At some time in your life, you’ve sung Don McLean’s “American Pie.”
Whether performing a duet with the car radio, singing solo in the shower or alongside a group of friends at a party or karaoke session, the song is as identifiable with American radio as turkey is with Thanksgiving.
The historic Avalon Theatre welcomes the songwriting legend for a December 4th performance at 8pm – immediately following Easton, MD’s annual downtown Christmas Parade. Tickets are available by contacting the Avalon’s Box Office at 410.822.7299, or online at avalontheatre.com.
Partly biographical and partly the story of America during the idealized 1950s and (bleaker) 60’s, the song presents an abstract story of McLean’s adolescent life, and at the same time, represents the evolution of popular music and politics over these years. From the lightness of the 50’s to the darkness of the late 60’s, the song continues to evolve to the present time – perhaps its most viable quality. “American Pie” changes as America itself is changing.
For McLean, the transition from the light innocence of childhood to the dark realities of adulthood began with the deaths of his father and Buddy Holly and culminated with the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, which was the start of a more difficult time for America. During this four year period, McLean moved from an idyllic childhood, through the shock and harsh realities of his father’s death in 1961, to his decision, in 1964, to leave Villanova University to pursue his dream of becoming a professional singer.
The American history that immediately followed would serve as the muse for an upcoming artist’s writing material. The cozy world of white middle class America was disturbed as civil rights campaigners marched on Washington, D.C., and in 1964 the Civil Rights Act become law. On the world stage, America’s leading superpower status was being challenged by the Soviet Union and its military might was being tested by the Vietnamese. Even in music, America soon found itself overrun by a British invasion.
By 1971, the Vietnam War was out of control and McLean had witnessed all that he needed in order to pen his masterpiece that same year.
“American Pie,” in the opinion of the song’s producer, Ed Freeman, was the funeral oration for an era: “Without it, many of us would have been unable to grieve, achieve closure, and move on. Don saw that, and wrote the song that set us free. We should all be eternally grateful to him for that.”
Of course the singer has had other successes. “Vincent” (‘Starry Starry Night’) charted (US)#12 and (UK)#1 in 1972, helping the album American Pie remain in the charts for 53 consecutive weeks. Other classics are scattered throughout McLean’s catalog, including “Crying”, “Since I Don’t Have You”, “Castles in the Air”, and “It’s Just the Sun.”
DON MCLEAN, Saturday, December 4 at 8pm. Tickets: $60. Avalon Theatre – Easton, MD, Box Office: 410.822.7299, www.avalontheatre.com, www.don-mclean.com
The Don McLean Foundation sends students who cannot otherwise afford it to college and contributes to homeless shelters and food banks in the state of Maine.
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