Madonna’s Video and Critical Reception
Directed by Philipp Stölzl on January 10, 2000, in London, Madonna’s “American Pie” video pays homage to the 1970s, the period when the song was first performed. Madonna dances in front of a giant American flag and some shots show ordinary people, children, a woman in a shop, interracial families posing for a photo, a gay and lesbian couple kissing each other; roughly, what makes up the American population. Two versions of the video exist, the second one featuring a remix that is a more upbeat and dance-friendly version of the song.
Singer Madonna performs ‘Ghost Town’ onstage during the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards which broadcasted live on NBC from The Shrine Auditorium on March 29, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)
Although critics weren’t particularly excited by Madonna’s cover, Don McLean himself praised it, stating that it was “mystical and sensual” and “a gift from a goddess.” As of 2018, the “American Pie” cover is Madonna’s 16th best-selling single.
However, Rolling Stone included Madonna’s cover on the list of Worst Covers of All Time. The song came in third on the list after “Behind Blue Eyes” by Limp Bizkit and “Smells like Teen Spirit” by Miley Cyrus. The under-five-minute version of “American Pie” may have hit number one on the dance charts, but critics were so harsh that Madonna ultimately said: “It was something a certain record company executive twisted my arm into doing.”