Except to acknowledge that he first learned about Buddy Holly's death on February 3, 1959—McLean was age 13—when he was folding newspapers for his paper route on the morning of February 4, 1959 (hence the line "February made me shiver/with every paper I'd deliver"), McLean has generally avoided responding to direct questions about the song's lyrics; he has said: "They're beyond analysis. Thanks for talking to me, man. After that first gig, I just thought of it as part of a group of songs I was really proud of. In the 90s she was a massive deal, but I guess it takes a bit of time for the mythology of a person to take shape. Artwork is also used as the front cover for the album of the same name and many other international releases of the single. [53] It is included as an international bonus track on her eighth studio album, Music. The music video, filmed in the southern United States and in London[58] and directed by Philipp Stölzl, depicts a diverse array of ordinary Americans, including scenes showing same-sex couples kissing. Thanks again. } catch(e) {}, try { [48] The contest was in honor of "Pi Day of the Century" because "3/14/15" would be the only day in the 21st-century showing the first five digits of π (pi). Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. I have to think he's talking about somebody else. The first time The Beatles appeared with facial hair was in the promotional film for this song. Thanks so much for talking to me man! _g1 = document.getElementById('g1-logo-inverted-img'); When writing, you just spurt things out without being too conscious of it. I heard this song for the first time at my work place and didn’t know the name of the artist or the song itself until yesterday. A truncated version of the song was covered by Madonna in 2000 and reached No. The second version was issued along with the "Humpty Remix", a more upbeat and dance-friendly version of the song. McLean himself praised the parody, even admitting to almost singing Yankovic's lyrics during his own live performances because his children played the song so often. It doesn’t rhyme either. [45] The video was hailed as a fantastic performance by many including Roger Ebert, who said it was "the greatest music video ever made". _g1.classList.remove('lazyload'); Cheers! That’s all pretty biographical. ", "Bob Dearborn's Original Analysis of Don McLean's 1971 Classic 'American Pie, archived version of McLean's website page on "American Pie", Full "See the USA in Your Chevrolet" lyrics for Dinah Shore on "The Dinah Shore Chevy Show" (1956–1961), "Interpretation of American Pie – analysis, news, Don McLean, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, Rock & Roll", The Official Website of Don McLean and American Pie, Rearview Mirror: An American Musical Journey, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_Pie_(song)&oldid=1009721872, European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles, Song recordings produced by Madonna (entertainer), Song recordings produced by William Orbit, United States National Recording Registry recordings, Short description is different from Wikidata, Singlechart usages for Canadaadultcontemporary, Singlechart usages for Billboardadultcontemporary, Certification Table Entry usages for United Kingdom, Pages using certification Table Entry with streaming figures, Certification Table Entry usages for United States, Pages using certification Table Entry with shipments figures, Pages using certification Table Entry with shipments footnote, Pages using certification Table Entry with streaming footnote, Singlechart usages for Billboardadultpopsongs, Singlechart usages for Billboarddanceclubplay, Certification Table Entry usages for Australia, Certification Table Entry usages for Austria, Pages using certification Table Entry with sales figures, Certification Table Entry usages for Belgium, Certification Table Entry usages for France, Certification Table Entry usages for Germany, Certification Table Entry usages for Italy, Pages using certification Table Entry without certification, Certification Table Entry usages for Sweden, Certification Table Entry usages for Switzerland, Pages using certification Table Entry with sales footnote, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz release group identifiers, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz work identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. October 4, 2019, 2:25 am _g1.setAttribute('src', _g1.getAttribute('data-src') ); But a 2011 New York Times article quotes Don McLean as disputing this claim. The father-daughter dance is one of the most touching moments in any reception, but choosing the right song can be tricky. The first commercially recorded Rap song is Rapture by a rock band named Blonde. "Something" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album Abbey Road. Log In. if ( localStorage.getItem(skinItemId ) ) { I get the most joy out of songwriting and those unexpected moments when you’re recording a song and you make it better, or when you’re playing live and do something without thinking about what you’re doing. At that point I only uncovered a small portion of the song, so it wasn’t clear to me where it was going to go. [49], On January 29, 2021, McLean released a re-recording of "American Pie" featuring lead vocals and instrumentals by country a cappella group Home Free.[50]. [56] In 2017, the Official Charts Company stated the song had sold 400,000 copies in the United Kingdom and was her 16th best selling single to date in the nation.[57]. _g1 = document.getElementById('g1-logo-mobile-inverted-img'); The opening song on the Beatles' second album was also the first original they recorded for it. I’ll meet you at the rip. American Made - Oak Ridge Boys American Pie - Don McLean American Woman - Guess Who American Woman (Short Version)- Guess Who America The Beautiful - Katherine Bates and Samuel Ward And I Love Her - Beatles And When I Die - Blood, Sweat And Tears Angel Baby - Rosie And The Originals (Revised)(10/5/2016) Angel Of The Morning - Merilee Rush Sure, the jester writes songs like 'Masters of War', 'A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall', 'It's Alright, Ma' – some jester. The song also topped the charts in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The phenomena that the word is referring to is “rip current,” but I guess that doesn’t have the same ring to it. K-Town. Rob LeDonne American singer Madonna released a cover version of the song in March 2000 to promote the soundtrack of her film The Next Best Thing (2000), with the song being serviced to radio on February 2. [Laughs] Haven’t got that call yet! Sorry to leave you all on your own like this but long ago I realized that songwriters should make their statements and move on, maintaining a dignified silence. On March 14, 2015, the National Museum of Mathematics announced that one of two winners of its songwriting contest was "American Pi" by mathematics education professor Dr. Lawrence M. I have the lyrics in front of me, so let’s talk about the words. [2] The song also topped the charts in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. [52] Her cover is much shorter than the original (it contains only the beginning of the first verse and all of the second and sixth verses) and was recorded as a dance-pop song. One of the most popular songs of the past year is the indie folk tune “Riptide,” a global hit performed by Australian singer-songwriter James Keogh, who is better known by his alias, Vance Joy. By this time, the group had stopped touring, so the only way many fans could see … [44], The City of Grand Rapids, Michigan, created a lip dub video to "American Pie" in response to a Newsweek article that stated the city was "dying". In September of 1962 The Beatles recorded their first hit Love Me Do, which charted in UK, and reached the top of the US singles chart. The chart success of “Riptide” is astonishing, but you know you’ve truly arrived when Taylor Swift covers it as she recently did for the BBC. [3], The repeatedly mentioned phrase "the day the music died" refers to the plane crash in 1959 that killed early rock and roll performers Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens. James? _g1.classList.remove('lazyload'); "American Pie" is a song by American singer and songwriter Don McLean. I’ve fallen in love with the simplicity of the beat. First off, what should I call you? [42][43], "American Pie" was the last song to be played on Virgin Radio before it was rebranded as Absolute Radio in 2008. _g1.setAttribute('srcset', _g1.getAttribute('data-srcset')); Those kind of things are milestones. In my mind it’s the ocean, but my whole awareness of that word existing is staying at a motel called Riptide. [12] McLean dedicated the American Pie album to Holly. Become a member. In 1999, "Weird Al" Yankovic wrote and recorded a parody of "American Pie". One of the most popular songs of the past year is the indie folk tune “Riptide,” a global hit performed by Australian singer-songwriter James Keogh, who is better known by his alias, Vance Joy. It was co-produced by Madonna and William Orbit and released on the singer's Maverick label, after Rupert Everett (Madonna's co-star in The Next Best Thing) had convinced her to cover the song for the film's soundtrack. So those moments are less specific in terms of some exact thing happening, but that feeling and sensation I think is the best. Here, Keogh discusses Riptide’s meaning line by line, touches on his exploding fame (including being recently covered by Taylor Swift), and why epiphanies while writing songs are better than any success he’s had thus far. I don't know whether you consider that wrong or right but it is a morality song in a sense. ", In February 2015, however, McLean announced he would reveal the meaning of the lyrics to the song when the original manuscript went for auction in New York City, in April 2015. ", "Don McLean to reveal meaning of American Pie lyrics", "American Pie: 6 crazy conspiracy theories", "Bob Dylan's Surprise New Interview: 9 Things We Learned", "The Making Of… Don McLean's "American Pie, The Irish Charts – Search Results – American Pie", "NZ Listener chart statistics for American Pie", Norwegiancharts.com – Don McLean – American Pie", "Don McLean Chart History (Adult Contemporary)", Offiziellecharts.de – Don McLean – American Pie", "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart", "British single certifications – Don McLean – American Pie", "American single certifications – Don Mc Lean – American Pie", Recording Industry Association of America, "Jedi Council – Interviews Weird Al Yankovic", https://m.mixcloud.com/andy-walmsley2/christian-oconnell-29-september-2008/, "Rock Band's final song will be Don McLean's 'American Pie, "John Mayer covers 'American Pie' for David Letterman", "Don McLean releases new a cappella version of "American Pie" featuring country vocal group Home Free", "Madonna and William Orbit take another spin in studio", "Don McLean Praises Madonna's 'American Pie, "Flashback: Madonna scored her 9th UK Number 1 single with American Pie 17 years ago this week", Australian-charts.com – Madonna – American Pie", Austriancharts.at – Madonna – American Pie", Offiziellecharts.de – Madonna – American Pie", "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (Vikuna 30.3. I love her and I love her films. Plus, it’s also true in my childhood as well. She was covering the screen so I couldn’t who was singing, and I was like, “This sounds really good! Think about your relationship and what kind of song best represents you and your dad. var _g1; While some have claimed other places, such as Saint Joseph's University, as where the song was first performed,[9] McLean insists that the song made its debut in Philadelphia at Temple University[6] when he opened for Laura Nyro on March 14, 1971.[8]. “It was a well-written song, and I felt it was a really good idea. However, when I watched the video, people were given the lyrics a much more darker and sinister meaning than what he described on here. Already a member? Well, I get really shy around people I admire. 5 song on the RIAA project Songs of the Century. When you admire someone’s work, you create an idea of who they are before you even meet them. It’s nice to talk and feel so relaxed. "[20] The catalogue confirmed some of the better-known references in the song's lyrics, including mentions of Elvis Presley ("the king") and Bob Dylan ("the jester"), and confirmed that the song culminates with a description of the death of Meredith Hunter at the Altamont Free Concert, ten years after the plane crash that killed Holly, Valens, and Richardson. Yeah, this was a very chilled-out chat. Recorded and released on the American Pie album in 1971, the single was the number-one US hit for four weeks in 1972 starting January 15 after just eight weeks on the Billboard charts (where it entered at number 69). _g1 = document.getElementById('g1-logo-mobile-inverted-source'); Was this back in Australia? And that’s how he came across your interview with him. 1 in many countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Iceland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Finland. The song started in 2008. The song was the 19th-best-selling single of 2000 in the UK and the ninth best-selling single of 2000 in Sweden. Only members can comment. When did you realize “Riptide” was going to take on a life of it’s own? In terms of exact moments, it’d have to be playing big festivals like Glastobury or Lollapaloza, or playing (on the BBC show) Later… with Jools Holland. It was a step forward from Please Please Me , with more giant leaps to come. Totally. Well, the album is made up of songs written between the start of 2012 to the start of 2014. On April 20, 2015, John Mayer covered "American Pie" live on the Late Show with David Letterman, at the request of the show's eponymous host. Well, I put it on my personal SoundCloud in 2012 and it had a few thousand listens within a very small of group of people. [19] In the sale catalogue notes, McLean revealed the meaning in the song's lyrics: "Basically in American Pie things are heading in the wrong direction. – 6.4. 2000)", Italiancharts.com – Madonna – American Pie", Norwegiancharts.com – Madonna – American Pie", "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100", Spanishcharts.com – Madonna – American Pie", Swedishcharts.com – Madonna – American Pie", Swisscharts.com – Madonna – American Pie", "Madonna Chart History (Adult Contemporary)", "Madonna Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)", "Madonna Chart History (Dance Club Songs)", "Year in Focus – Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 2000", "Anuario 2000: CD-Singles Más Vendidos en 2000", "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Singles", Australian Recording Industry Association, "Austrian single certifications – Madonna – American Pie", "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2000", "French single certifications – Madonna – American Pie", "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Madonna; 'American Pie')", "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Madonna; 'American Pie')", "British single certifications – Madonna – American Pie", "What is Don McLean's song 'American Pie' all about?