Don McLean’s seminal “ American Pie ” turns 55 today. When asked what it meant, he iconically declared: “It means I’ll never have to work again.”

The over-eight-minute song remains shrouded in secrecy about its significance. Over the decades, fans and critics have come up with their interpretations of the lyrics. However, the singer has kept most of its meaning up to interpretation.

The Real Meaning Of ‘American Pie’

The original manuscript was sold in New York, according to The Financial Times, fetching $1.2m. In an interview in the auction catalog , McLean admitted, “Basically in “American Pie” things are headed in the wrong direction. It is becoming less idyllic. I don’t know whether you consider that wrong or right, but it is a morality song, in a sense.”

The song takes inspiration from the tragic 1959 plane crash which took the life of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper, known as “the day the music died.”

“The song starts off with my memories of the death of Buddy Holly.…