American Pie at Fifty Poster 2

Reflecting on the Me Too movement, this poster examines McLean’s lyrics in the context where the women’s liberation movement has traveled since his song was originally released.

We see McLean’s lyrics in cut-out lines, which also be interpreted as being cut out straight from the newspaper, a visual reference to McLean saying he “asked her for some happy news.”

In the foreground we see a reportage photo of Christine Blasey Ford layered over the pink tone of the movement’s Pink Pussy Hats, as she testifies before Congress at the sexual assault hearings for then Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. We, the viewer, have the benefit of hindsight and know now that Blasey Ford was not, in fact, believed, and her testimony that spoke for millions of women around the world did not impact the eventual confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh onto the Supreme Court.