And while Lennon read a book on Marx,

• Literally, John Lennon reading about Karl Marx; figuratively, the introduction of radical politics into the music of the Beatles. (Of course, he could be referring to Groucho Marx, but that doesn't seem quite consistent with McLean's overall tone. On the other hand, some of the wordplay in Lennon's lyrics and books is reminiscent of Groucho.) The "Marx-Lennon" wordplay has also been used by others, most notably the Firesign Theatre on the cover of their album "How Can You Be In Two Places At Once When You're Not Anywhere At All?" The Beatles &"Here, There and Everywhere," for example. Also, a famous French witticism was "Je suis Marxiste, tendance Groucho. " (I'm a Marxist of the Groucho variety).

The quartet practiced in the park

• There are two schools of thought about this; the obvious one is the Beatles playing in Shea Stadium, but note that the previous line has John Lennon *doing something else at the same time*. This tends to support the theory that this is a reference to the Weavers, who were blacklisted during the McCarthy era. McLean had become friends with Lee Hays of the Weavers in the early 60's while performing in coffeehouses and clubs in upstate New York and New York City. He was also well acquainted with Pete Seeger; McLean, Seeger, and others took a trip on the Hudson river singing anti-pollution songs at one point. Seeger's LP "God Bless the Grass" contains many of these songs.

And we sang dirges in the dark

• A "dirge" is a funeral or mourning song, so perhaps this is meant literally...or, perhaps, this is a reference to some of the new "art rock" groups that played long pieces not meant for dancing. In the dark of the death of Holly.

The day the music died. We were singing...

Refrain

(Verse 4) Helter Skelter in a summer swelter

• "Helter Skelter" is a Beatles song that appears on the "White" album. Charles Manson, claiming to have been "inspired" by the song (through which he thought God and/or the devil were taking to him) led his followers in the Tate-LaBianca murders.

  Is "summer swelter" a reference to the "Summer of Love" or perhaps to the "long hot summer" of Watts?

The birds flew off with the fallout shelter Eight miles high and falling fast

• Without a doubt this refers to the Byrds who helped launch David Crosby to superstardom. The Byrd's song "Eight Miles High" was found on their late 1966 release "Fifth Dimension." They recorded this song when some of the groups members were considering leaving (some of the groups members actually left the group because they refused to fly in an airplane). A fallout shelter was sometimes referred to as the fifth dimension because of the 1950's fascination with sci-fi and the futuristic appearance of a fallout shelter. This was one of the first records to be widely banned because of supposedly drug-oriented lyrics.

It landed foul on the grass

• One of the Byrds was busted for possession of marijuana.

The players tried for a forward pass

• Obviously a football metaphor, but about what? It could be the Rolling Stones, i.e., they were waiting for an opening that really didn't happen until the Beatles broke up.

  With regard to the next idea, the players may be other musicians who received the opportunity to shine when Dylan was injured.

With the jester on the sidelines in a cast

• On July 29, 1966, Dylan crashed his Triumph 55 motorcycle while riding near his home in Woodstock, New York. He spent nine months in seclusion while recuperating from the accident. This gave a chance for many other artists to become noticed (see the next interpretation).

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume

• Drugs, man.

  Well, now, wait a minute; that's probably too obvious (wouldn't want to make it easy). It's possible that this line and the next few refer to the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The "sweet perfume" is probably tear gas.

  It could be the fact the since Dylan was temporarily out of the picture, the future looked bright for many artists. The Stones, for example, may have been given a brief chance.

While sergeants played a marching tune

• Following from the second thought above, the sergeants would be the Chicago Police and the Illinois National Guard, who marched protesters out of the park where the Convention was being held and into jail.

  Alternatively, this could refer to the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Or, perhaps McLean refers to the Beatles' music as "marching" because it's not music for dancing.

  Or, finally, the "marching tune" could be the draft.

  **(What did the Stones release in '66??)

We all got up to dance Oh, but we never got the chance

• The Beatles' 1966 Candlestick Park concert only lasted 35 minutes. But at this point the Beatles were not "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1967)

  Or, following on from the previous comment, perhaps he was considering the hippies who were protesting the Convention. They were known for playing their own folk music.

'Cause the players tried to take the field, The marching band refused to yield.

• Some folks think this refers to either the 1968 Democratic Convention or Kent State. If the players are the protesters at Kent State, and the marching band the Ohio National Guard...

  This could be a reference to the dominance of the Beatles on the rock and roll scene. For instance, the Beach Boys released "Pet Sounds" in 1966 -- an album that featured some of the same sort of studio and electronic experimentation as "Sgt. Pepper" (1967). The album sold poorly because of the Beatles.

  The other Beatles reference here refers to the Monkees. The Monkees were merely actors (or players), they were not a true band but a fabrication attempting to replicate the Beatles. The players tried to take the place of the Fab Four but the band wouldn't step down.

  Or finally, this might be a comment that follows up on the earlier reference to the draft: the government/military industrial-complex establishment refused to accede to the demands of the peace movement.

Do you recall what was revealed, The day the music died?

• **Check for any controversies released on Feb 3, 1959.

We started singing

Refrain

(Verse 5) And there we were all in one place

• Woodstock. (like Duh.)

A generation lost in space

• Some people think this is a reference to the US space program, which it might be; but that seems a bit too literal. Perhaps this is a reference to hippies, who were sometimes known as the "lost generation," partially because of their particularly acute alienation from their parents, and partially because of their presumed preoccupation with drugs (which was referred to as being "spaced-out.")

  Being on drugs was sometimes termed -- being lost in space because of the TV show, "Lost in Space," whose title was used as a synonym for someone who was rather high... I keep hoping that McLean had better taste. :-)

With no time left to start again

• The "lost generation" spent too much time being stoned, and had wasted their lives. Or, perhaps, their preferences for psychedelia had pushed rock and roll so far from Holly's music that it couldn't be retrieved.

So come on Jack be nimble Jack be quick

• Probably a reference to Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones; "Jumpin' Jack Flash" was released in May 1968.

Jack Flash sat on a candlestick

• **The Stones' Candlestick park concert? (unconfirmed)

  Jack Flash is also a cockney slang term for pharmaceutical heroin. If you know how to use heroin, you understand the reference.

'Cause fire is the devil's only friend

• It's possible that this is a reference to the Grateful Dead's "Friend of the Devil."

  An alternate interpretation of the last four lines is that they may refer to Jack Kennedy and his quick decisions during the Cuban Missile Crisis; the candlesticks/fire refer to ICBMs and nuclear war.