Turning the Attention to the Chevy
The phrase “Drove my Chevy to the levee” refers to a well-known series of Chevrolet commercials that were very popular on American television in the 1950’s. , and the lyrics went like this:
“Drive your Chevrolet through the USA,
America’s the greatest land of all
On a highway or a road along a levee…
..life is completer in a Chevy
So make a date today to see the USA
And see it in your Chevrolet.”
Car buyers flock to a dealership to see the new models of the 1953 Chevrolet, Lynwood, California, 1953. (Photo by Underwood Archives/Getty Images)
McLean chose to allude to this particular commercial because the Chevy was the mark of the regular American family in that period. For those not familiar with the term, a levee is a dam built to prevent inundations, but sometimes the term refers to the steep bank of a river. Driving the Chevy to the levee relates to romance, but the lyrics have a double meaning, because “The Levee” was also a party spot in, where McLean used to listen to music with his friends.
An alternate theory holds that, since rye is a kind of whiskey, McLean is singing “drinking whiskey in Rye.” McLean home was New Rochelle, which did indeed feature a bar called “The Levee.” Allegedly, this bar shut down or “went dry,” causing patrons to drive across the river to Rye, New York.
The choice of words “the levee is dry” also alludes to the disappearance of something that once gave McLean great pleasure – just like the evaporating American dream.