Entering a Cultural Minefield
The fourth verse marks the move to the most explosive period of the 60s, which took place between 1966 and 1969. Once again, the music mirrors the changes in culture and society.
” Helter Skelter in a summer swelter
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
It landed foul on the grass
The players tried for a forward pass
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast
Now the half-time air was a sweet perfume
While sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance
‘Cause the players tried to take the field
The marching band refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?”
The Byrds perform live on stage in London in 1971. Left to Right: Clarence White, Gene Parsons, Roger McGuinn, Skip Battin. (Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns)
The 60s revolution became more pragmatic and organized under the new left and began fragmenting into numerous causes such as the black power, women’s rights, anti-war and counterculture movements as well as the revolutionary youth movements and progressive labor. This was also a period of sexual and spiritual freedom marked by the advent of drugs and philosophies of peace that eventually came to characterize the generation of this time in the eyes of the public.
At the beginning of this verse, McLean references the Manson murders as well as the song “Eight Miles High” by The Byrds. There is also another reference to Bob Dylan’s motorcycle accident and how the new generation tried to get his place while he was on the sidelines in a cast.