Tag: Don Mclean

When you need to go…..

Flashback

On 16 December 1971  Don McLean’s 8:32 version of American Pie was released. According to McLean the song was originally inspired by the death of “Buddy Holly,” who died in a plane crash together with “Ritchie Valens” and “The Big Bopper” on the 3rd of February 1959. That day became known as “the day the music died.”

American Pie was one of the longest songs to ever hit the charts. It became a favorite among disc jockeys because there were few songs long enough at that time for certain toilet breaks. American Pie went on to top the charts in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Don McLean’s American Pie Goes Gold

Flashback

On 3 January 1972 Don McLean received a Gold record for his song “American Pie.” Recorded and released in 1971 on the album of the same name, the single was number 1 in the USA for four weeks in 1972. The song also topped the charts in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand while, in the UK, it reached number 2. American Pie’s repeated phrase “the day the music died” refers to a plane crash in 1959 that killed rock and roll stars Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens. In 1991 Don McLean, a man with an evident sense of humour, was quoted saying:

 “So when people ask me what American Pie means, I tell them it means I don’t ever have to work again if I don’t want to.”