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You will find many interpretations of my lyrics but none of them by me. Ed Freeman Don McLean released this groundbreaking song on the album American Pie in 1971. She is the America of a passing era, and he is bidding her farewell. Either way, her name evokes a simpler time in American life when these icons held more meaning. Since this interview aired it has been brought to our attention that Don McLean pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges in 2016. As you can imagine, over the years I have been asked many times to discuss and explain my song 'American Pie' I have never discussed the lyrics, but have admitted to the Holly reference in the opening stanzas. 'Miss American Pie' is 'as American as apple pie,' so the saying goes she could also be a synthesis of this symbol and the beauty queen Miss America. From family tragedy to social change, to bust-ups in the recording studio and the song’s impact today.ĭon McLean opens up about this latest project, the art of songwriting, and why the three men he admires most are “the father, son, and the holy ghost.” Like the original song, the film covers a lot. Until now.Ī new documentary streaming on Paramount Plus takes viewers beyond the phrase “the day the music died” and its association with a plane crash in 1959 that killed Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens. Real Life Writes the Plot: American Pie was inspired by the fatal plane crash in 1959 in which rock and. In the last 50 years, the exact meaning of the lyrics has remained open to interpretation. Protest Song: The Grave, against the Vietnam War. Don McLean’s “American Pie” broke the songwriting rules.Īt nearly nine minutes long, it was the lengthiest song to have ever entered the Billboard Hot 100 when it was released in late 1971.

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