I’m all about low maintenance/high fun fun at home. See how we staged the best music mystery movie night with The Day the Music Died — American Pie.

The music: American Pie

The mystery: What do the lyrics really mean?

The Movie: The Day the Music Died: American Pie

One of the great mysteries that’s been haunting me since childhood is the hidden meaning behind the lyrics of Don McLean’s seminal hit American Pie. Everyone knows that “the day the music died” was February 3rd, 1959, when music greats Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper”Richardson perished in a private plane crash.

But who were the other characters mentioned in everyone’s favorite 8.5 minute song? Was the jester Bob Dylan, the king Elvis? The devil had to be Mick Jagger, and the girl who sang the blues was  Janis Joplin, right? At the risk of revealing my advanced age, I’ve been ruminating on this for close to 50 years now.

McLean has been cryptic at best in his explanations, telling everyone to take their own meanings from it, and never revealing his inspiration. Until now…

Paramount Plus, bless its heart, the same streamer that brings you the wildly popular Yellowstone, 1883 and The Good Fight (well worth the price of subscription alone), has released a tell-all documentary called The Day the Music Died: American Pie, in which McLean himself finally comes clean about the lyrics.

Those involved with the production of the song, as well as people who were there that ill-fated night, also have their say. It promised to be truly riveting stuff.

So riveting, in fact, that my husband and I, along with our partners in sublime Hailey and Steve, (who had debated the lyrics mystery with us ad nauseam) decided to make a big night of it and watch the doc together for the very first time. As much as we like to go out, we also like to stay in every now and then for a more subdued movie night at home.

It also allows Hollywood hound Frankie Feldman to get in on the action.

An appropriately themed dinner is a must, of course, but we all have jobs, families, dogs, community work and other obligations to attend to, so by Saturday night we’re often fried, and don’t want to spend the day cooking and making party favors. We also don’t feel like spending a fortune.

So we’ve become quite skilled at creating big fun for little time and expense, and thought you might like to try it too. You can expand it or contract it to your heart’s desire:

All American ingredients for the best music mystery movie night ever with The Day the Music Died — American Pie

Burgers: We used American Wagyu, because we had patties left in our freezer that were a leftover Christmas gift from some very generous relatives.

Deli sides: Coleslaw, potato salad (didn’t have time to make them from scratch); oven baked Ore-Ida Frozen Sweet Potato Crinkle Cut Fries (as if I had an air fryer!); sliced watermelon.

Dessert: American pie of course! But we didn’t just stop at apple. Hailey’s research revealed that the most popular pie in America is cherry, of all flavors, so we got one of each from the local Marie Calendar’s. The hole in the pie is optional.  It’s a reference to the movie not the song, but I couldn’t resist.

Decorations: The ever-resourceful Hailey made a quick trip to the local dollar store looking for anything that related to the lyrics, and found the little wooden pickup truck you see embellishing the bunch of pink carnations she got at Smith’s. ‘Nuff said

Because it was a gorgeous night, we ate dinner outside, then trooped upstairs to the playroom to eat pie and enjoy the show. I’m not gonna lie, what McLean revealed was a little unnerving, but no spoilers here, you’ll just have to see it for yourself.

It ended up being one of the most entertaining and enlightening nights in recent memory. Thought you might like to try it as well, before the three men I admire most, the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost, all catch the last train for the coast… (you’ll find the explanation for those lyrics in the song too, and I’ll tell you right now they’re not Bobby, Martin and John).

I’m all about low maintenance/high fun fun at home. See how we staged the best music mystery movie night with The Day the Music Died — American Pie.