Why American Pie hits the chords of heart

There was something to the song that is extremely touchy. As one of the interpretations did mention. At the surface it is easy to song with slight melancholic twist. And that is what caught me attention when I first heard during my early days in my early membership to this country.

But as all classic(it is num#7 in List of top 100 songs of the century), it gets even better as you know it better. And as I came more about the song, I not only came to know it even better but also identified with it more. Specially the historical change in Music as interpreted by Don Lean. ( a good interpretation here)

But I suppose the identification with oneself and a person's life is what makes a song cling to you. It could be melancholic as Don remembers his growing year's music ("And the music died") or symbolically going through similar life experiences.

This song in its core is a repentance of sort. Repentance of a bygone era. The loss of an innocent era. The early era which were simple and clean. And as always with everyone somehow they are always connected with events of the childhood. Though on a side note, for me being a GenX, I certainly would say my early childhood was not that bad at all, surely better than the present. Paradoxically this is the generation to which Don refers to "when the music died".

But this melancholic remembering the past events especially the early childhood and how when compared to the present adulthood world around us, makes those events look so much better. 

And this to me is the chord that makes this song rhyme with so many generation, even if they are paradoxical like me. Melancholic yearning the old good old days. When things were simple and life easier. In reality though it might have happened or not might be irrelevant. Don's golden age of 50s was not clean anyway. The American public and I would say the whole world was very optimistic about the future, especially after defeating the Satanic Nazis (UN is an embodiment of it certainly). But then seeds of poising of the future had already began. Be it in the music or Politics. Though Bob Dylan started the revolutionary transition from feel good music to societal challenges, it was a matter of time when the followers of it took to other level, the drugged Rock and Roll of 70s and 80s. And this good intentions going bad also followed in Politics. Trying to advance the "Better" western or more succinctly democratic Political ways, lead to mayhem of the later 70s era. Be it the Korean war or even UN's poverty elevation or the WWII Keynesian economics.

For GenX we also cling to the 70s as our Golden era. When the time was good. It was more simpler compared to today's connected another euphemism of complicated world. Today we are living on the other side of the barrel of things that went wrong in Afghanistan or Kissinger's way of making a "better" world. A boomeranged that got us so much pain such a big pain. Or more at person level where boundaries and changes are happening at such high speed. So though we lacked so many things that we have today, the comfort of simplicity is what many of us miss.

This is even more pertinent for us Indians. As for the India of the 70s was certainly in may ways the USs 50s. Be it how the society was at that time. See my Mona Lisa Smile and Walmart Blog. For us with the new connected world we certainly have come to a world with more growth avenues and prosperity but is it a better world of the simple 70s or 80s Indian past is debatable. Though we had one channel and the world used to stop becos Mahabharat was being shown. And unlike today's DVR and YouTubed Internet where we can watch it at our convenience, there still is something to the one TV-ed family and one channel TV network. And though for many of us have gone to places and done things which were just not possible for our parent's generation. But for this development we certainly have paid with breaking of the old extended family structure. So beautifully captured in the article "". And though the resistance to change is inherent to humans, we still feel the old days were simpler and better. Even though for the earlier generation the same time period was the complicated one. Case in point, when Erie Canal was built in the late 1800s old timers lamented of the "Slow" old days when things were moved by horse only. "What Erie Canal days were complicated?" would certainly aghast us.

This remembering the old Golden age that is now past. Which now only lives only in our memory is so well captured by this interpretative songs.

It is where this song hits the chords of the heart. The chords of a person's yearning for the old gone days. Were they correct would always be our interpretation of reality. I suppose that is what Don's meant when he was asked about the meaning of his lyrics in "but long ago I realized that songwriters should make their statements and move on".

Links
A societal and historical interpretation of the song
Interpretation of the song Interpretation 1

Growing up in the juxtaposed nations, one the future the other shackle of the world

Growing up in India now considered future of the world with one of the fastest growing economy, one of the largest youth population (50% of population is below the age of 25) and the biggest advantage a vibrant democracy/free press/education system. All these but especially the last one gave India the advantage for the knowledge revolution outsourcing that has happened but also tge potential of a better future than any other BRIC nations.
One of the biggest happiness for the current generation of Indians is the strong association we have seen of what I would call a 180 degree change of perception by the world and Indians also, of the country's potential. Our fathers grew up in a corrupted country and as my father said once "failed hopes after Independence" (The 1970's emergency/Indira and 80s). We remeber our childhood with a sort of shame we had of our country. A country with "highest number of graduates in the world", yet among the poorest. I still remember a great inquisition by one of tourist who asked me "How come you have a satellite and have your own nuclear technology but still have such expansive poverty."
Luckily we had the novice Prime Minister and more importantly his advisor the poor lad from Orissa, a great enterpreneur in US who wanted to give back to his roots. And so I grew up and have been living my active life as people who have brought up the change in this perception. The knowledge workers. Certainly one of the most prized commodity India has produced and certainly envy of developed countries working population.   Not only it is haeartneing to be the part of this change but it certainly is accentualted when I see it after spending a portion of it in US. As certainly in this country because it only attracts the creme-de-la-creme of the better educated Indians, this perceived threath/change is sometimes blown out of perception. Locals see the samrtest Indians have produced ( high majority of IITians and other knoweldge workers who have migrated to US) and make conclusion about the country, that also has more bums as US has (because India has 7 times higer probablity becos of 7 times the population!!).
Yet one of the most dramatic "juxtaposing" of this development of India is the stark degradation of our neigbour, certainly the shackle of the world today. And how interesting is having two neigbours that took such certain divergent paths for my current memery.
I certainly had certain inkling and knowledge of it but I was shcoked of the degree of it after seeing the documentary on Benazir (PBS  - From Pampered Princess to Polarizing Politician). Not we Indians are not aware of corruption of the political mass, a decease which is keeping all devlping nations to the state of "developing", but even more potent in the South Asia. But luckily for us the entrepreneur craved a India that is blossimg even though the political establishment still remains the same. Though Pakistan in people like Zaftiyar Bhutto and Benazir certainly had the same intentions as our novice PM Rajiv somehow one of us seems to have been making good of " tryst with destiny". In reality Benazir and Rajiv became PMs and certainly hope of both countries failed progress till that moment. Thus though in early 80s Pakistan certainly had a higer percapital income than India because of its inherent geographical/agricultural blessings, the future in a more service oriented world certainly looks more rosy for India.
This devergence of how one neigbour seems to get out of the shackle of emprovisement where the other seems to growing deeper into one is really captured in this documentery. So well capturing the failed state is this beautiful time line of political malice in Pakistan. 
The documentary shows how the hand in hand growth of the Talibalization/islamization of the country and the military junta. Certainly sort of neglected and earlier encouraged by now hit bad by its own creation of the Islamic Frankestian. The growth of this evil nexus certainly lies in Henry Kissinger's encouragement of Zia-ul-Haq's illegitimate coming to power (see this link). The parochial aim of removal of Russians from Afghanistan by the back door help by Islamization of Pakistan's ISI and thus helping the Taliban did bring the effects. But certainly not completing the task in the entirety and leaving two troubled nations has had serious recuperation for not only US but even more to India.  But long before the dangers of this Frankenstein were known, many in Pakistan forebode of the coming dangers. The path Beznazir followed (in footsteps of her Father who was unsuccessful in stopping the first wave of Islamisation of Pakistan in the 1970s) have been so well captured in this documentary. Benazir's constant struggle opposing the growth of fundamentalism in Pakistan and serious personal sacfise she took during her political life and ultimately with her death is moving and certainly food for thought. 
What I certainly took away from the documentary was the struggle of Pakistanis in trying to avoid what Pakistan has now become. This is certainly a sort of revelation for us. Growing up in the late 80s we had developed a repulsion of Pakistanian politics. We got the first shock of the unfinished task of removing Russian from Afganistan, where we saw how these now "unemployed freedom figthers" saw Kashmir as their next jihad after Russians of Afghanistan. And this certainly created a strong hate of Pakistan Politics and sort of painting everyone politician in black. Though certainly ISI/Pakistan military junta used Osama's and other Taliban facilities in Afganistan, not everyone in Pakistan were accomplice. And the struggle made by Benazir even though the military junta wanted her democratic establishment out was not what I was aware of. The two times desposition of her government's, even though both the times she won with a majority and putting the military puppet,Nawiz Sharif, (First Disposition and Second Disposition) was starkling even to me who have seen some pretty bad politics in India. How these dispositions were carried out certainly shows the lackadaisical nature of democracy in Pakistan. And these were certainly some new information for me.
The documentary brings forth the reason of why situations in Pakistan are so bad but more importantly how efforts of Benazir who could have avoided were squashed. And thus the documentary brings to light of people who certainly did not wish of creation of these two juxtaposed nations on two divergent paths.