A generation lost in space

Recently, in the midst of a hazy session of  substance induced thought abuse, a friend  remarked,

' I am the walrus. We are the eggmen. I know what that means now.'

I was in a different place altogether so I didn't follow.

Yesterday I was trying to study for an impending test when, naturally, distraction presented itself in the form of the original American Pie song... a song that should mean nothing to me, except that it was much enjoyed when Madonna covered it in the 90s and it used to play on MTV Select all the time, which was watched for Chinnappa only and only him.

But it's catchy.

Some time after those culturally muddled years (it was darkness then, more so than now, since today, there is the gift of  JSTOR or hell, even Google. Then we were fed by the TV and our schools and parents and private lending libraries that stocked Sweet Valley High Books. I should have read the newspaper but we subscribed to The Hindu), I heard the original, more wonderful version. So I started thinking about the song and what made it so iconic. Apparently the cryptic lyrics have never been really deciphered, but the key is that they contain the potential for both specific references and  timeless, personal meanings. I suppose this is what makes a classic.

Don Mclean himself had only so much to say:

"You will find many interpretations of my lyrics but none of them by me... sorry to leave you all on your own like this but long ago I realized that songwriters should make their statements and move on, maintaining a dignified silence."