The Early History of “American Pie”
In the years after the song was released, it was widely thought that McLean wrote the song at Caffe Lena in upstate Saratoga Springs, New York. However, McLean disputed the claim in an interview for the New York Times in 2011. Even though some employees of the folk café Caffe Lena claimed that he started to write the song there, McLean stated that he wrote it in Cold Spring and Philadelphia. There is a plaque in the Tin & Lint bar on Caroline Street in Saratoga Springs that claims the song was written there.
Photo of Don McLean (Photo by Mick Hutson/Redferns)
Not only the place where the song was written is disputed, but also the place where it was first performed. Saint Joseph’s University claims to be the place where the first was performed for the first time, but according to McLean, he debuted the song in Philadelphia at Temple University on March 14, 1971.