My idea about songs is that once you write them, you have very little say in their life afterward. In some places, it was even banned from the radio. They made up incredible stories as to what the lyrics said and what the song meant. There was no deep serious expression behind the song, but people read things into it.
I guess a key and a lock have always been Freudian symbols, and pretty obvious ones at that.
I thought it was cute a kind of old thirties tune. ‘Brand New Key’ I wrote in about fifteen minutes one night.
Melanie’s song became a monster hit largely because listeners interpreted the song as a delightfully naughty ode to sexual intercourse. The song that held the top spot for three weeks prior to that was Melanie’s “Brand New Key.” You may think that little factoid clearly belongs in the category of WHO GIVES A SHIT, but in truth, the variables that led to the success of “Brand New Key” are the same variables that drove the sales of “American Pie.” Released in late 1971, the single with the eight-plus minute opus spread over the A and B sides swiftly climbed the charts and reached #1 in early 1972. On the other hand, I don’t think “American Pie” is all that it’s cracked up to be and I firmly reject the notion that it was one of the greatest songs ever written. I do not believe that whoever bought the lyrics overpaid for the privilege of ownership, as I believe that the document is an important historical artifact. I do not begrudge Don McLean his success and I applauded his decision to auction off the original handwritten lyrics for $1.2M to ensure a secure financial future for his wife and kids after he passes into the great beyond. I don’t think there’s another song out there that so accurately captured the mood of early 1970s America and so accurately predicted the country’s trajectory. I do not deny that “American Pie” is worthy of its iconic status.
0 kommentar(er)
