我一直很喜歡這首歌。

老實說我對西洋音樂很生疏。從小就是聽台灣的校園民歌長大的。雖然那時也聽西洋樂但都是有聽沒有懂。六十或七十年代的音樂對我來說是很遙遠的。雖然念的是音樂班﹐但學校著重在古典音樂上。我只是一個最最普羅的﹐在沒有音樂的背景下長大的鄉下小孩。

在法國住時公寓就只有一台14吋的小電視(因為要自己扛﹐我只能買這麼小的才抬得動。)﹐既沒收音機也沒汽車音響。我記得當初公司要幫我買汽車時還找不到一台我可以用的汽車﹐因為小女子我只會開自排車﹐在到處都是手排車的法國硬是很難找到一台自排車。 我記得那時在鎮裡的雷諾車行沒有自排車﹐所以還得到他處調車來﹐他們找了一台雷諾19和一台Clio給我選﹐我從來沒見到這台Clio﹐聽說在運來鎮裡的路上已經被賣掉了。所以我就只能買這台94年的雷諾19。上一個車主好像是行動有障礙的人士吧(不然大概也不會買自排了)﹐因為車上有兩個腳煞車很特殊。 我向公司要求順便裝個音響給我﹐但當時的猶太財務經理算了算後﹐告訴我在車行買太貴了﹐還是自己在外面買一個﹐再裝上去就好了。我也從善如流。只是我一直沒買這個音響。一直到那年的年底﹐公司發了加樂福的禮券一千法郎﹐一千﹐好多耶﹐因為在歐洲是沒有年終獎金這回事的﹐大家都高興得很(聽說是第一次﹐因為以前的猶太老闆很摳門﹐從不曾對手下員工做這種事。換了一個老闆後才有這樣的好康。)我用我的禮券買了一台最便宜的PHILIPS車上CD音響﹐買了很久都不知道要怎麼裝。問了老闆﹐老闆要我找廠長﹐問了無所不知的廠長﹐廠長建議我去請公司的技師幫我裝上去。我就厚著一張臉皮去拜託技師Alain。Alain很好心地請我到他家吃頓飯﹐吃完後還要三個小孩陪我玩﹐自己冒著冷風去外面幫我裝音響﹐這份大恩永銘在心。當時也已和Calle交往﹐Calle知道我沒有音響聽音樂竟然在那年的耶誕節送了我一台手提音響。我在瑞典打開禮物時真是既感動又頭痛。感動的是Calle竟然會送我這個實用的東西﹐頭痛的是要怎麼把東西帶回法國。Calle說音響是手提的所以耐摔﹐放在大行李裡不會有問題的。我就千里迢迢地帶回這得之不易的音響。老實說音響不算貴﹐我當時的收入也不算太少﹐但是不知道是什麼原因我一直都沒自己去買一個。是腦袋有問題吧? 所以在法國的最後一年﹐我總算有音樂可聽了。這兩個音響就一直陪著我渡過一天又一天在法國的日子。

到了瑞典後我常要開車﹐沒有幾張CD的我只能在車上聽收音機﹐瑞典的電台就像台灣的一樣喜歡講個不停﹐外加 call in﹐這是我不喜歡聽收音機的原因之一。我喜歡聽無人主持的音樂頻道FM94.5。這個頻道常倒閉換老闆﹐但是不管換哪一個老闆都是放一樣的五六十年代的音樂(大概是因為這樣就沒版稅問題)。聽到耳朵會長繭。但聽來聽去竟然也會聽懂音樂在唱什麼﹐這也不錯。後來這個電台又換人做了﹐竟然也有主持人主持節目﹐也有call in﹐還有廣告。真想換個電台聽﹐但習慣了之後就很難換頻道了(其實也有換過﹐還試著聽丹麥的電台﹐但他們也是一樣﹐沒廣告就做不下去只好收起來。)

現在我要講的重點來了(真是講話沒重點﹐古早事落落長)。那天又聽到這首原版( 其實只有半版而已﹐因為原版八分鐘多﹐實在太長了﹐很少有電台會放。) 的美國派﹐非瑪丹娜唱的那版。聽完後聽到主持人說有人問他這首歌是在唱什麼?這下我可高興了﹐因為在下我也很想知道這首歌是在唱什麼。主持人說這首歌是在唱越戰﹐也就是反戰歌曲。這下我的好奇心是完全被提起來了。真的嗎? 我上網先去找這首歌的歌詞﹐才發現我聽到的只是其中的二分之一﹐後面有一大段根本就不知道McLean在唱什麼。於是我又去找這首歌的背景。我在you tube找到好幾個McLean演唱版本﹐包括原版及McLean在這幾年才演唱的新版。其中有一個版本把歌詞中的意義演釋出來﹐相當地精彩。很不幸地﹐這版本已被youtube刪掉﹐現在只有這個版﹐請參考http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAsV5-Hv-7U&feature=related

原來這首歌和越戰或韓戰都沒有關係。這首歌「只」是Don McLean獻給他的大偶像民歌手Buddy Holly的一首很抽象的歌。但是只有在第一段才是寫有關Buddy 英年早世﹐留下年輕的寡婦新娘(他們那時才結婚不久﹐新娘在Buddy死時已懷了孕﹐不久後卻不幸流產。)其他的歌詞訴說的是在Buddy死後的十年間(McLean 在Buddy死後的十二年後才發表這首歌。) 民歌演變的歷程。McLean用很含蓄的文字批判搖滾音樂及當時迷失的一代﹐一個像我一樣沒有什麼音樂內涵的人要理解這首歌﹐如果沒有這些解釋還真的有聽沒有懂。

但是這真的是McLean寫歌詞時的真義嗎? 答案是否定的。因為這位McLean從來都沒有公開地談過這首歌的詞意﹐也沒有人知道誰是這位Miss American Pie。每個人都只能很努力地猜測。而這位McLean只說過這首歌是獻給Buddy Holly的﹐而其他的只是他的自傳而已。他基於藝術中立的立場﹐絕不會公開他的個人的想法。這還真玄耶。不過這樣更加深了這首歌的神秘感。在他的官網上有連接到這個網http://user.pa.net/~ejjeff/pie.html﹐也許這是他也認可的解釋吧。

你也喜歡這首歌嗎 ?一起聽聽吧。一併把歌詞附上。

PS 1. 說到瑪丹娜唱的那版﹐又比原版的半版短了一些﹐商業及電子味很濃厚﹐和原版的民歌方式有差距。誰好誰壞﹐自己決定吧!

PS 2. 你們說﹐我要不要打電話給電台要求改正?

American Pie                                 by 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 they'd be happy for a while.

But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step

I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died

{Refrain}
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' this'll be the day that I die
This'll 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 you're 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'
{Refrain}

Now for ten years we've been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone
But that's 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
{Refrain}

Helter Skelter in a summer swelter
The Byrds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
It landed foul out 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
{Refrain}

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 Devil's 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 Satan's spell
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrifical rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died

He was singing
{Refrain}

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 I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music woudn't 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
{Refrain}