He was creating his second album in 1971 while the nation was racked by assassinations, anti-war protests and civil right marches. Years later, McLean would plumb that pain in 'American Pie,' baking in his own grief at his father's passing and writing an eulogy for the American dream. I may have actually cried,' he says in the film. Young McLean was a paperboy - 'every paper I'd deliver' - and adored Elvis, Gene Vincent, Bo Diddley but especially Holly, whose death deeply affected him. He had bronchial asthma, prompting the description of him in 'American Pie' as 'a lonely teenage broncin' buck.' The 'sacred store' he sings about was the House of Music on Main Street, where he bought records and his first guitar. McLean was 13, living in a suburban, middle class home in New Rochelle, New York, when the crash occurred.

3, 1959, killing the three stars and their pilot. Richardson, the 'Big Bopper,' plunged into a cornfield north of Clear Lake, Iowa, on Feb. The documentary starts when a single-engine plane carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and Jiles P. 'I was up at night, smiling and thinking about what I'm going to do with this.' 'That was the fun of writing the song,' he tells the AP. It also represents an elegant film blueprint for future deep dives into a song and its wider cultural relevance.įor those fans who have wondered about the lyrics they are singing loudly in bars and cars, McLean shares the secrets. It's mandatory viewing for McLean fans or anyone who has marvelled at his sonic treasure. McLean - and his singular tune about 'the day the music died' - are now the subject of a full-length feature documentary, 'The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean's 'American Pie,'' on Paramount+. 'American Pie' is considered a masterpiece, voted among the top five Songs of the Century compiled by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts. Happy might be a bit of an understatement. Even sung badly, people are really happy with it.'' 'And they're so happy singing it that I realized, `You don't really have to worry about how well you sing this song anymore. 'I've heard whole bars burst into this song when I've been across the room,' McLean tells The Associated Press from a tour bus heading to Des Moines, Iowa. Don McLean has listened for decades as people belted out his classic song 'American Pie' at last call or at karaoke - and applauds you for the effort.

American pie song lyrics