Bye bye miss American Pie...

Ψάχνοντας τις προάλλες στα ράφια του Metropolis, όπως κάνω κάμποσες φορές τον μήνα, έπεσα πάνω στο άλμπουμ American Pie του Don McLean, σε σχετικά πρόσφατο remaster. Είχα χρόνια να ακούσω ένα από τα πιο αγαπημένα μου τραγούδια από οποιονδήποτε καλλιτέχνη, τον ομότιτλο φόρο τιμής στον Buddy Holly, το οποίο είχα πρωτοακούσει σε μια συλλογή από κάποιο περιοδικό.



Δεν ξέρω ακριβώς γιατί, αλλά αυτό το τραγούδι με αγγίζει βαθιά, όσες φορές κι αν το ακούσω. Δεν μπορώ να πω ότι "πιάνω" το ακριβές νόημα των στίχων, αν και γνωρίζω (από αυτά που έχω διαβάσει σε κάποιο παλιό ΠΟΠ+ΡΟΚ ή ΖΟΟ) ότι αποτελούν αναφορά στη μουσική ιστορία της δεκαετίας του '60. Άκουσα για πρώτη φορά και τον υπόλοιπο δίσκο, αλλά τίποτα δεν μου φάνηκε ισάξιό του. Και προχτές, ακούγοντάς το ξανά στο λεωφορείο, βούρκωσα. Τι διάολο, μήπως γερνάω;

American Pie (Don McLean)

A long, long time ago... I can still remember How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance,
That I could make those people dance,
And maybe they'd be happy for a while.

But February made me shiver,
With every paper I'd deliver,
Bad news on the doorstep...
I couldn't take one more step.
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside,
The day the music died.

Soo... Bye, bye miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And good ol' boys were drinking whisky and rye
Singing this will be the day that I die
This will be the day that I die

Did you write the book of love
And do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so?
Do you believe in rock n roll?
Can music save your mortal soul?
Then you can teach me how to dance real slow

Well I know that you're in love with him
'Cause I saw you dancing in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues

I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew that I was out of luck
The day the music died
I started singin'...

Bye, bye miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And good ol' boys were drinking whisky and rye
Singing this will be the day that I die
This will be the day that I die

Now for 10 years we've been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rolling stone
But that's not how it used to be
When the jester sang for the king and queen
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
In a voice that came from you and me

And while the King was looking down
The jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned

While Lennon read the book of Marx
The quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died
We were singin'

Bye, bye miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And good ol' boys were drinking whisky and rye
Singing this will be the day that I die
This will be the day that I die

Helter Skelter in a summer swelter
The birds flew off with the fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
It landed foul on the grass
The players tried for a forward pass
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast

Now the halftime air was sweet perfume
While sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance

'Cause the players tried to take the field,
The marching band refused to yield.
Do you recall what was revealed,
The day the music died?
We started singing

Bye, bye miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And good ol' boys were drinking whisky and rye
Singing this will be the day that I die
This will be the day that I die

There we were all in one place
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again
So come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack Flash sat on a candle stick
'Cause fire is the devil's only friend.

As I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in hell
Could break that satan's spell

And as flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw satan laughing with delight
the day the music died.

I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn't play

And in the streets the children screamed
The lovers cried and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken

And the three men I admire most
The Father Son and Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died
They were singin'

Bye, bye miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And good ol' boys were drinking whisky and rye
Singing this will be the day that I die
This will be the day that I die

*3 Φεβρουαρίου η επέτειος του θανάτου του Buddy Holly, ενώ την προηγούμενη θα κυκλοφορήσει συλλογή με τα καλύτερα τραγούδια του, συνοδευόμενη από DVD.