The Day The Music Died

When the Napster shutdown was first announced, I thought about "The Day the Music Died" in Don McLean's song "American Pie" and drew some parallels. I wrote this song, then immediately found out that the injunction appeal had succeeded. So unfortunately, the song isn't as cool as it would have been. Maybe if Napster loses in court, this song will be much more relevant. P.S. I threw out the verse that starts with "Helter skelter" because I ran out of ideas and funny lines, so if you listen along to the mp3, don't attempt to read along to that verse. Hey, maybe I'll record MY version and post it in mp3 form!

"The Day The Music Died"
Original lyrics and music by Don McLean
New lyrics by Jeff Czerniak


A long long time ago
When I used to want a song
I'd find it on the Internet
And I knew that Napster was supreme
If I dug a song by Hole or Ween
That service was always my best bet
But then the lawsuits came en masse
We thought Lars Ulrich was an ass
Record execs reviled
Shawn Fanning's little brainchild
The ruling sparked a big outcry
From fans who liked to pick and try
The world made one collective sigh
**The day the music died**
So...

(Chorus)
Why, why, must our dear Napster die?
All we did was make some mp3s and trade them online
Them good old boys were grabbing ten at a time
But now Judge Patel has ruled it's a crime
Judge Patel has ruled it's a crime

Do you leave your laptop on
While you download tracks from Miss Saigon
From some housewife in Vermont?
Now do you prefer that rock and roll?
Or do you get off on jazz and soul?
And can you help me find the songs I want?
Well, I know that you're in love with Kiss
'cause it dominates your whole Hot List
You dance without your shoes
While you download rhythm and blues
I was the music pirate of the day
Until I got kicked off by Doctor Dre
I had no idea what to say
The day the music died
I started singin'

(Chorus)

Now, for a year we've been on our own
And music sales have grown and grown
Without an online music fee
Instead of following the trend
They prefer that sharing meets its end
Innovative is not what they want to be
Oh and while the courts decide who's right
Napster's told to close at night
The Internet's killer app
Is told to take a "nap"
Live songs of Grateful Dead and Phish
They're legal downloads, if you wish
They all were forced to sleep with fish
The day the music died
We were singin'

(Chorus)

Oh, and there we were all in one place
Trying to testify our case
But no result, 'cept my voice is hoarse
So my music habit I'm forced to kick
Those record creeps can suck my dick
Because money is their only driving force
And as I watched them testify
I hoped they'd trip and fall and die
Napster ends up gone?
The piracy will live on
Porno sites that get their hits
By claiming they have Britney's tits
Could not compete with the Napster blitz
The day the music died
They were singin'

(Chorus)

I met a girl who sang the blues
When she heard the ruling on the news
Her blues came from an mp3
I'm forced to use the Napster clones
Whene'er I have the music jones
Gnutella, and in a pinch, FTP
And in the streets the children screamed
"They're not as good as Napster seemed"
The 'Tella site is chokin'
The download speed is pokin'
And the two things I admire most-
my cable modem and the Napster host-
The latter got turned into toast
The day the music died
And they were singing

(Chorus, 2x)

© 2000 Jeff Czerniak