The songs are also memory makers for each of us. For me, this was a great time in my young life. Listening to that song today takes me back in my head to a much different time. Great song. Great memories.
Here's what one site says about the meaning.......
The repeated phrase "the day the music died" refers to a plane crash in 1959 that killed early rock and roll stars Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens, ending the era of early rock and roll; this became the popular nickname for that crash. The theme of the song goes beyond mourning McLean's childhood music heroes, reflecting the deep cultural changes and profound disillusion and loss of innocence of his generation – the early rock and roll generation – that took place between the 1959 plane crash and either late 1969 or late 1970. The meaning of the other lyrics, which cryptically allude to many of the jarring events and social changes experienced during that period, has been debated for decades
Yep. I have terrific memories too. I was young and cute and wholesome and my boyfriend called me Miss American Pie. We weren’t worried about Satan, but didn’t want his Chevy in the levy.
Agree about the plane crash. The mind of an artist isn’t about logic or politics, at least not while practicing his art.