E-Parodies

During the time when I was originally writing and updating the Apple II History, I heard about Apple Computer’s decision to discontinue the Apple IIGS, and then later the Apple IIe. When this happened, the main line from Don McLean’s 1970 song, “American Pie”, came to mind. “The day the music died” represented McLean’s sorrow over the end of a classic era of rock & roll music. In this case, however, I was thinking of it in terms of the Apple II computer series and its final end. This eventually developed into a full-fledged version of the song dealing with the Apple II and its history at Apple Computer, Inc.

Later, another famous song began to percolate in my brain, and the result was a parody on Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”. This presents the history in yet a different form and light. Both of these songs are meant to be taken tongue-in-cheek, as are most parodies. I had fun writing them, and making them fit the tempo and syncopation of the original author’s works. They are best enjoyed by singing them to the original tunes.

The other songs listed here are not necessarily Apple II specific, but also came to me over a period of weeks and months. My choice of song source reflects the music I know best, that which I heard played repeated during the 1970’s, when I was in high school and college. These songs were not only the pop hits of that decade, but also of the two decades that preceded (1950’s and 1960’s), since “oldies” were (and still are) constantly played amongst the new music.

Enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them!

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