American Pie.

Well, I know that the whole aim of this blog is to criticize those who cover our classics; But, I thought that perhaps I should be a little more open minded and say that MAYBE not everyone can do a horrendous job. Take Madonna's version of Don McLean's "American Pie" for example. Absolutely amazing stuff! But, in all fairness, there's very little that Madonna can do wrong.

“American Pie” is partly biographical and partly the story of America during the idealized 1950s and the bleaker 1960s. It was inspired by Don’s memories of being a paperboy in 1959 and learning of the death of Buddy Holly.
 "American Pie” presents an abstract story of McLean’s life from the mid-1950s until the end of the 1960s, and at the same time it represents the evolution of pop music and politics over these years, but metaphorically the song continues to evolve to the present time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6uEjifqTaI

 "American Pie" is not a nostalgia song. Actually, it's quite the opposite. If you listen carefully to the lyrics of this song one could almost say that it's a song that not only looks back on the past with fond memories but it's also an artistic portrayal of how simple and beautiful life can be. I believe that this verse portrays this statement perfectly:
"Helter skelter in a summer swelter.
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter,
Eight miles high and falling fast.
It landed foul on the grass.
The players tried for a forward pass,
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast."

Okay, lets face facts here; Don McLeans voice is perfectly suited to deeply artistic songs such as "American Pie" and "Crying". But Madonna really is in a league of her own. She took American Pie, added new life and beautiful enthusiasm  to a song that she obviously had great admiration for. And that's not something that can be said about most covers.

I'm not gonna say that Madonna's version of American Pie is better than McLeans, that would be unfair as both are very different versions of a song from two incredibly talented artists. However, I will say that Madonna's version was definitely a heart felt one. She gave an old song a new lease of life, got it back into the charts and above all got it into the minds and the hearts of a whole different generation of followers. And for that reason Madonna all I can say is "Fair play to ya."