Sorry guys, but American Pie is one of the worst songs ever written

[proud2BlibKansan]

IMO

I had to mute that part.

The rest of this concert has been awesome. Definitely enough to make up for American Pie.

[malaise]

1. But what about the symbolism of Obama's use of

pie throughout his campaign? I thought that was cool.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. I hate that song so much I didn't even get that

:rofl:

[malaise]

37. Back at yah

:rofl:

[spanone]

2. disagree, but that's what makes music a wonderful thing

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. I was a freshman in college

Living in the dorm. No TV allowed. Only radios. And they played that song 24/7. If I go to hell when I die, it will be the soundtrack.

And yes, I have been in many spirited debates over the years about that song. I married a musician who I met when American Pie was #1. And he says one of the things he liked about me right away was I hated that song. LOL

[spanone]

27. that's what's so great about music...it can put you right back in a place and time

i can remember when that song was a hit ; what i was wearing and who i was dating and what car i drove.....

[NYC_SKP]

29. Me too. I drove a Chevy to the levee...

But I've never tasted Rye.

[LiberalFighter]

71. Our high school senior class used it as their song.

[proud2BlibKansan]

79. So did my best friend's class

She said she had a hard time at prom because she hated the song so much.

[pacalo]

36. I was a freshman, also, & the song has always been like nails on a chalkboard.

It was one of my "clickers", which means the moment I heard the opening "Bye, bye" I clicked to another station.

Way too long & I hated the melody.

[proud2BlibKansan]

55. Thank you for understanding

My sister used to say she wanted to carry a gun in her glove box so she could shoot out the radio when that song came on.

[hlthe2b]

117. I remember hearing it played so much I was totally sick of it...

But, now, I like it..... Like lots of songs that are so so overplayed, they leave a mark, but in this case, it has sort of grown on me with time.

Plus, watching Obama's obvious enjoyment of it, made me feel pretty good...

[Mojorabbit]

52. Yes,

U2 was just playing and I looked over and saw my african grey Chuck dancing up a storm in his cage. I can't stand the band myself.

[proud2BlibKansan]

58. Well we will have to disagree there

I am not a huge fan but I do think they are a great band. And I have heard for years that U2 puts on about the best concert ever.

[Oak2004]

110. Ahh, then maybe we should trade parrots

I started to dance to U2 when my guy (a Quaker) adamantly insisted I stop.

Insert an ear-squawk or two into the story for an explanation of how he won his argument.

[MH1]

3. Yeah, but millions of people have the words memorized.

Some of us from singing it in bars in Korea or other places far from home.

It's about as an "American" a song as you can get.

[proud2BlibKansan]

20. So is that Lee Greenwood song

And it sucks too. :)

[MH1]

63. Nah, never sung that one in a Korean bar.

In fact, I can't remember anyone else singing it either. (Doesn't mean it didn't happen. I might have blocked it.)

American Pie, on the other hand? Every friggin night. At least once.

[Synicus Maximus]

171. Millions know the words but few

pay any attention as to what the words are about.

[leftstreet]

4. It was a dangerous gateway drug for me

I HAD to smoke just to listen to it!

:smoke:

[proud2BlibKansan]

23. LOL

I can make that same argument.

[devilgrrl]

5. No, Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American" is the worst song ever written.

:puke:

[proud2BlibKansan]

25. That's number 3

Right behind You Light Up My Life.

[Contrary1]

41. Ah, but you forgot the absolutely worst song ever...Muskrat Love.

That should move your choices down a notch.

Don't blame me for the ear worm. If anyone ever talks about worst songs, and fails to bring up this Captain and Tennile treasure, it is my solemn duty to correct them.

You're welcome! :hi:

[proud2BlibKansan]

50. LOL yes that's a nasty ear worm

I am NOT thanking you.

[TahitiNut]

131. The Captain and Tennille only did a COVER of 'Muskrat Love.'

"Muskrat Love" is a 1972 song by Willis Alan Ramsey.

[Sebastian Doyle]

142. Huh? All these years I thought America wrote it.

The band, not the country. Their version sucked slightly less than Captain & Tenille's did.

[Frank Cannon]

164. That means that TWO groups thought it was good enough to cover

Man, there were some great pot back in the '70s.

[eShirl]

153. I bought that 45!

You're welcome! :hide:

[Frank Cannon]

165. I did too

And I held the barrel to my head, until I realized that no song on the radio is worth killing yourself over, no matter how bad it is or how many times they play it.

[sofa king]

191. I almost jumped through the computer at some of you.

Then I realized you were talking about some Love Boat guest stars or something, not Muskrat Ramble.

[Art_from_Ark]

196. What about "Let the Eagle Soar"?

(or should that be, "Make the Eagle Sore"?). That song's bad enough to gag a maggot.

And then there's that atrocity by Toby Keith, "Let's Bomb the Shit out of the Ay-rabs", or some such nonsense.

[Hugabear]

170. That song makes me want to stab my ears with a rusty screwdriver

I cannot stand it. The fact that the Rethugs have practically turned it into their defacto national anthem just makes it even that much more annoying.

[Bluebear]

6. Sorry. You Light Up My Life & Feelings eclipse American Pie :)

[devilgrrl]

8. I'll say!

:-)

[LiberalinNC]

15. Ain't that the truth! ugh Feelings!

[AlCzervik]

17. you forgot "my humps".

syre it's catch when you're on the treadmill but when you really listen to the lyrics, oy.

[Warpy]

21. Listen to "Feelings" as done by Offspring

You'll never feel the same way about it, guaranteed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQFWtSNeHks

Really.

[charlie]

32. In the other direction

Paul Anka does Smells Like Teen Spirit. Really.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsS811o21-k

[proud2BlibKansan]

35. Edited my subject line

So many crappy songs. This is a tough competition. LOL

[Monk06]

43. Having My Baby makes Feelings sound like Mozart.

[csziggy]

76. Every time I hear that song title I remember Johnny Fever

On the first episode of WKRP announcing "Having My Baby" sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Surrealistic at the very least.

For me the most hated song is anything by the Carpenters - a roommate inflicted them on me for four solid months.

A friend of mine got in an epic bar fight for unplugging a jukebox when some drunk fool put in five dollars worth of quarters to play "Jeremiah Had a Bullfrog" twenty times.

[tularetom]

132. I don't think Jeremiah "had" a bullfrog

I thought he was a bullfrog. Of course he could have had one too but that would be homosexual bullfrog slavery. Not a big topic in 70's music.

BTW I would not put up with a Carpenters playing roommate for four months. Did you harm this person I hope?

[SoCalDem]

144. But then, Rocky Raccoon was no musical triumph either

or

"Why Don't WeDo It In The Road?"

:rofl:

[csziggy]

189. OK, it's been a while since I heard the bullfrog song.

Actually that roommate pretty much harmed me. Made me slightly crazy when she had a meltdown after her boyfriend stood her up to spend time at home on his mother's birthday. I was not sympathetic and she went all psychotic on me. I never had a female roommate since, just my long suffering husband for 31+ years.

Anytime any Carpenters' song comes up anywhere I leap for the controls to turn them off.

[tridim]

48. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh..ahhh afternoon delight!

[lib2DaBone]

65. Morris Alpert... Feelings... Oh whoa Oh Feelings......

Feelings like I never had...

[merh]

116. The Night Chicago Died is right there in that mix.

:puke:

[conscious evolution]

148. Johnny,don't be a hero

don't be a fool with your life....

[CBGLuthier]

152. Billy, not Johnny

I had Billy, Don't be a Hero in my head while playing golf once and almost killed a man who hit into us.

Brutal song to have stuck in your head for two hours.

[conscious evolution]

155. Thanks for the correction

Must have been thinking of Dalton Trumballs 'Johnny got his Gun.'

Crap.Now its turned into an earworm.HHHHHHELP!!!!!!

[Iggo]

172. Bo Donaldson And The Heywoods called.

They said to tell you, "You're dead to me."

[conscious evolution]

173. Somebody had to be the hero.

[hlthe2b]

119. I could not agree more... Ugg, I hated "You LIght UP My Life"

"Feelings" is equally horrendous.. I also remember absolutely hating "Having my Baby" about this time as well....LOL

[elleng]

7. SORRY I MISSED IT!!!

.

[bbinacan]

9. I like that song. n/t

[rocktivity]

10. the problem wasn't the song, but its choice for the occasion

But where your'e Garth Brooks, I guess you can get away with ANYTHING...

:eyes:
rocknation

[ColbertWatcher]

81. I agree.

I'd like to know who thought singing that particular song was a good idea.

[bushmeister0]

82. Really, what a lazy effort.

I don't think the song is as bad as the way he proformed it.

Now, John Fogerty singing Fortunate Son in front of Al Gore, spitting out "I ain't no Senator's son," on the Lincoln Memorial on Fourth of July 1998 was the way to do it.

[AlCzervik]

11. no way, "Iraq and i roll" is the worst song written--evah.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41gGLmKSm-E

truly horrible shit right there.

[Bjorn Against]

101. That was bad, you just had to go and introduce me to it.

I think after seeing that "Jesus is my Friend" drops to the second worst song I have ever heard. Just watch this and try not to laugh at how incredibly horrible it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-NOZU2iPA8

[AlCzervik]

105. oh man i've seen that before, someone posted that in the lounge about 6 months ago

and of course after watching it i looked that guy and found his web site.

that is some epic shit.


:rofl:

[Lex]

12. you think *that* song is the worst ever written?

you gotta get out more :)

[proud2BlibKansan]

30. LOL probably so

But it's winter and it's cold outside.

[malta blue]

13. I would have to disagree and name

"Let the Eagles Fly" as the worst.

Plus, Don McLean penned it at my favorite watering hole in my town. I always sit at "the booth" when I go there.

[proud2BlibKansan]

26. Whatever happened to one hit wonder Don?

[malta blue]

38. he sang a little song about Vincent

and went underground?

[spanone]

75. vincent...2 hit wonder

[shrike]

126. One-hit wonder Don did pretty well.

Saw a televised tour of his house, one of those House Beautiful shows. Beautiful place, beautiful wife, etc.
My husband saw him perform years ago in the Chicago area, got to go backstage to meet him. Someone asked him (of course) what American Pie meant. He replied, "It means I never have to work again."

In 2004, he was inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame.

[Warpy]

16. Sorry, there were far worse songs in the Hall of Shame

"Honey"
"Muskrat Love"
"You Light up my Life"

Any one of those will make me start rummaging for a sharp object to puncture my eardrums.

"American Pie" is just stupid lyrics to a minimally catchy tune. It doesn't achieve the sheer awfulness of the three others I cited, not by a long shot.

Hell, even "MacArthur Park" was worse.

[Lex]

19. "Havin' My Baby"

is also in the puke-worthy hall of shame.

[Warpy]

24. Gawd, RETCH

yeah, that one's down there, too.

"American Pie" doesn't approach it.

[malaise]

39. I'll always love you

is up there in the top five worst songs of all time.

[hlthe2b]

120. another vote for that horrid mess...

[AlCzervik]

22. add "I've never been to me" to the list.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-vx4GcjASE

[Monk06]

45. Wow I forgot that anthem to the ME decade.

[AlCzervik]

49. what a terrible song that is.

[malaise]

56. I'll pass

I hate that song.

[foxfeet]

95. Fodder for drag queens everywhere!

It's hard to beat for that purpose (check out the opening of "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.")

[charlie]

28. The worst intentionally bad song

Sylvia's Mother. Because a clueless public embraced it as sincere and made it a hit one wretched summer.

[proud2BlibKansan]

46. Oh gawd yes that does suck

Hubby just said he thinks that song SIGN SIGN EVERYWHERE A SIGN is now his nominee for worst.

[charlie]

53. Remind him of Patches

I'm dependin' on ya son, to pull the family throoooooough...

[charlie]

57. And Hooked on a Feeling

Both versions. OOOGAH-CHAGA!

[spanone]

85. clarence carter...that was great....loved it

[drm604]

68. I was going to mention that.

You beat me to it.

I knew it was bad, but it was intentionally bad?

[charlie]

77. Yeah, it was a joke

Probably caused a lot of disappointment for people who bought the album for more of the same and instead got an earful of Dr Hook's goodtime goofiness.

[drm604]

86. Interesting.

It makes sense, since it was such a horrible song.

[conscious evolution]

150. One of my housemates sings

that song on a regular basis.
It makes me want to puke every time I hear it.

[misanthrope]

98. "Seasons In the Sun"...'Nuff said**nm

**

[bulloney]

157. That's the all-time repulsive song in my book, misanthrope!

Between being a lousy song and getting overplayed on the radio, I could get into a rage hearing that crap. It moved me to rewriting the lyrics:

We had joy. We had fun.
We had seasons in the sun.
But the food that we'd eat
Was just roadkill on the beach!

Oh, and Loving You, by Minnie Ripperton.
What the hell was that?
When she went into that high-pitched squeal, it'd drive all the dogs nuts within a 5-mile radius of where it was played.

[Buns_of_Fire]

175. That was the sound of Minnie being goosed by an electric cattle prod with weak batteries, wasn't it?

All I know is it made my eardrums bleed the first time I heard it.

[annarbor]

163. Amen!

"We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun, but the wine and the song like the seasons have all gone!".

Worst record ever made. And I can sing the whole damned thing from memory :0)


Ann Arbor

[SharonRB]

31. I actually really like it

I've always loved singing along with it -- I love the words and the various interpretations of them.

[AlCzervik]

33. Madonna almost killed that song dead.

[Ichingcarpenter]

47. Actually "I write the songs" for 'Achy Breaky Heart"

Are the best pop songs ever written........


Worst Pop Songs of All time : http://www.popculturemadness.com/Music/WORST.html


Top 10 All Time Pop Singalong Songs: American Pie number 7... I like the song but to me the song
means the end of the America we knew.

http://top40.about.com/od/top10lists/tp/singalong.htm

[Crabby Appleton]

167. Me too

the OP couldn't be more wrong.

[bbernardini]

34. Clearly, you've never heard "Watching Scotty Grow."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G75cORqX_oQ

[proud2BlibKansan]

42. I know that song so I am NOT clicking on that link

LOL

[Happyhippychick]

40. You've obviously not heard the song "RunJoey Run" or you would be kissing Don McLean right about now

[charlie]

60. Kasanetz Katz

Their Yummy Yummy Yummy makes Joey sound like thrash metal, though.

[Happyhippychick]

62. It's as bad as The Archies. Maybe worse.

[HughBeaumont]

97. David Geddes - the king of vomit melodrama.

"The Last Game Of The Season (A Blind Man In The Bleachers)," and "Run Joey Run" . . . :puke:

[SpookyCat]

104. Yeah, what was the deal in the mid to late 70's with all the death

There were so many death songs at that time, Run Joey Run, Seasons in the Sun, oh what that other one called...<thinking...>

Ok, Googled it...it was called Rocky..."Rocky I never had to die before, don't know if I can do it"..

Oh, animal death...Wildfire about the horse and his owner, and, Shannon, about a dog that gets washed out to sea in a storm and how will we tell the old man?

Sheesh! No wonder I'm a dark old woman! :rofl:

[charlie]

113. How about *cannibalism*?

Remember Timothy? Timothy, Timothy, where on earth did you go?

[SpookyCat]

125. Holy Gamoly!

I did not know that one, so I just Googled it. What the hell was wrong with people? Did the 70's suck that bad? LOL!!!!!

:rofl:

[madmom]

183. We were always of the opinion that Timothy was the mule.

[TwilightGardener]

140. "Wildfire" was one of my favorite songs as a little girl...

Cheezy, now, yes--but so sad!! She ran calling "Wiiiiiiillllllllddd-fire! She ran calling Wiiiiiiilllllldd-fire!

[SpookyCat]

146. Oh, me too!

My sister and I spent many an afternoon singing that into hair brushes and getting all weepy! LOL! Takes me right back to time and place.

Course I also sat on the front lawn with my guitar playing and OH! so deeply feeling One Tin Soldier and the theme song from MASH...HA! I haven't thought about that in ages! :hi:

[WolverineDG]

44. Gimme American Pie over Seasons in the Sun any day of the week

x(

dg

[B o d i]

51. Have you heard the cover version by Oasis? Theirs is the best.

/runs

[KoKo]

54. I always hear that song as the "Death of American Dream"...it was weird hearing Garth Brooks doing

this at was supposed to be a Concert Filled with HOPE! It was weird. :eyes:

[tbyg52]

59. Eh, it's not the best, but I like it anyway.

I don't know if I would have clicked on this thread if I'd known how many truly hideous songs it was going to put in my head! :puke:

[proud2BlibKansan]

84. I owe a lot of apologies

:evilgrin:

[bread_and_roses]

188. Yeah - you made me think of "ground control to major tum"

and I agree about American Pie and Jeremiah - two of my all time most loathed, along with Major Tum. Many other awful hall of famers here, too.

[tularetom]

61. We've Only Just Begun, You Light Up My Life and Honey are far worse

Then there is a bunch of late sappy 70's crap that all runs together in your mind until you can't tell one song from the next. "I'm All Out of Love" is only one example of this genre.

[Warpy]

70. I've often said the 70s were the absolute bottom

as far as music in this country went. Rock had been corporatized and forced into formula, pop songs were unbearably treacly, and disco was the big new thing and that should speak for itself. Rap was getting started in East Coast cities but it was in clubs and on the street, not recorded and marketed. Some interesting stuff was happening in Europe and Asia, but the domestic music scene was vile.

[proud2BlibKansan]

74. Late 70s maybe

But the early 70s were great.

CCR

Traffic

Elton John

Carole King

James Taylor

Crosby Still Nash and Young

Cat Stevens

Moody Blues

Lots of great music till about 76. Then disco came into our world. That's the day the music died.

[Warpy]

92. Most of the above did their best work in the late 60s

before everything became fomulaic.

[proud2BlibKansan]

128. Disagree

Most were early 70s. I went to college in 71. My freshman year was Carole King, James Taylor, CSNY, Elton John, Traffic. Also loved Rod Stewart and Faces but I have changed my mind about Rod Stewart since then.

[misanthrope]

103. The late '70s were the province of Talking Heads, The Sex Pistols, The Clash...

...Blondie, The Police, X, The Ramones and others. There was plenty of decent music with a heart out there.

Just as in any period, the stuff shoved out via mainstream media was crap.

[proud2BlibKansan]

129. Disco dominated the late 70s.

I would place most of those bands in the 80s. But I will take your word for it. I was busy raising kids then and didn't have a lot of time for music.

[Warpy]

137. I didn't hear "The Police" until about 81

but some Punker bands were around in the late 70s, most notably The Ramones. They provided a nice antidote to the treacly pop and the relentless wumpawumpa of both disco and formula rock.

[misanthrope]

100. Yeah, 'cause "Mother In Law" and "Hey Paula" were sooo great...

...Every period has its utter garbage.

[KoKo]

115. "You Light Up My LIfe" was like nails on chalkboard to me...but my

sister just loved it. She saw something so beautiful in it she asked it played at her wedding. I don't know...different strokes for different folks, I guess. :shrug:

[Ichingcarpenter]

64. This thread is now an ear worm with all the bad songs stuck in my head

proud2Blib should be banned for the mental anguish I'm going through right now.


LOL

[KoKo]

67. Well...you'll get over it...cup of camomile tea, perhaps?

[Ichingcarpenter]

73. 'You light up my life' .... for saying that

thanks for being concerned about my 'FEELINGS' 'HONEY'.

LOL!

[KoKo]

80. honey in camomile tea is DIVINE...knocks those "ear worms" out immediately!

If that doesn't work, though. Try a tsp of vinegar washed down immediately. It works for hiccups AND EarWorms!

[proud2BlibKansan]

72. How about just tasering me?

Or you could dress me in a cow hoodie sweatshirt and put me in handcuffs. :evilgrin:

[Ichingcarpenter]

78. You should have to spend time in 'McArthur Park"

and reflect on your "muskrat love'
'candyman'.

[KoKo]

83. ...that cake in the rain was the thing that always got me....ICK!

Who would write lyrics like that?

[proud2BlibKansan]

87. The big orchestra sound in that song!

Yuck. Back when no other pop songs had an orchestra like that.

I always felt like that song didn't deserve that big orchestra sound.

[KoKo]

89. It got some big award, I think. It's on my list of worst songs ever...

but then, what do I know. It just never made any sense..orchestra, lyrics. It was weird.

[hlthe2b]

124. I'm pretty sure it won a Grammy....

[Ichingcarpenter]

90. Jimmy Webb

Jimmy Layne Webb is an American songwriter. His compositions include "Up, Up, and Away," "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Wichita Lineman," "Galveston," and "MacArthur Park".

[KoKo]

109. Maybe he was stoned outta' his mind when he wrote "MacArthur Park," though.

Wouldn't be the first time someone had a miss because of too much alcohol or other stimulants or in this case, "depressants." :shrug:

[hlthe2b]

123. I researched it once several years back: Webb wrote it on a dare

I can't remember the details, but makes sense to me...;)

[Medusa]

193. Jimmy Webb has written some kick-ass songs

They are so good I'll forgive him for McArthur Park. Kinda like Donna Summer's version of it though. :rofl:

[malaise]

149. I still love McArthur Park

but it was even better with some good Jamaican herb back in the day. :rofl:

[hlthe2b]

122. Actually, I'm gonna focus on American Pie to get rid of all the other

(far more horrendous, IMO) earworms on this thread....;)

[uppityperson]

66. Analysis and interpretation.. ..(interesting)

http://www.rareexception.com/lyrics/american-pie-the-analysis-and-interpretation-of-don-mcleans-song-lyrics/

Brief clip:

I drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry, Them good ol’ boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye Singing “This’ll be the day that I die, This’ll be the day that I die.”

Driving the Chevy to the levee almost certainly refers to the three college students whose murder was the subject of the film ‘Mississippi Burning.’ The students were attempting to register as black voters, and after being killed by bigoted thugs their bodies were buried in a levee. Them good ol’ boys being: Holly, Valens, and the Big Bopper, They were singing about their death on February 3. One of Holly’s hits was “That’ll be the Day”; the chorus contains the line “That’ll be the day that I die.”

[stillcool]

88. that's amazing!..

I've always like the song, but had no idea that the words had significance. It's funny...when I was reading it, I flash-backed to a dance in the gym.

[cynatnite]

94. Another interpretation of the song...

primary key to understanding American Pie can be found here in the chorus, as the theme of America's lost innocence is most clearly stated.

• • •
So bye bye, Miss American Pie
"Miss American Pie"* is "as American as apple pie," so the saying goes; she could also be a synthesis of this symbol and the beauty queen Miss America. Either way, her name evokes a simpler time in American life when these icons held more meaning. She is the America of a passing era, and he is bidding her farewell.

Drove my Chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
"Drove my Chevy to the levee" alludes to a drive "along a levee" mentioned in a series of popular 1950s Chevrolet television commercials sung by Dinah Shore:

Drive your Chevrolet through the USA,
America's the greatest land of all
On a highway or a road along a levee...
..life is completer in a Chevy
So make a date today to see the USA
And see it in your Chevrolet

and which serves as a signpost to that era—just as the Chevrolet itself is a familiar icon of 1950s America. Also, given that a drive to a levee carries the suggestion of romance in a car, we can almost see him on a date here. But the date is over, the levee is dry—someone he once loved has betrayed him; something that once gave him sustenance has evaporated.

http://www.understandingamericanpie.com/chorus.htm

[KoKo]

111. Well...that makes some sense ...but I wonder how many under 40 might understand that?

Key to a song is if it can be understood way in the future to last. But, thanks for that explanation. :-)'s

[bdamomma]

154. yea, I remember there was alot of interpretation about

the lyrics of American pie, everybody was wondering what it was all about, it had alot of history involved.

[alfredo]

69. The chorus is easy to sing, easy to remember, even when drunk.

I'd love to write a song that is still generating royalties decades after its first released.

[cynatnite]

91. Here is what Don McLean and Pete Seeger said about the song...

"That song didn't just happen," said Don. "It grew out of my experiences. American Pie was part of my process of self-awakening; a mystical trip into my past."

Don called his song a complicated parable, open to different interpretations. "People ask me if I left the lyrics open to ambiguity. Of course I did. I wanted to make a whole series of complex statements. The lyrics had to do with the state of society at the time."

In the late sixties and early seventies, Don was obsessed with what he called "the death of America" —the loss of many things he believed in while growing up. "In a sense, American Pie was a very despairing song. In another, though, it was very hopeful. Pete Seeger told me he saw it as a song in which people were saying something. They'd been fooled, they'd been hurt, and it wasn't going to happen again. That's a good way to look at it—a hopeful way." *

http://www.understandingamericanpie.com/conclusion.htm

[KoKo]

114. Thanks .....I think, though, that Seeger and Springsteen and many other's songs aren't as cryptic

in their meaning and therefore hit harder. Although the refrain: "Bye, Bye, Miss American Pie...drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry" does sort of have a nursery rhyme repetitiveness that makes it a chant folks love to sing in unison. So, maybe from that standpoint it lasts. :shrug:

[InvisibleTouch]

133. I like cryptic lyrics that are open to one's own interpretation.

My interpretation of "American Pie" was always a nuclear war that was happening in the middle of the singer's traumatic high school experience (kinda like the one I was having when I first heard the song). I will certainly disagree with the OP. It's a great song! I can't speak to how it was performed at this particular concert, since I didn't see it, but the song itself is above reproach, IMO.

[Buns_of_Fire]

174. I interpret it as a metaphor for man's inhumanity to man...

...but then, I interpret EVERYTHING as a metaphor for man's inhumanity to man, so you might want to take that with a grain of salt. Or two.

[TexasObserver]

93. Now you're just talkin' crazy.

It's an anthem. And a great one.

[rufus dog]

96. We built this City

By Jefferson Starship written by Elton John.

Every member of Starship and Elton should be forced to listen to that song for 48 hours straight.

[cynatnite]

99. I must be the only person who likes that song. n/t

[InvisibleTouch]

134. Make it two.

I like it a lot. Never could figure out what people find so awful about it, especially in the face of stuff that's truly awful.

[AlCzervik]

102. i am almost sure that song was voted worst rock song ever, it was either Rolling stone

or vh1.

yes that song could suck a golf ball through a garden hose.

[Telly Savalas]

106. I think we have a winner

Although Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl" and the jingle from the beepbeep.com ad deserve honorable mention.

[cemaphonic]

107. Bernie Taupin, not Elton

Close enough though.

[Arugula Latte]

118. Elton John wrote that song?

:wtf:

[TwilightGardener]

145. Yes, that is awful. They should have hung it up well before the 80's.

[proud2BlibKansan]

178. Bernie Taupin, not Elton John

Bernie wrote We Built This City.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Built_This_City

[road2000]

184. Elton didn't write it.

Bernie Taupin and Martin Page ("In the House of Stone and Light") wrote it.

[cemaphonic]

108. It;s a good tune and chorus

But as far as I can tell, the song is all about how much music in the 60s sucked compared to the 50s. I like Buddy Holly too, but I can't really get behind that sentiment.

[leftchick]

112. I agree

one of the worst songs ever!

[asdjrocky]

121. Why do you hate America?

[spanone]

127. why does she hate pie????

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[asdjrocky]

130. She hates America....AND PIE!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[MrSlayer]

135. I concur, awful song.

Total garbage.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

136. And You Think We Care About Your Taste In Music Why?

:shrug:

[proud2BlibKansan]

179. And I should care about your response because _____________ ?

[islandmkl]

138. don't hate the song...hate the singer...well, not Don McLean in this case...

for example, no song needed: Leo Sayer

[enuegii]

139. Wow! You folks sure came up with a fine list...

of turnthatshitoff songs from yesteryear. I hope they don't keep running through my head all night...

[TwilightGardener]

141. Love it. I think it's a great song, an American classic, and a great performance today.

[Radical Activist]

143. I didn't mind it the first dozen or so times.

But...PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!!!

I'm so sick of that song. It's all meaningless nostalgia bullshit.

[Libby2]

147. I've always hated that song.

[Vinca]

151. There are, easily, a million songs on the lousy song list before this one. nt

[blogslut]

156. I beg to differ

That song contains one of my favorite bits of lyrical poetry:

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 the holy ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died.

Just lovely.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

158. I disagree and like American Pie. McLean also wrote IMHO one of the most beautiful songs, Vincent.

[Le Taz Hot]

159. Nope.

"B-b-b-b-Benny and the Jetsssssss." Worst. Song. Ever. Btw, I LIKED "American Pie!" Yes, they played it WAAAY too much, but it's still a good song.

[bigtree]

160. I heard Garrison Keilor talk about it

He was recalling the plane crash and how he took a road trip to the crash site right when he got the news . . . He made me understand how the song related to that accident and what it meant to him. I got a little more appreciation for it after hearing all of that.

[Orangeone]

161. Pina Colada Song

I HATE that one, and also "Sometimes When We Touch" Yuck!

[graywarrior]

162. I go into a coma when that song gets played.

Hate it.

[alarimer]

166. Not by a long shot.

Almost anything done by any American Idol winner is worse by far.

[ima_sinnic]

168. I totally agree, & I also flew for the remote to mute it.

That chanty sing-song stuff really drives me up the wall, in addition to the purposely meaningless lyrics that are supposed to be soooo "deep." The guy's laughing all the way to the bank while people "interpret" the dumbass lyrics that were written by flipping to random pages in a dictionary, stringing them together, and acting like they're all "meaningful" and shit.

In addition, from the few seconds I heard, Garth Brooks was about to sing it with an infuriating "twang," just to add ear-insult to ear-injury.

[timtom]

169. I thought it was just me.

Almost as bad as Neil Diamond.

"Songs she sang me
Joy she brang me"

[lame54]

176. You should be sorry...

for that asinine statement

[proud2BlibKansan]

181. But I am not

hmm

[lame54]

182. May you spend eternity listening to this song...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwy5uqemp6c

[me b zola]

177. Moni Mona

...or what ever is the name of that stupid frat-boy 80's song. Worst ever. :puke:

[Greyhound]

180. No, "Woo Hoo", by the 5, 6, 7, 8s (Also known as the Vonage song)

is the worst song ever recorded.

[Phillycat]

185. AMEN.

[road2000]

186. "American Pie" is a great song.

It should never, ever be available for Karaoke, however.

Nominee for most awful song: "Midnight at the Oasis."

[Dukkha]

187. hate it!

way too long and every idiot in a bar or coffe shop with an acoustic guitar has to play it.

[XemaSab]

190. AMEN!

:patriot:

[wordpix]

192. some of us love it so keep it to yerself

[AnnieBW]

194. I like Weird Al's version of it.

I wonder if George Lucas (who was in the audience) was singing the Weird Al Yankovic "Star Wars Episode 1" version instead? My husband and I were!

My, my, this here Anakin guy
May be Vader someday later
But now he's just a small fry.
He left his home, and kissed his Mommy goodbye,
Saying soon I'm gonna be a Jedi!

[Fireweed247]

195. It's pretty bad, but there is a lot of competition

"You'll get a boot in the ass, it's the American way"

[RagAss]

197. Disco Duck !

[edbermac]

198. Sorry but you have no taste in music.

American Pie is a GREAT song. You must be an Oasis fan.

[last_texas_dem]

199. I think "American Pie" isn't anywhere *close* to the worst song ever written

Just overplayed... And the fact that Don McLean wrote awesome songs like "Bronco Bill's Lament," "Castles in the Air," and "Till Tomorrow" makes him pretty awesome in my book, despite him being unfortunately only known by most for one huge song.

[WheelWalker]

200. I was thinking about that song as I flew into Fargo last week in a blizzard.

[sandrakae]

201. I love that song. It is my ring tone.