The song, which is eight minutes thirty-three seconds in length, is loaded with cultural references, some cryptic and some obvious. His inspiration for writing the song came after three of the worlds most famous musicians died together in a plane crash in 1959 – Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and JP “The Big Bopper” Richardson. But he didn’t write the song in 1959. In 1959, McLean was only 13 years old.
The song is about the tragedy of their deaths, but even more it’s about the death of an era. As McLean saw it, the tragic plane crash marked the beginning of the end of America as he enjoyed it best. He marked the beginning of the end as February 1959, but to McLean the true end came shortly after cult leader Charles Manson and his followers committed multiple murders in August 1969. And sometime in 1970, McLean began writing a song.
I don’t think that his experience was unique. There comes a time, or many times, in everyone’s life when they look back and long for what once was. Like McLean, we can all pinpoint the events of our lives that marked the beginning of the end of something. Sometimes the end comes abruptly. Sometimes it drags out for a while.
We are all living in such a time. What marked the beginning of the new world? You know already. Covid. The world will never be the same again. It can’t. There are other events going on in our world that are creating even more dramatic changes. Again, our experience is not unique.
And as the world changes around us and fear sets in and worry overcomes us, you better believe that Satan is laughing with delight. This should be true only of those who don’t know Jesus, but believers are increasingly allowing the circumstances of life to get us down and discouraged. And when Satan can discourage God’s own children, he is overcome with delight.
There’s another line in McLean’s song that ruins what began as his good theology. That line is this, “…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.”
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Though his sentiment, I think, is common, it is not only wrong, it’s wrong three times over. The Godhead three don’t leave their people in hard times. There are no endings of “good times.” Times haven’t been good since Adam ate the fruit.
When things work out to our liking for a sustained period of time it creates and illusion of what becomes in our memories something akin to heaven on earth. But eventually, something messes it all up and we write and sing our own sad song.
I’d like to offer an alternative. It’s not really mine though. I stole it from the Apostle Paul. Colossians 3:1-4
…if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
I love that Paul says, keep seeking the things that are above. His implication? Don’t ever stop. Jesus is in heaven and we will be too. Paul says to stop looking back and longing and start looking forward with longing.
Paul says to fixate your mind on heavenly things. If we do that, we won’t mind the earthly things so much. In verse three Paul wants to make his point as clear as possible. He says, if you belong to Christ, that old you that fell to pieces when the world changed, that bought into a worldly dream of perfect happiness in this life in this place, that old you died. Old Wes isn’t here anymore. New Wes has arrived. And new Wes doesn’t look back, he looks forward to the revealing of Jesus.
Though I am guilty of these things, I encourage you as I encourage myself: Don’t be discouraged church. Don’t let this world get you down. Don’t look back and wish for what once was; Look forward and understand that evil will not win. Our victory has already been secured by Jesus.
And don’t give Satan a reason to laugh with delight. His day is coming.
Much love!
Wes LeFlore (918) 607-8489 or huskerwes1@gmail.com
