whenever don mclean’s anthem comes on, i go back to childhood. it is my father’s favorite song. driving in his old chevy blazer. floating out of the radio he stapled on the garage wall. if it plays he will turn it up slightly and sing softly. it would be remiss to not mention that don mclean is an extremist now (or maybe always has been) or that the song reeks of nostalgia for a place that white people believe belongs to them.
it is a song of memory for me. of my father. the song was written about the deaths of ritchie valens and buddy holly. buddy holly was from lubbock, a slightly bigger place about an hour from where i grew up. i have visited his grave. watched performances inside the buddy holly theater. he is a local legend.
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