American Pie

American Pie

American pie
  1. American Pie
  2. Till Tomorrow
  3. Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)
  4. Crossroads
  5. Winterwood
  6. Empty Chairs
  7. Everybody Loves Me, Baby
  8. Sister Fatima
  9. The Grave
  10. Babylon (Adapt. from Psalm 137)

Released by United Artists in 1971.

UNITED ARTISTS UAS-5535, Released October 1971 [LP]
UNITED ARTISTS U-8299, Released October 1971 [8T]
LIBERTY LN-10037, Reissued October 1980 [LP]
EMI MANHATTAN CDP 7 46555 2, Reissued 1987 [CD]
ULTRADISC MFSL UDCD 728, Reissued July 1998 [CD]

 Commentary on “American Pie” from The Don McLean Story

“American Pie” is partly biographical and partly the story of America during the idealized 1950s and the bleaker 1960s. It was initially inspired by Don’s memories of being a paperboy in 1959 and learning of the death of Buddy Holly. “American Pie” presents an abstract story of McLean’s life from the mid-1950s until the end of the 1960s, and at the same time it represents the evolution of popular music and politics over these years, from the lightness of the 1950s to the darkness of the late 1960s, but metaphorically the song continues to evolve to the present time. It is not a nostalgia song. “American Pie” changes as America, itself, is changing.

For McLean, the transition from the light innocence of childhood to the dark realities of adulthood began with the deaths of his father and Buddy Holly and culminated with the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, which was the start of a more difficult time for America. During this four year period, Don moved from an idyllic childhood, through the shock and harsh realities of his father’s death in 1961, to his decision, in 1964, to leave Villanova University to pursue his dream of becoming a professional singer.

The 1950s were an era of happiness and affluence for the burgeoning American middle class. Americans had a feeling of optimism about their prospects for the future, and pride in their nation which had emerged victorious from World War II, setting the world free from the tyranny of Nazi Germany. Popular music mirrored society. Performers such as Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, and Bill Haley and the Comets churned out feel-good records that matched the mood of the nation. Sinister forces such as communism were banished, and serious folk groups like the Weavers were being replaced by the beat poets who, as members of the intelligentsia, were excused their lack of optimism.

The 1960s was the antithesis of the previous decade. The exuberant simplicity of the 1950s was displaced by a much more volatile and politically charged atmosphere. People were asking questions. The cozy world of white middle class America was disturbed, as civil rights campaigners marched on Washington, D.C., and Martin Luther King Jr delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The following year saw the 1964 Civil Rights Act become law. On the world stage, America’s leading super-power status was being challenged by the Soviet Union, and its military might was being tested by the Vietnamese. Even in music, America soon found itself overrun by a British invasion. The 1960s was a turbulent time for McLean’s generation.

By 1971, America was still deeply troubled. The Vietnam War was out of control. The anti-war movement was gathering momentum and being listened to. On April 22, 1971, former naval officer, John Kerry, stated to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee:

 “…In our opinion, and from our experience, there is nothing in South Vietnam, nothing which could happen that realistically threatens the United States of America. And to attempt to justify the loss of one American life in Vietnam, Cambodia, or Laos by linking such loss to the preservation of freedom, which those misfits supposedly abuse, is to us the height of criminal hypocrisy, and it is that kind of hypocrisy which we feel has torn this country apart…”

Other events of the time, such as the successful launch of Apollo 14, did little to restore national pride. “American Pie,” in the opinion of the song’s producer, Ed Freeman, was the funeral oration for an era: “Without it, many of us would have been unable to grieve, achieve closure, and move on. Don saw that, and wrote the song that set us free. We should all be eternally grateful to him for that.”

 Extract from The Don McLean Story: Killing Us Softly With His Songs by Alan Howard Copyright 2007 Starry Night Music, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or translation of any part of this work without the permission of the copyright owner is unlawful. Used by permission.

Don McLean Sings American Pie on Top of the Pops (October 31, 1991):

516 Replies

  • “Hmm. I enjoyed this album alot. &#39Vincent&#39 and &#39Empty Chairs&#39 are the best on there, but the title track &#39American Pie&#39 is very cool also. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “One of the Greatest Albums ever written, with Vincent and American Pie, two of the greatest songs! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Contains some wonderful pieces such as AP, Everybody Loves Me and Winterwood. But it also has a few dark numbers like Vincent, The Grave and Sister Fatima. A balanced LP. (Rated 3 out of 5)”

  • “Very beautiful, amazing how so many different beautiful songs can fit on one album. I only bought it about three years ago -I&#39m 24- and I still listen to it more than to any other album. Well, maybe it shares the gold with Lauryn Hill&#39s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”” Both very inspiring, comforting, wise. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Where did this guy come from? Was it out of the deep blue? For the best of my knowledge, Don Mclean&#39s first rightful recognition as a phenominal songwriter. Great album, but unbeknownst to most, just a follow-up to preceeding great albums. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Where did this guy come from? Was it out of the deep blue? For the best of my knowledge, Don Mclean&#39s first rightful recognition as a phenominal songwriter. Great album, but unbeknownst to most, just a follow-up to preceeding great albums. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “American Pie is a wonderful album. The title track must be my favorite song from my childhood. I&#39m now 37, I had American Pie on a 45 and played it constantly. My Art Appreciation teacher in college brought Vincent to class and played it and left me with that memory. Till Tomorrow is a lovely lovesong, but really, “”why can&#39t they be lovers””? I don&#39t get it. The Grave is stark, disturbing, morbid and beautiful in its realism, because war is not glorious, it is a killing field. Empty Chairs is confessional, and sites the male character&#39s shallowness and arrogance and shows his sincere regret over the loss of his lover. Everbody Loves Me,Baby, is cocky and playful and describes a young man&#39s lust to devour life, while the character cannot understand the woman who will not succumb to his romantic advances. The song is egotistical as is Empty Chairs. The lyrics of Empty Chairs and ELMeBaby are both a little sexist and male centered in focus, with the romantic universe suppossedly revolving around the male character. This album showcases some excellent acoustic guitar, a banjo I think, and one of those Island drum things. Don Mclean&#39s voice is fabulous. I have this criticism of American Pie: The song is too fast. The slow parts are the best parts. And of course it would be great to know what the song is really about, that it, from the author&#39s lips. I guess this is folk music, but I&#39m no authority. I do know but it is a refreshing change of pace to hear stuff like this is the year 2000. Sure the album is sentimental, mushy and sappy, but there is a place in the world for this. This is music my mother could have played for me when I was a child. It has the beauty of art and the writing strength of good literature and poetry. I&#39ll take this over all that violent demented modern rock shit. Anybody that tries to capture beauty, or to evoke contemplation is accused of being soft, at least the accusation is made by some. American Pie is an treasure that is deserving of modern day praise, revival and recognition. The album also needs to be remastered to digital, as it would also be nice to have lyrics and liner notes.************************************************************ (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Of course I love I love the popular songs (Vincent, American Pie), but I&#39m really enthralled by pieces like Sister Fatima and, especially, Babylon (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • this song is one of the greatest songs ever written the lyrics and the instumental backround is awsome the song is really inspiring (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “this album is brilliant, not just because it contains the best song ever written, but as well as vinvent, crossroads and empty chairs, what an album! (Rated 4 out of 5)”

  • um well this is in a few words perhaps the worst album i have ever had the unfortunate luck of listening to i mean all the songs are basically terrible and it includes possibly the worst song of all time american pie (Rated 1 out of 5)

  • “How can anyone only give this album 3 stars? Do they listen to the simplicity of song, guitar, but yet the complex meaning behind them?
    To me so many songs on this album write my life like a “”tapestry”” Every time it brings tears to listen to “”The Grave””. The only war song that to me captured the fear men felt, the complete ability for me to imagine what it must have been like to a young boy, just out of high school to be in trenches, and knowing someone is out there just wanting to kill him. Oh and Jason Meriwether, Grow up. So obvious you did a bogus posting just to stir up trouble. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Greater even than the sum of it&#39s parts, this is one of the finest albums of the twentieth century. A masterpiece. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “This is definitely one of best albums of all time, and anyone who doubts that American Pie is a great song, definitely needs help! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Not only a classic for one of the best songs of all time, also The Grave, Empty Chairs, Vincent and Crossroads are some of the best tracks ever written. This album is simply great – considering both lyrics and music. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “””Vincent”” is one of the most well written songs I&#39ve ever heard. It truly is a work of art equal to Van Gogh&#39s masterpiece which inspired it. McLean paints, with words, as effectively as any painter could. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • this album is awesome and i strongly recommend it to anyone who likes good music.BRILLIANT (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “This album highlights the pure skill and beauty
    put into the songs, all of which are nothing short of
    amazing. Don Mclean is a singer who deserves nothing less
    than our respect, and awe. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I wore my vynil record out listenening to it over and over, while growing up in the seventies. I&#39m glad it&#39s still available as a CD because now I can play it for my children. A vlassic? You bet! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Perfection. The famous, legendary title song I will forever be indebted to not only for the pure pleasure that it brings, but also for entrancing me enough to discover more of this genius&#39s music- as a result, I have found songs he has written that are even greater than the wonderful AP. The whole album is magic- Vincent (maybe the first song to ever reduce me to tears) is indescribable (in the best sense). My own personal anthem has become “”ELMB””- sheer wit and entertainment, that song is. “”The Grave”” is, as Elizabeth noted, incredibly moving- as is “”Sister Fatima””, one of Don&#39s most intriguing songs. “”Crossroads”” and all the rest are too gorgeous for words- in fact, I&#39ll shut up. Just know that this is an incredible, moving, evocative, pure, joyous, miracle of a perfect album!! Oh, gush! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • this song is a great song I remember when I was 7 years old and would sit at daycare with my friends and sing American Pie on the top of the big slide that noone was aloudon except for a few of us. we would sit up there for hours and talk and sing the song over and over again it was my favorite then and it is my favorite now. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “I finally got a needle for my turntable, and I&#39ve been listening to this one all weekend… (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “””American Pie”” is the BEST history of music source ever! But my favorite song is “”CROSSROADS””. Thank you Mr. McLean! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Don is a music genius. All the lyrics of his songs are reflective and very much true and honest. Never had another singer sings and wrote songs this beautiful. I, personally is grateful for the songs that you have shared with us. Thanks so much, Mr. McClean! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Actually,I knew the name of this
    song first.And when I heard of it
    I came to love immediately.As I know for whom this song was written,I really appreciate it.I
    would like to say thand you to Don . (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • This is Connie. I love American Pie and Vincent so much. I recomment these songs to you. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “Bought this album the first time
    when it was new and I was young.
    It still rocks me. Pie, Vincent
    of course. The underplayed Sister
    Fatima was missed by many. My first
    album was ripped off..but I was a
    hippie then and couldn&#39t blame em.
    Now I&#39ve got a new one and I&#39m watchin&#39
    it closer. FIVE STARS cause
    the don&#39t have six.
    One of the TOP TEN ALBUMS EVER (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “The single American Pie is enough to make this album a classic, the fact that there are so many other amazing songs, especially Vincent, solidifies this album as one of the greatest of all time. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • A favorite song of mine growing up still is even today. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “what a album and what a single
    No need to think it&#39s simply a classic (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • This is one of the best songs i&#39ve ever heard. And I don&#39t think that the way that Madonne sings it is anywhere close to the way that Don McLean sings it. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • This is one of the best songs i&#39ve ever heard. And I don&#39t think that the way that Madonne sings it is anywhere close to the way that Don McLean sings it. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “This song reflects upon a man in slight mourning, but mostly rejoicing the memory of Buddy Holly. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “american pie is good enough to make don a kind of artist that we won&#39t forget. brilliant! please, tell me how can I get the lyrics of this song? (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • One of only 2 albums I ever owned as a teenager. The other was Jesus Christ Superstar. Both were inspiring and timeless. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “One of the first 2 albums I ever bought w/ my own money LOL (the other was Carole King “”Tapestry””). I have never been w/o a copy of this album from then to now, and now my 8 yr old daughter is a Don McLean fan…one of the top 5 albums of all time. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Hey. As a “”poor”” french boy from Toulouse, I discover this record, and naturally the song American Pie, in 1978, with a good friend of mine with who we began to play guitar. American Pie was the 1st song we learned. Some monthes later, we learned in English course the song Vincent. I would to thank my teacher : a great song, sure.
    And I always listen with as much pleasure and shivers today.
    Yeah, surely a song for eternity ! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Hey. As a “”poor”” french boy from Toulouse, I discover this record, and naturally the song American Pie, in 1978, with a good friend of mine with who we began to play guitar. American Pie was the 1st song we learned. Some monthes later, we learned in English course the song Vincent. I would to thank my teacher : a great song, sure.
    And I always listen with as much pleasure and shivers today.
    Yeah, surely a song for eternity ! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I saw and HEARD Don in concert in the UK either Basingstoke or Reading, and bought this CD and &#39the Best of&#39 from his helpers. It was great to see you on stage at last, and to listen to the tracks you sang on stage, wich I have on CD and LP. Just keep on singing, your songs are wonderfully written, and sung. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “A fantastic album where Don differs from one emotion to another. He is melancholy for the poor soldier in &#39The Grave&#39 and for Buddy Holly in &#39American Pie&#39, yet is unbelievably high in &#39Everybody Loves Me Baby&#39 – some say to high for his blasphemous line &#39I&#39m the second son of Mary Mild&#39. Crossroads and Empty Chairs are also have a fantastic sound to them.
    I am a young fan for whom Mc&#39Lean, Dylan, Paul Simon (best with Garfunkel) and the like mean a lot to me because of their superb music (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • American pie is the best song ever im only 14 but it&#39s wonderful which makes the album great (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • American pie is the best song ever im only 14 but it&#39s wonderful which makes the album great (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • American Pie is timeless… It tells the story of the history of rock and roll until 1971. This song is legendary and has been a neverending source of inspiration to me. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • I love the song &#39Every body loves me baby.&#39 It is so funny- makes me smile every time I listen to it. American pie is timeless- a terrific album! (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “Don&#39s version is AMAZING!!!!! If he&#39s so protective of the American Pie name, Madonna should NEVER have been allowed to cover it (especially with her cut down version)! The sad part is that the younger generation (pretty much anyone born after 1985 or so) know ONLY the Madonna version! A kid I know started to sing the Madonna version when everyone else was singing Don&#39s at a camp fire a few months ago. Sad. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “This album is very cool i listen to it daily and i didn,t and i will not get boared from listening to it.and it makes you feel better when you are sad or upset,because you can feel the music and the words working just like a medication to your feeling.
    thanks Don. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • I want this album! My father had it on tape but he lost it. American Pie is my fav. song. Ah well. Still want this album though. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “i must object, if 1-5 is the option given, then i give it 25, one thousand percent for ever. 🙂 (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “This album is absolutely beeautiful. Listening to Don McLean&#39s voice is like a brush painting this picture. All the tracks on this album are classics, as is Tapestry. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • I don&#39t think I have ever listened to any album as much as I have listened to this one. Since I bought my first Don McLean album (just for American Pie)I loved every song on there- I have hardly listened to anything else since. He has me hooked! (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “Once I drove from Dubai to Saudi Arabia. The American Pie CD was the only one in my cd player. I listened to it over and over again; never tired of it; and each time I listened to it, I heard something new. Each of its songs touches me in a different way.

    It is truly one of my all time favourite albums, and I want to thank my older brother Tarek for introducing me to it when I was but a young teenager. I have never forgotten it, and I will never stop listening to it. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • This album introduced me to Don McLean&#39s terrific music. I love his music. It touches every emotion. . True poetry in motion! (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “Fantastic album overall. A great thought. So many good songs. Let&#39s just pile as many as possible onto one album!
    Fantastic work! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • one of the most beautiful works of music and poetry in the modern world….in such a world full of negative acts and negative people…don mclean shows light with his words and his expressions….it&#39s wonderful…god bless…i feel a trembling tingle of a sleepless night…creep through my fingers and the moon is bright <—- great song….EMPTY CHAIRS…. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • Anyone who doesn&#39t like this album needs to be beaten with a tack hammer because you are a RETARD!! The best album ever made (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “It&#39s the greatest album I&#39ve ever heard in my life!!! The lyrics are so beautifull that sometimes I cry…aspecialy when I listnen to crossroads.I&#39ve borrowd the album from my mother and now, 15 years later i&#39m still in love with it (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “This is one of the most eternal albums in musicla history.
    I first heard it when my father played it when I was a kid.
    I then &#39borrowed&#39 it and played it to death in my early teens, then one day I found it again. I really can&#39t explain the power this album has over me,it is simply pure and powerful and always beautiful and soothing.
    Looking forward to Dublin &#3901 Don… (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I think the album is great… although, I&#39d love to know the lyrics to Vincent. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • This song made me think one day that I was going to die. Ha! It was a hell of a moment. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “Classic, perfect and beautiful.
    This album is known also out of USA, I am from Poland. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “THIS SONG IS SO AWESOME!!!!!! I&#39m only 14 years old and this song is way older than i am! This is definately a classic song…Thanks Don for writing this song, whenever im bored or whatever i come listen to it…THANKS (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • This was the first album I ever bought. It cost me several months worth of allowance. I was 8 at the time. I loved it. Now I am pushing 40 and I still love it. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “This was my grandmothers favorite song. Every time it would come up on the radio, she would sing to it. Untill last year. She passed away. SO i am doing as much as i can to learn about Don McLean. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I love the whole album, but “”empty chairs”” is beyond amazing. One of the most tender and tragic love songs ever. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • My goodness this song was a masterpiece. I loved the way you depicked different people in different ways. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • this album has some of the most achingly beautiful songs I&#39ve ever heard! Thay make me want to weep. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “Don Mclean was a legend of his time, and it&#39s truly sad that you can NEVER find any downloads for his music…Uoi guys should really consider adding some. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “””american pie”” is singularly responsible for awakening my
    musical appreciation at age 10. i carried my little transistor
    radio around with me everywhere hoping to hear it again. for
    years i listened to a poorly recorded cassette tape and
    eventually graduated to a cd. i never tire of the album and its
    poetic lyrics. my understanding of Don through his lyrics was
    that he was incredibly astute and perceptive for such a young
    fellow. i hope he has kept that sensitivity/wisdom through all
    the fuss. the album is timeless and i couldn&#39t agree more with
    Don that the simplicity is the key – still is only harder to find. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I love the song The Grave, maybe it can be used for people fighting wars today, both sides (Rated 4 out of 5)”

  • this is a great song. i first heard it when i was in japan.my roommate played it and i was hooked.thanks for a great song. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “Bought the album at age 14 just so I could listen to “”American Pie”” over and over again. Then one night 3 years later while still in my guitar playing infancy, I put the album on and was floored by “”Crossroads””, “”Till Tomorrow”” but especially “”Empty Chairs””. Played in a duet “”band”” during the mid to late seventies doing the coffee house, Holiday Inn lounge act routine and regrettably never played any of the above mentioned songs. Never thought anyone else would see into these beautiful songs like I did so I put them up on a pedestal never to be played except by me, for me. After reading all these reviews, looks like I exercised bad judgment back then about the public at large and playing these songs for them. I shouldn&#39t have compromised my playlist integrity for the few “”play Stairway to Heaven..”” musically- challenged illiterates. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “it was sheer by chance that i got to isten to vincent. and no matter how i felt that day, it still feels the same everyday .with nobody to help me with other Mclean songs i don&#39t know how i held on to my belief that this was the “”god of music”” for whom i was waiting. after about 5 years of searching around [this is India] for more of his songs i could get my hand on “”the very best of Don Mclean””. and i guess words could say no more. poetry sung so beautifully has never been heard before and will never ever be heard. it&#39s been 10 years since i am listening to his songs and everytime it feels new. over the years i have heard most of his songs and strongly feel that he is one of the very few who has managed to deliver such a huge number of beautiful songs throughout his career.and that is a mark of class itself. i feel my words won&#39t even add a speck of sparkle to the brilliance of Mclean . so i guess i should say nothing else and instead hum any of his inumerable tunes that has become like Oxygen for my heart and his words like blood for my veins. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • A true example of literary excellence and songwritting genious. A timeless masterpiece (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • it is a great song that tells so much of how our country felt and struggled with a horable time (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “It might not be Tapestry,but this classic remains just a play away.GO ON PLAY IT! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I can remember the day me and my mother bought the album.She was buying it as a replacement as her original had warped, and so not to make me feel left out, offered to buy me the album of my choice.I picked a trendy dance album being about 5 at the time, but the irony of it was I believe I have listened to American pie both sides over and over again more time than Ive even played my original choice! I am now 17 and have been listnening to the album constantly from the day we bought it. It just has so much appeal and diversity of messages that can be interpreted within his lyrics. I am only really begginning to be able to truly appreciate some of the messages now such as the metaphors in &#39crossroads&#39, and am sure that as I find out more about myself, I shall find more from within the album (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “this is the best album ever made. all the songs are very good. lyrics ,music everythin is best. well done don mclean (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “this is the best album ever made. all the songs are very good. lyrics ,music everythin is best. every time i listen vincent i just fel blown away. its like suckin bongs one after another.it makes me syoned. its simply the best. every music lover should listen to it. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • This is the greatest song of all time and will always be for future gemerations forever (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “For my father, To whom I have the up most respect!, for young boy growing up hoping only that I can be half the man he is. Do you remenber that night in Michigan, When you were teaching me to drive your corvet. I just a young boy in a world which I thought was very minute, to whom wich the one I now live in. At age 31, and figuring out why I remenber such a wonderful time in my life.Thank you for that one thing!

    I&#39m very sorry for your loss, and my greatest regret, is that I can not be there with you at your time of great hard ship, So mabey this song, will help you,remenber how much more is out ther.And to all others in this small world Whats your (AMERICAN PIE) I&#39ve found mine

    Signed your son, who
    will allways remenber
    the times we have
    shared, missing you
    allways, Your
    American Pie. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Ofcourse I love “”American Pie””! I find it much better with Don McLean than with Madonna… I also love “”Starry starry night”” (Rated 4 out of 5)”

  • “This is the greatest album ever made. It still amazes me that McLean can hit so many nerves on only one album. His songs are so magical. I never want them to stop playing. I wish there were more that I could download other thatn “”Vincent”” and “”American Pie.”” (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • I really love the original American Pie song I Am looking for the cd every where and I cant find the long version of the song But that song is my favorite song (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “As a young man of the 70&#39s and while in High school, as this song came out. When played at any event would stop that event. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • Who can give me the lyric of my favorite song &#39Babylon&#39. I want to sing it with my choire. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “I love the album and the song “”American Pie”” but could someone please tell me how long the song is. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “””in swedish”” det är den bästa låten någon sin. “”in english”” the best song ever (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Do I hate this album, no. Far from it. I just wanted to be different and put Abysmal for the ranking. (Rated 1 out of 5)”

  • American pie is one of the best songs ever written. I wasn&#39t even alive when the song came out and I can&#39t help but sing along every time I here it. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • I grew up listening to different artists and American pie along with several different others has captured my attention as well as captivated my soul!!! (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “this album is my absolut favourite one! i just love the song “”american pie””!!!!
    by sabine from Vienna (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “this album is my absolut favourite one! i just love the song “”american pie””!!!!
    by sabine from Vienna (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I would just like to say that yes, this album truly rocks, but for more reasons than just American Pie. The song Vincent, is agreat song about a great man. The song Babylon, also a great cut, but yes, to say that any beats good old American Pie is to lie in the face of the Gods of Rock and Roll. The song American Pie has alot of meaning to me as I am a HUGE Buddy Holly fan. The song just plain kicks ass, but so many other D McL songs. Lets give credit to all his great works. I leave you all with these words of the great one… “”Do you belive in Rock and Roll? Can music save your mortal soul? (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “This musical album is the worst I have heard in years, It isn&#39t the songs, because they are good it is just Don Mclean who is stinking up the place. (Rated 1 out of 5)”

  • “it´s great mystical, extrange, and has such a positive and mellancholic feeling inside the real meanings that sub conciously this song hides… (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I loved his “”American Pie”” first time I&#39ve heard it!
    Thank you Don! You&#39re the best! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “””American Pie”” is the essence of american people and the enduring love of Rock and Roll. Don Mclean will always be the expression of that love. Thank you Mr. Mclean (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • if you listen very carefully it heals even the deepest cut in your soul.thank you don. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • This song is the heart and soul of rock and roll. This song is a piece of history and the best damn song i&#39ve ever heard. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • this is the best song that i have ever listened to in the world it makes me wanna cry every time i sing it in my music class (we are currently learning it and analysing it) your the best….. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “This is one of the albums that I carry with me in my memory wherever I go for the last 25 years. My children and I sing the songs together, especially Babylon. Many of the songs have a special meaning to me and represent different times in my life or events. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • Simply put this song is and always will be the essence of rock and roll in America. Heck this song contrary ti its lyric The Day the music died will let the music live forever (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “Don McLean&#39s American Pie (the album) is one of the most amazingly multifarious CD I own. He is nostalgic, political, religious, arrogant, tender, and sarcastic all in one creative release. I am always telling people that American Pie isn&#39t the only great song Don McLean wrote. Much of the rest of his work is as memorable, brilliant and focused. I could not claim to have a single favorite song on this CD, even under threat of the rack! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Hey, I&#39ve listened to many really good songs in my life, and there&#39re all about the same ranking as “”America Pie””… BUT…the most important thing is that the words are just like… POETRY!!!!! The tune is great, but the lyrics are absolutely fantastic!!!!! And the others, like “”Vincent””,and “”Castles in the Air”” are really amazing too! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “At a time when pretense was the norm, Don McLean brought us songs that came right from his heart. Radio stations that had never played a song over three minutes long started playing Don&#39s eight minute ballad. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • This is one of my favourite songs. it always leaves an air of freshness whenever tuned in. Its really marvellous and good for heart and soul (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “To anyone who gives less than 4 stars, you gotta ask….Everybody loves him, baby, What&#39s the matter with you?…. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “American Pie was the first record I ever purchased. I was in the fifth grade, it had just been released, and I had heard one of my teacher&#39s playing it before class. My mom took me to the store, and I bought it with my OWN money… very big deal, for me!
    Four years later, I perform an oral presentation of “”The Grave”” to a stunned group of upper-classmen in a public speaking class. Their presentation&#39s fell into one of two categories: recitation of a Cheech and Chong routine, or a classic poem they were familiar with from English class.
    I still know all the words to “”The Grave””. I also still sing “”Babylon”” to my children when we&#39re heading down the road and I need something I know all the words to.
    A touchstone event buying a first album… my selection is still meaningful to me.

    I can&#39t wait to get the Marty Robbins CD and the children&#39s CD said to be coming soon. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “im 22, and since i first heard this song when i was 10, i loved it. this song is definitely a classic that all people around the world should know. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “When I first listened to this CD I thought it was a best of album, because really every song was just great. It&#39s just a perfect mixture. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “vincent made me look to world in a different way and to find other standards for my future. since i heard this song for the first time of my life in a tv show in 1997 i was captured by the beauty of both music and voice.
    sometimes when i am in a bad mood i just have to listen to this song as well as to “”castles in the air””. this helped me a lot in the past years when i was stressed by my life.
    please make don to come over and join germany… (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • This was the first album that I bought with money that I had earned. It says so much and means so much (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • This is my absolute milestone in contemporary acoustic guitar singer-songwriter ART. No other artist have had the same impact on my singing and writing (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “I use “”Babylon”” to teach about the Jewish Diaspora in my World Religions class. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I LOVE AMERICAN PIE! My I told my mom&#39s boyfriend I had anightmare when I was 6, he let me listen to American Pie until I fell asleep! I LUV U DON! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “i am from China,i am very like this song and don mclean ,when i am sad and when i am happy ,i both hear his songs ,my best singer ,i will love him forever (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “My daughter&#39s are 7 & 9 years old, and guess what they love your music and lyrics. like me their favorite is American Pie (what a clasic) all the best from down here in Australia. Long live the real KING…. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Bonjour! Je suis québécoise, et cette chanson fait partie de moi! I LOVE SO MUCH THIS SONG! DON MCLEAN IS PERFECT! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Amazing song, captures so much in a mere eight minutes. Thanks for the music, Thanks for the ideas, Don. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Hello,
    It is my favorite music. A classic…one radio plays every day…in Rio de Janeiro…Thanks for your inspiration…. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Grading on a realistic scale, even I cannot relent in my love for Don McLean&#39s unforgettable works.
    McLean fuses brilliant crativity through lyrics with very simple yet stellar tunes. An aristocrat of acoustic songwriting, McLean is a musician that serves as role model for his contemporaries. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “the grave the grave the gave the gave the grave the grave rules, Oh My God, Have you listened to The Grave? wow.. Brilliance. I will never serve our country in a war. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • I think this album is awesome! It&#39s something that both me (15 years old) and my step dad (47 years old) can listen to. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “Just amazing,I&#39m 38 now,the title track has been my favourite song as long as I can remember.Don mcleans lyrics beg you to find out more. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “My son has been singing in the club scene in the U.K for just 12 months,and is one of the most requested songs.
    Thank&#39s (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “It`s just perfect!!! What do you want me to say els?? Maybe just some time, you know, it could be a bit… No, it is, as I said, just perfect!! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Hey, i come from Iceland, i just was wordless when I heard this song i love it its my one and only love… Love you (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Absolutely Fabulous!!!! Even I know American Pie is the world&#39s best song, and I&#39m only 14!!! I can&#39t beleive they let Madonna do a remake! How ridiculous is that?!She didn&#39t even come close to doing it justice. After all, she only recorded half the song (if that much). Don McLean is clearly the most cleverly expressive songwriter out there. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • a celebration of life through music…your library wiont be one until you have this album… (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “Rating
    XXXXX – PLUS

    One of the songs that makes the world go round.
    I only wish I knew how Don was inspired for it…

    Tom Kiss
    tomkiss@bpsun.hu
    Hungary (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • I heard your song for the first time when it was on a commercial where that kid is sitting in the car and after I heard it I went to the record store and bought it but I had to sing for the guy to know what CD I was looking for. I listen to it every time I&#39am in my car (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “Hi!My name is Hideki,living in Japan,41yrs old.
    American Pie was the first record that I&#39ve bought.It was the opening of my fantastic music life.Thanx! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Yea I saw that Commercial also, What was that car again???? OHhhh well Who CARES! Ha, it advertises the song 50x more than the car. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “When Ralph Emery asked about the meaning of American Pie, Mr. M simply said “”…it means I don&#39t have to work anymore if I don&#39t want to..”” &#39nuff said. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • Superb- a timeless classic discovered by an 18 year old student in his Dad&#39s records. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “A truly breathtaking feat of superb songwriting…not only is American Pie (the song) a gem, but Starry Starry Night, The Grave, and Babylon are now some of my favourite songs ever. Don is a true master of song and spirit. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Hi, I am from Russia, and this song, American Pie left me with my jaw open wide for ever and I was never the same after I listened to it… A brilliant masterpiece it is!!! Thank you, Don! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “God truly gave Don a gift, and he has shared that gift with us all through his inspiring and thought provoking music. Truly a legend Don is. Thankyou Don for sharing your gift with the world. God Bless You (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • Vincent was the first song I heard from Don. Accept American Pie of course. but.. it really was something deep. i love it. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • I love the American Pie album. I am 11 and think that this is one of the best CD&#39s ever! Don McLean is a grat artists of his age!! (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “Simply put “”American Pie”” is an American Classic, its on the level of Hound Dog or NY,NY , Sweet Home Alabama or Proud to be an American. When I listen to it, I think there&#39s no way he wrote this on one night or 20 nights, Is it something Don that you&#39ve been rattling in your head since you were 10? (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Maybe American Pie was the only good song on the album, if you only considered American Pie just good, Truth is AP is outstanding, a classic, classic songs are rare being such they raise the entire album to their level. that means five stars. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “i will give the album 5 star , because i love the american pie song and i think it is the best of all times. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • j&#39ai écouté la chanson american pie en boucle et je la trouve sublime. Voila pourquoi j&#39ai mis une note de 5 étoiles. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “I wallow in the gentleness of &#39Til Tomorrow&#39, I&#39m aroused by the curiosity and mysteriousness of &#39Sister Fatima&#39, I imagine the colours in &#39Vincent&#39, and I cry with the passion of &#39The Grave.&#39 Listening to this album is almost exhausting; I experienced such a variety of emotions. Don McLean is one of the greatest lyricists of all time; a master of imagery and rubato…and yes, I may be an 18 year old who loves clubbing, but Madonna really did crucify &#39American Pie&#39. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Empty Chairs, Vincent, Winterwood, and the unforgetable American Pie. No album matches its beauty. And I think the insight into the meaning of AP is on the record. It says Mayday Music/Yahweh Tunes. If you have eyes to see and ears to hear you will know what I mean. Check out Roy Taylor&#39s site. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • this is a rally good song and the main reason i like it is coz he sang it 4 buddy holly. i collect buddy and im only 18 (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • American pie is the best song ever to be heard ! go Don go Smoke joints till you die ! (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “Don mclean peaks me out when I take acid I tend to run around my mansion, and light fires, and headbutt walls….drugs are fun for everyone!!! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “””A long long time ago I can still remember how that music use to make me want to smoke joints”” YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaa brother get fucked up WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Madonna can shake her tits but she cant sing AMerican Pie work a shit.

    ORIGINAL IS THE BEST (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • American Pie is an awesome and certainly meaningful song! Don Mclean was definitely far from high when writing it; frying brain cells is NOT cool! (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • Its not just the title track that earns the rating its the album. A truly sublime mix of Don&#39s genius (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “You have to be stupid to not love this song!People of every generation, every nation, can enjoy it… It will always be around!
    BYE BYE MISS AMERICAN PIE
    DROVE MY CHEVY TO THE LEVEE BUT THE LEVEE WAS DRY
    AND THEM GOOD &#39OL BOY WERE DRINKIN WISKEY AND RIE SINGIN THIS WILL BE THE DAY THAT I DIE, THIS WILL BE THE DAY THAT I DIE!!! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I was 18 when I first heard American Pie, and now I&#39m 50, but the song ALWAYS takes me back to…uh….I forget.

    GREAT SONG AND ALBUM!!! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • Was 17 when I first heard it. 50 now and it&#39s still as great as ever. Why don&#39t you re-release it now? (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • i&#39m 13 and i luv dis song!my mum plays it and it inspires me loads! (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “I was 17 when I first heard it, i&#39m 17 still and “”American Pie”” is defintely one of the greatest albums that were ever made. Great lyrics, fantastic music,
    it&#39s only disadvantage maybe that he is too short, but it gives an apetite for more!!! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • What can i say. American Pie is like the ultimate song. How could I not give this album a 5? (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • Once a generation a true genius appears and makes his mark upon the world. Mr. Mclean was that genuis of my father&#39s generation. Madonna is not the genius of mine. I consider American Pie to be a mandatory part of any music lover&#39s collection. And her version to be a mandatory decoration for the clearance rack. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “Every song on this album is truly fantastic. Ok so American Pie is the one everyone knows and rightly so its perhaps the most classic of any song ever made, but don&#39t let this distract from the quality and pure genius of the resy of the album. Superb. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “””…once a page is read, all but love is dead, that is my belief…”” great lyrics. touches my soul (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “The Grave…a great Song!
    COVER IT WITH GOOD
    VIDEO TO STOP THE WAR (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “i think the fact that we studied “”american pie”” in english a million times during poetry says a lot about what a great song writer don mclean is. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Best Song by Don-Mclean, of course he is great anyways. Great rythm. The day the music died. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I recently bought American Pie, mailnly because i really like the song &#39Vincent&#39, but i guess &#39Crossroads&#39 will be my favorite track. Being en newcomer to the work of Don McLean, i&#39m impressed. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I&#39m 16 years old, and I absolutely love this album. I&#39ve been listening to it for most of my life. It really is a classic. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • I absolutly love this song it has got to be a top hit in my head since i was able to understand sound! (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “I deeply enjoy American Pie. American Pie itself is a wonderful tribute to Boddy Holly, but I also like Vincent. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “ilove this album, anmerican pie is my favorite song, i love to play it on my guitar and sing it too (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “American Pie has become the anthem for my group of friends and I.We all love this song. Truely is a classic and will forever bring back wonderful memories of our “”group”” for years and years to come!! Thankyou from the bottom of my heart Don!!!! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • My dad made me listen to this song and right an essay on it because i had gotten into trouble.I think its a damn good song i should know i had to write an essay and memorize the song. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “There are many versions of Rivers of Babylon, but Don McLean´s is the best (Rated 4 out of 5)”

  • The Grave was one of his best songs I heard. I can cry when I heard it on my cd. Now its one of his best album. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “the grave happens to be my favorite song of all time.

    today, where musical lyrics are put in the background and replaced by powerhungry guitarists, this song is an awesome reminder of how great poetry can be brought to life.

    i commend don mclean on his awesome abilities and would like him to know that the album american pie is my favorite album of any artist to date (a+ for the lyrics man. i can&#39t get enough). (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “The title song is fantastic, of course (I know all the words by heart :), but “”Vincent””, “”Sister Fatima””, “”The Grave””–well, the whole album is pretty much mindblowing. American Pie is one of my all-time favorite albums because the lyrics are so incredible. I actually got to see Don McLean last year in L.A. and his voice is still that amazing. Made me cry. Thanks. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “This song has a very powerful meaning for me. I was one of those just getting out of hight school and the war in front of me.
    Thanks Don. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • I love this song. I pln to play it at my wedding and sing all 8+ minutes of it! (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • Dug out my old copy after seeing Dons concert last week in Lincoln City Oregon. I wish I had not wasted so much time realizing how good Dons recordings really are. I need to make up for a lot of lost time. Hurry back to Oregon Don (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “I love this album, and I actually have three copies of it. You inspired me so much…..Thanx Don! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I love American Pie, it&#39s gonna live forever…..I love that its about Buddy Holly….I have three copies of the album, I love……You have inspired me to take up guitar, Thanx Don! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Writing about buying the 45 single of “”American Pie”” when I was 7years old, in 1971 – and at the counter, I was given a sheet of critique and writing about the song – it was a legal-size sheet, printed back and front – any ideas about that? (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • man i love this song im 11 and its so cool i listin to this song now more then eminem and thats amazing (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “I love all his songs and i still can remember the first time I heard American Pie more than 30 years ago.
    Can anyone send the lyrics of Winter Wood and Sister Fatima? Thanks (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “American Pie is about when our music became controled by the fascist elites and was no longer a voice of the people. Many of our real singers were declared communists (anyone for the working class). A Jester is a clown hired by royalty = elites. Dylan was a hired dupe of the elites. WHile Lennon read a book on Marx the quartet kept practice in the Park (Langley Park/ Beasley Park = both Behavioral/ intelligence locals of the secret service for behavior control). The Church Bells all were broken: they had taken over the churchs and their music as well. Moss grows fat on a Rolling Stone(ie no change for the people with this band&#39s (The Rolling Stone&#39s) diversionary lyrics) (Rolling Stones another Intelligence service band: Jagger student at London School of Economics when “”discovered””). etc I went down to the sacred store where I&#39d heard the music years before, but the man said the music wouldn&#39t play. Real music: working class protest music now censored. Look up what happened to the real folk band “”The Weavers””. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I first heard the song at Madame Toussauds Rock Museum in London, and I was totally blown away, it was just that great… Normally I listen to eminem and Robbie Williams, but this song is just spectacular. Thanks Don!! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “The American Pie song is out of this world!!! This song, make me come back in the time…When I listen it(a gorgeous song), I travel on the time. You&#39re so fantastic Don. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I have just listented leslie&#39s American Pie,it&#39s fantastic.
    Would you tell me how to download Don Mclean&#39s American Pie?
    (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I have just listented leslie&#39s American Pie,it&#39s fantastic.
    Would you tell me how to download Don Mclean&#39s American Pie?
    e-mail:yulh@cesi.ac.cn (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “These songs will break your heart, and heal it again. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • I remember exactly where and when I first noticed American Pie back in 1972. I still stop my day and listen and sing along whenever I hear it being played. My 7 and 8 year old kids sing along as well. One of my top five classic rock tunes. Wanna play at my daughters 9th birthday party? (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “I love this album!!
    Espesially Vincent and American pie (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • One of my all time favourite albums. A classic in every sense of the word (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “To include “”Winterwood””, “”Ameican Pie”” and “”Vincent”” makes this record one of the all time great recording achievements of the era. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I&#39m 18, and am not exactly in to this type of music. I listen to new stuff, and general mock old music. But there&#39s something about Vincent… The first time I listened to it and listened to all of the lyrics carefully, I honestly started to get goosebumps. The song is so beautiful, so perfect – and this is coming from someone raised with 90&#39s music. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I&#39m 18, and am not exactly in to this type of music. I listen to new stuff, and general mock old music. But there&#39s something about Vincent… The first time I listened to it and listened to all of the lyrics carefully, I honestly started to get goosebumps. The song is so beautiful, so perfect – and this is coming from someone raised with 90&#39s music. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Bye, bye Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry…the history of Rock &#39N Roll (which can save your mortal soul) in one album! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “In our country, many people were fascinated with the songs of The Beatles ,Bob Dylan ,Michael Jackson and so on. But I believe most people didn&#39t know Don Mclean and his famous song””American Pie””.

    Thanks Leslie Chung, let me get to know Don Mclean and his music.
    I feel so fortunate that I don&#39t miss the chance to know the two great artists: Leslie Chung and Don Mclean in my life.

    American Pie remind us of good old days. It bring us an expression of such susceptibility & nostalgic feeling , sadness and depression. Listen to the song, you could&#39t escape from the kind of beautiful pain and emotion.
    Just like a broken dream, broken heart and broken soul. a distance between ideal and reality.

    I got little information about the song of American Pie. It&#39s helpful for me to better understand the song.
    American Pie means America itself. not a food. Or it implies a American dream. The album “”American Pie”” was written in honor of
    Buddy Holly, which was a famous rock &#39n&#39 roll singer and died in an aircraft accident in 1959. And then Don Mclean was a newspaper
    boy. He admire Buddy Holly. so he said in the song””The day the music died…, This &#39ll be the day that I die.””…

    There is more content that I need to feel in the song .
    So when we sit alone in the dark, or enjoy memorizing the old days, old thing, Let&#39s listen to the song “”American Pie””. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Ich kann nicht glauben, wie wundervoll ist Don Sie. Meine Frau bildet mir süsse Liebe, wenn ich diese Musik spiele. Ich liebe Don. Sorry. much english i now not. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Looks like Miles Simmons is outvoted, the idiot. This is one of the classic albums of all time, and I think the 100s of people voting it 5 stars proves that. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • definetly a classic…i dont no anyone who hasnt heard it…wat a great camp song to…AMERICAN PIE AND CTY ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “I&#39m was at one one time serendipitously surprised when I listened to interviews by other performers. I heard many, with wildly diverse styles, say that when they needed inspiration or centering they always listened to Don McLean. With many year&#39s of listening myself now, I am no longer surprised.

    I enjoy “”American Pie”” but it is far from my favorite Don McLean song. They each have a unique character that transports the mind to a special and private place. I find I can only introduce and enthuse Don McLean. I cannot share him as I do other performers. The experience must be too tailored to each individual listener.

    I recently heard Josh Groban perform Vincent and for the first time, I heard a rendition that had the potential to rival Don&#39s version. Needless to say Josh&#39s well executed “”Vincent”” still lacked a smidge of the passion tha only the writer can imbue.

    I live near the ocean but don&#39t go there as often as I&#39d like to. I don&#39t play Don&#39s songs with any regularity either but, in each case, I take comfort in knowing that they are there and can me mine as I wish.

    Finally, thank you for “”And I Love You So””. It was a wonder component of my wedding music 26 years ago.

    Sincerely,
    Dave Ussell (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Those two losers who gave the album a 1 don&#39t know what music is. In fact, they probably don&#39t who Don Mclean is. I think this album was pure genious with so much meaning. You really have to look at each line a pull out the meaning. It is really interesting. Greatest song ever, can&#39t be topped! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • Go to a Don Mclean concert and you will see everyone in the audience sing along with American Pie – all ages from children to grandparents. A classic American song that everyone knows. (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “I really like the song American Pie. Mostly because in English calss right now were learning about it and I found that Don McLean really put a lot of effort to do it. Overall, its great! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “One of my favourite albums by any artist – American Pie, Vincent and Crossroads are particularly good songs, and Everybosy Loves Me is always good for a laugh, if you don&#39t think about how sad it actually is… (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “This album is beautiful for both the composition and lyrics. Everyone should be touched, in some form, by masterpieces such as this. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “i love this album me and my mommy use to listen to it and now she is dead and i listen to the songs and they reminda me of her i love the song America Pie that&#39s the one we used top listen to all the time
    (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I can rember i herd that record as a little kid and it was probaly almost 20 years older than me but the song amrican pie sticks out in my head and i can defenatly say that song inspiered me to get involved in music and i hope to 1 day to become an hip hop artist just because of that song maybe in the near futre we can do a hip hop remix probaly better than the madona one
    Thank You -peace- (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I&#39m 18 years old and a few years back I wouldn&#39t have gone anywhere near music which had been recorded before the &#3990s. But gradually I have begun listening to “”real”” music, music from the &#3960s and &#3970s, a time when commercialisation was non-existent, a time when music was real and true, when musicians wrote music which reflected their own feelings, not the feelings of the mass consumers.

    A few months ago I saw an infomercial for the Singers and Songwriters Collection. During this infomercial the first few seconds of Don McLean&#39s “”Vincent”” are played, when I heard them I was mesmerised. For days afterwards those few seconds played repeatedly in my head and I longed for more. Soon after I went off to stay with my brother for a few days, on my last night there a group of us gathered around the small kitchen table in a cramped room with only a dim lamp in one corner to provide light. There was an acoustic guitar present. The moment my brother began to sing those first few words, “”Starry starry night…”” I sat, once again, mesmerised, staring blankly into space, putting pictures to the words, “Flaming flowers that brightly blaze/Swirling clouds in violet haze/Reflect in Vincent&#39s eyes of china blue”.

    I heard the original version for the first time today and wished for it never to end, I longed for it to continue forever. But, alas, all great things must come to an end, and when it did all I could do was to sit and contemplate life.

    When a song has this effect on people after more than thirty years it can only be certified as a “classic”. Such songs as Don McLean’s “Vincent”, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and Pink Floyd’s “Time” will live on long past any of us and will always evoke these emotions in many who listen to them. There is nothing that disgusts me more than to hear manufactured pop “idols” sing meaningless lyrics to music which they did not create. Such drivel as “Hit me baby, one more time” or “I did it all for the nookie” which were huge just a few years ago are already long forgotten. Thankfully these “acts” are disposable and will not have to be put up with forever.

    In the end though, music which is “now” will soon be forgotten, but real music will always be with us in the hearts of the people who love it. I know I’ll always have it.

    Simon Blackwell (New Zealand) (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “This is a true classic album. One of the least talked about, but most profound songs, was “”The Grave.”” Thinking about growing up while Vietnam played out in our living room, I still get chills when I hear this song! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • THIS IS THE GREATEST ALBUM HE HAS DONE WELL DONE DON KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK !!!!!!!!!! (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “One of the most beautiful albums and collections of music I&#39ve ever heard and owned. My first 8-track version, bought within a few weeks of it&#39s release, got all but worn out. And I&#39ve gone through its vinal and cassete reencarnations. Finally in CD form, it still transforms my mind into a marvelous treasury of thoughts.

    I was extremely disappointed when a concert at Detroit&#39s Masonic Auditorium was cancelled, when “”American Pie”” was everywhere. My date and I had to settle for the album&#39s sounds and lyrics on the sad drive home.

    Last time I saw Don in concert a few years ago at Toledo&#39s newly refurbished Valentine Theatre. An intimate venue, seating only about 900, Don brought his musical magic back home to me. Despite Janis Ian and Livingston Taylor also being on the bill, Don performed what seemed to be a full 90-minute concert himself. An he was just terrific. The people waiting to enter the theatre for the evening&#39s 2nd performace had to wait 45 minutes to enter.

    Oh, what a “”starry, starry night”” it was (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I thoght Don Mclean is a talent singer!!
    American Pie was written by him.How perpect is it!
    (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I think this is the best song in the world.
    And i am only 12
    It is awesome.
    A real classic. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • American Pie is one of the most extraordinary songs that I have ever heard. I looked up the meanings of each of the lyrics and thought about how long it must have taken for the writers (or Don Mclean) took to research and sing this song. The work that was put into this song is evident in the fact that the song is 8 minutes long. If you want to buy a cd just for one song this cd is the best you can do……GOD BLESS DON MCLEAN!! (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • I think American pie is the best song and it will be forever. i am 13 years old and all my friends think that it is strange that my favourite song is an old one like American pie!!! Don Mc lean is a legand!! 17.39 24/4/04 (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “Vincent seems like every ones story, layrics are out this world and to add the charm is the voice of Mr Don Maclane (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • TO me Don is like a person who u can trust and just look upon and when i start singing American Pie in school my friends ask me what r u singing and i say 1 of the many few best songs in the world to me and i am only 13 (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “This album reminds me of my childhood, we still listen to it in the car and its brings back so many happy memories. The songs are all beautiful. Most people only recognise him for American Pie but it was Winterwood that made me sit up and pay attention! That and Empty Chairs. I was gutted when my parents went to see him in Derby. But they thought with me being only 17 that I wouldnt be interested. Still, I&#39m glad Don is still going after all these years! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • I loved the cassette of this so much I wore it out and still need to replace it. Every song is superb and I recommend it to everyone. You HAVE to include this in your music library (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “Between Vincent, American Pie, and all the other beautiful songs on this album, it&#39s one that gets plenty of play on my cd player. I really enjoy Don Mclean&#39s music and I&#39m 14. I got some friends into the oldies and now it&#39s a hit. Thanks for the great music Don! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “This album is very poular. I think i know why this is. The 60&#39s were so different from now. It was then that people actually tried to be people. They wrote song that had true feeling and beauty, they wrote songs that meant something real and personal. I am 17 and i am stuck in a government operated system in which i am economically bound. There&#39s no independence now-nobody wants to think anymore. The songs of this album are pure art. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “This album is very poular. I think i know why this is. The 60&#39s were so different from now. It was then that people actually tried to be people. They wrote song that had true feeling and beauty, they wrote songs that meant something real and personal. I am 17 and i am stuck in a government operated system in which i am economically bound. There&#39s no independence now-nobody wants to think anymore. The songs of this album are pure art. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I love this song! I&#39m nineteen and have been listening to it ever since i can remember. my parents went to a concert that you were performing at in Long Island, i forgot exactly. it was their 25th anniversary and u made their night. thnx don 😀 (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Hey yeah its my FAVOURITE SONG EVER lol, well I really want to hear it, someone close to me just Died and i want to play that song im Memory i guess (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “This song is one of the things that I love with all my heart, I am 14, so what everyone around me loves is Usher, and while hes cool and all, you can NEVER replace something as classic and TOTALLY AWESOME as the original American Pie!! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • With the absolute fantastic American Pie as well as the beautiful Vincent and all the other superb numbers here this remains an excellent album. And that for a debut! (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “It&#39s a classic one, better than the crappy Madonna&#39s version. I really love it !! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “My mom raised me up on that good ol&#39 hippie rock/smooth trippy 60&#39s music! lol! so basically i&#39ve listened to it all my life and i will continue to listen “”UNTIL THE DAY THAT I DIE!”” You gotta love it! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I absolutely love this song,my brother and I used to listen to it,and now every time I here it it reminds me of him (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • I think You&#39re a penny-pinching motherfucker if you don&#39t allow to download american pie (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “Don McLean isn&#39t just a musician, he&#39s a poet. American Pie isn&#39t just music, it&#39s poetry.When I finally learned of all the things that it means, I cryed. Don McLean is a great man in my eyes, and has inspired me. Recently I started writing poetry, the first of which was a poem that I wrote about the late Pope John Paul II. Whenever I am feeling low I look to American Pie for help. I&#39ll be honest here, that song has made me cry on more that one occasion.I would just like to publicly say thank you Mr. McLean for showing a 16 year old something he can appreciate and admire for the rest of his life. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • Hey -I have this album on vinyl (where it belongs). It was the first real album I recall hearing and it has inspired me to to enjoy music at the depth only a musician only can. Thanks Don (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “I love the song American Pie and I am only 12! It is a classic track and the Madonna cover isn&#39t a patch on it! Heck, I even have the lyrics saved on my PC! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Best song ever, should still b in the charts, but i agree with the last guy, u gotta b pretty tight to not allow a download (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • best song of alltime i listen to it 3-4 times a day its one of the only 3 songs i like piano man but american pie is the beest ever (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “this is the best album ever. to bad don mclean is dead. how did he die? hhmmmmmmmm……. was it cancer? maybe. was it a heart attack? maybe. whatever it was, thats to bad cuz don mclean and his songs r the coolest thing ever!!!….. but i still wonder how he died……… (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “***********GREAT!!*******
    ~~~~~~~~~~~AWSOME!!~~~~~~
    ((((((((((COOL!!)))))))))
    DON McLEAN ROCKS!!!! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • THE ONE UNDER THIS AND THE ONE UNDER THAT AND THE ONE UNDER THAT ARE ALL MINE. CAN U BELIEVE IT? (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “just wanted to say that american pie has touched me in no other way a song could. Me and my father use to sing this song together, my father past away 3 years ago…and every time i hear your song it takes me right back to a much simpler time…..thank you so much. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • yo don mclean is awesome!!!! has anyone ever hears the wierd al version about star wars?its pretty funny. but this song is way better. ya it is too bad that he died but i think it was by cancer but i&#39m not sure… (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “A long, long time ago I can still remember how that music used to make me smile and I knew if I had my chance that I could make those people dance and maybe they&#39d be happy for a while but February made me shiver with every paper I delivered, bad news on the door step, I couldn&#39t take one more step, I can&#39t remember if I cried when I read about his widowed bride but something touched me deep inside, the day, the music, died. So…
    CHORUS
    Bye, bye Miss American Pie drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry an them good ol&#39 boys were drinkin whiskey and rye singin this will be the day that I die, this will be the day that I die.

    Did you write the book of love and do you have faith in God above, if the bible tells you so, and do you believe in rock n&#39 roll, can music save your mortal soul and can you teach me how to dance real slow? Well I know that you&#39re in love with him cuz I saw you dancin in the gym you both kicked off your shoes and I dig those rhythm and blues. I was a lonely teenage bronkin buck with a pink carnation and a pick up truck but I knew I was out of luck, the day, the music, died. I started singin…

    Chorus

    Now for ten years we&#39ve been on our own and moss grows fat on a rollin stone but that&#39s not how it used to be, when the jester sang for the king and queen in a coat he borrowed from James Dean and a voice that came from you and me, oh and while the king was looking down, the jester stole his thorny crown the courtroom was adjourned, no verdict was returned, and while Lenin read a book on Marx, the quartet practiced in the park and we sang dirges in the dark, the day, the music, died. We were singin…

    Chorus

    Helter Skelter in a summer swelter the birds flew off with a fallout shelter, eight miles high and fallin fast, its the land that falled on the grass the players tried for a forward pass with the jester on the sidelines in a cast, now the half-time air was sweet perfume while the sergeants played a marching tune we all got up to dance oh but we never got the chance oh as the players tried to take the field the marching band refused to yield do you recall what was revealed, the day, the music, died. We started singin…

    Chorus

    Oh and there we were all in one place, a generation lost in space with no time left to start again, so come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack Flash sat on a candle stick because fire is the devils only friend, oh and as I watched him on the stage, my hands were clinched in fists of rage, no angel born in hell could break that satan&#39s spell and as the planes climbed high into the night to light the sacrificial right I saw satan laughing with delight, the day, the music, died. He was singin…

    Chorus

    I met a girl who sang the blues and I asked her for some happy news but she just smiled and turned away, I went down to the sacred store where I&#39d heard the music years before but the man there said the music wouldn&#39t play and in the streets the children screamed, the lovers cried, and the poets dreamed but not a word was spoken, the church bells all were broken and the three men I admire most, the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost, they caught the last train for the coast, the day, the music, died, and they were singin…

    Chorus

    They were singin… Bye, bye Miss American Pie drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry an them good ol&#39 boys were drinkin whiskey and rye singin this will be the day that I die. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Please, I&#39m from Brazil, and a long time ago I&#39ve listened this beaultiful song. This music is so important in my life. Since I&#39ve started to look for this song on the internet, I&#39ve never found it. So, I ask for it:Please, help me to be able to listen to this song again!!! My e-mail is: jovelinacarvalho@gmail.com

    Thank you so much (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • this song is awesome i once heard it on the radion and it stuck to me so now i love it.DON MCLEAN your awesome (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “this album rocks, my whole family knows the words to American Pie, we listen to it all the time in the car (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I loved this album. It&#39s a part of who I am. I played it constantly while in intensive care for five weeks in 1973! Even “”this many”” years later, the songs just pop into my head. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “I am from venezuela and I grew up with this song it is my best song I learned the lirics and sometimes i sing it on karaoke with my friends,also won prizes in karaoke contest. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “the whole album is great, no weak song, I love to play them on guitar (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “This is my #1 favorite song of all time. Love it, absolutely love it….the music, the lyrics, the meaning, everything. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Still A Classic – American Pie is full of information about 1959 – 1971. Still a favorite! Vincent is not just a wonderful song, it is a wonderful moving tribute to a very misunderstood man. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • “Bye, Bye Miss American Pie…
    I cannot get it outta my head!
    Love it, love it, love it! (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • An absolute cracker of a song – and with so much meaning to it. Undoubtedly one of Mclean&#39s best n one of the all time classics! (Rated 5 out of 5)

  • “I move we start an internet petition… “”The Star-Spangled Banner”” is about WAR… and we are sick of war. How about we make “”American Pie”” our national anthem? More people know ALL the words to American Pie than they do the Star-Spangled Banner (I used to… there is actually 5 VERSES)

    Anyone gets in my car, “”American Pie”” comes on, they can&#39t sing all the words, I don&#39t have time for them… lol that person walks home. My kids knew all the words to this song before they knew the first verse to the national anthem.

    Let&#39s honor something that is TRUELY AMERICAN… Rock and roll, football, Chevy, dancing, this song has everything America is about. Not guns, bombs, fighting…

    ghettowhitelady(at)aol.com (Rated 5 out of 5)”

    • Sure – an 8 minute long National Anthem. Sounds great for all of the Veterans out who were greeted with this song upon returning from the War Great song, though.

  • “I want to get a hold of Winter Wood to play at my Mom&#39s funeral. She&#39s still alive, but I want have it ready before the stress sets in (Rated 5 out of 5)”

    • i am a English major student in China,i want talk about the song American pie in my thesis ,i need some source of English version as argument.

    • Sorry — they caught the last train to the coast. The naive hope of supernatural assistance is part of what is gone with Miss American Pie.

      America and the world, like Don himself, has grown up. Charles Dickens’ Ghost of Christmas Past explains what to make of this song: “These are but shades of what has been. That they are what they are, do not blame me [i.e., the supernatural].” We can’t go back and change the past, but as Scrooge later discovered, there is another solution.

  • “This song is one of the greatest songs ever. i love the words, i love the style, i love the music, everything about this song is absolutely perfect and amazing! me, my boyfriend and all of our friends just hang out all day and half the day we replay this song over and over while we just hang out or while they work out, or while we just smoke and chill. (Rated 5 out of 5)”

  • I an a chinese girl.I am in Xi’an China.I loved American Pie when I was 12 years old.At that time,I just fall in love with English.

  • Actually, ‘American Pie’ is one of my favorite songs.
    Though it’s an old song, talking about 1960s, I still like
    its melody and lyrics- no, I just love the song.
    Though I’m a korean teenage girl, this song is so familiar to me.
    Listening to it, I can easily find myself humming the melody
    over and over again, even after the song’s finished..lol

  • I think this song symbolizes a decade.I heard it once when I was little and now whenever I listen to it I feel like is a part of my childhood. I just love it.

  • “Interesting commentary from Don McLean’s web site on his classic “”American Pie.”””

  • My favorite song frowing up. Lots of great memories when I think of this song… never knew it was so political/ historical.

  • American Pie and Vincent touched me deeply. I know all the words and have been known to sing either without any reason and at any time. Thank you Don for your perfect music.

  • “I own a censored single of American Pie…a long beeeeeep goes right through where it says: and the three men I admire most, the father, son and holy ghost!! Franco did not like religion mixed in with popular music!!”

  • The 60’s generation the most self absorbed generation America had ever seen.We are still suffering from them see Yuri Bezmenov videos.

  • “My favourite song of all time, fell in love with this song when I was 7 years old and still love it now 40 years later! “

  • “My daddy used to sing this song to me when I was little (real little) and I still remember learning the lyrics when I was about 6. Whenever I listen to it, I can think of my dad drivin’ me around in his old Chevy pickup and singing it to me. I love this song for what it brought me.”

  • “Every now and then, this song gets in my head. If I’ve heard it on the radio, etc. I really like it, but it kind of gives me the willies, it has so much meaning in it. Why don’t we have more songs like it?”

  • “You were our paperboy, and we did all our sleigh riding in front of your house…Boy, didn’t January make us all shiver! Your music is a TREASURE. Thank you.”

  • Heard for the first time in 1976 or 77. Has been a favourite eversince. Never really understand the meaning till I read this evening. Sachin

  • This is my youngest son’s favorite song..he is 33 now. Still loves to sing to it when he hears it. It is one of my favorites too! Wish there were more songs like this these days!

  • “Tupac Shakur in an interview claimed that this song inspired him. He said he wrote as if he was telling a story about his people in the same way as “”American Pie.”””

  • “This was the top song when I was in basic training. every time I hear it, I get this urge to start marching and peeling potatoes! great song! always played it on the radio when I needed a potty break! those 9 minutes came in handy when you’re on an oldies station.”

  • American Pie is a girl who left him, right?
    “Did you write the book of love, And do you have faith in God above, If the Bible tells you so? Do you believe in rock ‘n roll, Can music save your mortal soul, And can you teach me how to dance real slow? Well, I know that you’re in love with him `cause I saw you dancin’ in the gym. You both kicked off your shoes. Man, I dig those rhythm and blues. I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck With a pink carnation and a pickup truck, But I knew I was out of luck The day the music died. I started singin’, bye-bye, miss american pie.”

    • The song is actually an allegory with several meanings in each verse. In college, one of my professor’s spent 3 weeks covering the song with what he thought it meant. I want to say that it’s mostly about the plane crash which caused the death of Buddy Holly.

  • at the bank the other day. My dad was the sweetest, kindest person. He had a difficult background, and I was blessed to see the kindness in Dad’s Life. My daddy made a silly but sweet rendition of this song for me. It was so incredibly silly, but it fit my life. My grandfather (who was my mother’s father) called me ‘PIDDLY PIE’ because they had a “PIDDLING PAD” for folks that wanted to “piddle down their thoughts!” AND, apparently, my grandfather named me Piddly Pie. lol. My dad used this wording w/ American Pie. The song that was written and performed on my actual birthday.

    In addition, had a FANTASTIC day singing this song @ the bank the otha day!! They were just too sweet & fun & danced to everything. I think it’s too cool to have those few moments in life which are just magical.

  • Your album American Pie is the only one I have ever owned in all forms: 33, cassette, 8 track, and CD! My favorite of all! My favorite song is Empty Chairs and Pie and Vincent and The Grave. In that order. I saw you a very long time ago at The Roxy, Don. You were charming as well as so very talented! Thank you for the fine memory. Julie

  • Certain that this has been asked & answered a million times, why does “A.P.” refer to a train crash, when it was a plane that went down in a blizzard?

  • My wife booked, secretly for my 76th Birthday a visit to Gateshead, England to see Don. I have been a fan for many years and what a terrific present. I feared though that as he was getting older hgis voice might have gone. My fears were unfounded, he was fantastic, and the audience were with him all the way. The finale was incredible with everyone in the theatre singing American Pie.
    Don was on stage for two houyrs with just a short break. One of the great memories of my life.
    American Pie is such an evocastive song. I want it played at my funeral.

  • The fifties was great for white middle-class men that’s for sure. Grieving the loss of innocence generally equate to a longing to return to ignorance of social injustice and exclusion. The more significant loss of innocence came about when it became clear that the police and the military would attack, maim and kill protestors at the behest of the ruling class.

    • Protesters charging them (armed young soldiers) with rocks and implied threats of violence. You probably didn’t feel quite so bad about Waco where it was a legitimate government sanctioned slaughter.

  • I’m an African American . Today I turned 59 and found this site. Last year a few of my friends black and white took their own lives. We have to evolve. The alternative is leading quiet lives of desperation or… I can’t imagine anything good ahead. I love all kinds of music, most especially the lyrics and poetry of folk and rock. Thankfully Woodstock showed us that shared ideas were not restricted by one’s racial orientation. I learned about freedom and how deeply people could love, hate, or just be in the world from artists like Don McLean, Billy Joel, Simon and Garfunkel, the Beatles, the Eagles. I experienced joy and sorrow through the music of Elton John and the Who, national and ethnic pride James Brown. Loved the dance music of the Dicso era.

    While I have had the good fortune of finding love through the years, many crushes and such, I guess at the beginning, through the middle, to the bitter end, and in new beginnings, music, in sound tracks, play lyrics, movie scores, music of the people, for the people, and an abiding faith in God have always been there.

  • I have been listening to this song on my parents radio since I was born (1975). It took me until I was 39 to truly understand how profound and deep the meaning of the lyrics were. I must say when I put it all together I had to move “American Pie” to the top position of the best song ever written. I wish we still had people out there with this kind of talent.

  • I once heard American Pie on the radio and a few minutes later stalled out a 1985 Chevy Cavalier on a road that was flooded due to a levee that didn’t hold the water back after a storm. I used to say “drove my chevy to the levee but the levee’s not dry.” Irony.

  • Saw Don last night at Orleans in Vegas. He is still as good as a 30 year old. Amazing concert.

  • Don do you remember singing at Queen’s University in 1971 for $500 for two sets before Blood Sweat and Tears! You stole the show! On Saturday at out homecoming football game they were all singing “Bye Bye Miss American Pie”. One of the most moving experiences in my life@@talkcampingnhcom:disqus

  • I wish Don were either allowed or willing to share the meaning of his lyrics. This is an explanation that really doesn’t explain. “Oh, and as I watched him (the devil?) on the stage
    My hands were clenched in fists of rage
    No angel born in Hell (what? Why would they?)
    Could break that Satan’s spell (This is so specific. Which spell? Does this refer to Kennedy’s death?)

    And as the flames climbed high into the night
    To light the sacrificial rite (again, this sounds so specific, what is this about?)
    I saw Satan laughing with delight (did you actually? In a vision?)
    The day the music died (poetic, perhaps, but can’t be going back to Buddy Holly dying.)

    • “And then, a year to the day later, came the moment that confirmed the Stones’ new reputation. It was what one reporter called “rock’n’roll’s all-time worst day”. At their chaotic free concert at the Altamont Speedway in California an African American teenager with a gun was knifed to death by Hells Angels to whom the Stones had contracted security. Popular belief, fuelled by bad reporting, was that the murder happened as the band were playing “Sympathy for the Devil”. “https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/rolling-stones-sympathy-for-the-devil-mick-jagger-anniversary-satanism-a8668551.html

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