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 marveled 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,’” airing Tuesday 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. For all those fans of the iconic song “American Pie” who have sometimes wondered about the lyrics they are singing loudly, singer-songwriter Don McLean shares the secrets in the new full-length feature documentary, “The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean’s ‘American Pie.'”. Even sung badly, people are really happy with it.’” FILE – Don McLean poses in London, April 1982. “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. NEW YORK (AP) - 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.

When the river runs dry lyrics