The phrase “the day the music died” was long known to refer to the 1959 plane crash that killed rock ‘n’ roll pioneers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “I would say to young songwriters who are starting out to immerse yourself in beautiful music and beautiful lyrics, and think about every word you say in a song.” The song was initially inspired by his memories of being a paperboy in 1959 and learning of the death of Buddy Holly, it also represents a changing America from the brightness of the 1950s to darker 1960s.
The 18 pages of manuscript were written in pencil, ink and typescript.