Maps of Music

American Pie (1971)

Where the lyrics of American Pie take you, and where it was really made.

The title track refers to Buddy Holly's death, and the album is dedicated to him, yet McLean was only a 13-year-old paper boy at the time.

Key places

Recorded at The Record Plant, New York City (1971)

Recording site The Record Plant — The album was recorded in Studio A at The Record Plant on West 44th Street in New York City in May and June 1971. Producer Ed Freeman rented a rehearsal studio so the band could rehearse the title song for two weeks before recording it. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• American Pie: second studio album by Don McLean
• Released 24 October 1971 by United Artists Records
• Folk rock album that reached number one on the Billboard 200
• Contains the chart-topping singles 'American Pie' and 'Vincent'
• Dedicated to Buddy Holly
• Reissued in 1980 without 'Sister Fatima'
• 2003 reissue restored the track and added two bonus tracks

Background

• McLean's first album Tapestry, released in 1970, had only moderate commercial success and acclaim
• McLean was a protégé of Pete Seeger and played with him in the 1960s
• McLean said he was influenced by the Beatles' Sgt Pepper and envisioned American Pie as a similar album
• The album was intended as a unified work
• McLean dedicated the album to Buddy Holly, one of his childhood icons
• The album has a melancholy feel and rather sparse arrangements
• At the time of writing, McLean's first marriage was failing
• The optimism of the 1960s was giving way to the nihilism and hedonism of the 1970s

Recording

• Recorded in May and June 1971 at The Record Plant in New York City
• Producer Ed Freeman chose accomplished musicians rather than studio players who could act like a metronome
• Freeman wanted to capture the feel of a band that was really cooking
• The band rehearsed the title song for two weeks in a rented rehearsal studio before recording it
• Some voice parts had as many as 24 takes, while the rhythm tracks are mostly one take

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Donald McLean III, born October 2, 1945, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• Known as the "American Troubadour" or "King of the Trail".
• Grew up in New Rochelle, New York; became interested in folk music as a teenager.
• By age 16 had bought his first guitar and made contacts in the music business, becoming friends with Erik Darling and Fred Hellerman of the Weavers.
• Graduated from Iona Preparatory School in 1963; briefly attended Villanova University.
• Performed for six years at venues including The Bitter End, the Gaslight Cafe, the Newport Folk Festival, and the Troubadour in Los Angeles.

Career

• Recorded the album Tapestry in 1969 in Berkeley, California; rejected 72 times by labels before Mediarts released it.
• Breakthrough came with the album American Pie, released after Mediarts was taken over by United Artists Records.
• The title song "American Pie" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in January–February 1972 and is his most successful single, certified six-times Platinum by the RIAA.
• "Vincent", a tribute to Vincent van Gogh, reached number 1 on the UK Singles Chart and number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Roy Orbison's "Crying" by McLean reached number 1 in the Netherlands, UK and Australia, and number 5 on the US pop chart in 1981.
• Other hits include "Castles in the Air", "Wonderful Baby" and "Dreidel".
• Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004; "American Pie" entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• The album was released to much acclaim
• It reached number one within two weeks of release
• Its appeal cut across genres in a fragmenting music scene

Reappraisal

• Later included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
• Appeal cut across genres in what was becoming a fragmented music scene

Records

• Reached number one on the Billboard 200
• Certified gold within six months of release
• Spent almost a year on the Billboard album charts
• Won Most Popular Overseas L.P. at the Australian 1972 King of Pop Awards
• Chart-topping singles: 'American Pie' and 'Vincent'

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The title track refers to Buddy Holly's death, and McLean was a 13-year-old paper boy at the time.
• The phrase 'The Day the Music Died' was used on this song and has become an unofficial name for the tragedy.
• The final chorus of 'American Pie' uses multi-tracked overdubs credited to the West Forty Fourth Street Rhythm and Noise Choir.
• The producer claimed the choir included Pete Seeger, James Taylor, Livingston Taylor and Carly Simon.
• The final track 'Babylon' is a close paraphrase of the first verse of Psalm 137.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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