A long long time ago
I can still remember when
I turn that old black and white TV on
And it was if by fate or chance
That I started to see those people dance
To what was called a Rock and Roll song
For on that August 5th, ’57 day
American Bandstand hit the airwaves
And hosting this new landmark
Stood a guy whose name was Dick Clark
And little did we realize
What was beginning before our eyes
How the journey did zip by
Today we say Goodbye
So

[Chorus]
Bye, bye to this American Guy
Spun the platters that did matter and that matters know why?
He played music for all people as they danced side by side
The World’s Oldest Teenager you see
For many years on ABC

He didn’t write the book of love
But as a DJ played it part of
Songs he played around the dial
Changing jobs for new call letters
Made him good and even better
Not bad for a kid in tie and sweater

Well, in 52 he moved to Pa.
And a local show that would give way
To a music dynasty
The likes the world had never seen
He was just a kid with a skinny mic
Who both the parents and teenagers liked
Yet with that music savvy psych
But today we say Goodbye
We started singing…

[Chorus]

Now, for all the years it was on the air
Dick didn’t stand by without a care
He started Rockin’ on New Year’s Eve
But this once a year gig was not all he did
He was also host of the game show “Pyramid”
Giving out cash to people like you and me
Oh and if this wasn’t not enough
He had a show that showed the flubs
TV’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes across the land
With his old friend (Hi-Ho) Ed McMahon
His productions never did slow down
Searching for the next hit or sound
At the same time keeping him young he found
But today we say Goodbye
We started singing…

[Chorus]

Helter Skelter was never his style
He was a Top 40 man with a wink and a smile
Like Eight Miles High by The Byrds
And though some said he looked a nerd
He had The Knack to what should be heard
With a good beat and you understood the words
Now the digital sound may be fine
But I remember an analog time
When we got up to dance
But you’ll never get the chance
To experience music like we did
Watching the dance moves of other kids
The first time Black and White on the same TV grid
But today we say Goodbye
We started singing…

[Chorus]

Oh, and there we were all in one race
Segregation was put in its place
With no lines drawn on the dance floor
So what if Jack was white , Jack was brown
As long as Jack was getting down
With the latest steps you learned and adored
As you watched the teens across the stage
No hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angels fell to Hell
Rock and Roll broke Satan’s spell
And as the music blared through the tiny tube
History was being born in front of me and you
As Dick Clark signed off with a salute
But today we say Goodbye
We started singing…

[Chorus]

I met a girl this past New Year’s Eve
As we watched the ball drop on TV
She turned to me and she did say
“Whose this guy? He’s wasting air time.
He should retire. We want Ryan?”
As her iPod blasted muzak loud as day
I turned to her, pulled the headphones out
And before she had the chance to shout
Said to her five words
“Dick Clark should be heard”
The three things in music you should admire most
Chuck Berry, The Beatles and Dick Clark the host
So stick that up your nose with a rubber hose
And today we say Goodbye
We started singing…

Bye, bye to this American Guy
Spun the platters that did matter and that matters know why?
He played music for all people as they danced side by side
The World’s Oldest Teenager you see
Thank you from the world and me

Repeat and Fade