Social Relevance

American Pie By: Don McLean

American Pie by Don Mclean has social relevance because it is a tribute to Buddy Holly, who died in a tragic plain crash. This song not only has to do with this tragic event, but McLean’s life in general. It entails the events of his life from the mid-1950’s to the end of the 1960’s. Music greatly changed through these times, as did American history in general. McLean believed that with the disastrous events of Buddy Holly dying and John F. Kennedy getting assassinated, America was going through an extremely difficult time. The actual, “Day the music died,” is February 3, 1959, when Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper were killed in a plane crash after a concert. The fact that Don McLean wrote this song pertaining to a crucial time in history proves it to me socially relevant. What also make this song so great are its numerous allusions to different musicians at the time, as well as the names of many famous songs. They add to this transition that music went through during the 1950’s and 1960’s. There are also numerous other poetic elements that add to this song’s value as a whole.




Born in the USA By: Bruce Springsteen

“Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen has social relevance because it reflects the difficult times of the Vietnam War. This song may seem very patriotic, but if one actually listens to the lyrics, it is the opposite. It talks about how many boys coming home from the Vietnam War aren’t the same as before and why should they be proud of where they are from when their country puts them through worthless torture. Springsteen introduces the song by talking about a boy who grew up in a “dead man’s town” who went through a lot, and has to spend the rest of his life covering it up. This is true of many boys growing up through poverty in many towns in the USA. Then, it explains that the boy got a rifle and was sent across seas to go fight for this country that essentially gave him nothing from when he was born. Basically, the boy lost everything in his life. He was born in the USA, and he had no choice but to live his life this way. This song is also extremely ironic because it has the tone of a happy patriotic song, but when the lyrics are read one sees Springsteen’s point very clearly.



Imagine By: John Lennon

“Imagine” by John Lennon has social relevance because it is an anti-war song. It was written during the tragic time of the Vietnam War, which was a very relevant protest age. Lennon wrote a very calm song simply suggesting a world that didn’t have any of the issues that it does. This song was very controversial because it was during the red scare, which was a time period when Americans were very paranoid of communism entering America. Communism is a type of government where everyone is treated equally, with money, schools, and everything. Essentially, this is an equal society but as Americans, this would be an extremely unfair way of life that would not be equivalent to freedom whatsoever. Since Lennon suggested a world with no possessions and equality, people suggested he was a communist. Personally, I think that Lennon was just a guy dreaming of a different world, and wished to share this world with all of the people to listen to his music. All in all, this song is very socially relevant because it reflects many issues in history mainly during the 1960’s. Unfortunately, Lennon was assassinated, but his music is still a part of many people’s lives to this day.