the plane he chartered unexpectedly crashed killing him and two other mainstays of 50s rock and roll, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. It is this incident that drove Don McLean to write the song American Pie which, to this day, remains one of the most widely talked about and debated songs of all times. McLean left this song open for interpretation and while there are many disputed details there is no doubt that this song is about how the death of Buddy Holly was the symbolic end of not only “good” music but more importantly

The song “American Pie” by Don McLean has sparked controversy over its meaning since it was released in 1971. Some people believe that McLean’s work is nothing more than simple rhymes, while others believe there is much deeper meaning. McLean refuses to directly answer questions about the lyrics, so we are left to make our own assumptions.

Music is an outlet to all aspects of life and culture is a significant way of forming people and the way they live. Although not always seen directly culture has an overbearing influence on the music that is produced and made popular. The political Climate of the early seventies was full of fire with issues such as Vietnam and constant protest throughout the county. Later in the 70’s the end of the Vietnamese conflict brought the rise of the Watergate scandal and Iran Contra. These issues swept headlines and ingrained people’s thoughts. Social issues also played a big role in the developing culture of the seventies. Protests and constant outbreaks about gay rights and women’s rights seemed to

Music has continued to change throughout each decade, but the 1960s was the most influential decade in the history of music. Starting in the early 1950s, rock music was first introduced. Major record labels were releasing new “cover songs” which were originally made by black artist, but now by white artist (Rock and Roll). These cover songs changed a few lyrics from the original songs to avoid copyright issues and to also make the song more appropriate for the white listeners. The biggest star of the 1950s was Elvis Presley, who was known as the “King of rock n’ roll”.

Throughout history, music have defined or depicted the culture and social events in America. Music has constantly played an important role in constituting American culture, where people have expressed themselves through music during flourishing and turbulent times. In the 1930’s, Swing music created a platform for audiences to vent their emotions in the midst of Great Depression and political unrest. Such strong relationship between music and culture can be seen throughout history, especially in the sixties.

The Sixties were an exciting revolutionary period of time with great social and technological change. Some people called it the “decade of discontent” because of the race riots in Detroit and La, and the demonstrations against the Vietnam War. Other people called it the decade of “peace, love, and harmony”. It was called this because of the peace movement and the emergence of the flower children. (Britannica) The sixties were about assassination, unforgettable fashion, new styles of music, civil rights, gay and women’s liberation, Vietnam, Neil Armstrong landing on the moon, peace marches, sexual freedom, drug experimentation, and Woodstock. All of these components caused a revolutionary change in the world of popular Music.

The Day of the dead is a very interesting holiday celebrated on November 1 and 2, traditionally in Mexico or other Spanish speaking countries. The holiday is used to celebrate and honor peoples dead loved ones. Usually people make creative altars dedicated for their loved ones and decorate them with sugar skulls, candles, flowers, food, and other items that the person being honored enjoyed. It is believed that on this holiday the dead loved ones come down from heaven and visit their relatives and friends one last time. The day of the dead holiday is an extremely important tradition for most Spanish speaking countries. According to a reliable article, “They believe that happy spirits will provide protection, good luck and wisdom

Essentially, the late 1960s and early 1970s are an in between stage for America, where people were exploring the many options in their lives. The release of “American Pie” in 1971 was a landmark in pop music history because the song was eight minutes and thirty-two seconds long. Later, it was divided up into two parts and then turned into the version that is known today (www.don-mclean.com). Now that the time period that surrounded the release of “American Pie” is established it is easier to understand the song because it can be read more in context.

Music has played a vital role in human culture and evidence based on archaeological sites can date it back to prehistoric times. It can be traced through almost all civilizations in one form or another. As time has progressed so has the music and the influences it has on people. Music is an important part of popular culture throughout the world, but it is especially popular in the United States. The music industry here is, and has been, a multi-million dollar business that continues to play an important role in American popular culture. This is also a art form and business that is forever changing as the times and more importantly, technology changes. Technology has changed the way music is made as well as how it is produced,

Rock and roll has developed a long way throughout the years from a dance craze in the 1950’s to a political and cultural landscape that is recognized worldwide. Rock and roll has come to define the roots of teenage rebellion, people who don’t follow the norms, and have disrespect for authority. The style of rock and roll itself is a melting pot of music, a combination of sounds that include jazz, country, blues, ragtime, gospel, swing, classical, and ethnic music. It can be a simple variation of three chords to a complex chromatic scale combination. It can convey emotions such as love, hate, fear, lust, sadness, joy, disillusion, or a strong sense of reality. Many things can be said about rock but the fact is that it is the most widely

In the United States the most illicitly abused drug is Marijuana, which is made from a Cannabis plant (Merrill 308). Many people have come to the conclusion that Marijuana is a safe and non-addictive drug because of the legalization of Marijuana in the United States. Unbeknown to the public, the carcinogenic compounds are actually greater in Marijuana than in cigarettes (Cohen, qtd. in Margolis 9). Subsequently, studies show that Marijuana ultimately impacts every primary system in the body (Margolis 12). Furthermore, over the years Marijuana has caused health risks such as addiction, irregular brain function, and decreased motor skills.