"People ask me if I left the lyrics open to ambiguity. Of course I did. I wanted to make a whole series of complex statements. The lyrics had to do with the state of society at the time."

"In a sense, 'American Pie' was a very despairing song but it can also be seen as very hopeful."

"American Pie speaks to the loss that we feel. That's why that song has found the niche that it has."