A Masterpiece is Born
Recorded on May 26, 1971, and first aired on the radio a month later, “American Pie” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on January 15, 1972, and remains McLean’s most successful single release. Because of its length, the song was distributed on both sides of the disc. WCFL DJ Bob Dearborn published the first interpretation of the lyrics on January 7, 1972, and most subsequent interpretations stemmed from this initial one. It wasn’t until 1978 that McLean finally stated that the lyrics of the song are of an autobiographical nature and present a shortened version of his life between the mid-1950s and the late 1960s.
Don McLean performs onstage, Chicago, Illinois, November 10, 1978. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
The song also reached number two in the UK, where it stayed for three weeks, and topped the charts in Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. At the time of its release, “American Pie” was the longest song to enter the Billboard Hot 100, at 8:33 minutes long. At present, it is the fourth-longest song ever to enter the Billboard Hot 100. Selecting it for its cultural and artistic significance, the Library of Congress preserved the song in the National Recording Registry.