Don McLean‘s 1971 masterpiece American Pie was released 50 years ago on October 24, 1971. Both the song “American Pie” went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 4 weeks at #1 in the first two months of 1972.
The album also went to #1 for 3 consecutive weeks in January 1972. His many accolades include induction into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame, his song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and artists of all genres and generations have covered his songs including Madonna, Fred Astaire, Chet Atkins, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Elvis Presley, Josh Groban, and Perry Como.
McLean said:
I can’t believe it’s 50 years to the day when ‘American Pie’ was released. They say time flies when you’re having fun and I guess that’s right. I’ve had a fabulous life in music and the arts and got to see the world all because of that wonderful album and the many that followed. All because of my loyal fan base throughout the world. All because of the many friends I have and the help they have given me.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary, McLean along with UMe have teamed up to create an official lyric video for “American Pie.” The lyrics are sourced from what Don considers the gospel, the original 1971 sheet music for the song down to the correct abbreviations and punctuation.
Recorded at The Record Plant in the late spring of 1971, “American Pie” was issued as a double A-side single in November 1971 and charted within a month. Every line of the song was analyzed time and time again to find the real meaning but McLean refused to acknowledge any of the interpretations, only adding to its mystery.
