The American Pie Blog

Oh, and there we were, all in one place
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again

Many interpretations take these lines as a reference to Woodstock. Could the symbolism apply to Neil Armstrong’s walk on the Moon (July 20, 1969)? It makes more sense in context with the line “A generation lost in space” when you consider that the last episode of the TV Series “Lost in Space” was in August, 1968 (Woodstock and “Lost in Space” have no connection). Everybody all over the world was glued to their TV’s during the historic space flight during the summer of 1969, and it fulfilled a promise by JFK to put a man on the moon before 1970 (no time left to start again).

You could, of course, stick with the Woodstock thing (certainly a generation and an event “lost in space” that has been glamorized beyond the mess it really was). Time was definitely running out on the ‘60’s.

So come on, Jack, be nimble,
Jack be quick
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
‘Cause fire is the devil’s only friend

No hidden secrets here … just a nice play on the children’s rhyme “Jack be Nimble” with Jack Flash referring to Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones (“Jumpin’ Jack Flash”). I also like the alternative second verse to the “Jack Be Nimble” verse … if Jack had jumped a little higher, he wouldn’t have caught his pants on fire. “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” was released as a single and reached #3 on the charts in June 1968. It was also the song that The Rolling Stones used to open their shows during their 1969 U.S. Tour (how’s that for an appropriate segue into 1969!). The Stones had released their psychedelic rock album “Their Satanic Majesties Request” in December 1967, presumably as a response to “Sergeant Pepper” by The Beatles. If you look at the album cover, the faces of the four Beatles appear in the two lower corners. In December 1968, The Stones released the album “Beggars Banquet” which included the song “Sympathy for the Devil.” More inspiration for these lines could come from the 1970 Grateful Dead song, “Friend of the Devil.”

Before we finish the rest of this verse, it seems prudent to go back to the beginning of this epic poem. In the beginning, we had references to the girl next door, The Book of Love, the Bible telling us so, people dancing and being happy, sock hops, pink carnations, a clean cut rocker from Lubbock, TX, and the day the music died. Remember: one of the biggest slams aginst rock and roll in the late ‘50’s and early ‘60’s was that rock and roll was the devil’s music. That was interesting because rock and roll is the merger of gospel music, country western and rhythm & blues, with the first two genres being considered quite “holy.” We watched rock and roll grow up through the British Invasion, Brill Building Pop, folk music, the dance craze, Motown, the girl groups and a second British Invasion. And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones.

Oh, and 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
He was singing

Refrain

We now proceed ahead to December 1969 and the Free Concert at Altamont Speedway in Northern California near Livermore. The Rolling Stones’ decision to appear at this free concert caused several changes in venues and created fears that it would be another mess like Woodstock. With acts like Santana, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead scheduled to play, The Stones agreed to close the show.

The security for The Rolling Stones was presumably provided by the biker gang Hell’s Angels, although they state emphatically that their only job was to protect some equipment. The Stones were very late in taking the stage, supposedly because Bill Wyman was late arriving, and tempers were flaring. The Angels were becoming more agitated as the day progressed, and Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane was knocked unconscious on stage by an Angel. As a result, The Grateful Dead refused to perform.

When the Stones finally began to perform, it was dark and many bonfires had been lit. Meredith Hunter, under the influence of drugs, approached the stage as The Stones were ending “Under My Thumb” and he drew a gun. One of the Angels stepped forward, knocked the gun out of Hunter’s hand and stabbed him. Hunter died and the Angel was tried for murder and acquitted.

One must wonder if the hands clenched in fists of rage refers to Hunter as he watched Jagger performing on the stage; it could also be a reference to the Hell’s Angels (how perfect is it to have “angels” protecting Satan on stage!). It was a bizarre image indeed as Hunter laid dead (the sacrificial rite … like sacrificing a virgin), bonfires burning (flames climbing high into the night) and The Stones continuing their performance (Jagger as Satan, unaware that Hunter was killed, the spell of his performance unbroken by the Angels’ action). Why was Satan laughing with delight? Truly, we were seeing what was feared from the very beginning: The Devil’s Music! And it was all likely the consequence of a plane crash that took place on February 3, 1959 … the day the music died. (By the way, you can see the whole twisted scene in the documentary “Gimme Shelter”)

Go to Verse 6