O dia em que a música morreu

A Notícia

Hoje completa 50 anos que Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens e Big Bopper morreram em um trágico desastre de avião, perto de Clear Lake, Iowa, EUA. No ano seguinte, Eddie Cochran compôs "Three Stars" (Três Estrelas) em homenagem aos músicos, mas foi em 1971, que Don McLean compôs American Pie, a música que iria definir aquele dia como "O dia que a música morreu".

Fatos que antecederam a história

"The Winter Dance Party" era uma excursão que iria percorrer 24 cidades do Meio Oeste norteamericano em três semanas. Um problema logístico com a excursão era a quantidade de viagens, uma vez que a distância entre os locais de apresentação não era levado em conta ao se agendar cada apresentação. Isto levava a um excessivo vai e vem. Além disso, o onibus que transportava os músicos não estava preparado para enfrentar o clima e seu sistema de aquecimento quebrou logo no início da excursão. Isto levou o baterista Carl Bunch a sofrer um sério problema de congelamento dos pés e a ser internado no hospital local. Desta forma, enquanto ele se recuperava, Buddy Holly e Ritchie Valens se revezavam na bateria.

O Surf Ballroom em Clear Lake não estava agendado na turnê, mas os promotores, na expectativa de aproveitar a data vazia contactaram o gerente do salão e ofereceram o show, que foi aceito e marcado para o dia 2 de fevereiro.

Buddy Holly estava frustrado com a condição do ônibus ao chegar no local do show e comentou com os músicos que no final da apresentação ele iria tentar contratar um avião para levá-los até a próxima parada, Moorhead, em Minnesota. Outro motivo é que ele havia ficado sem roupas limpas e precisava lavá-las antes da próxima apresentação.

Ficou acertado que o vôo seria feito por Roger Peterson, um piloto local e seria cobrado U$ 36 por pessoa. O avião era um monomotor Beechcraft Bonanza B35 que podia acomodar 3 passageiros, além do piloto.

Richardson, o Big Bopper, havia contraído gripe na excursão e pediu o lugar no avião a Waylon Jennings, baixista da banda de Holly. Quando este soube que seu baixista não iria ele disse "Espero que aquele ônibus velho congele", ao que Jennings respondeu "e eu espero que seu avião se espatife". Essa troca de palavras, apesar de ter sido de brincadeira, assombrou Jennings até o fim da sua vida.

Ritchie Valens, que nunca tinha viajado em um avião pequeno antes, pediu ao guitarrista de Holly, Tommy Allsup, o seu lugar no vôo, que aceitou tirar na cara ou coroa, ainda no local onde haviam acabado de tocar.

O fim da história todos conhecem.

American Pie - Don McLean


A long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, theyd be happy for a while.

But february made me shiver
With every paper Id deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldnt take one more step.

I cant remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride,
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died.

So bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
Singin, thisll be the day that I die.
Thisll be the day that I die.

Did you write the book of love,
And do you have faith in God above,
If the Bible tells you so?
Do you believe in rock n roll,
Can music save your mortal soul,
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Well, I know that youre in love with him
`cause I saw you dancin in the gym.
You both kicked off your shoes.
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues.

I was a lonely teenage broncin buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck,
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died.

I started singin,
Bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
And singin, thisll be the day that I die.
Thisll be the day that I die.

Now for ten years weve been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rollin stone,
But thats not how it used to be.
When the jester sang for the king and queen,
In a coat he borrowed from james dean
And a voice that came from you and me,

Oh, and while the king was looking down,
The jester stole his thorny crown.
The courtroom was adjourned;
No verdict was returned.
And while lennon read a book of marx,
The quartet practiced in the park,
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died.

We were singing,
Bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
And singin, thisll be the day that I die.
Thisll be the day that I die.

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.

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While the sergeants played a marching tune.
We all got up to dance,
Oh, but we never got the chance!
`cause the players tried to take the field;
The marching band refused to yield.
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?

We started singing,
Bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
And singin, thisll be the day that I die.
Thisll be the day that I die.

Oh, and there we were all in one place,
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again.
So come on: jack be nimble, jack be quick!
Jack flash sat on a candlestick
Cause fire is the devils only friend.

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 satans spell.
And as the 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,
Bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
And singin, thisll be the day that I die.
Thisll be the day that I die.

I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news,
But she just smiled and turned away.
I went down to the sacred store
Where Id heard the music years before,
But the man there said the music wouldnt play.

And in the streets: the children screamed,
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.
But not a word was spoken;
The church bells all were broken.
And the three men I admire most:
The father, son, and the holy ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died.

And they were singing,
Bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
Singin, thisll be the day that I die.
Thisll be the day that I die.

They were singing,
Bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
Singin, thisll be the day that I die.

Three Stars - Eddie Cochran


Three Stars
Eddie Cochran

Look up in the sky, up towards the north
There are three new stars, brightly shining forth
They're shining oh so bright, from heaven above
Gee we're gonna miss you, everybody sends their love

Ritchie, you were just starting to reallize your dreams
Everyone calls me a kid, but you were only seventeen
Now almighty God has called you, oh so far away
Maybe it's to save some boy or girl, who might have gone astray
And with your star shining through the dark and lonely night
To light the path and show the way, the way that's right
Gee we're gonna miss you, everybody sends their love

Buddy, I can still see you with that shy grin on your face
Seems like your hair was always a little messed up, kinda out of place
Now not many people actually knew you, or understood how you felt
But just a song from, just a song from you could make the coldest heart melt
Well, you're singing for God now, in his chorus in the sky
Buddy Holly, I'll always remember you, with tears in my eyes
Gee we're gonna miss you, everybody sends their love

I see a stout man, the Big Bopper's your name
God called you to heaven, maybe for new fortune and fame
Keep wearing that big Stetson hat, and ramble up to the mic
And don't forget those wonderful words, "you know what I like"

Look up in the sky, up towards the north
There are three new stars, brightly shining forth
They're shining oh so bright, from heaven above
Gee we're gonna miss you, everybody sends their love.